<p>"这些" (these) is the correct pronoun for objects in plural number including two</p>

<p>Droid is short for <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/android" rel="nofollow noreferrer">android</a> (a mobile robot usually with a human form) </p>

<p>"Robot" is translated as "机械人/机器人" in Chinese, despite the fact that not all robots look like human (a car assembling machine with only one arm attached to a box is also qualified as robot in English, but to Chinese, that is just a machine - 机械/机器) .  </p>

<p>Android is designed to look and act like human, it should be more specifically classified as "人型机械人"(humanoid robot). But to most Chinese, "人型机械人" and "机械人" belong to the same group (they are all machines) therefore translate both "droid" and "robot" as  "机械人/机器人" is acceptable in Chinese</p>

<p>You are right, by its look, R2-D2 should not be classified as an android. Using 'droid' in the English subtitles is technically wrong. But it is a fictional story in a fictional world. It is possible for characters in this world treat robot and droid as the same thing (Storm troopers might not be all well trained in linguistics). Or the term "droid" to them generally means "a machine capable of human like behavior" -- in human form or not</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-18T10:38:33.917Z
2019-12-18T10:47:44.077Z
2019-12-18T10:47:44.077Z
Tang Ho
<p><img src="https://i.postimg.cc/wTJwz9wd/th-id-OIP.jpg"></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>这些不是你要找的机器人<br>
  These aren't the droids you're looking for.<br>
  <sub><a href="https://www.chineseclass101.com/chinese-vocabulary-lists/star-wars-day" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Class 101</a></sub></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: Why does "these aren't the droids you're looking for" translate to 这些不是你要找的机器人?</p>

<p>I have two particular points of confusion here:</p>

<ol>
<li><p><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E8%BF%99%E4%BA%9B" rel="nofollow noreferrer">这些</a> = "these" refers to 2 droids (R2-D2 and C3PO).  Is it okay for 这些 to refer to only 2 things?</p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8%E4%BA%BA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">机器人</a> = "robot" combines <a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">机器</a> = "machine" and <a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E4%BA%BA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">人</a> = "person", yet R2-D2 is not at all humanoid in shape.  Is this okay too?</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-18T09:54:46.567Z
Honestly, this sounds more like a literal translation from English to demonstrate basic Chinese sentence structure, rather than something a professional translator would write. At the very basic level I would use 他們 and not 這些, or more politely 這兩位.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-19T14:34:18.247Z
1. It's true even in English!

2. 機器人 the whole thing is "literally" robot! Regardless of its shapes!
PiggyChu001
<translation><meaning-in-context>
Why does "these aren't the droids you're looking for" translate to 这些不是你要找的机器人?
# Why does "these aren't the droids you're looking for" translate to 这些不是你要找的机器人?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-18)

![](https://i.postimg.cc/wTJwz9wd/th-id-OIP.jpg)

> 这些不是你要找的机器人  
> These aren't the droids you're looking for.  
> [Chinese Class 101](https://www.chineseclass101.com/chinese-vocabulary-lists/star-wars-day)

**Question**: Why does "these aren't the droids you're looking for" translate to 这些不是你要找的机器人?

I have two particular points of confusion here:

1. [这些](http://youdao.com/w/%E8%BF%99%E4%BA%9B) = "these" refers to 2 droids (R2-D2 and C3PO). Is it okay for 这些 to refer to only 2 things?
2. [机器人](http://youdao.com/w/%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8%E4%BA%BA) = "robot" combines [机器](http://youdao.com/w/%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8) = "machine" and [人](http://youdao.com/w/%E4%BA%BA) = "person", yet R2-D2 is not at all humanoid in shape. Is this okay too?

**Tags:** translation, meaning-in-context
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Honestly, this sounds more like a literal translation from English to demonstrate basic Chinese sentence structure, rather than something a professional translator would write. At the very basic level I would use 他們 and not 這些, or more politely 這兩位.  
> **username_2**: 1. It's true even in English!  2. 機器人 the whole thing is "literally" robot! Regardless of its shapes!  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-12-18. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

"这些" (these) is the correct pronoun for objects in plural number including two

Droid is short for [android](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/android) (a mobile robot usually with a human form)

"Robot" is translated as "机械人/机器人" in Chinese, despite the fact that not all robots look like human (a car assembling machine with only one arm attached to a box is also qualified as robot in English, but to Chinese, that is just a machine - 机械/机器) .

Android is designed to look and act like human, it should be more specifically classified as "人型机械人"(humanoid robot). But to most Chinese, "人型机械人" and "机械人" belong to the same group (they are all machines) therefore translate both "droid" and "robot" as "机械人/机器人" is acceptable in Chinese

You are right, by its look, R2-D2 should not be classified as an android. Using 'droid' in the English subtitles is technically wrong. But it is a fictional story in a fictional world. It is possible for characters in this world treat robot and droid as the same thing (Storm troopers might not be all well trained in linguistics). Or the term "droid" to them generally means "a machine capable of human like behavior" -- in human form or not


---

