<blockquote>
<p>毕业之后<strong>最开始</strong>在一家房地产公司做销售员,底薪一千八</p>
<p>after I graduated I <strong>first</strong> went to work as sales staff at a real estate agency with a salary of 1,800</p>
</blockquote>
<p>[在一家房地产公司] {做销售员} -&gt; (went to) {work as sales staff} [at a real estate agency].</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-27T23:37:48.577Z
Thanks! I didn't know "做" means to work. Did the "在一家房地产公司" come first because in Chinese the location needs to be written first ?
Cheeseu
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-27T23:52:19.913Z
@Cheeseu, yes, that's kind of convention of Chinese sentence ordering. Eg. 我在中国工作. 我工作在中国 is not natural, but understandable.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-28T00:07:32.250Z
"after I graduated I (first ) went ...  " =  "我毕业之后(首先)..."
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-28T00:17:06.840Z
@TangHo, I noticed that it's a loose translation. I was just trying to get OP out of his confusion. On the other hand, I think the original translation is ok, but certainly has a room for improvement.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-27T23:29:36.347Z
2018-08-27T23:29:36.347Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
dan
<p>[毕业之后] = After graduated</p>

<p>[<strong>最开始</strong>] = <strong>at the very beginning</strong> /<strong>in the initial stages</strong> (<em>of my career</em>)</p>

<p>[在一家房地产公司做销售员] = I worked as a sales staff in a real estate agency </p>

<p>[底薪一千八] = with base salary of 1,800  (<em>I am sure his main income was commissions</em>)</p>

<ul>
<li><p>"毕业之后在一家房地产公司做销售员" is already a complete sentence. "最开始" is a relative phrase that give us additional information, pinpointing the exact time - 'at the very beginning'</p></li>
<li><p>做 here means "being/ assume the role of/ act as"</p></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-28T00:02:41.120Z
2018-08-28T00:22:39.327Z
2018-08-28T00:22:39.327Z
Tang Ho
<p>In this sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>毕业之后最开始在一家房地产公司做销售员，底薪一千八。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The translator apparently translated "最开始" as went to work.  Here is the translation:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>after I graduated I first went to work as sales staff at a real estate agency with a salary of 1,800</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Why does 最开始 translate to "went to work"?</p>

<p>I am confused because I can't find any thing that relates 最开始 with finding a job.  I think "最开始" means initially or at first. But then, where is the character for "to work" in 在一家房地产公司做销售员?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-27T23:11:45.550Z
做 can mean "act/work as"  thus 做销售员 "work as sales clerk", in connection with 最开始 the meaning seems to agree with "first go to work as sales clerk"
user6065
<translation>
In 毕业之后最开始在一家房地产公司做销售员，底薪一千八, why does 最开始 translate to "went to work"?
# In 毕业之后最开始在一家房地产公司做销售员，底薪一千八, why does 最开始 translate to "went to work"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-27)

In this sentence:

> 毕业之后最开始在一家房地产公司做销售员，底薪一千八。

The translator apparently translated "最开始" as went to work. Here is the translation:

> after I graduated I first went to work as sales staff at a real estate agency with a salary of 1,800

Why does 最开始 translate to "went to work"?

I am confused because I can't find any thing that relates 最开始 with finding a job. I think "最开始" means initially or at first. But then, where is the character for "to work" in 在一家房地产公司做销售员?

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 做 can mean "act/work as"  thus 做销售员 "work as sales clerk", in connection with 最开始 the meaning seems to agree with "first go to work as sales clerk"  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-08-27. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> 毕业之后**最开始**在一家房地产公司做销售员,底薪一千八
>
> after I graduated I **first** went to work as sales staff at a real estate agency with a salary of 1,800

[在一家房地产公司] {做销售员} -> (went to) {work as sales staff} [at a real estate agency].

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks! I didn't know "做" means to work. Did the "在一家房地产公司" come first because in Chinese the location needs to be written first ?  
> **username_2**: @username_0, yes, that's kind of convention of Chinese sentence ordering. Eg. 我在中国工作. 我工作在中国 is not natural, but understandable.  
> **username_3**: "after I graduated I (first ) went ...  " =  "我毕业之后(首先)..."  
> **username_2**: @TangHo, I noticed that it's a loose translation. I was just trying to get OP out of his confusion. On the other hand, I think the original translation is ok, but certainly has a room for improvement.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-08-28. Score: 2

[毕业之后] = After graduated

[**最开始**] = **at the very beginning** /**in the initial stages** (*of my career*)

[在一家房地产公司做销售员] = I worked as a sales staff in a real estate agency

[底薪一千八] = with base salary of 1,800 (*I am sure his main income was commissions*)

* "毕业之后在一家房地产公司做销售员" is already a complete sentence. "最开始" is a relative phrase that give us additional information, pinpointing the exact time - 'at the very beginning'
* 做 here means "being/ assume the role of/ act as"


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