Travel in Chinese Lesson 5 Check in (Mingyue Hotel)

黄人豪：我们要办理入住。

服务员：请问预订房间了吗？

黄人豪：预订了。

服务员：请说一下儿姓名。

黄人豪：黄人豪，美国纽约来的。

服务员：您预订了两个房间，一个双人间，一个单间。

黄人豪：对！

服务员：请给我看一下儿你们的护照。

谢谢您。再填一张旅客登记卡。

请交一下儿预付款。

雪梅：能刷卡吗？

服务员：可以，谢谢。

这是你们的房卡，两间房，一个是1183、一个是1179。

雪梅：在几层？

服务员：都在11层。

雪梅：那个双人间是朝南的吗？

服务员：1183不是，朝西。

雪梅：能不能把双人间换成朝南的呢？我喜欢朝南的房间。

黄人豪：对，我们在这里要住一个星期左右，请帮我们换一下。

服务员：我查一查，有没有空房间。

还有一间，不过不是在11层。

雪梅：没关系，在几层？

服务员：九层，918房。

雪梅：我就要918房间。

服务员：餐厅在二层，一层的左边有一个咖啡厅。

服务员：他们会帮你们把行李拿到房间。

黄人豪：谢谢，我们走。哎，小杰呢？

雪梅：噢，在这儿呢！小杰，Let’s go！

（到房间）

行李工：这是您的房间。

雪梅：谢谢您！（给小费）

行李工：谢谢，我们不能收小费，再见。

雪梅：我忘了，中国不收小费。

黄人豪：去小杰的房间看看。

雪梅：走吧。

Translation:

Huang:（to the staff）We’d like to check in.

Staff: Have you made room reservations?

Huang: Yes we have.

Staff: Please tell me the name.

Huang: Huang Renhao, from New York, the U.S.

Staff: You reserved two rooms, a double and a single.

Huang: That’s right！

Staff: Please show me your passports

Thank you. Then fill in a registration card.

Huang: OK.

Staff: Thank you! Please pay the deposit.

Xuemei: Do you take credit cards?

Staff: Yes.

Xuemei: Thank you!

Staff: These are your room keycards, one room is 1183, the other is 1179.

Xuemei: Which floor are they on?

Staff: They’re both on the 11th floor.

Xuemei: Is the double room facing south?

Staff: No, 1183 faces west.

Xuemei: Can you change the double room to a south-facing one? I like south-facing rooms.

Huang: We’ll be staying here for about a week, please change the room for us.

Staff: I’ll check to see if there are any vacant rooms. Yes there’s one, but it’s not on the 11th floor.

Xuemei: That’s alright, which floor is it on?

Staff: 9th floor, room 918.

Xuemei: We’ll take room 918.

Staff: The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, there’s a café to the left on the 1st floor.

Staff: They will take the luggage to your room.

Huang: Thank you! Let’s go! wher is Xiaojie?

Xuemei: Here she is. Xiaojie, let’s go.

Xiaojie: OK, mum.

（at the room）

Porter: This is your room.

Xuemei: Thank you！（hands a tip）

Porter: Thanks, but we can’t accept that. Goodbye!

Xuemei: I forgot, you don’t need to tip in China.

Huang: Let’s go have a look at Xiaojie’s room.

Xuemei: Let’s go.
 

Bookmarks

1）能 to be able to

（例）您能给我看一下儿您的护照吗？

Could you show me your passport for a moment?

（例）您现在不能换房间。

You can't change rooms now.

2）都 all

（例）这些都是我们的行李。

This luggage is all ours.

（例）我们都是从美国来的。

We are all from the Unites States.

3）左右 approximately

（例）一个双人间一天大概300块钱左右。

One double room per day is approximately 300 yuan.

（例）他大概50岁左右。

He is around 50 years old.

4）不过 but, indicating a change

（例）这个房间不错，不过小了一点儿。

This room is not bad, but it's a little small.

（例）北京的秋天天气很好，不过空气很干燥。

The weather in the autumn in Beijing is quite nice, but the air is a little bit dry.

Signposts

Channels in China

In many hotels in China you can watch international English satellite channels like CNN and BBC, or even HBO. Hong Kong satellite channels like Phoenix TV and Channel V are even more common. These channels are both in Mandarin Chinese. Phoenix TV is a general purpose channel, Channel V is for music videos. There are others as well, like the Star Movie channel.

Even without these international stations, most hotels will receive 20 or 30 domestic Chinese channels, including both national and regional satellite channels. Most provinces in China have their own local channels as well as one or more satellite channels that can be received throughout China. Watching the local channels is a great way to practice your language skills and learn a little bit about what’s happening in the area you are visiting. Many cities even have their own channels that can be received locally.

The national broadcaster, China Central Television or CCTV, has over a dozen channels. Right now you’re watching CCTV-9, the English channel 英语频道. There are also special channels for sports, movies, television dramas, news, childrens programming, even traditional arts like Peking Opera. Viewers outside of China will be most familiar with CCTV-9 and CCTV-4, the Chinese language international channel, as these are both relayed by satellite to cover almost the whole world. CCTV-1 and CCTV-2 are mostly general channels, especially focusing on news and current affairs. No matter wher you are in China, even in the most remote areas, you can almost always receive CCTV-1.

Substitution and Extention

1）一下儿 a polite, colloquial expression, indicating the time required is limited

（例）我来介绍一下儿，这是我的朋友。

Let me make a brief introduction, this is my friend.