articles
China Elevator Stories
Lost In Translation in Beijing
In 2005, I get lost in Beijing. This is before I start studying Chinese.
15/11/2012
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
My first trip to China is to Beijing in September 2005. I can’t speak a word of Chinese at this time, but I’ve already decided to study this beautiful language. So far, my path has only led me to Beijing twice, and I remember it as a vast, gray, and smoggy city. Keep in mind, this isn’t the Beijing of today; it’s Beijing before the Olympics.
One day that September, the usually pitch-black sky is illuminated by millions of lights across the city. I’ve been exploring all day, feel exhausted, and am trying to find the nearest subway station. I manage to reach the corner where my map shows the subway stop, but I can’t find any sign or entrance for it. This is also before the smartphone era—not that I even have a phone I could use in China at the time.
I ask a traffic policewoman for directions, using English. She can’t understand me, so she asks a young man nearby to help. As it turns out, he doesn’t speak English either, but he gestures for me to follow him, so I do.
We enter a large gray building with no signs outside, which I assume is an apartment complex. We take the elevator to the 7th floor. By now, I’m starting to feel wary about where he’s taking me. When we arrive, I realize the entire floor is filled with small shops. I follow him to one of the shops, where he explains to his friends that I’m lost—or at least, that’s what I assume he’s saying. They call a friend who can speak English, and finally, I hear a familiar-sounding language over the phone. I feel relieved, but with the person on the phone speaking only broken English and the poor signal, it’s impossible to get clear directions.
The only option left is to find the next subway station on my map, so that’s what I do. Since this is Beijing—a city of over 15 million people—walking from one subway station to the next feels like walking across half of Vienna. Fortunately, I find the station that will take me back to my hotel.
You might wonder why I don’t just take a cab. After running around all day, I let a shop clerk talk me into buying a pair of fake shoes I didn’t even really want, and I’ve spent almost all my cash. I’m not sure how much a cab would cost, so I figure taking the subway is safer.
Later that evening, I find out I haven’t actually gotten lost. I’ve been looking at the correct intersection, but the subway station hasn’t been built yet. My map shows the station but doesn’t mention it’s still under construction. It will take another three years before the line is finished.
Have you ever been lost in translation?