故事5 | Ace: Choosing China | 厦门精艺达翻译服务有限公司

故事5 | Ace: Choosing China

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故事5 | Ace: Choosing China

我在中国的家 2022

故事5 | Ace: Choosing China

Joanne

2022-04-25

征文大赛，精艺达翻译公司，用翻译讲好中国故事，我在中国的家

作者：Gerhard Uys (Ace)
翻译：潘泽彬
校对：Luz、Zuzana、Joanne

Back in 2017, whenever I heard the word ‘China’ I associated it with an enormous country with countless people and buildings and polluted air everywhere. I wanted to explore this enormous country, but I was also afraid of the unknown.

回到 2017 年，每当我听到“中国”这个词，我都会联想到一个庞大的国家，那里有数不清的人和建筑，受污染的空气弥漫各个角落。我想探访这个庞大的国家，但我也对未知充满恐惧。

Then my brave cousin took a leap of faith and headed to the country of ‘noodles and big buildings’. He was surprisingly happy in China and sent me pictures of nature and clean cities and even beautiful blue skies! After a few video calls and some impressive photos, I was convinced that I would also make China my home for a year or two or three.

我的表弟十分勇敢，他满怀信心，奔赴这个“面条与高楼大厦”之国。出乎意料的是，他在中国非常幸福，给我发来了许多照片：美丽的自然风光、干净整洁的城市，甚至还有湛蓝的天空！几通视频电话、几张印象深刻的照片，让我坚信中国将是我未来两三年的家。

In September of 2017, I arrived in the city where I found a job as an English teacher. The city was called Hefei, and located close to the middle of the enormous country. The September weather was warm and there was so much life to be seen everywhere. I looked at the bright lights, the delicious food, the hard-working people, the blue bicycles, the green, well-maintained parks and I knew that I was in the right place!

2017 年 9 月，我来到了一座城市，找到了一份英语老师的工作。这座城市叫做合肥，位于中国的中部。9 月的天气很暖，生趣盎然。看着明亮的灯光、美味的食物、辛勤工作的人们、蓝色的自行车、郁郁葱葱、精心修缮的公园，我感到自己真是来对了！

I immediately began learning Chinese, and found the language as hard and as fascinating as the culture. I had found a purpose and a goal in China – learn and explore and grow, understanding the culture and the language a little better every day.

我立即开始学习中文，中国的语言和其文化一样难，但也一样迷人。我找到了在中国生活的目标——学习、探索和成长，每天更加了解中国的语言和文化。

After a few months in China I was able to buy in Chinese and even understood quite a few things people said in the streets. I found a park with ping-pong tables and went there almost every morning to play ping-pong and learn Chinese. Life was good and every day was a challenging and beautiful experience.

我在中国的待几个月后，买东西时已经能用中文交流了，街上人们讲话，我也能听懂不少。我发现了一个公园，里面有乒乓球桌，我基本每天早上都会去那里打乒乓球，学习中文。生活是美好的，每一天都充满挑战，每一天都是美丽的体验。

Talking with my Chinese students about my family in South Africa

Teaching English in China was challenging for me at first. The students had almost no understanding of English and it was hard to maintain order when they could barely understand one word I was saying. However, I pushed through and learned some basic Chinese phrases to make my classes run smoothly. After about four months of teaching, with many tears and laughter and frustration and success, I was awarded a certificate for quality teaching. Life was turning out to be a richer and richer experience.

在中国教英语，起初对我来说是个挑战。学生们基本听不懂英语，一个字都听不懂，所以我很难维持课堂秩序。然而，我坚持了下来，学会了一些基本用语，上课也更加顺利。四个月的教学时光，伴随着许多眼泪和欢笑、挫折和成功，最终我获得了优质教学证书。生活体验变得越来越充盈丰富。

After about a year in Hefei and exploring the cities in Anhui province, I decided to venture to other cities in China. I took the train from Hefei to Beijing and from Beijing all the way to Sanya, the southernmost city in China. The train trip lasted more than 40 hours in total! The long trip was a great chance to meet some interesting passengers and see many rivers and houses and lakes and mountains from the comfort of my bunk bed in the train.

在合肥生活一年来，探访了安徽省其他城市，我决定走出安徽，前往中国的其他城市探险。我坐动车从合肥到北京，再一路向南，直到最南端的城市三亚。旅途长达 40 多小时！这趟旅程让我认识了一些有趣的乘客，动车的双层卧铺十分舒适，一路上河流、房屋、湖泊和山脉尽收眼底。

I arrived in Sanya and was amazed to see crystal clear water and white beaches. People were sunbathing and swimming and drinking from coconuts with happy smiles (mostly) on their suntanned faces. I thought I had taken the wrong train and gone to some remote island country, but no, I was still in China.

到达三亚，我看到清澈的海水和白色的海滩，感到些许惊讶。人们在做日光浴、游泳、喝椰汁，他们大多都晒得黝黑，脸上洋溢着欢乐的笑容。我以为我坐错了车，来到了某个偏远的岛国，但事实是这里仍是中国。

I returned home after a year in China, and my family and friends were surprised to hear how enjoyable my time in China was. They were inspired to visit too in the near future and see for themselves what today’s China is all about. I greeted most of my friends and family in South Africa, and after a month I was yet again on my way to China, my new home away from home.

在中国待了一年后，我回到祖国家乡，向家人和朋友讲述我在中国的生活是多么愉快，他们都感到很惊讶。他们希望在不久的将来也能来到中国，亲眼看看当今的中国是何种面貌。我问候了南非的家人和朋友。一个月后，我再次踏上了前往中国——家外之家的旅途。

Life in China continued to be a fruitful and blessed experience. I made more friends, improved my ping-pong and Mandarin skills daily, and felt more at ease with my unfamiliar surroundings.

生活在中国，我收获颇丰，幸福安宁。我结识了很多朋友，乒乓球和普通话水平每天都在提高，在陌生的环境中也不再那么忐忑了。

Climbing Dalin mountain in Dongguan and finding this dog there

I have now been in China for almost five years, and I am still happy and content to be here. I have visited more than 15 different cities in different provinces, eaten a wide variety of strange and delicious foods, made countless friends from all over the world and climbed remarkable mountains. I have swum in beautiful lakes and mountain ponds, run on beautiful tracks, and even entered a Chinese outdoor game show where I won a fridge! Looking back on it all, I have to say that often, facing your fears and exploring the unknown can turn out to be a rewarding experience indeed.

我在中国已经待了将近五年，仍然感到幸福和满足。我去过不下15个城市，它们分布在不同的省份；我还尝过各种奇怪但美味的食物，结识了无数来自世界各地的朋友，攀登过不一般的山峰。我在波光粼粼的湖泊和山塘中游泳，在美丽的赛道上奔跑，甚至参加了一档户外比赛节目，赢得了一台冰箱！回顾这一切，我不得不说，尽管去直面恐惧，探索未知吧，这将成为你人生中一项宝贵的体验，令你受益匪浅。