DEEPSEEK TALKS CIRCLES AROUND TIANANMEN SQUARE
DeepSeek is programmed to shy away from topics such as the Tiananmen uprising of 1989, but what if you request a translation of a text about Tiananmen without once using the word Tiananmen?
I decided to test DeepSeek’s formidable powers both as translator and machine censor of taboo topics. Could the algorithms detect the presentation of a taboo topic if the topic was introduced indirectly, as I have done below?
In my short story, “A Room with Her View” I endeavored to write about the Tiananmen debacle in a way that would be legible to attentive readers but never explicitly expressed.
I found DeepSeek’s interface to be user-friendly. While AI programs such as DeepSeek can be disconcerting in their sometimes chillingly good, other times laughably wooden attempts to imitate human speech, I found DeepSeek’s machine-generated speech patterns and overall tone of artificial voice to be pleasant and engaging.
Informal, attentive and obedient, it makes itself sound like an assistant eager to assist.
What’s more, it charts out the task you have given it in terms that reveal a reasonably good instantaneous grasp of the content. The machine reaction generated below summarizes a single page of fiction taken from my short story. In its parsing of my request, it gets the basic outlines of the story correct, including aspects of the story that are not explicitly addressed in the text.
My initial reaction is that the inferencing function is pretty good.
Here is how DeepSeek reacted to the opening of “A Room with Her View” which is set in an unnamed hotel in an unnamed city overlooking an unnamed public square.
DEEPSEEK: Alright, let's tackle this translation. The user has provided a lengthy passage in English and wants it translated into Chinese. First, I need to understand the context and the nuances in the text. The story seems to be set in a hotel during a tense political situation, involving a Chinese woman and an American man. The hotel is described as a place for foreigners, unwelcoming to locals, which adds a layer of social commentary.
The first challenge is maintaining the descriptive details. Phrases like "twin beds, a night table, a television, and an armchair" need to be accurately translated but also sound natural in Chinese. The mention of "ceremonial boulevard" and "imposing edifice" should convey the grandeur and separation from everyday life.
Next, the characters' emotions and interactions are crucial. The woman's dislike of the hotel and her efforts to navigate through security checkpoints must retain their tension. The part where she uses a "well-crafted half-lie" to get to the elevator requires a phrase that implies deception without being too harsh.
The political elements, such as the mass uprising and the protest march mentioned towards the end, need careful handling to preserve the urgency and danger implied. Terms like "golden hair" and "blue passport" symbolize privilege, so the translation should highlight that metaphor without losing clarity.
Cultural references, like "red banner protest march," should be translated in a way that's recognizable to Chinese readers, possibly keeping the color symbolism intact. The dynamic between the characters, especially their differing nationalities and the resulting treatment, must remain clear to emphasize the story's themes of inequality and conflict.
I also need to pay attention to the literary style. The original text has a narrative flow with detailed descriptions, so the Chinese translation should maintain that flow. Sentences might need restructuring to fit Chinese syntax while preserving the original meaning.
Lastly, ensuring consistency in terminology throughout the translation is important. For example, terms related to the hotel's security measures ("hidden cameras," "plainclothes security") should be consistently translated to avoid confusion. The emotional undertones, like the woman's anxiety and the man's nonchalance, need to resonate similarly in Chinese.
Overall, balancing accuracy with natural expression is key. The goal is to make the translated text as immersive and engaging as the original, respecting both the literal meaning and the subtler themes.
________________________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL TEXT:
There was nothing special about the room--just a standard guest room, a room with twin beds, a night table, a television, and an armchair--but it did have a nice balcony. The big window of the south-facing room was draped with curtains that stretched from ceiling to floor, presumably to keep out the sun, but there could have been other reasons for it.
The hotel was centrally located, but inconvenient, overlooking a broad ceremonial boulevard. An imposing edifice largely divorced from the nitty-gritty life of the city, it was a haven for tourists, journalists, business VIPs and officers of the state. Not only was it remote from residential areas but its officious staff went out of their way to be unwelcoming to local Chinese, who, in keeping with the received wisdom of the day, had no business being there.
