<p>让 is accurate in this case. 请 sounds too polite for interpreting 'ask'. Colloquially, 叫 is also suitable. E.g. 她叫我给她讲水的故事.</p>
<p>So, in normal and casual speech, we can always say 我让某人做某事 to mean &quot;I ask someone to do something&quot; in English.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T08:52:29.967Z
To you, does 让 give a hierarchical implication? That A is the boss of B?
lulalala
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T11:22:14.173Z
@lulalala Not really. A and B can be the same level(they may be friends). E.g. 我让我的朋友帮个忙. I ask my friend for help.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-04T01:03:50.957Z
@dan Sure. But would you 讓 your father or boss do something, e.g. 我讓我爹幫個忙 or 我讓我的老闆幫個忙？
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-04T01:24:42.377Z
@joehua OP said "they are at the same level of position (and are like lovers)". So, it's ok to say 让 in that case. E.g.她让男朋友给她讲水的故事
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-04T12:49:15.067Z
Since your answer is the most complete, I've added my finding onto your answer. Do you think that's acceptable? Thanks!
lulalala
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-04T19:45:24.000Z
@lulalala sure, feel free to do it.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-07T13:36:29.947Z
Hmm some how the edit is not getting through:
Study has also shown that in the Taiwanese Mandarin context, 讓's usage pattern can be quite different to Mainland Mandarin's. Southern Mandarin and Taiwanese Mandarin users may have difficulty understanding certain aspect of 讓 (p71), and this may be the reason why 讓 can be misinterpreted by them as having some "hierachy of authority". This means for Taiwanese Mandarin, it is advice to not translate "ask" as "讓".
http://rportal.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/bitstream/20.500.12235/86436/1/n069524011801.pdf
lulalala
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T07:17:52.990Z
2021-10-03T07:31:46.997Z
2021-10-03T07:31:46.997Z
dan
<p>That's an older usage. Taiwanese Chinese no longer uses it, but it is still in heavy use in Simplified Chinese.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T23:24:24.293Z
2021-10-03T23:24:24.293Z
Chiduru Okubo
<p>You are right. 讓 is let. When A 讓 B do something, it often implies that the position of A is above B. I'd never say 我讓老闆做..... In the case you cite above, I think 要 or 要求 is a better translation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T13:40:40.517Z
May I assume you are from Taiwan (I am)? I think our understanding of the word is different to those of Mainland China.

See the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fanyi/?multi_permalinks=4227975683966709&notif_id=1633252056259108&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
lulalala
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T14:19:07.820Z
@lulalala Yes. Your assumption is correct. Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, I have no access to facebook. It's been blocked.
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T07:46:50.833Z
2021-10-03T07:46:50.833Z
joehua
<p>让 means &quot;to have somebody [do something]&quot;
e.g. He had me wash his dog.</p>
<p>她让我给她讲水的故事 = &quot;She had me tell her about the waters.&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T07:56:23.773Z
2021-10-03T07:56:23.773Z
小奥利奥
<p>Quote:- &quot;I personally feel &quot;请&quot; is more accurate&quot;</p>
<p>Both 请 &amp; 让 in a certain context have the meaning of &quot;to invite&quot;</p>
<p>So, in the context of the sentence in question, it becomes &quot;She invites me to tell her about the waters&quot;</p>
<p>A bit stilted, but not inaccurate.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T07:44:26.353Z
2021-10-03T07:44:26.353Z
Wayne Cheah
<p>In Dune, the Simplified Chinese edition translates the following sentence from chapter 3:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>She asks me to tell her about the waters.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>as</p>
<blockquote>
<p>她让我给她讲水的故事</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here &quot;ask&quot; is translated as &quot;让&quot;, but I always thought &quot;让&quot; is &quot;let&quot; or &quot;allow&quot; or &quot;permit&quot;. In the context &quot;she&quot; is not at a superior position to &quot;me&quot;, but instead they are at the same level of position (and are like lovers).</p>
<p>Can &quot;让&quot; be translated as &quot;ask&quot;? I personally feel &quot;请&quot; is more accurate.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-03T15:56:11.173Z
The simple answer is "yes", and IMO, the translator's choice is better without knowing the full context. 请 is fine, but it implies there exists a distance between the two people in view of personal relationship (so must be treated gentle and polite), while 让 does not have such implication, you can 让 anybody to do something for you, it is neutral.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-04T03:26:59.917Z
A dictionary definition of 让 includes "to invite", besides the more common one of "to let / allow" It could therefore be an alternative to 请, 叫, etc. As to which is more appropriate, accurate, would depend on literary, contextual circumstances of the passage in question. In the present case, the translator chose 让, and that is his / her prerogative. As a translator surely he or she would be aware of other alternatives, unless it is a typo error, which in the present case, I submit, is not. Whether one agrees or not is a matter of personal preference, not semantic accuracy.
Wayne Cheah
<translation>
Can "ask" be translated as "让"?
# Can "ask" be translated as "让"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-10-03)

