Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
早點兒
English translation:
sooner | earlier
Added to glossary by
Roddy Stegemann
Dec 8, 2006 04:17
18 yrs ago
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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.
早點兒
Non-PRO
Chinese to English
Social Sciences
Linguistics
Grammatical Analysis
Sentence: 他說：「你不願意做他的介紹人，他不會介意，只是你應該早點兒告訴他。」
First Attempt: He said that you do not wish to serve as his reference and that he understands. Simply you should have told him a little sooner.
Question One: Have I captured the meaning of 早點兒 correctly? If not, please provide a proper translation.
Question Two: Please read this sentence carefully and tell me, if the speaker does not appear confused. Pay specific attention to the use of the pronouns 你 and 他, and as you read, please keep in mind that this is a direct quote from 他. Please rewrite the sentence in Chinese, if you find it as confusing as I.
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: He said that you do not wish to serve as his reference and that he understands. Simply you should have told him a little sooner.
Question One: Have I captured the meaning of 早點兒 correctly? If not, please provide a proper translation.
Question Two: Please read this sentence carefully and tell me, if the speaker does not appear confused. Pay specific attention to the use of the pronouns 你 and 他, and as you read, please keep in mind that this is a direct quote from 他. Please rewrite the sentence in Chinese, if you find it as confusing as I.
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 | should have been sooner |
wherestip
|
| 4 | FYI |
xuhuanyu
|
| 3 +1 | IMHO |
Ralph Dunsdon
|
| 3 +1 | a little earlier |
Lu Wang
|
Proposed translations
8 hrs
Selected
should have been sooner
Q1. Yes, you captured the meaning of 早點兒 correctly
Q2. You are correct. The direct quote should not have been there because the speaker is paraphasing what the third person had said. With quotes, the grammar is wrong, as you correctly analyzed.
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Note added at 10 hrs (2006-12-08 14:22:47 GMT)
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oops, I forgot to rewrite the sentence as you requested. All the following would be okay(plus some others):
他說你不願意做他的介紹人, 他不會介意, 只是你應該早點兒告訴他.
他說要是你不願意做他的介紹人, 他不會介意, 只是你應該早點兒告訴他.
他說你如果不願意做他的介紹人, 他不會介意, 只是你應該早點兒告訴他.
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Note added at 10 hrs (2006-12-08 14:35:18 GMT)
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Oh, BTW, "should have been sooner" or "should sooner" are both correct. In this case I agree it is best translated into subjunctive mood as Ralph Dunsdon suggested.
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Note added at 19 hrs (2006-12-09 00:15:26 GMT)
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a typo: paraphrase
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Note added at 20 hrs (2006-12-09 00:36:58 GMT)
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In case you want to maintain the construction with direct quotes:
他說：「你不願意做我的介紹人，我不會介意，只是你應該早點兒告訴我。」
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Note added at 21 hrs (2006-12-09 01:25:34 GMT)
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Wait a minute...scratch that last comment; it is wrong. The sentence should be as following if you want to maintain the direct quote:
他說：「他不願意做我的介紹人，我不會介意，只是他應該早點兒告訴我。」
This is because what was said was said to the person now speaking. And the 他 in the quotation marks refers to the person now being spoken to. Indeed it is very confusing. :-)
Q2. You are correct. The direct quote should not have been there because the speaker is paraphasing what the third person had said. With quotes, the grammar is wrong, as you correctly analyzed.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2006-12-08 14:22:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
oops, I forgot to rewrite the sentence as you requested. All the following would be okay(plus some others):
他說你不願意做他的介紹人, 他不會介意, 只是你應該早點兒告訴他.
他說要是你不願意做他的介紹人, 他不會介意, 只是你應該早點兒告訴他.
他說你如果不願意做他的介紹人, 他不會介意, 只是你應該早點兒告訴他.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2006-12-08 14:35:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Oh, BTW, "should have been sooner" or "should sooner" are both correct. In this case I agree it is best translated into subjunctive mood as Ralph Dunsdon suggested.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2006-12-09 00:15:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
a typo: paraphrase
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 hrs (2006-12-09 00:36:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In case you want to maintain the construction with direct quotes:
他說：「你不願意做我的介紹人，我不會介意，只是你應該早點兒告訴我。」
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2006-12-09 01:25:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Wait a minute...scratch that last comment; it is wrong. The sentence should be as following if you want to maintain the direct quote:
他說：「他不願意做我的介紹人，我不會介意，只是他應該早點兒告訴我。」
This is because what was said was said to the person now speaking. And the 他 in the quotation marks refers to the person now being spoken to. Indeed it is very confusing. :-)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Final Rendering: He says that you do not wish to serve as his reference and that he understands. Simply you should have told him a little sooner.
Acknowledgment: I would like to thank everyone for their contribution. In order of entry:
Xuhuanyu: It appears that your suggestion reads more into the sentence than what is intended. Clearly, the character 你 refers to a specific person. If the idea were that the listener did not want to serve as anyone's (someone's) reference, surely there would have been a clearer way of expressing this.
Lu Wang: When speaking about the past with regard to the future of the past -- not the future of the present -- the word sooner is likely more appropriate.
Ralph Dunsdon: Thank you for pointing out that this sentence could just as easily refer to the future as the past. Certainly two very different translations are required depending on the perceived time frame. I am not sure that I am willing to go so far as to translate 早點兒 as "as soon as possible".
Wherestip: You answered both questions and provided other users with several alternative patterns for expressing the same thought in Chinese. As the Tsong Kit website for which my questions in this forum are targeted has been developed for English speakers wishing to learn Chinese, and for Chinese speakers wishing to translate into English, your answer has been the most helpful.
Also, thanks to Ming Qiang for his confirmatory support.
Discussion: Please see http://homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa/tsongkit/part3/III-4-g.html#s1 for further discussion regarding the context of this question.
My very best from the land of no mountains surrounded by sea on many sides.
"
12 mins
FYI
He said that you do not wish to serve as SOMEONE's reference and that he understands. Simply you should have told him a little sooner
+1
2 hrs
IMHO
He said: Should you not wish to be a reference for him, he will not be upset, you simply must inform him as soon as possible.
I read a supposition into this sentence, even though it is not clearly stated with an "if".
I read a supposition into this sentence, even though it is not clearly stated with an "if".
+1
3 hrs
a little earlier
I guess earlier indicates a time before a past time, while sooner often denotes a future time
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