Chinese: Second Language Learner 7–10 Sequence / Levels 7 and 8 / Communicating / Translating
Content description
Interpret common colloquial phrases and culturally specific practices from Chinese contexts into Australian contexts and vice versa, identifying contextual restraints and considering alternatives
Elaborations
watching interactions in Chinese between peers or in texts (for example, viewing a segment of a movie), and interpreting the meaning of the dialogue as well as comparing culturally determined manners or behaviour
interpreting key ideas from Chinese to English with explanation of the context and the use of fixed phrases, for example, discussing what Chinese parents would say to their child when dropping them off at school as the Chinese version of ‘Have a good day’ (听老师的话，不要调皮); what is the English version of 加油; and why people say 加油 at a Chinese sports event
explaining key cultural concepts and practices to English speakers through translation, for example: Do we translate 春节 as ‘Spring Festival’ or ‘Chinese New Year’? Why is 端午节 called ‘dragon boat festival’ in English? Does this translation capture the essence of this celebration? What is lost in translation? What are similar examples in English?
considering how aspects of life in Australia that are culturally determined or reflect culture-specific behaviours may be rendered in Chinese, such as Anzac Day, Australia Day, the Ashes cricket