In Dune, the Simplified Chinese edition translates the following sentence from chapter 3:

> She asks me to tell her about the waters.

as

> 她让我给她讲水的故事

Here "ask" is translated as "让", but I always thought "让" is "let" or "allow" or "permit". In the context "she" is not at a superior position to "me", but instead they are at the same level of position (and are like lovers).

Can "让" be translated as "ask"? I personally feel "请" is more accurate.

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The simple answer is "yes", and IMO, the translator's choice is better without knowing the full context. 请 is fine, but it implies there exists a distance between the two people in view of personal relationship (so must be treated gentle and polite), while 让 does not have such implication, you can 让 anybody to do something for you, it is neutral.  
> **username_2**: A dictionary definition of 让 includes "to invite", besides the more common one of "to let / allow" It could therefore be an alternative to 请, 叫, etc. As to which is more appropriate, accurate, would depend on literary, contextual circumstances of the passage in question. In the present case, the translator chose 让, and that is his / her prerogative. As a translator surely he or she would be aware of other alternatives, unless it is a typo error, which in the present case, I submit, is not. Whether one agrees or not is a matter of personal preference, not semantic accuracy.  

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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-10-03. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

让 is accurate in this case. 请 sounds too polite for interpreting 'ask'. Colloquially, 叫 is also suitable. E.g. 她叫我给她讲水的故事.

So, in normal and casual speech, we can always say 我让某人做某事 to mean "I ask someone to do something" in English.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: To you, does 让 give a hierarchical implication? That A is the boss of B?  
> **username_3**: @username_0 Not really. A and B can be the same level(they may be friends). E.g. 我让我的朋友帮个忙. I ask my friend for help.  
> **username_4**: @username_3 Sure. But would you 讓 your father or boss do something, e.g. 我讓我爹幫個忙 or 我讓我的老闆幫個忙？  
> **username_3**: @username_4 OP said "they are at the same level of position (and are like lovers)". So, it's ok to say 让 in that case. E.g.她让男朋友给她讲水的故事  
> **username_0**: Since your answer is the most complete, I've added my finding onto your answer. Do you think that's acceptable? Thanks!  
> **username_3**: @username_0 sure, feel free to do it.  
> **username_0**: Hmm some how the edit is not getting through: Study has also shown that in the Taiwanese Mandarin context, 讓's usage pattern can be quite different to Mainland Mandarin's. Southern Mandarin and Taiwanese Mandarin users may have difficulty understanding certain aspect of 讓 (p71), and this may be the reason why 讓 can be misinterpreted by them as having some "hierachy of authority". This means for Taiwanese Mandarin, it is advice to not translate "ask" as "讓". http://rportal.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/bitstream/20.500.12235/86436/1/n069524011801.pdf  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2021-10-03. Score: 2

That's an older usage. Taiwanese Chinese no longer uses it, but it is still in heavy use in Simplified Chinese.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2021-10-03. Score: 2

You are right. 讓 is let. When A 讓 B do something, it often implies that the position of A is above B. I'd never say 我讓老闆做..... In the case you cite above, I think 要 or 要求 is a better translation.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: May I assume you are from Taiwan (I am)? I think our understanding of the word is different to those of Mainland China.  See the discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fanyi/?multi_permalinks=4227975683966709&notif_id=1633252056259108&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Yes. Your assumption is correct. Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, I have no access to facebook. It's been blocked.  

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### Answer by username_6 on 2021-10-03. Score: 0

让 means "to have somebody [do something]"
e.g. He had me wash his dog.

她让我给她讲水的故事 = "She had me tell her about the waters."


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### Answer by username_2 on 2021-10-03. Score: 0

Quote:- "I personally feel "请" is more accurate"

Both 请 & 让 in a certain context have the meaning of "to invite"

So, in the context of the sentence in question, it becomes "She invites me to tell her about the waters"

A bit stilted, but not inaccurate.


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