Discovered Google Translate

Some days ago I discovered Google Translate, Google’s automatic translation service. I’m aware that it’s not exactly new, and for example babelfish has been there for years, supplying us with extremely bad and most of the times quite amusing translation of websites – but the news is: Google Translate knows Chinese! I have been using Worldlingo for that for a long time, but this website is often very slow and full of advertisement. I can’t judge which translation engine is better though.

Oh, and the best thing: Google Translate can be integrated into your browser 🙂 Here is how:
For Konqueror, go to Settings / Configure Konqueror… / Web Shortcuts and press the New… button. Now you can specify a name for this web shortcut, for example “Google Translate english/chinese” (this is the name as it shows up in the web shortcuts list). Then, paste the following into the URL field:
http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&text=\{@}&langpair=en|zh-CN
Finally, specify the web shortcut itself, for example “ench”. From now on, you can just type “ench some english text” into your URL entry field, and the translation will be made. If you have a closer look at the URL I specified above, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out how to add a web shortcut for chinese/english or any other language that Google Translate supports 🙂
For Firefox, download the appropriate search plugins from mycroft.mozdev.org and use the search field next to the URL field.

On a side note: My website is now available in eight (!) languages. Five thanks to Google Translate 😉

P.S.: . o O ( Hmm… that URL is long and doesn’t get wrapped. So now it overlaps the menu on the right. Man that looks ugly. I should tweak this theme a bit, I guess… Nah, too lazy. )

How to apply for a driving license in Shanghai (for foreigners with a foreign driving license)

I went through the process today (took approximately 5-6 hours including the travelling through the city). So now I’ll write down what to do, perhaps it may be helpful for somebody.

What you need

  • Your passport with visa
  • Your residence permit (thin piece of paper, probably in the back of your passport booklet)
  • Your foreign driving license (international driving license is of no use in China)
  • A copy of the passport, the visa and the foreign driving license
  • ¥100 (+ transportation costs), perhaps I forgot one of the fees, but it’s definitely below ¥200
  • A chinese name, and you need to either know how to write it, or have it written on a piece of paper
  • A day off 😉

Step 1 – Translation of your foreign driving license
Let one of the official translation agencies translate your foreign driving license.
I went to No. 100 TiYuHui Road (East), building no. 3 (东体育会路100弄3号), the company’s name is Shanghai SISU Translation Service Co. (上海上外翻译总公司) (their website).
Opening hours: 8:30 to 11:00 and 13:30 to 16:30.
It’s located very near to the subway line 3 Hong Kou Football stadium station. Have a look at one of the maps in the subway station, you should find TiYuHui Road. Ask somebody (if your Chinese isn’t too good, perhaps it would be wise to print the name and address, to be able to show it to someone) if you don’t find it on your own. The clerks at the counter speak english.
The translation was done within 5 minutes, costs ¥60. They need your chinese name, your “real” name will appear nowhere on your driving license, just the (made up) chinese one 😉 You will get the translation in a closed envelope, and you may not fold nor open it, give it as it is to the driving license issuing agency (or whatever it is called).

Step 2 – Application for a chinese driving license
Go to the driving license issuing agency (or whatever it is called, I’ll just call it “the agency” from now on). I think there are multiple of those agencies, but I’m not sure.
I went to the one in MinHang district (#ADDRESS#), there is a subway station nearby (line 5, Chun Shen road station, one station from Xinzhuang station). I don’t know the opening hours, but I guess they are similarly inconvenient to them of the translation agency.
When you arrive at the gate, a couple of chinese men will immediately welcome you, and tell you that they will guide you through the process for “only” ¥400. So better bring your own guide, or be brave and go through it without help, I also made it, and my chinese is (at present) still quite little 😉
First find your way to building 11, where photos will be taken and a health check (consisting of a visual test, audiometry and checking of your weight and height) will be performed. They also need your chinese name, and they only speak chinese, but they were very friendly when they noticed that I (at least tried to) speak a little chinese.
The procedure is as following: enter the left entrance of building 11, go to counter 1 where they will charge you ¥40 for the photos. With the receipt, go through the small door on the left where the photos will be taken. Afterwards go to counter 3 and obtain your photos (they are transmitted there and printed nearly instantly). Go out and re-enter the building through the right entrance. The clerk on the left will ask for your chinese name and will give you two forms. Then he will ask you to stick one of the photos on each of the two forms (you can find scissors and glue on the right). Then proceed to the little room on the left further down the narrow corridor. There the visual test will be performed. After that the audiometry in the next small room, and finally weight/height measuring in the room at the end of the corridor. The guy in the last room will stamp one of the forms countless times, then you’re ready to proceed to building 8.
Enter building 8 and go upstairs. Go straight and then follow the arrow to room no. 200. Go to one of the counters and present all the collected material and the documents you brought with you. They will then check everything and finally propose a date and time on which you can take part in the written exam (consisting of 100 multiple choice questions, of which 90 must be answered correctly). The clerk will tell you to take a seat in the entrance area until they call you back in. Finally you will get the date and time written on a paper, along with a small booklet containing the 100 questions and answers for you to practise until the exam. That’s it, you’re done applying for the license.

I’ll report about the written exam as soon as I passed it (my appointment is on June 11th).

And here is the blog entry about my written driving license exam: