Quote:
Originally Posted by ahi
Ok, so it's the attitudal component (is that a word/phrase?) that makes "foreign devil" a more appropriate translation?
- Ahi
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Yes, it is closely related to the 洋鬼子, which would be the Mandarin equivalent. 洋 standing for "Western" in this case. The word ghost carries only strong negative meanings, nothing positive about it.The use of "老" LAO or the more traditional, but in this case equivalent "佬", in this way (i.e. somebody and LAO) is always a strongly derogative term. It is, for example also used in "湖北佬", a slur used to deride people from Hubei province, sometimes used in mainland China. If you say that to someone from Hubei, you will start a fight. And the word GHOST combined with LAO, there is no way even LDBoblo (well meaning as he is, hehe) can whitewash this obvious racial slur. That does not mean that every Hong Konger wants to insult Westerners. But it is an extreme example of insensitivity, so pervasive in a place that depends on tourist income, that the users don't even feel it is wrong.
So why is it better translated as "foreign devil" or "Western devil"? The term as is is only applied to Westerners, it would never be applied to a Japanese, Koreans, or South East Asians, for example. So it is the cultural back ground that implies the real meaning of "foreign devil". Sure, even the proper term for foreigners "外國人" can be used as an insult (just as in English you could say "oh those foreigners!") but it carries no inherent negative meaning, like the mentioned phrase.
Yes, in general, being a Westerner in Asia is quite a positive experience. Otherwise, how would I have stayed around for so long?