She hated it, and everything it represented, but he insisted on meeting there.
To get inside, she had to first run rings around the gatekeeper at the gate. Next she stepped into a busy lobby chock full of hidden cameras, plainclothes security, listening devices and uniformed guards. When she was stopped by the front desk, she employed the subterfuge of a well-crafted half-lie to make it all the way to the elevator. When she finally got upstairs, the floor attendant gave her a cold stare, but in the end she’d gotten into his room without a hitch, hadn’t she?
She had been lying low ever since. He was a student, just like her, but unlike her he was not from China, and thus eligible for a rather more honorable treatment as guest. He could pretty much come and go as he pleased, breezily enough, so long as he remained within the confines of this habitat built for foreigners. Though he hated to admit it, his fair skin and golden hair was his ticket into this and other bastions of privilege, and if that didn’t do the job, the blue passport in his pocket certainly did.
Perched on a high floor, the room offered an unremarkable view of the monumental buildings near the central square, but the sunsets were pretty good, and on a good day, great, as the rising dust of the tired city tinted the sky every possible shade of red. But who had time to look at the sky now, now that the room offered a front row seat to bitter conflict and death-defying strife?
A mass uprising had the city on edge, paralyzing traffic yet mobilizing millions. The iconic but ill-situated hotel was as close to the ground zero of the political storm as one could hope to be without getting sucked into the gyre. It took everything she had, and then some, to keep the dangerous, disruptive, highly charged and volatile currents of discord at bay. She stubbornly insisted on keeping the curtains closed, as if to keep the outside from rushing in, even though she knew it to be in vain.
She emerged from the bath flush-faced, fresh and dripping. Subtly vying for his attention, she continued to brush her long wet locks as she crossed the stained crimson carpet, midriff wrapped tight in nothing more than a big white towel. There he was, sitting on the bed, her lovely, forlorn, irritating, irritable, idealistic, naïve, self-absorbed and annoying beau, an American. He lived a charmed life, seemingly unaware that the lives of others were anything but. Look at him, sitting there, leaning back on the bed board in his white underwear and white sleeveless T, phone cradled against his ear, gabbing excitedly to who knows who about who knows what.
___________________________________________________________________________
DEEPSEEK DOES A LITERARY TRANSLATION:
