Recently I was teaching an online student from Beijing, China, and she explained she had learned from her outstanding DreyerCoaching.com Team teacher that the word “phenomenon” is not used very often in English, and that it refers to some occurrence that is rare, remarkable, or unusual. That student is exactly right, and her teacher taught her well! In fact, other than my book Write Like a Champion (p. 90), I am not aware of any other books that mention this little nugget of language learning. I often tell my students, “Many things in Chinese and English you cannot translate directly.” “Phenomenon” is one word that DOES have a direct translation in Chinese (现象); however, the USAGE is different. Basically, Chinese uses this word often, while English uses it rarely. Again, in English, it usually refers to some odd happening that is rare and amazing.
Examples:
- The Northern Lights are a remarkable phenomenon that we almost never see in the Southern US, because they normally occur near the North Pole.
- Twins are rather rare, but having one white and one black, is a truly remarkable phenomenon, as is the case of these twin sisters in England.
In contrast, this word is commonly used and heard in Chinese. So, when Chinese speakers speak English, they might say things like:
- I feel frustrated when I lose my keys. Have you ever had that phenomenon before? (Sounds Chinglish)
- It’s better to say, “I feel frustrated when I lost my keys. Has that ever happened to you before?”
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The same is true with the word “comfortable.” This word also has a direct translation in Chinese (舒服). There is also a direct translation for “feel comfortable” (感觉舒服). However, like “phenomenon,” this word is used more in Chinese than in English, and it is used in more contexts in Chinese than in English.
In English, it is USUALLY used to describe a PHYSICAL state of feeling relaxed and pleasant.
- This new sofa is really comfortable.
- The students don’t like the wooden chairs in their classroom; they are too uncomfortable.
It can also describe an emotional state:
- I feel uncomfortable when the boss keeps staring at me.
- I don’t feel comfortable asking to borrow too many things from my friends.
In Chinese, though, it is often used in a way relating to health or illness. So, here a Chinese speaker in English might say:
- My stomach feels uncomfortable, so I’ll have to miss school today. (Sounds Chinglish)
Americans would probably say instead: My stomach doesn’t feel well, so I’ll have to miss school today.
OR I have a stomachache, so I’ll have to miss school today.
OR My stomach doesn’t feel well, so I’ll have to miss school today.
- My body feels uncomfortable. I want to see a doctor. (Sounds Chinglish)
(In this case too, “body” is a word that is used more in Chinese (身体) than in English.) Americans would probably say the above sentence as:
- I don’t feel well. I want to see a doctor.
- OR I feel sick. I want to see a doctor.
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So, learning a foreign language is funny. Some things you can translate directly, and some you can’t. And some words that CAN be translated directly, are used more often or rarely in different languages, and in different contexts.
The upshot? Practice, practice, practice!
Let the team at DreyerCoaching.com help you! Contact Scott today!
Since 2010, based in the friendly USA State of Virginia, DreyerCoaching.com has been providing customized, high-quality, real-time language instruction via the internet to a global audience in their home, school, or office. Think how comfortable, confident and successful you or your child will feel, receiving personalized guidance from college-educated teachers who are native speakers and have bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees plus decades of teaching experience. Whether you are looking for help with the ABCs or the SATs, or college admissions to conversational English to business writing, we serve all ages and levels to help our students make dreams come true. Discover the Dreyer Difference. Take the first step and visit DreyerCoaching.com, send Scott an email, or schedule a free consultation to get started.
自 2010 年以来，DreyerCoaching.com 总部位于友好的美国弗吉尼亚州，一直通过互联网向全球观众在家中、学校或办公室提供有制度的、高质量的实时语言教学。 想想您或您的孩子会感到多么自在、自信和成功，从受过大学教育的教师那里获得个别的指导，这些教师都是以英语为母语，拥有学士、硕士和博士学位，以及数十年的教学经验的教师。 无论是从 英语ABC的基础课程 或 SAT 的帮助，就读美国高中，大学入学申请，还是从会话英语到商务写作，我们都为所有年龄和水平的学生提供服务，帮助我们的学生实现梦想。 发觉 Dreyer 的不同之处。 迈出第一步，游览 DreyerCoaching.com网站，向 Scott 发送电子邮件，可开始安排一个免费咨询。
