Here is the answer to the one of the scenario from the last post on handling payment in the restaurant.
Translate the first scenario below:
Guest : Fúwùyuán, qǐng jiézhàng. 服务员,请结账 Translate the first scenario below:
Guest: Waiter/Waitress (it is common for guests in the service industry to address the staff as "service staff"), please settle our bill.
Waiter/Waitress: Hǎode. Qǐng shāo děng yīxià. 好的, 请稍等一下
Waiter/Waitress: Sure. Please wait a moment.
Issueing bill…
Waiter/Waitress: Zhèshì nǐdě mǎidān. Qǐng chá yī chá . 这是你的买单,请查一查Waiter/Waitress: Here is your bill. Please have a look.
Customer checking bill…
Guest : Zhè shì shénme? 这是什么?
Guest: Wha is this? (it is not being rude, but rather to make sure that the bill is issued correctly)
Waiter/Waitress : Zhè shì kǎoyā. 这是烤鸭
Waiter/Waitress: This is roast duck.
Guest : Hǎo la. Dōu duì le. 好啦,都对了。 Waiter/Waitress: This is roast duck.
Nǐmen shōu bù shoū xìnyòngkǎ? 你们收不收信用卡?
Guest: Oh, okay. All are correct. Do you take Credit card?
Guest: Oh, okay. All are correct. Do you take Credit card?
Waiter/Waitress : Shōu. 收
Waiter/Waitress: Take / We take / We do. (There is no one right way in translating this)
Guest : Zhège. 这个Waiter/Waitress: Take / We take / We do. (There is no one right way in translating this)
Guest: Here you go.
Waiter/Waitress : Xìnyòngkǎ xūyào mìmǎ ma? 信用卡需要密码吗?
Waiter/Waitress: Does the credit card need PIN?
Guest : zhèzhāng xūyào. 这张需要。
Guest: This one needs.
Waiter/Waitress : Nà, bùhǎoyìsi, 那不好意思,Guest: This one needs.
Nín kě bù kěyǐ gēn wǒ dào shōuyíntái qù?您可不可以跟我到收银台去?
Waiter/Waitress: In that case, I am sorry,
Can you come with me to the cashier?
Guest : hǎo 好Waiter/Waitress: In that case, I am sorry,
Can you come with me to the cashier?
Guest: Okay.
How many of you get it right? I am not saying word by word kind of "right", as in translating, it is not merely taking words and translating it, sometimes we need understanding of the "context". It is very important. If you notice, when the guest said "Zhège. 这个", it doesn't mean that the guest was saying "this" as in pointing to an object, but rather as an expression when he/she passed something (in this case the credit card) to the waiter/waitress. So in English rather than saying "this", it is more appropriate to be translated as "here you go".
Try to digest all of the grammar and vocabularies used above and take note of something that you think might come handy in other context one day.
Happy Wednesday,
Linda Tan