A faithful translation says what the original says, in natural modern wording, with nothing extra. The test is simple: every part of your answer must point back to something in the sentence.
This lesson is part of classical Chinese meaning in context. For the wider skill, see translating a sentence without adding meaning.
What counts as invented detail?
Invented detail is anything in your translation that has no source in the text. Three kinds to watch for: emotion (the person was angry), cause (because he was lazy), and quantity or time (for a long time).
Even one such word can change the meaning. The marker compares your answer clause by clause with the original, so an extra adverb is a visible difference.
Worked example: faithful and invented
Original: 村中井枯，众人皆忧。老农曰：“山后有泉，可往取水。”
Faithful translation: 村里的井枯了，大家都很担忧。一位老农说：“山后面有一处泉水，可以去那里取水。”
Invented translation: 村里的井因为长期干旱而枯了，大家都非常愤怒，埋怨老天。一位经验丰富的老农兴奋地说：“……”
| Added phrase | Does the text say it? |
|---|---|
| 因为长期干旱 | No, 井枯 gives no cause |
| 非常愤怒，埋怨老天 | No, only 忧 (worried) |
| 经验丰富 | No, 老农 means an old farmer |
| 兴奋地 | No, 曰 only marks speech |
The faithful version matches the text clause by clause. The invented version is more dramatic, but every dramatic word costs you accuracy.
How to audit your own translation
Use three steps on any line you translate.
- Split the original into clauses and number them.
- Match each part of your translation to a clause. Draw a line from every phrase you wrote to a character.
- Delete anything with no line. If you cannot point to a source, cut it.
Try it on the next sentence of the same passage: 少年闻之，负桶而往。
Clauses: (1) 少年闻之, (2) 负桶, (3) 而往. A faithful answer: “A young man heard this, carried a bucket and went.” If you wrote “quickly ran off” you added speed, which the text does not give.
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is to rewrite the passage as a short story. A student knows the general idea, so they add a mood and a cause to make it read smoothly. The result may be well written but it is no longer a translation.
The fix is the audit. Smooth wording is welcome, but only after every piece of content has been matched to a character.
Check yourself
Original: 王生归家，见门未闭，入视之，无人。
Translate it, then list any words you were tempted to add.
Answer
Faithful translation: 王生回到家，看见门没有关，进去察看，里面没有人。
Clauses: 归家, 见门未闭, 入视之, 无人. The 之 in 入视之 stands for the house, so “look inside” is fair.
Tempting additions: 吓了一跳 (was startled), 紧张地 (nervously), 以为有小偷 (thought there was a thief). None appears in the text, so leave them out.
What to study next
Translation needs word meaning and subject tracking first. If either is shaky, revisit recovering an omitted subject from the supplied context. When the translation is steady, move to explaining an interpretation through the sentence relationship.
If you want a teacher to audit your translations line by line, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.