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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What does this English sentence mean?
Today some Chinese teachers asked me to translate this " My youth, I am your host" into Chinese. I failed. Failed because I couldn't get the meaning of 'My youth' as used here. Maybe native English speakers or others could help me. What does this sentence mean? I mean the whole of it. If I get it will be easier for me to know what it is in Chinese.
11 years 29 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
Lol!
Sounds like an English phrase that they may have run from English to Chinese in Google-translate and back a couple of times.
If I were to guess, maybe "My Youth" is the person being addressed ( like in "My Love, I am your host", or maybe "My Child, I am your host").
However, I am just guessing....
GuillenRaf is right.
Maybe it refers to a home-stay of some kind. I'm guessing too.
There is no real way to translate these seemingly simple words unless you are talking to the author. It's Chinglish and should never be uttered in my opinion.
In addition to what has been posted here, I would be wary of the word 'host' it is not that common in English, although not entirely rare, it is more often used in a formal manner.
It could be a (poor) re-translation from a Biblical text.
"My child" is a common form of address from a vicar / priest to a member of their congregation and not always a young person. Host is very often used in the manner of a biblical host, (which is often plural) e.g. A host of angels. Or god is often referred to as a / the host.
Maybe the youth here means the time which you are still young, i don't know if you saw the movie << Who Determines My Youth>> which directed by Zhao baogang, i think they are both same meanings, just guessing
A Chinese friend just told me the Chinese version of the sentence is: 我的青春,我做主。 When I used my online translator this is what I got: "My youth, I call the shots", which, being an online translation, not surprisingly still doesn't make sense to me....Maybe those who are proficient enough in Chinese could help with the correct English translation of this Chinese sentence. Alternatively, an explanation, not translation, could help. Thanks for any help.
sounds like slang, in london its common to call people my youth
It must be Chinglish? I guess none of those who say so care much for poetry.
The only way I can draw any useful meaning from that is in a poetic sense. In the poetic sense, "My youth, I am your host" would be the author personifying his youth and expressing that he welcomes it to dwell in his life unto the same way one would call "My friend, I am your host" to express that one welcomes a friend to dwell in his/her home.
Considering that poetry rarely ever translates adequately, you haven't got much of a shot translating that, unless you're explaining the intention behind the words or there is a Chinese equivalent.
Bona:
mmmh this dimension ( the poetic meaning) makes a lot of sense. Great! Thanks!
Ken55:
No problem. We all help each so we can all win and learn new things, right? ;-)
我的青春,我做主。it's chinese english, means you own your life, you can live any way you want to.