My friend asked me to translate this phrase into English:
成就自己，成就別人
Since I couldn’t think of a direct translation for the verb “成就,” I suggested:
“Helping myself and others realize their full potential”
Does that sound right to you all?
-Thx-
Do you know the context it’s used in?
It looks like a slogan.
Is it a standalone phrase, or part of a larger sentence or paragraph? Is it for a personal essay with limited readership, or will it be plastered on billboards for everyone to see?
To give a good translation, we’d need to know how it’s going to be used and who the intended readership/audience is. Context is king.
成就自己，成就別人
At absolute face value, with no context, it could mean “Realize your potential and that of others”, but it could also mean “If you realize your potential, then others’ potential can be realized”. It could mean other things, too, which is why we need context. As to who “自己” refers to (“you” or “me” or “one”), that is also something provided by context.
Hmmm, yeah you’re right. There wasn’t really any context, since my friend just wanted this translated because he thought it was a cool-sounding slogan, so probably what I gave him is good enough; referring to 成就 as “realizing potential” I guess should be fairly accurate.
Somebody tweeted it:
[quote]成就自己 成就別人 Help myself and help others realize their full potential.
7:54 PM Nov 21st, 2010 via web
yungchunglin[/quote]
And some Hong Kong politician, Tanya Chan, likes to say it.
I’ve been on the Google.