Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
potluck (party)
Chinese translation:
自带饭菜聚餐（会）
Jun 11, 2002 06:36
21 yrs ago
English term
Translation, Graphic Design, Copywriting
Native in: Chinese 
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English, English to Korean, and 12 more.
potluck (party)
English to Chinese
Other
Food & Drink
Food
大家好!
请问大陆和台湾是否有这种聚会方式，即来参加聚会的人各带一样饭菜或甜点或饮料，都放到桌子上供大家一起享用？我现在想把该英文字翻译成“聚餐会”，但是感到不太满意。欢迎诸位提出高见！
英文原句是：
"We will have a free potluck in the Conference Room on July 4th."
请问大陆和台湾是否有这种聚会方式，即来参加聚会的人各带一样饭菜或甜点或饮料，都放到桌子上供大家一起享用？我现在想把该英文字翻译成“聚餐会”，但是感到不太满意。欢迎诸位提出高见！
英文原句是：
"We will have a free potluck in the Conference Room on July 4th."
Proposed translations
(Chinese)
| 4 +4 | 自带饭菜聚餐（会） |
Libin PhD
|
| 4 +1 | 聚餐会 |
Golden View
|
| 4 +1 | 自攜餐會/聚 |
Scott Li
|
| 4 +1 | 分享餐会 |
Xiaoping Fu
|
| 4 | 聚餐/大食會 |
Ina Yee
|
| 4 | 家常便饭 |
Zong Yang Yu
|
| 4 | 美式聚餐会 |
GHZ
|
| 1 +3 | 便饭 |
Wei Jiang
|
| 5 -1 | 聚餐会 |
Danbing HE
|
| 4 | I certainly would not agree with 聚餐会 |
Summit
|
Proposed translations
+4
23 mins
Selected
自带饭菜聚餐（会）
自带饭菜聚餐（会）
稍微长了一点，有点罗索，但想不到更短的。
这里也说了free potluck，也就是说并不是人人都非要带饭菜才能参加的。尤其象中国学生会聚餐时，或一帮经常在一起的同学聚餐时，有家庭的肯定会带东西去，而单身的同学往往大家都会说，不用带什么了，倒时候来就行了。所以也可能是free potluck。
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Note added at 2002-06-11 22:47:17 (GMT)
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American Heritage Dictionary (4th edition, 2000):
1. Whatever food happens to be available for a meal, especially when offered to a guest: Having arrived unannounced for supper, we had to take potluck.
2. A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all. Also called potluck supper.
3. Whatever is available at a particular time: The scheduled flight was canceled and passengers had to take potluck on the other airlines.
I think what we need here is the second definition.
Wester\'s 3rd International is definitely one of the best dictionaries. I have a copy of the dictionary that was translated into Chinese by 王同亿 et al. called 《英汉辞海》. The only problem is that it was published in 1963 (if my memory does not betray me) and they do not get a new edition out. It is quite frustrating to wait for a new edition of a good dictionary.
稍微长了一点，有点罗索，但想不到更短的。
这里也说了free potluck，也就是说并不是人人都非要带饭菜才能参加的。尤其象中国学生会聚餐时，或一帮经常在一起的同学聚餐时，有家庭的肯定会带东西去，而单身的同学往往大家都会说，不用带什么了，倒时候来就行了。所以也可能是free potluck。
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-06-11 22:47:17 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
American Heritage Dictionary (4th edition, 2000):
1. Whatever food happens to be available for a meal, especially when offered to a guest: Having arrived unannounced for supper, we had to take potluck.
2. A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all. Also called potluck supper.
3. Whatever is available at a particular time: The scheduled flight was canceled and passengers had to take potluck on the other airlines.
I think what we need here is the second definition.
Wester\'s 3rd International is definitely one of the best dictionaries. I have a copy of the dictionary that was translated into Chinese by 王同亿 et al. called 《英汉辞海》. The only problem is that it was published in 1963 (if my memory does not betray me) and they do not get a new edition out. It is quite frustrating to wait for a new edition of a good dictionary.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much for all your suggestions! I appreciate very much for your time and effort. It is truly a wonderful discussion with all you professionals! Now you can see how challenging it is to translate something and try to fully reflect the meaning of English. I always like to say that it is a challenge to answer a Kudos question, but it is also a display of the asker's knowledge when an answer is selected. It was a very difficult job for me to decide on what to use in this case.
Among all your suggestions, I found Ben Li's answer is closer to my understanding to one of the definitions of "potluck" used in the sentence quoted above, that is "A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all. Also called potluck supper. " Ben Li's suggestion is wordy and mouthful, but it did capture the idea. Can we ever balance both?
As you said, this is not exactly a type of parties that the Chinese people would do in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. However, It is quite popular in America as far as I know. I agree with Dave and xiaoping by breaking it into two sentences and translate the meaning in a way that the Chinese people would normally say. I remember that a well-known Chinese writer by the name "Xiao Qian" likes to do that and introduced many wonder literature works to the Chinese people. If we cannot tackle something directly, it is always a solution to get around it and tackle it indirectly. Isn't this a tactic mentioned by Sun Zi in his Art of War? ;-)
"
+1
29 mins
Golden View
China
China
Native in English
&
Chinese
China
Asian language localization services
Native in: Chinese 
, English
Works in: English to Chinese, English to Japanese, English to Korean, and 9 more.
聚餐会
自带饭菜饮料到野外聚会(picnic)还比较常见，不过在室内聚餐通常都不自带，只是大家凑份买单或者公司/主人招待。
Potluck 也有“家常便饭”的意思，不过从给出的英文看，“聚餐会”is good enough, I think.
