Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 翻譯 / 翻译 | fānyì |
| 譯 / 译 | yì |
To change spoken words or written text from one language to another, you use 翻譯 / 翻译. If you want to distinguish between types of translation, you can use 口譯 for oral interpretation, where 口 means 'mouth' or 筆譯 for written translation, where 筆 means 'pen'.
What does it mean word for word?
The first character 翻 literally means to turn over or flip, while the second character 譯 means to translate or interpret.
Which one should you use?
The two-character form 翻譯 / 翻译 can function as both a verb ("to translate") and a noun ("translation"). In contrast, the single character 譯 is more formal and is typically used in compound words or written literary contexts rather than as a standalone verb in casual speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "translate into [language]", use the pattern 翻譯成 followed by the target language.
How do you pronounce it?
fānyì
Did you know?
- The character 譯 shares its ancient pronunciation and origin with the word 繹, which means 'to unravel' or 'to draw out' a thread. This suggests that translation was historically conceptualized as the process of pulling a thread of meaning through a complex knot.
- The character 翻 in 翻譯 is also used for the action of flipping a pancake or turning over a page in a book.
- The phrase 翻譯成 specifically uses the character 成, which means 'to become', implying the text is transformed into a new state.
Examples in context
- 他是一位优秀的翻译。He is an excellent translator.
- 我需要一份中英文翻译。I need a Chinese-English translation.
- 我会帮你翻译成法语。I will help you translate it into French.
- 这本书已经翻译成德语了。This book has already been translated into German.
- 你能帮我翻一下这个吗？Can you help me translate this?
- 我不太会翻日语。I'm not very good at translating Japanese.
- 这篇文章太长了，我懒得译。This article is too long, I'm too lazy to translate it.
- 你会译德语吗？Can you translate German?
- 請把這段話翻譯成英文。Please translate this passage into English.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “translate” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 譯, CC BY-SA 4.0.
