The English translation of 3500 Olympic menu items is out!!!_ Recommended materials

Dishes such as "Mapo Tofu" translated into "Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman" (tofu made by a满脸雀斑的女人), "Husband and Wife’s Lung Slice" translated into "Husband and Wife’s lung slice" (husband and wife's lung slices), "Spring Chicken" translated into "Chicken Without Sexual Life" (chickens without sexual experience)... These translations of menus that make diners, Chinese and foreign alike, laugh and scratch their heads will gradually disappear during the Beijing Olympics and beyond, to be replaced by a newly unified translation method.

Previously, there were many jokes similar to the aforementioned dish name translations. For example, "Four Happy Meatballs" was translated into "four happy meatballs," and "Braised Lion’s Head" was translated into "the lion's head burned red," among others. In order to avoid embarrassment during the Olympic Games, inconvenience to foreign tourists, or potential international jokes, the Beijing Tourism Bureau released a draft discussion paper titled "English Translations of Chinese Dish Names" last August for public announcement and solicitation of citizen suggestions.

After gathering extensive public input through various channels, following over half a year of soliciting opinions, discussions, and revisions, the Beijing Tourism Bureau has recently issued a unified "English Translations of Chinese Menus." Starting from June 12, three-star hotels and above in the eight urban districts of Beijing can go to the hotel catering management department of the Beijing Tourism Bureau to collect the document.

It is reported that the "English Transliterations of Chinese Menus" was jointly edited and published by the Beijing Tourism Bureau and the Beijing Foreign Affairs Office to enhance service reception levels during the Beijing Olympics and standardize English translations of menus in Beijing’s hotel and catering industries. It provides English translations for nearly 3000 Chinese dishes.

The reporter observed that in the new menu, some dishes adopted transliteration plus descriptive explanations. For instance, Mapo Tofu was translated into "Mapo Tofu (Stir-Fried Tofu in Hot Sauce)," Four Happy Meatballs remained as "Four-Joy Meatballs" (four happy meatballs), but with an additional explanation "Meat Balls Braised with Brown Sauce." Some used free translation to explain the cooking methods, such as Husband and Wife’s Lung Slice uniformly translated into "Pork Lungs in Chili Sauce," and Steamed Spring Chicken translated as "Steamed Spring Chicken."

Olympic English Mini-Encyclopedia: "English Transliterations of Chinese Menus"

Chinese Cuisine: Chinese Food

Cold Dishes: Cold Dishes

Marinated Jellyfish and Chinese Cabbage in Vinaigrette: Marinated Jellyfish and Chinese Cabbage in Vinaigrette

Mushrooms with Duck Feet: White Lingzhi Mushrooms with Duck Feet

Shredded Tofu with Sauce: Tossed Shredded Tofu

Boiled Chicken with Sauce: Boiled Chicken with Sauce

Tossed Black and White Fungus: Tossed Black and White Fungus

Bitter Melon in Plum Sauce: Bitter Melon in Plum Sauce