Potluck 也有“家常便饭”的意思，不过从给出的英文看，“聚餐会”is good enough, I think.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
David Rockell (X)
: I agree with Jinshi about common usage in China. Perhaps translate into 2 sentences. I.e there will be a free XXX in the Conference Room on July 4th. Please everyone bring a wonderful dish to share together!"
8 hrs
|
+1
1 hr
自攜餐會/聚
How about the above ?
4 hrs
聚餐/大食會
It is true that Chinese people, at least traditionally, don't really do things like potluck. When people in Hong Kong nowadays do have dinner parties where everyone brings a dish, we don't seem to have a particular phrase for it. I'd say 聚餐會 is good enough. Or in Hong Kong, dinner/lunch parties are just simply 聚餐.
The second translation I have proposed might not be appropriate for the context of your translation here, which is apparently more formal. But as a point of interest, 大食會 is actually the closest translation of "potluck" in Hong Kong vernacular Chinese. As suggested by the phrase, 大食會 is an informal occasion in which people gather for a meal. The host may do all the cooking, or a catering company may be responsible for the food. But very often, especially if it is a peer gathering, everyone makes something and brings it to the party.
The second translation I have proposed might not be appropriate for the context of your translation here, which is apparently more formal. But as a point of interest, 大食會 is actually the closest translation of "potluck" in Hong Kong vernacular Chinese. As suggested by the phrase, 大食會 is an informal occasion in which people gather for a meal. The host may do all the cooking, or a catering company may be responsible for the food. But very often, especially if it is a peer gathering, everyone makes something and brings it to the party.
6 hrs
Zong Yang Yu
China
China
Native in Chinese
China
PROFICIENT+PRODUCTIVE+PROFESIONAL=PROZ
Native in: Chinese
Works in: English to Chinese, Chinese to English
家常便饭
1)Whatever food happens to be available for a meal, especially when offered to a guest
家常便饭（非特意准备）碰巧有的饭菜，尤指给客人吃的：
Having arrived unannounced for supper, we had to take potluck.
由于没有提前通知我们要来吃晚饭，我们只能吃些家常便饭
2)A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all.
聚餐每个客人都自带食物然后大家分而食之的一顿饭
Also called: potluck supper
家常便饭（非特意准备）碰巧有的饭菜，尤指给客人吃的：
Having arrived unannounced for supper, we had to take potluck.
由于没有提前通知我们要来吃晚饭，我们只能吃些家常便饭
2)A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all.
聚餐每个客人都自带食物然后大家分而食之的一顿饭
Also called: potluck supper
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Francis Fine
: for 產盽獽逗an even more down-to-earth expression is "Τぐ或ぐ或."
4 hrs
|
| disagree |
brightex
: Please first understand what potluck is.
14 hrs
|
+3
10 hrs
便饭
I would like quote from my Merriam-Webster's Third International:
the regular fare or meal available to a guest for whom no special preparations have been made
In this sense, we have Bian4 Fan4 in Chinese. Actually, we have another similar jocular saying - Jie1 Guo1 Xiang1 （揭锅香）. You can say to a visiting friend without invitation, Hi, you are just in to take potluck in good time - our dinner is ready!
the regular fare or meal available to a guest for whom no special preparations have been made
In this sense, we have Bian4 Fan4 in Chinese. Actually, we have another similar jocular saying - Jie1 Guo1 Xiang1 （揭锅香）. You can say to a visiting friend without invitation, Hi, you are just in to take potluck in good time - our dinner is ready!
-1
19 hrs
+1
1 day 4 hrs
Xiaoping Fu
Canada
Canada
Native in Chinese
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Professional Translating with Enthusiasm
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Works in: Chinese to English, English, English to Chinese, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
19
分享餐会
potluck 这个词的原始含意大概是“赶上什么吃什么”的意思。中文词形式上最接近的可能是“口福”，不过用法上有很大不同。我们没有“口福饭菜”的说法，只有“家常饭”、“便饭”的说法。这两个词在很多情况下被用来谦称刻意准备的饭菜不够丰盛，“碰巧赶上”的意思不明显。
用 potluck 来指自带食物大家分享的餐会，好像无法翻译，因为中国人没有这种习惯。
川陕一带有“打拼伙”的说法，指朋友们各自带来（或凑钱买来）原料和半成品一起烹制分享，与这里的“自带饭菜一起分享”的意思倒挺接近。如果一定要译 potluck ，是否可以借用“拼伙”的词意，译为“拼伙餐会”？恐怕太偏僻了一点，不加解释人们还是不懂。Just a thought.
我比较赞成 David Rocockell 的意见，加一句“参加者请自带拿手佳肴”，意思才比较清楚。
用 potluck 来指自带食物大家分享的餐会，好像无法翻译，因为中国人没有这种习惯。
川陕一带有“打拼伙”的说法，指朋友们各自带来（或凑钱买来）原料和半成品一起烹制分享，与这里的“自带饭菜一起分享”的意思倒挺接近。如果一定要译 potluck ，是否可以借用“拼伙”的词意，译为“拼伙餐会”？恐怕太偏僻了一点，不加解释人们还是不懂。Just a thought.
我比较赞成 David Rocockell 的意见，加一句“参加者请自带拿手佳肴”，意思才比较清楚。
2 days 43 mins
I certainly would not agree with 聚餐会
Since picnic, last dinner of Jesus..but really the essence (spirit) of which have not been uttered from any.
pot is: pot
Luck is Luck
my best is: be happy with what you get, be suprised of what you get,no complaint. Like Lotto
since lacking context and full of fate.
most of us try to quess in stead of translate: without context, 瞎子摸象
pot is: pot
Luck is Luck
my best is: be happy with what you get, be suprised of what you get,no complaint. Like Lotto
since lacking context and full of fate.
most of us try to quess in stead of translate: without context, 瞎子摸象
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