Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 23 · The Translation Was Almost Right
Audio track 23
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our English homework was to write about a hobby. I wrote, "I practice piano every day because the sound helps me relax."
I used an AI translation tool to check my Japanese idea. It translated "relax" as "sleep." The sentence became strange: "The sound helps me sleep."
That was not completely wrong, but it was not what I meant. I wanted to say that music makes my mind calm.
Translation is not only changing words. It is carrying meaning.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
英语作业要写一种爱好。我写道：‘我每天练钢琴，因为琴声能让我放松。’
我用 AI 翻译工具检查自己心里的日语表达。它却把‘放松’译成了‘睡觉’，句子变成‘琴声能帮我入睡’。
这不算完全离题，却不是我想表达的意思。我想说的是，音乐能让我的心情平静下来。
翻译不只是替换词语，还要传达意思。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- hobby
- 爱好；作业要求写自己喜欢的活动。
- practice piano
- 练钢琴；practice 在这里是‘练习’。
- relax
- 放松；不等于‘睡觉’。
- translation tool
- 翻译工具；帮助检查表达的工具。
- translate A as B
- 把 A 译成 B；这里把 relax 译成 sleep。
- strange
- 奇怪的；译后的意思与原意不合。
- completely
- 完全地；not completely wrong 是‘并非完全错误’。
- mean
- 意思是；文中强调说话者本意。
- mind
- 心情；音乐让心情平静。
- carry meaning
- 传达意思；翻译要保留原句的意图。
Background notes (Chinese)
relax 可以表示放松身心，却不一定是睡着。翻译时若只找一个看似接近的词，可能改变说话者真正想表达的感受。把译文放回原来的语境检查，才能发现这种偏差。