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SummerTeaWater

April 27, 2021

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Balloon of Happiness

While reading an essay book, I found an interesting story about happiness.
Let me translate the story.

Childred have their balloons in class.
Following their teacher's guide, they write their name on the balloon and throw it away.

The teacher asks them to find their own ballon for five minutes.
The childred try to find it but it is very difficult.
Some kids argue for better position to find.
After five minutes, only small number of children success in finding.

The teacher gives another instruction, that picking up a balloon nearby and handling it over to its owner.
Then everyone has their balloons for short time.

The teacher teaches them that these balloons are like happiness.
"If you find your own happiness, it will be very hard to have.
However if you are interested in someone else's happiness, it will help you find yours."


수필 책을 읽다가, 행복과 관련된 흥미로운 이야기를 찾게 되었습니다.
제가 그 이야기를 번역해 볼께요.

수업 중에 아이들이 그들의 풍선을 가지고 있습니다.
그들의 선생님의 가이드에 따라, 그들은 풍선에 자신의 이름을 쓰고 던졌습니다

선생님은 5분동안 그들 자신의 풍선을 찾으라고 시켰습니다.
아이들은 그것을 찾으려고 노력했지만, 매우 어려웠습니다
몇명의 아이들은 찾기에 더 좋은 자리를 차지하려고 말다툼을 했습니다.
5분이 지난 후, 적은 수의 아이들만 찾는 것에 성공했습니다.

선생님이 다른 지시를 내렸는데, 가까운 곳에 풍선을 집어서 그것의 주인에게 건내주는 것입니다.
그러자 짧은 시간 동안 모두가 그들의 풍선을 가지게 되었습니다.

선생님은 이 풍선들은 행복과 같다고 그들에게 가르쳤습니다.
"만약 너희가 자신의 행복만 찾는다면, 그것을 가지기 매우 힘들 것이야
그렇지만 만약 다른 사람의 행복에 관심을 갖는 다면, 그것은 너의 것을 찾는 것에 도움을 줄 것이야"

Corrections

Balloon of Happiness

While reading an essay book, I found an interesting story about happiness.

Let me translate the story.

Childred have their balloons in classA class of children are each given a balloon.

"Children" as the subject makes this sentence sound very general, like you are talking about all children. "Children often get very bored in class."

"their balloons" makes it seem like it is obvious that a child would have a balloon, like you are assuming the reader knows exactly what balloon you mean. You might say "A class of children have their pens", but you would probably not say "A class of children have their bottles of vodka" - it is new information that a child would have a bottle of vodka, so you'd want to introduce it somehow rather than just assume the reader understands.

Maybe in Korea balloons are standard equipment? :)

Following their teacher's guideinstructions, they write their names on their balloons and throw ithem away.

"guide" as a noun doesn't work very well here. You could say "following their teacher's guidance" or "Their teacher guides them to", but "instructions" is most natural for me.

Singular/plural is difficult in a sentence like this. "They" here are acting as a plural group, so they write on their balloons and throw them - multiple children, multiple balloons. But you could say "each of them writes their name on their balloon and throws it away".

The teacher asks them to find their own balloon forin five minutes.

I don't know how English grammar describes this, but "find" is a verb that has a sort of perfective aspect, it implies the completion of the action. You *successfully* found the thing. It focuses on the instant of success - so you can't "find [something] for [a duration]". I suggest changing five minutes from a duration to a time limit, but you could also just "search for their own balloon for five minutes", "look for", or "try to find".

The childredn try to find ithem but it is very difficult.

Some kids argue for better position to findand fight about others being in their way.

Probably the most natural way to say this.

After five minutes, only a small number of children success in findinghave been successful.

Unnecessary to say what they've succeeded at, because we know what the task is. But you do need a verb!

The teacher gives another instruction, that they should picking up a balloon nearby and handling it over to its owner.

It would be "handing" not "handling". But constructing this with the gerund is quite unnatural.

Then everyone has their balloons forafter a short time.

"has their balloons for a short time" - duration. They have their balloons, a short time passes, and then they no longer have them.

The teacher teaches them that these balloons are like happiness.

"If you findseek your own happiness, it will be very hard to havefind.

Again the perfective thing - finding is the success at the end of seeking/searching for. So if you find your own happiness then you are happy!

However if you are interested in someone else's happiness, it will help you find yours."

Feedback

I'm surprised I haven't heard of this before, it's a wonderfully effective demonstration.

Some kids argue for better position to find.


Some kids argue for better position to findand fight about others being in their way.

Probably the most natural way to say this.

Balloon of Happiness


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

While reading an essay book, I found an interesting story about happiness.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Let me translate the story.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Childred have their balloons in class.


Childred have their balloons in classA class of children are each given a balloon.

"Children" as the subject makes this sentence sound very general, like you are talking about all children. "Children often get very bored in class." "their balloons" makes it seem like it is obvious that a child would have a balloon, like you are assuming the reader knows exactly what balloon you mean. You might say "A class of children have their pens", but you would probably not say "A class of children have their bottles of vodka" - it is new information that a child would have a bottle of vodka, so you'd want to introduce it somehow rather than just assume the reader understands. Maybe in Korea balloons are standard equipment? :)

Following their teacher's guide, they write their name on the balloon and throw it away.


Following their teacher's guideinstructions, they write their names on their balloons and throw ithem away.

"guide" as a noun doesn't work very well here. You could say "following their teacher's guidance" or "Their teacher guides them to", but "instructions" is most natural for me. Singular/plural is difficult in a sentence like this. "They" here are acting as a plural group, so they write on their balloons and throw them - multiple children, multiple balloons. But you could say "each of them writes their name on their balloon and throws it away".

The teacher asks them to find their own ballon for five minutes.


The teacher asks them to find their own balloon forin five minutes.

I don't know how English grammar describes this, but "find" is a verb that has a sort of perfective aspect, it implies the completion of the action. You *successfully* found the thing. It focuses on the instant of success - so you can't "find [something] for [a duration]". I suggest changing five minutes from a duration to a time limit, but you could also just "search for their own balloon for five minutes", "look for", or "try to find".

The childred try to find it but it is very difficult.


The childredn try to find ithem but it is very difficult.

After five minutes, only small number of children success in finding.


After five minutes, only a small number of children success in findinghave been successful.

Unnecessary to say what they've succeeded at, because we know what the task is. But you do need a verb!

The teacher gives another instruction, that picking up a balloon nearby and handling it over to its owner.


The teacher gives another instruction, that they should picking up a balloon nearby and handling it over to its owner.

It would be "handing" not "handling". But constructing this with the gerund is quite unnatural.

Then everyone has their balloons for short time.


Then everyone has their balloons forafter a short time.

"has their balloons for a short time" - duration. They have their balloons, a short time passes, and then they no longer have them.

The teacher teaches them that these balloons are like happiness.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

"If you find your own happiness, it will be very hard to have.


"If you findseek your own happiness, it will be very hard to havefind.

Again the perfective thing - finding is the success at the end of seeking/searching for. So if you find your own happiness then you are happy!

However if you are interested in someone else's happiness, it will help you find yours."


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

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