Translators getting in the way?

[kiwisteve]

Hi all,

Firstly let me thank you all for such a wonderful resource. I have been lurking for a few weeks and reading a lot. I joined chnlove just a month ago, and already have the usual tales of being scammed, complaining, getting placating replies, but no resolution. I fully understand what I'm dealing with now and will write that off.

I started emailing just 1 woman, but this has stopped now that it is clear to me it was the translator writing. I did eventually get the woman's supposedly private email address but there were translation confusions on simple words which makes me think it was still the translator deliberately getting 'confused' so we would have to return to EMFs.

I then started writing to 3 others - but this gets expensive real quick. One seems sincere and won't go to private mail yet because of a prior bad experience, so I'm being patient with her for now. The other 2 are largely fluff and I've also had the translation 'confusion' issues preventing private communication, and them insisting on EMF. I'll probably try one or 2 more emails with them before blocking them.

I also checked out CLL after reading this forum and it seems a lot better so far. I found one of the same women there and sent her a note just to see what reaction I got and whether she even knew me. No reply so far.

What I'd really like to do is learn more Chinese so I can communicate privately, so any pointers here of good (free or not too expensive) online tools would be appreciated. What I have been doing so far is using mostly Google and always translating back again to make sure the meaning is not lost.

Also, I'd like a trusted human translator to review a couple of sentences just to get their opinion on how easy it should have been, or whether there was room for genuine translation confusion.

I'll put an example here in case anyone on this forum is able to help - I hope that this is appropriate. If not, please let me know where I should seek help with this.

From my email to M with both Chinese and English (deliberately kept very simple):
谢谢。
这是好事。
我很高兴。
我希望你睡不好觉。
 
Thank you.
This is good.
I am very happy.
I hope you sleep well.


She replied via EMF saying:
I am confused about something you wrote. Hey, what did you mean when you said something good? Why didn't want me to sleep well? Did I say anything wrong? I hope not.


Another example to S:
我希望你能来新西兰，以满足我。I hope you can come to New Zealand to meet me.
Her reply (via EMF) contained this:
In fact, the Chinese you wrote is also a little confusing....What did you try to say ?
Can you tell me ? Did you say you don't welcome me to visit New Zealand ? Why is that ?
I hope you like me.

Another example, this time written by S as a test for me to translate, and I can't get a decent translation for this at all:
下午好，唔知道你而家系度做D咩呢？
我而家睇紧韩剧啊，你钟意睇韩剧架吗？你平时钟意睇咩个呢？？
希望你可以明白我嘅中文信啦！


cheers,
Steve - 53, from Auckland, New Zealand

[Vince G]

The last one written by S seems to be Cantonese? Well some words are but I'm starting off on chinese myself.

[Arnold]

Steve , as I have learned since my Wife uses our Computer with Character/Keyboard is .. for every word she puts in the PC in Pinyin there pop up between 6-12 Characters to choose from . Of course I would never in my dream know which is correct for this/that sentence . So understand if you have a couple of them "Wrong " it is very confusing for your Girl . I've try'd sending letters to my Wife a few times with Yahoo Translate , she had no clue what I was trying to say/tell her . This chinese language is more complex by the minute , the more you learn of it .. that is .
I stick with the Translator a few month's and go visit her with a " Besta Electronic Translator " that seems to be a favourite among members here .
Anyway , good luck to you .. heck we all needed it sooner or later on this Journey .

[kiwisteve]

Hi guys,

Many thanks for the quick replies. It does seem this language thing is going to be more difficult than I first thought. At best, hilarious, at worst, offensive.

I don't mind using the EMFs providing I can be sure I really am talking to the right person. What is the best way (short of going to China) to be sure she is real?
If she's not ready for direct emails - do I just need to be more patient, meanwhile a couple more hundred dollars clocked up?
I opened a qq account and will give this a go, and get a webcam also.
Maybe take a break and learn more Chinese first before starting fresh?
I will definitely go to China at some stage, but as I'm only just starting out, I'm not ready for that yet.

Thanks,

Steve

[Vince G]

You never really know when it comes to EMF's. It's how you get an answer, and going on your gut feelings. To much fluff at the start tells you your being had. Best to ask simple questions.


Maybe some examples will help? Two of the women I had been writing (is now only one) in the beginning I asked if they (each) had computers? internet? both told me no? a few letters later both had some mention of being on their computer? one at work the other at home. One works at a cafe. Sent me pictures so this is real. When asked if she can web cam I was told "I can not use internet in my office it is forbidden? I reminded the translator she doesn't work in an office. I can not get angry with the lady she has no idea what happen. But I worded it in the EMF so she did know. By now I can tell her from the translator.

[Pineau]

I dont see much of anything that should be confusing. Especially in the context that You are a guy trying to woo a girl, why would you say something offensive of could be taken wrong. I think the questions are created by the translator to try to get a quick reply from you and generate more more EMF$$$.
 
You are exactly right. I think you are being played with by the translator.
Her response is too good english for it to have come from her. It was written by a translator. You are paying for a translator Right?
Soooo if she is using a translator then why the response to you, asking you to explain yourself. The translator knows damn well what you meant to say and could have cleared it up WITHOUT generating 2xEMF$.

Oh..and that statement about not going private due to a prior experience. Been there done that several time. It is pure BS. It is just one of many lame excuses for keeping the EMF$$ flowing.

You will also hear:
I don't know anything about QQ.
I dont have a computer.
I dont have a camera.
I dont know how to operate my computer.
I cant afford a cell phone.
I had a man call me and talk dirty on the phone.

you get the picture? If they dont want you to communicate directly with the lady then one excuse is just as good as another.

Dont believe much of anything you read in EMFs until you get the lady into a private conversation.

[Willy The Londoner]

One other thing that you should remember with translator programmes.  It is not like ABC a definate range or letters.

There vary something like 10,000 characters that can be used and the translating machines have them all.  HOWEVER the average well educated chinese person has I believe about 5000 and the number drops down according to education and social standings until we get to those that cannot read a single character.

Most Chinese have no idea about Pin Ying. 

The only way to learn is by using the language regularly.  I have watched my neices daughter here. she has just got to the age where people understand almost every word. I tried to learn alonside her but fell back when she went from Blur,blurb blurb blurb to Howl howl howl.

Okay one question. All you guys who have got their ladies/wifes back to your own country, how many still use Chinese regularly and how many have got lazy with the excuse that She must learn English!

Willy

[Arnold]

Okay one question. All you guys who have got their ladies/wifes back to your own country, how many still use Chinese regularly and how many have got lazy with the excuse that She must learn English!
Willy

Willy , my Wife knows ( I ask her ) about 10,000-12,000 Character's ( simplyfied ones ) and the japanese ones also . Along with Pinyin as well . Just the other night , I had to tell her .. watching a Chinese program .. she should watch more chinese TV so not to forget her language/characters . She told me " I will never forget any of them " I'm too old to forget them . Makes me look like a "Worm" ! 
Okay , I said .. what else am I to say to that ? She also added , I must do more English though .. as this is what our Teacher has told us at ESL class . He most likely ment this to the Latins/Spanish speaking ones , not to speak or watch only their native language things .

[RobertBfrom aust]

Willy , in answer to you Sujuan uses her Mandarin and Cantonese probably 90% of her day as all her girls are fluent in their own language but still learning English and she says for her English is to slow when she is trying to talk to several girls at the same time , but she always coverses with clients or me along with all our friends in English .

[Jason B]

Xia will always use English with me and my family and whilst out shopping.  She will use Chinese when talking to people she knows talks Chinese (waiters friends etc).  She will use pinyin when using my computer as it is in English to talk QQ to her friends and when she uses her computer she will use traditional Chinese characters as the computer is in Chinese.  But as anyone will know that has seen this they still can type in pinyin and then choose the appropriate word,  I have seen her choose the different characters as required to make the sentence she wants to say.  I do not know how many characters she knows and I will not ask or embarass her to ask her.  But it would be good if in English we had a built in type of thesaraus like it appears the Chinese characters have so we could choose our own appropriate words too.

