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I've always had some difficulty trying to translate the english "being" as in "being Christian" or "being American". I'd like to say "in the U.S. being Jewish isn't difficult."

Should I say 我在美国成为犹太人并不难 ?

I feel like 成为 in this instance implies becoming - which is not quite what I am trying to imply.

Unsigned
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Stephen
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3 Answers3

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I think the word you're looking for is 作为

in the capacity, character, or role of; as

作为你的朋友，我得劝劝你

As your friend, I have to give you some advice

你作为领导，就要以身作则

As a leader, you should set a good example for others -A Chinese English Dictionary

This is basically the equivalent of as in English - which I think is what you're looking for with 'being'.

being Jewish 作为一个犹太人

being American 作为一个老美

being Christian 作为一个基督徒

Community
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Mou某
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Another option for you is 当.

我在美国当犹太人并不难。

我在美国当作犹太人并不难。

我在美国作为犹太人并不难。

These all are quite equivalent in saying "Being Jewish in the USA is not hard."

当 implies a sense of being, filling a role, or acting as something. I do like the aforementioned 作为 as well, and it can be used in just about the same way. Personally, I prefer 当 because it sounds more active, and 作为 feels passive. It's really up to you however.

JDong
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    当 makes it sound like being Jewish is a temporary condition. – 200_success Jul 25 '14 at 16:33
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    @200_success I suppose it depends what you are trying to convey. 当 can denote a hypothetical condition, so it could be used if you weren't Jewish but were talking about what it would be like being Jewish. – Claw Jul 25 '14 at 23:02
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"being Jewish" can be translated as "身為一個猶太人"

But for "In the U.S., being Jewish isn't difficult.", I would say "猶太人在美國生活大都不錯".

Henry HO
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