(John Foxx/Getty Images)

Chinese bloggers and journalists following the U.S. presidential race seem to be faced with some problematic translation issues: The term "maverick," often used to describe Arizona Senator John McCain, just doesn't seem to have a quick equivalent in Chinese.

In some cases the translations used to describe a maverick really become a phrase rather than a word. For example there is "独立行动的人" (du li xing dong de ren) or "a person who has independent actions" or an adjective like "独立见解" (du li jian jie) or "independently-minded." I've seen "独行侠" (du xing xia) or "independently-behaved hero" -- literally translated of course. There is also "异士" (yi tu) or a "different/strange kind of person."

Samuel Maverick Public Domain Picture

It's a translation conundrum that the folks who run Maverick China Research, a business consulting company in Beijing, know well. Founder Dave Carini tells me that they have chosen not to translate their name into Chinese, partly because of a lack of obvious translation.

"We did a bit of comparison on search engines, and the most common one seems to be: "特立独行" (te li du xing)," he said in an email. (It means "especially with independent behavior")

"The phrase has a neutral meaning and, like "maverick", can have positive or negative connotations depending on context," Carini says.

A recent New York Times article nicely explains how the word "maverick" actually originates with Samuel Maverick, a Texas rancher who never branded his cattle. The unmarked cows were known as "mavericks."

Maybe if China had more cowboys, there might be an easier translation.

A giant stone turtle carrying a tablet on its back at the Ming Tombs north of Beijing.

Chinese scientists were hoping to break out the rice wine after successfully urging two giant turtles to mate a few months ago. Sadly the birth announcements will have to wait.

Turtle experts were delighted last year when they "discovered" a living female giant turtle who had lived in obscurity in the Changsha zoo in southern China. At 80 years old, she is currently the only known female to exist. In May, they brought 600 miles to Suzhou to get busy with a 100-year-old male giant turtle in an attempt to save the species, the New York Times reported.

The mating was a success, and a month later the female turtle, whom the Associated Press says is called "China Girl" (a name I find dubious) laid 100 eggs. Nearly half were fertilized, but scientists announced this week that none of the eggs hatched. Read more...