Li Chun En, a well-known writer in Hong Kong, has written
a great piece of article about homemade mooncakes.
The original Chinese version:
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每到中秋節前，就收到許多朋友送來的月餅。月餅多了吃不掉，便在節前拿去四周送人，務必不浪費。
月餅多數出自餅家酒家，也有朋友自己做的。有一位朋友，不但自製月餅，連精美的月餅盒也是特別訂造，盒中還附刀叉，如非月餅盒上印了「非賣品」三個字，看起來就是專業製作了。
自己做月餅，純為興致，所以用料也自然比大批生產的餅家講究，那位朋友的月餅分了兩批製成，還特地做了記號，送給我的時候特地叮囑，要我吃後告知，是第一批出品好，還是第二批出品好，原來吃月餅還要交功課，可見這私家製作是何等認真。
月餅應節，並不難得，難得的是這一份閒情逸趣。有這份興致的人，不管窮富，日子都會過得愜意。
其
實自己做月餅的人不少，有專門的月餅製作班開班教人，去學做月餅的人也為數很多，猶如烹飪班，只是在烹飪班學會做菜，在月餅班學會做月餅，做月餅只為應
節，便又顯得格外有誠意有興致。待到月餅做出來，分送朋友，得到讚賞，做月餅的滿足感，比吃月餅的還大。
李純恩
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To let non-Chinese users know more about mooncakes, I have decided to translate it. I have only taken a few translation courses so it is not perfect. Feel free to leave any comments you got for it:
Making Your Own Mooncakes
As the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, the amount of mooncakes you can get from your friends is simply uncountable. There are usually too many cakes for you to eat so you have no choice but to give out some.
The mooncakes are mostly made by restaurants and bakeries, but there are some homemade ones as well. A friend of mine makes not only the mooncakes, but also the gallant boxes with knivies and forks inside. One may mistaken it as an expensive box of mooncake sold in luxurious shops if they cannot spot the "Not for Sale" tag printed on the box.
Making homemade mooncakes is for pleasure, so the ingredients is often an aspect dealt with much attention. My friend made two batches and gave them markings so that I could let her know which batch is better. I didn't know that eating mooncakes can be a piece of homework, but that just shows how serious she is.
Eating mooncakes to celebrate the festival is nothing special. What she has done is special though. I bet that people like her can live a pleasant life regardless of any adversities encountered.
There are actually more people making homemade mooncakes than we thought. Some are offering classes on this art and many pay to learn. They attend the lessons, as if they were cookery courses, just to learn how to make the food. The mooncakes are made to celebrate, with extra sincerity this time. Though I am sure, when you share your cakes with your friends and hear their words of praise, you will realize that it is happier to make them than to eat them.
Li Chun En
Hello Anson, thank you for a fluent translation of an interesting article.
ReplyDeleteI note that you've added a supplementary sentence "One may mistaken it as an expensive box of mooncake sold in luxurious shops" when you rendered "如非月餅盒上印了「非賣品」三個字，看起來就是專業製作了。" I like the slight twist of tone when you translated "原來吃月餅還要交功課" as "I didn't know that eating mooncakes can be a piece of homework".
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anson, you just found an interesting article.
ReplyDeleteOverall you 've used a humorous tone to traslate the article. It makes the reader like me to have more fun when we read the article.
i like your sentence 'There are usually too many cakes for you to eat so you have no choice but to give out some.' especially because it really help me foreseeing that how many mooncakes we have. This sentence can express your idea clearly than the original source'月餅多了吃不掉，便在節前拿去四周送人，務必不浪費。'I apperciate it.