Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
雖然Ａ，但也Ｂ
English translation:
(though | although) A, B
Added to glossary by
Roddy Stegemann
Dec 21, 2006 07:52
17 yrs ago
Chinese term
United States
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Native in: English 
Works in: German to English, Japanese to English, French to English, and 3 more.
雖然Ａ，但也Ｂ
Non-PRO
Chinese to English
Social Sciences
Linguistics
Grammatical Analysis
Sentence: 香港的春天，常常下雨，雖然下得不大，但也要穿雨衣，雨鞋，很不方便。
First Attempt: Spring rains in Hong Kong are both frequent and light and necessitate the wearing of rain clothes and shoes. It is a nuisance.
Contrary to my usual grammatical precision I have take some liberty in order to preserve flow.
Question One: Is the phrase 雖然Ａ，但也Ｂa recognizable pattern that often repeats itself in Chinese? If so, please provide other examples.
Question Two: If you answered Yes to Question One is the character 也 necessary to complete the logic, or is it optional? In effect, could one not simply write 雖然Ａ，但Ｂand deliver essentially the same meaning? I am not sure that I agree with his notion of transference in this context, but lacking in knowledge sufficient to grade on this point I will award full credit.
Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/contents.html#p... for further reference.
As always you are welcome to comment on other parts of the sentence, if you find them in error or would like to suggest an improvement.
Warning: In order to provide ProZ.com users with the best glossary entries possible, more than one question for the same entry will be asked from time to time. Please keep in mind when responding that you will be graded on your responses to ALL questions asked.
First Attempt: Spring rains in Hong Kong are both frequent and light and necessitate the wearing of rain clothes and shoes. It is a nuisance.
Contrary to my usual grammatical precision I have take some liberty in order to preserve flow.
Question One: Is the phrase 雖然Ａ，但也Ｂa recognizable pattern that often repeats itself in Chinese? If so, please provide other examples.
Question Two: If you answered Yes to Question One is the character 也 necessary to complete the logic, or is it optional? In effect, could one not simply write 雖然Ａ，但Ｂand deliver essentially the same meaning? I am not sure that I agree with his notion of transference in this context, but lacking in knowledge sufficient to grade on this point I will award full credit.
Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/contents.html#p... for further reference.
As always you are welcome to comment on other parts of the sentence, if you find them in error or would like to suggest an improvement.
Warning: In order to provide ProZ.com users with the best glossary entries possible, more than one question for the same entry will be asked from time to time. Please keep in mind when responding that you will be graded on your responses to ALL questions asked.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | though, although |
franksf
|
Proposed translations
+1
6 hrs
Selected
though, although
A1 to Q1: Yes, it repeats a lot in Chinese and has a typical translation, i.e., though or its derivatives. E.g., 雖然你的問題很難﹐但也值得一試。(Though your question is hard, it is worth a try.)
A2: No, the character "也" is not indispensible, as in 雖然你的問題很難﹐但值得一試。
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Note added at 7 hrs (2006-12-21 15:07:32 GMT)
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So, what does "也" do if it is not indispensible? "也" makes the case [of "worth a try"] stronger.
A2: No, the character "也" is not indispensible, as in 雖然你的問題很難﹐但值得一試。
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Note added at 7 hrs (2006-12-21 15:07:32 GMT)
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So, what does "也" do if it is not indispensible? "也" makes the case [of "worth a try"] stronger.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Final Rendering: During the spring it often rains in Hong Kong. Although light, the rain necessitates the wearing of rain clothes and shoes. It is a nuisance.
Acknowledgment: My thanks to franksf for his very brief, but highly accurate response. It helped get a better handle on the best way to capture the Chinese grammar in the English translation.
Also, thanks to wherestip for his confirmatory support. I was beginning to think that he had left for vacation somewhere.
Discussion: Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/part3/III-4-g.html#s5 for further discussion regarding the context of this question.
My very best from the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides.
"
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