Maverick: A Difficult Translation in Chinese

(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 shi) or a "different/strange warrior."

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.