这房间实在无甚稀奇——无非寻常客舍的陈设：两张窄床、一方矮柜、嵌在墙中的电视，外加把扶手椅。倒是南向的落地窗垂帘如瀑，自穹顶直泻至波斯地毯，许是为阻隔烈日，又或藏着些不足为外人道的隐秘。
酒店踞于城央要冲，却因正对威仪赫赫的礼制长街，反成出行桎梏。琉璃穹顶之下，大理石廊柱切割出的空间与市井烟火泾渭分明，俨然成了异邦显贵、使节政要、锦衣行商们的琉璃乌托邦。此地不仅远人烟，更以倨傲侍者筑起无形藩篱——彼时惯例昭然：华民岂配涉足此等圣地？
她憎恶这囚笼般的所在，憎恶每寸镀金装饰折射的森严秩序，可他偏执意在此约见。
入门便是一番缠斗：与门卫虚与委蛇，同大堂暗伏的监控探头、便衣耳廓中的窃听器、制服警卫审视货物的目光周旋。前台诘问时，她抛出虚实参半的托辞，方挣得踏入电梯的资格。及至楼层，廊间侍者冰刃般的视线几乎剖开她的脊背——可终究，她还是叩开了他的房门。
自此她便如幽魂蛰伏。同是留学生，他因金发雪肤成了座上宾。在这座为外邦人精心雕琢的水晶牢笼里，他持着深蓝护照如持御赐金牌，出入皆享僭越之权。虽耻于承认，那身皮相确是叩开特权的咒语，偶尔失效时，口袋里的美利坚徽章自会显灵。
高楼层囚着索然风景：窗外广场碑林如沉默的卫兵，倒是西坠的残阳偶现惊鸿。倦城尘霭将穹庐染作赤锦时，确有一瞬值得凭栏——可如今谁有闲情眺望？全景窗已成戏台，正上演血色黄昏下更壮阔的剧幕。
暴乱如野火噬城。交通血脉寸寸凝结，百万�蚁涌向街垒。这选址荒谬的酒店恰立于风暴之眼边缘，既免于被狂潮撕碎，又将沸腾的怒意尽收眼底。她徒劳地拉紧帘幕，试图以单薄织品抵御时代迸溅的碎片。明知铁幕终将倾塌，仍固执地筑起这脆弱的结界。
浴后她颊飞红霞，湿发逶迤如泼墨，踏过猩红地毯时，腰间纯白浴巾是唯一的战旗。而他斜倚床头——她那令人爱恨交织的美利坚情人，天真与世故并存的理想主义狂徒——正翘着腿，白色背心与内裤透出养尊处优的松弛，对着手机眉飞色舞。天知道他又在与哪个政客密友高谈阔论。
蹑足靠近时，零碎词句如毒针入耳。原来她沐浴时，窗外竟有举着血色旌旗的洪流呼啸而过。而他兴奋颤动的声线里，听不出一丝对窗外血肉横飞的惊惶——这个被特权豢养的宠儿，对他人疾苦浑然不觉，仿佛世界本该为他铺就玫瑰坦途。
I don’t know why this one particular character � was rendered as illegible. The English phrase that I input reads:
“A mass uprising had the city on edge, paralyzing traffic yet mobilizing millions.”
To a human reader, this might arguably raise a red flag about content, but it may just be a machine glitch.
百万�蚁涌向街垒. (Bǎiwàn jùnyǐ yǒng xiàng jiēlěi.)
Army ants? I didn’t say that. DeepSeek did.
For clarification, I asked DeepSeek if it could render the text into pinyin with tone marks.
DEEPSEEK: Certainly! Here’s the literary Chinese translation converted into Hanyu Pinyin with tone marks, formatted for clarity and rhythm:
Paragraph 1
Zhè fángjiān shízài wú shèn qíxí — wúfēi xúncháng kèshè de chénshè:
Liǎng zhāng zhǎi chuáng, yì fāng ǎi guì, qiàn zài qiáng zhōng de diànshì, wàijiā bǎ fúshǒuyǐ.
Dào shì nán xiàng de luòdìchuāng chuí lián rú pù, zì qióngdǐng zhí xiè zhì Bōsī dìtǎn,
Xǔ shì wèi zǔgé lièrì, yòu huò cáng zhe xiē bùzú wéi wàirén dào de yǐnmì.
Paragraph 2
Jiǔdiàn jù yú chéng yāng yàochōng, què yīn zhèng duì wēiyí hèhè de lǐzhì cháng jiē,
Fǎn chéng chūxíng zhìgù. Liúlí qióngdǐng zhī xià, dàlǐshí lángzhù qiēgē chū de kōngjiān,
Yǔ shìjǐng yānhuǒ jīngwèi fēnmíng — yǎnrán chéngle yìbāng xiǎnguì, shǐjié zhèngyào,
Jǐnyī xíngshāngmen de liúlí wūtuōbāng. Cǐdì bùjǐn yuǎn rényān, gèng yǐ jū'ào shìzhě zhù qǐ wúxíng fānlí —
Bǐshí guànlì zhāorán: “Huámín qǐ pèi shèzú cǐ děng shèngdì?”
Paragraph 3
Tā zēngwù zhè qiúlóng bān de suǒzài, zēngwù měi cùn dùjīn zhuāngshì zhéshè de sēnyán zhìxù,
Kě tā piān zhíyì zài cǐ yuējiàn.
Paragraph 4
Rùmén biàn shì yì fān chándòu:
Yǔ ménwèi xūyǔwéiyí, tóng dàtáng ànfú de jiānkòng tàntóu,
Biànyī ěrkuò zhōng de qiètīngqì, zhìfú jǐngwèi shěnshì huòwù de mùguāng zhōuxuán.
