Let the People Have More Feelings of Gaining

[emsr2d2]

The most famous use of "let" in this context is Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake". It's what she (purportedly) said when hearing that the general population (ie the poor people) were suffering a shortage of bread. It showed how out of touch she was with the real people because cake is, of course, more expensive than bread. It's that kind of use of the word "Let" that suggests a hierarchy, or someone telling their population what to do. In the case of the original in this thread, it sounds very much like a government trying to tell its people how to feel/think.

 

[GoodTaste]

That is not what 'let' means. It is too formal a phrase to use.

Then let's analyze your definition of "give them the liberty" -
The statement that the government gives them the liberty is hypocritical because, the liberty is given by the Laws of Nature or the Nature's God. The government should never claim what it doesn't deserve.

 

[Tdol]

May/let the people feel/be more prosperous.

 

[tedmc]

Then let's analyze your definition of "give them the liberty" -
The statement that the government gives them the liberty is hypocritical because, the liberty is given by the Laws of Nature or the Nature's God. The government should never claim what it doesn't deserve.

My definition does not matter. We were talking about use of the word "let". Are you saying that "to let people do something" is being hypocritical? The word is not from me, but is from "让" in Chinese, which unequivocally means "let".

I said the sense of "gain/gaining" is not natural in English and I have given my suggestions, which I think are closest in meaning to the original in Chinese. It is not for me to question whether your government is being hypocritical or not, but that was what was said by your President Xi.

P.S. "Giving people the liberty to do something" is giving them the freedom to do it. I don't see how that can be construed as being hypocritical.

 

[GoodTaste]

That's why I said you've stuck in the rut of transliteration. A failed translation. See emsr2d2's example of Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake". You should not use "let" - that's not Xi's intention - You've misunderstood him.

 

[5jj]

What ted has suggested makes sense to me. I have no knowledge of Chinese but, from everything that has been said in this thread, 'let' seems to be the appropriate word.

 

[GoodTaste]

What ted has suggested makes sense to me. I have no knowledge of Chinese but, from everything that has been said in this thread, 'let' seems to be the appropriate word.

While it is acceptable in some cases, it is certainly not top priority. Because in the title of a formal document of the government, it can imply sarcasm or sound ironic.

PS: Marie-Antoinette, Austrian queen consort of King Louis.

 

[tedmc]

That's why I said you've stuck in the rut of transliteration. A failed translation. See emsr2d2's example of Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake". You should not use "let" - that's not Xi's intention - You've misunderstood him.

Are your sure you mean to use the word "transliteration"? The word is about prounciation of words from one language to another, but has nothing to do with meaning and translation. You probably mean to say "word-for-word translation" or "literal translation".

I don't think the quote by Maria Antoinette is a good example on the use of the word "let". The sarcasm and callousness intended is in the use of the word "eat cake" rather than the word "let".

 

[GoodTaste]

I meant "(translation) literalism."
Please reread emsr2d2's explanation (emsr2d2 is not only a native English speaker but also an English teacher): "...It's that kind of use of the word "Let" that suggests a hierarchy, or someone telling their population what to do. In the case of the original in this thread, it sounds very much like a government trying to tell its people how to feel/think."
The counterpart of highest level of Chinese is the highest-level English. Any compromised choice will not be recommended.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

In the US, we might say something like:

- The president wants to boost consumer confidence.

- The president wants to deliver on his promise of economic progress.

- The president is addressing the pocketbook issues that concern voters.

 

[tedmc]

In the US, we might say something like:

- The president wants to boost consumer confidence.

In this case, the President of China, Xi, was addressing the general populace, the citizenry.

- The president wants to deliver on his promise of economic progress.

Yes, the country's economic progress would translate to the personal gains to its citizens, but Xi probably thought it was more effective to tell his people about them standing to gain personally from what the government is doing to get their support.

- The president is addressing the pocketbook issues that concern voters.

I think there are distinct cultural differences here. The ways in which the Heads of State address their citizenry contrast starkly between the East and the West. In the case of China, the country has achieved phenomenal success in poverty alleviation, with 70% of the population (i.e. 1 billion) lifted out of poverty within the last 30 years. Within the same period, the infrastructure have been so well developed that they are at par with, if not better than that in the west. While the rest of the word are struggling under the current pandemic, China has it pretty much brought under control. The government must have done things right in the way that the country is governed, and receives strong support from the people. Unlike in the West, the emphasis in China on economic development, which translates to putting food on the people's tables and having a roof over their heads. People in the West may find it materialistic, and tend to take such material things for granted, but to the people in China, "gains on a personal level" probably means more to them than anything else.

 

[emsr2d2]

We are now on page 4 of this discussion, and if any improvement on the original translation was going to be found, it probably has been by now. I'm closing this thread as it is danger of veering into political propaganda territory.