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English to Chinese: 2014 Annual ProZ.com Translation Contest Entry
Source text - English Who cast that first fateful tomato that started the La Tomatina revolution? The reality is no one knows. Maybe it was an anti-Franco rebellion, or a carnival that got out of hand. According to the most popular version of the story, during the 1945 festival of Los Gigantes (a giant paper mâché puppet parade), locals were looking to stage a brawl to get some attention. They happened upon a vegetable cart nearby and started hurling ripe tomatoes. Innocent onlookers got involved until the scene escalated into a massive melee of flying fruit. The instigators had to repay the tomato vendors, but that didn't stop the recurrence of more tomato fights—and the birth of a new tradition.
Fearful of an unruly escalation, authorities enacted, relaxed, and then reinstated a series of bans in the 1950s. In 1951, locals who defied the law were imprisoned until public outcry called for their release. The most famous effrontery to the tomato bans happened in 1957 when proponents held a mock tomato funeral complete with a coffin and procession. After 1957, the local government decided to roll with the punches, set a few rules in place, and embraced the wacky tradition.
Though the tomatoes take center stage, a week of festivities lead up to the final showdown. It's a celebration of Buñol's patron saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, with street parades, music, and fireworks in joyous Spanish fashion. To build up your strength for the impending brawl, an epic paella is served on the eve of the battle, showcasing an iconic Valencian dish of rice, seafood, saffron, and olive oil.
Today, this unfettered festival has some measure of order. Organizers have gone so far as to cultivate a special variety of unpalatable tomatoes just for the annual event. Festivities kick off around 10 a.m. when participants race to grab a ham fixed atop a greasy pole. Onlookers hose the scramblers with water while singing and dancing in the streets. When the church bell strikes noon, trucks packed with tomatoes roll into town, while chants of "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" reach a crescendo.
Then, with the firing of a water cannon, the main event begins. That's the green light for crushing and launching tomatoes in all-out attacks against fellow participants. Long distance tomato lobbers, point-blank assassins, and medium range hook shots. Whatever your technique, by the time it's over, you will look (and feel) quite different. Nearly an hour later, tomato-soaked bombers are left to play in a sea of squishy street salsa with little left resembling a tomato to be found. A second cannon shot signals the end of the battle.
Translation - Chinese 当日，究竟是谁丢出头一个番茄引起了时代改革的“番茄大战”呢？真相没人知晓。或许是一起反佛朗哥的叛乱行动，也可能是失了控的嘉年华会。根据最流行的说法，在1945年的Los Gigantes（用巨大纸张纸浆造成的人偶游行）节庆中，有些当地人当时正准备来一场拳脚冲突来引起旁人的注目， 刚巧看到了附近的一架退运蔬菜的货物车，于是开始投掷成熟的番茄。无辜的旁人被牵涉参加进来，情形一发不可收拾，变成了红果满天飞的大场面。罪魁祸首虽然必须偿还番茄贩的损失，但这阻止不了番茄大战往后再多次发生——见证了一个新传统的诞生。
Other - Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute of Business
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Years of experience: 15. Registered at ProZ.com: Sep 2010. Became a member: Mar 2011.
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Bio
Transcreation Specialist with 6 years in Advertising/Marketing and 10 years in Translation
My name is Wei and I am an independent translator from Singapore specialising in translation between English and Chinese. Before becoming a translator, I served in marketing and advertising roles for more than 6 years.
The following are some of the services that I provide:
Member since Mar '11