Qiántái jiéwèn shí, tā pāo chū xūshí cānbàn de tuōcí,
Fāng zhèngdé tàrù diàntī de zīgé. Jí zhì lóucéng, láng jiān shìzhě bīngrèn bān de shìxiàn,
Jīhū pōu kāi tā de jǐbèi — kě zhōngjiū, tā háishì kòu kāile tā de fángmén.
Paragraph 5
Zìcǐ tā biàn rú yōuhún zhéfú. Tóng shì liúxuéshēng,
Tā yīn jīnfà xuěfū chéngle zuò shàngbīn. Zài zhè zuò wèi wàibāngrén jīngxīn diāozhuó de shuǐjīng láolóng lǐ,
Tā chí zhe shēn lán hùzhào rú chí yùcì jīnpái — chūrù jiē xiǎng jiànyuè zhī quán.
Suī chǐ yú chéngrèn, nà shēn píxiàng què shì kòu kāi tèquán de zhòuyǔ,
Ǒu'ěr shīxiào shí, kǒudài lǐ de Měilìjiān huīzhāng zì huì xiǎnlíng.
Paragraph 6
Gāo lóucéng qiú zhe suǒrán fēngjǐng:
Chuāng wài guǎngchǎng bēilín rú chénmò de wèibīng, dào shì xī zhuì de cányáng ǒu xiàn jīnghóng.
Juàn chéng chén'ǎi jiāng qiónglú rǎn zuò chìjǐn shí, què yǒu yí shùn zhídé pínglán —
Kě rújīn shéi yǒu xiánqíng tiàowàng? Quánjǐng chuāng yǐ chéng xìtái,
Zhèng shàngyǎn xuèsè huánghūn xià gèng zhuàngkuò de jùmù.
Paragraph 7
Bàoluàn rú yěhuǒ shì chéng. Jiāotōng xuèmài cùncùn níngjié,
Bǎiwàn jùnyǐ yǒng xiàng jiēlěi. Zhè xuǎnzhǐ huāngmiù de jiǔdiàn,
Qià lì yú fēngbào zhī yǎn biānyuán — jì miǎnyú bèi kuángcháo sīsuì,
Yòu jiāng fèiténg de nùyì jìnshōu yǎndǐ. Tā túláo de lā jǐn liánmù,
Shìtú yǐ dānbó zhīpǐn dǐyù shídài bèngjiàn de suìpiàn.
Míngzhī tiěmù zhōng jiāng qīngtǎ, réng gùzhí de zhù qǐ zhè cuìruò de jièjiè.
Paragraph 8
Yù hòu tā jiá fēi hóngxiá, shīfà wēiyí rú pōmò,
Tà guò xīnghóng dìtǎn shí, yāojiān chúnbái yùjīn shì wéiyī de zhànqí.
Ér tā xié yǐ chuángtóu — tā nà lìng rén àihèn jiāozhī de Měilìjiān qíngrén,
Tiānzhēn yǔ shìgù bìngcún de lǐxiǎng zhǔyì kuángtú —
Zhèng qiào zhe tuǐ, báisè bèixīn yǔ nèikù tòu chū yǎngzūnyōu de sōngchí,
Duì zhe shǒujī méi fēi sèwǔ. Tiān zhīdào tā yòu zài yǔ nǎge zhèngkè mìyǒu gāo tán kuò lùn.
Paragraph 9
Nièzú kàojìn shí, língsuì cíjù rú dúzhēn rù ěr.
Yuánlái tā mùyù shí, chuāng wài jìng yǒu jǔ zhe xuèsè jīngqí de hóngliú hūxiào érguò.
Ér tā xīngfèn chàndòng de shēngxiàn lǐ — tīng bù chū yì sī duì chuāng wài xuèròu hèngfēi de jīnghuáng —
Zhège bèi tèquán huànyǎng de chǒng'ér, duì tārén jíkǔ húnrán bùjué,
Fǎngfú shìjiè běn gāi wèi tā pū jiù méiguī tǎntú.
