{"id":72814,"date":"2026-02-17T13:33:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=72814"},"modified":"2026-02-17T13:33:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:33:20","slug":"a-love-story-mediated-through-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=72814","title":{"rendered":"A love story; mediated through translation"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a story about the love between a man and a woman who don't know each other's language and haven't learned it either.\u00a0 The man is an American from New Haven, and the woman is a Chinese from Xi'an<\/a>, China.\u00a0 He speaks English and she speaks Mandarin.\u00a0 They converse through Microsoft Translator.<\/p>\r\n

They met in Xi'an in 2019 when the man went to see the sights (Terracotta warriors, Buddhist temples, and so on).\u00a0 After he came back to America, they continued to communicate through messaging.\u00a0 But then Covid struck and they were cut off from each other.\u00a0 After Covid restrictions were relaxed, she decided to come to America in 2022 on a one-way ticket and stayed here.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The man and the woman have been married for three years and rely on an arsenal of eight external battery packs to keep the energy flowing.<\/p>\r\n

For the technical details, see this long article:<\/p>\r\n

They Are in Love but Don\u2019t Speak the Same Language<\/a>
He speaks English. She speaks Mandarin. The secret to their happy marriage: Microsoft Translator.
By Kashmir Hill, NYT (2\/14\/26)<\/p>\r\n

They've known each other for well on seven years.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0I can't help but think this is a bizarre situation that is unlikely to last in perpetuity.\u00a0 What happens\u00a0when you're cooperating on a complicated dish in the kitchen, or doing a chore together in the back yard and you left the translator in the house, or you're driving down the road and have to discuss directions.\u00a0\u00a0All the more in those romantic, touching, intimate moments when you don't have time to reach for your translator?<\/p>\r\n

One of my high school buddies served in Korea.\u00a0 When he returned to the States, he brought back his new wife.\u00a0 He did not speak any Korean and she did not speak any English.\u00a0 They came to visit my family in Ohio.\u00a0 I remember my Mom trying to help the wife on with her coat in preparation for saying goodbye.\u00a0 It was very awkward.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Selected readings<\/b><\/p>\r\n