# likely donors and recipients



## xiaolijie

How do we say "*likely*" in phrases such as "He's a _*likely donor*_ to the fund/ they're _*likely recipients*_ of the awards"? How do 可能的捐助者 and 可能的受助人 sound?

Thank you


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## Lamb67

*likely donor* 乐善好施是他的品格，所以这回他一定还要捐赠。
*likely recipients* 种种迹象说明他们可能获奖，perhaps this sort of roundabout way is better.

Your try is good though. I feel that in a specific situation such as donating and award-chasing, 'likely' should be broadened a bit to suit Chinese.


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## GamblingCamel

Very interesting, Lamb. It's definitely a more roundabout style.


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## xiaolijie

Lamb67 said:


> *likely donor* 乐善好施是他的品格，所以这回他一定还要捐赠。
> *likely recipients* 种种迹象说明他们可能获奖，perhaps this sort of roundabout way is better.
> 
> Your try is good though. I feel that in a specific situation such as donating and award-chasing, 'likely' should be broadened a bit to suit Chinese.


Thanks Lamb, but I'm looking specifically for "likely" as an adjective modifying a noun, just as in "likely donors/ recipients". For example, how do we say in Chinese _"a meeting between likely donors and recipients will soon be held"_ ?


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## Lamb67

I think in combining them together the answer would be more definite now.
Likely here would be the equivalent of in the future, upcoming etc.-未来的。

Previously my roundabout way is chosen is because to Chinese mind at least, likely needs to be given a reason before it can be understandable.Why does he/she do such extraordinary things such as donating or is considered to be worthy of an award?

可能的受助人 is a likely recipient of a charity;可能的获奖人 is a likely recipient of an award.

By your choice of a direct translation, the Chinese version would sound like a 50-50 situation, while by my roundabout way, with a reason assumed, would sound more or less like a definite.


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## xiaolijie

Thank you Lamb, you're right and I also know about rephrasing to get the best effect but sometimes, as in the example above, I feel that rephrasing may make the sentence long-winded, clumsy-sounding. The idea however appears to be very simple: _a fund is to be set up and therefore a meeting between likely donors and receivers of this fund is going to be held_. For now, 可能的 seems to be the best candidate for "likely" and I only want to see if we can come up with something better.

Cheers,


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## Lamb67

With a meeting coming up here, the' likely' part would sound more certain than what your OP may suggest.
The rephrasing we have just seen, is actually functioning as a missing context if you want. The word likely is becoming more and more easier to translate in a context - a cliche.


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## viajero_canjeado

小理解你好。 What do you think about the word "預料的"？


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## xiaolijie

I should be the one to ask and not the one to answer . Anyway, it seems fine to me as an English speaker but I also know from experience that something looks fine to us does not necessarily look fine to native speakers, so I'd normally ask them to confirm when I have got a chance.
BTW, 未来的 in the post above doesn't seem ok to me, because it assumes these donors and recipients are definite rather than just probable.


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## swim4life

When "likely" used only before noun, it means as suitable or almost certain to produce good results. In Chinese, it means "最有可能" or "极有可能". For example, a likely candiate: 极有可能当选的候选人。

“最可能的捐助者”sounds okay to me. Hope it makes sense.


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## Lamb67

未来的, since future is unpredicable, it should mean the same as 可能的.The former suits a better collocation with 捐助者 etc when talking about person than the latter.

4life's example just explains for me.

极有可能当选的候选人 here by collocation of 可能+当选, be elected, which is an event.


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## Ghabi

I don't think people speak this way ... I mean that's just forcing Chinese onto the Procrustean bed of English, if not squaring the circle.

Say, when we want to say "he's a likely candidate to replace President Hosni Mubarak should the latter be ousted", we just say "假如穆巴拉克下台,他很大機會接任成為新總統".

Similarly, "he's a likely donor to the fund"-->他很大機會成為基金的捐助人; "they're likely recipients of the awards"-->他們都是獲獎的熱門人選/他們奪獎的呼聲很高; "a fund is to be set up and therefore a meeting between likely donors and receivers of this fund is going to be held"-->一個新基金即將成立,一眾很大機會成為捐助人或受助人的人士,將會聚首一堂 ... etc etc. Or am I seriously mistaken?


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## Lamb67

假如穆巴拉克下台,他(有）很大機會接任成為新總統".is sound but a little odd to a Northern Chinese I think.I added(有）,then it's ok.

他可能成为未来的总统 again a collocation of 未来+总统( a person) while 可能+成为(here a verb, to become).

Anyway “最可能的捐助者' , 4life probably feels the same to me, so she/he had to add 最 to smooth out a bit, but strictly still it is odd to me.

最可能捐助的人, perfect.

Gahbi's 一眾很大機會成為捐助人或受助人的人士 sounds grammatically right but gives a picture that those people more or less are chosen on a lottery base rather than on their own passion. 

Regarding my defence against XLJ's criticism, I chose 未来的 because we all believe seeing is believing, so that Chinese word should acquire a sense of probability rather than being a purely definiteness sense only.


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## swim4life

Just came into my mind: 他最可能成为捐助人. It sounds perfect to me. )


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## Ghabi

swim4life said:


> Just came into my mind: 他最可能成为捐助人


It'd mean "he's _the most_ likely donor", not just "_a_ likely donor". In any case, the exact wording of the translation doesn't concern me, my point of contention is just that the structure "likely+noun" isn't readily used in Chinese as it is in English.


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## swim4life

Well, when "likely+noun" structure is used, *likely* is commonly translated as "最可能"or"很可能" here in China even "most(最/很)" is not there. Sometimes you have to bend the word a little bit to fit the intended meaning...


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## Lamb67

By reviewing  WR 's usage guide on likely, I found out #12 above is  right and  I  am glad that I could learn something here.


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## Skatinginbc

Ghabi said:


> 他很大機會接任成為新總統...他很大機會成為基金的捐助人


有些港式中文相當巧妙典雅, 但「很大機會 (= 很可能)」是「內地人無法接受」, 我讀了也覺得彆扭 的港式中文。


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## Lathe Lester

How about “潜在的” ( 9 years later, hmmm...


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## SimonTsai

xiaolijie said:


> He's a likely donor to the fund.


他是這基金潛在的捐助者。


> They're likely recipients of the awards.


他們是這份獎助金可能幫助的對象。


> A meeting between likely donors and receivers of this fund is going to be held.


這基金潛在的捐助者，和這份獎助金可能幫助的對象，雙方很快將正式會面。


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