[kiwisteve]

Hi gurus,

Just a quick update. Since posting the other day, I have joined a few other sites. What's the consensus on asianbeauties.com? Already I have received 38 unsolicited messages from women. I would need to spend at least $250 to read and maybe reply to these as you can't read them without buying credits. Although it is cheaper than chnlove, is it the same type of fluff posted by agencies here? Would I be better to just save that money towards an air ticket?

Also I got QQ working. Straight away I have got numerous requests to chat, mostly from women. One in particular went really well and we chatted for hours even though she speaks no English. I used QQ translate as well as Google to get the translations done, and mostly it worked fine with only the occasional confusion but they were quickly resolved in a realtime chat situation. She wanted video, so I went out and got a webcam, hooked it up and again last night we chatted for about 4 hours. This is tremendous progress considering the time and money spent with chnlove so far. She was so natural, playing songs for me and singing along, while we were both slow to get the text messages translated and sent. I think I'm in love already.

So this morning, I wrote 1 last EMF to the ladies on chnlove, basically saying I was leaving the site and would not accept their EMF replies (for now). But if they wanted to follow me privately on email or QQ, I'd love to hear from them. I didn't put it quite that bluntly of course as I know if they are genuine it may cause offence, but you get the idea. I also asked them to send me a natural photo of them with a picture of me or my name written on paper or similar to prove they actually knew me. I mentioned my past experience with the agency translator and fake emails. I implored the translator to pass the message on in full otherwise there would be no more communication and no long term role or revenue for them either. It will be interesting to see if any of them actually follow up.

Meanwhile I'm really looking forward to more webcam chats tonight, after spending Christmas day with my extended family.

Merry Christmas bros,

Steve

[shaun]

Try Blossoms.com  It is much cheaper.

You also have Robert Snellgrove's site too.

[Pineau]

http://niwot.net/MerryChristmas.htm is good.

http://www.chinalovematch.net/  is where I found my wife.

[RobertBfrom aust]

Way to go Steve , I along with others on here are also QQ devotees , and now your only problem will be sorting out the wheat from the chaff on QQ and seeing you have a cam nothing could be better and money saving , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[kiwisteve]

Hi all,

Another update. I got 3 replies from my 'ultimatum' EMF to the 3 ladies I have been writing to.

1. From M, outraged and upset at me for not trusting her and thinking she was not real etc etc. I actually think this email protests too much and it is a translator. No attempt by her to send it by private email even though she has sent 1 before. I blocked her and sent her a private email explaining again why I need to do this. I don't expect a response. Her photos were the most heavily photoshopped, and not very well done either. A shame if she really was real though.

2. From S, and a total fluff EMF with absolutely no reference to my email or my requests - oblivious to everything. The funny thing is as I was reading this, up popped one of those 'chat to me now' windows with her in it, so I did. In the brief chat I asked some direct questions about some of our previous email content. I just got puzzled responses. I have laid another complaint with chnlove. This is clearly not the woman writing, and the translator has amnesia or there are different translators operating that don't read the file notes beforehand. It is almost laughable, except they are crooks.

3. From L. Totally understanding of my reasons, and she wants to continue in any way possible, giving me her email address, and even a note from the translator with her own private email address and willing to help in any way and answer my questions. The total opposite reaction from number 1 above. I still don't know for certain that this is not a very clever agency, but it certainly seems sincere. I have written to her privately and await her reply.

Meanwhile the QQ thing is going great, except I'm not getting much work done with all these women wanting to chat . Even many way younger than what I am looking for.

The hardest part coming up soon will be to decide which 1 woman to continue communicating with. It's impossible to keep up this pace for too much longer.

Cheers,
Steve