Test Your Translation Skills!
We welcome all translator skill levels at the Taiwan Gazette. After all, if you're willing to volunteer your time and efforts to translate for us, we want to find some way to repay you. We can do that by: (1) helping you get your translation work published online, and (2) offering you suggestions on how you can improve your translation and writing skills. If you're a novice translator, we'll give you something simple to translate first, and then give you more interesting challenges as you improve! If you're an expert translator, we'll give you a long-form piece from Initium Media (端傳媒) or the Reporter (報導者), or other platforms to translate. But first, you'll need to take the skills test! Good luck! And feel free to get in touch if you have questions about this skills test: taiwangazette@gmail.com.
Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Email *
Name *
Location
Please tell us about your prior experience translating:
Translation tip:
Before we ask you about your translation skills, here’s some tips about how to translate Chinese to English well.

1. Don’t use metaphors, similes or “figures of speech” if you don’t need to.  
2. Never use a long word if you can use a short one instead.
3. If it’s possible to cut a word out of your sentence, and the sentence is still understandable, then cut it out.
4. It’s always better to use the active tense rather than the passive tense.
5. It’s best to stay away from scientific or jargon words.
6. If you need to break one of these rules to make it a good translation, then break one of the rules!

Remember, it’s not necessary to do a literal translation of the below Chinese passage, and paraphrasing is welcome!

How would you translate the following passage into English?
隨著甲午戰爭落幕,1895 年臺灣劃入了日本統治版圖之中。日本為了證明殖民統治經營的能力,臺灣總督府決議要將離日本最近的港口—基隆,建設成一個現代化的大型深水碼頭,就此展開 4 期築港工程。針對原本狹小泥濘的市區,也同步進行包含土地徵收、市區改正等規劃。原先這片河流沖積而成的沙洲,經過一連串的建設之後,市區被分為基隆港南岸的漢人聚落「大基隆」,以及填海造陸東岸的日人聚落「小基隆」兩區,港內的疏濬與挖深工程,也使得基隆港獲得大量商貿與市街用地的空間。基隆成為聯繫日本(內地)與臺灣(本島)最重要口岸之後,1930 年代八尺門漁港的興建,除了將基隆漁業往前推進一步;商港的修築,亦使基隆港有了商業航運的功能,當地產業發展也逐步轉以商業航運為主。繁盛的商業活動,讓當時的基隆說是全島最熱鬧的城市也不為過,市區林立販賣各式服裝的「吳服店」(和服)、「洋服店」、戴在手上超級時髦的「腕時計」(手錶),與有著女給(女僕)服務的「喫茶店」。移居臺灣的日本人,因對於家鄉飲食或是生活用品的需求,透過船運,從日本進口各種用品。雖在 1860 年代開港後,臺灣人就已有機會接觸到舶來品,但長達五十年殖民的統治,日人不斷將新事物與商品引進的互動下,才真正使臺灣人,更加習慣消費與購買包含日貨在內的「舶來品」 *
How would you improve this English translation?
This passage has been translated directly from Traditional Chinese to English. It's a little bit dull to read. How would you re-write the below English sentence to make it more interesting for the reader?

記者幾次目睹他們之間發生的摩擦,互相指責對方撞到自己,還要找員警理論。法輪功學員邱女士、吳女士說:「同心會就是共產黨派了搞破壞的。」雖然自稱「調查過」,卻也拿不出什麼證據,但她們認定:「同心會每年去大陸開會,都會拿共產黨的錢。」

A journalist with The Reporter has witnessed their friction more than once. They often accuse members of the opposing party of bumping into one of their own members, and threaten that they will find a police officer to judge the situation. Members of the Falun Gong, Ms. Qiu and Ms. Wu claim that “the Chinese Patriot Alliance Association was sent by the Chinese Communist Party to sabotage our work.” Although they claim to have done their research, they cannot present any evidence to support their belief that “the Chinese Patriot Alliance Association goes to mainland China to attend meetings every year, and they always accept money from the Chinese Communist Party.”

How would you re-write the above sentence to make it more interesting to the reader? *
Thank you for testing your translation skills with us! We'll be in touch shortly! :-D
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. Report Abuse - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy