Chen Cuiling, Class 12, Junior 1, Xin’an Middle School

    Instructed by Tan Qingyang, Tang Ying

    深圳市新安中学初一(12)班陈翠玲

    指导老师：谭清扬 汤颖

    My father comes from Japan. He came to China in 2000. My mother taught him Chinese. Even though he has lived here for many years, he still isn’t good at Chinese, so it’s hard for me to communicate with him sometimes.

    One day, when I was outside, it suddenly began to rain heavily. When I got home, my father asked me, “Did you die?”

    “What?” I asked.

    He looked at me and asked, “It’s raining outside. Didn’t you die?”

    I was stunned and didn’t know what he was saying.

    Then, he said, “You should change your clothes.”

    Finally, I understood what he meant. He pronounced “si (die)” instead of “shi (wet)”. I paused and said, “No, I didn’t get wet in the rain because I had an umbrella. However, I still needed to change my clothes because they are dirty.”

    Translations can lead to many funny conversations.