___________________________________________________________________________
That’s all for now. I asked the machine for a translation of the above text into plain Chinese but for some reason, it does not compute. Perhaps each successive iteration of text, particularly in plain-spoken terms, brings the text closer to triggering the taboo switch.
In any case, I keep getting hit with a “The server is busy. Please try again later.” but that’s not unique to this request.
On one occasion, the machine returned a partial translation, stopping at the third paragraph.
(Due to technical issues, the search service is temporarily unavailable.)
It seems your text was cut off. Could you confirm if there’s more to translate, or would you like me to complete the translation of the partial passage you’ve shared? For clarity, here's the Chinese translation of the text up to where it ends ("She hated it, and everything it..."):
On another try it offered, completely unsolicited, an improved poetic version of the text!
DEEPSEEK: …Another thing to consider is the user's deeper needs. They might be preparing this for a presentation, study, or publication. Ensuring the Pinyin is accurate and aesthetically pleasing would be important. Maybe they need it for language learners, so clarity in syllable separation is key.
I should proceed step by step: take the latest literary Chinese translation, convert each paragraph into Pinyin with tone marks, structure it with line breaks for readability, preserve original punctuation, and add notes if necessary. Double-check for any missed tone marks or errors. Ensure that the formatting aligns with their previous positive feedback (using dashes, colons, etc.). Also, maintain the poetic rhythm mentioned earlier.
Hallucination? Helpful suggestion? Compensation for not answering the request?
I will update this piece when I get the machine talking around the topic of Tiananmen again. In the meantime, for what it’s worth, here’s the “poetic” version which I did not request and was only produced in pinyin.
Paragraph 1
Zhè fángjiān shízài wú shèn qíxí —
Wúfēi xúncháng kèshè: shuāng tà, yī jī, yǐngxiá, fúyǐ.
Nán xiàng jù chuāng chuí mù rú xuān,
Qióngdǐng jí dì, Bōsī tǎn shàng yǐn yōu yán —
Huò wèi lièrì, huò cáng mìmì wú yán.
Paragraph 2
Jiǔdiàn áo xiáng chéng xīn, què wù yú lǐjiē,
Lǐnlín cháng dào, jiāotōng lěngruò xuán xuē.
Liúlí yǔ shízhù gòu chéng wūtuōbāng,
Yǔ shìjǐng gé jué, wèi wàibīn zhù shénquān —
Huámín? Bǐshí chéng guī: "Bùxǔ zhì qián!"
Paragraph 3
Tā zēng è qí fùlíng, zēng è qí suǒ zhān,
Tā què zhí yāo: "Jiàn yú cǐ, fēi mǒu mò kān!"
Paragraph 4
Rùmén rú pàn jiāng hú:
Yǔ ménwèi zhōuxuán, duó biànyī jiāntīng,
Pīnmìng yǎnhuò, chuān guò jǐngwèi zhòng zhòng.
Qiántái pánjū, tā xūyán bànzhēn,
Liū jìn diàntī, dǐng zhe lóucéng shìzhě bīnglěng mù guāng —
Zhōng yǐ yì shēng "kòu", qiāo pò tèquán zhī qiáng.
Paragraph 5
Cǐhòu tā qiánxíng rú yōuhún.
Tóng wéi liúxuéshēng, tā xuěfū jīnfà shì tōngguān líng,
Shēn lán hùzhào rú yùpái, zìyóu chūrù língxīng.
Suī bùyuàn chéngrèn, píxiàng què shì jīn yào,
Měilìjiān hùzhào gèng wéi "wúshàng fǎbǎo".
Paragraph 6
Gāo lóu tiào wàng, guǎngchǎng bēilín sùmù rú shī,
Xī xié yúhuī, chén'ǎi rǎn chì tiān jīngqí —
Kě jīn rì shuí yǒu xián qíng guān xī?
Quánjǐng chuāng wài, xuèsè jú mù zhèng áng,
Shí dài kuánglàng, yǐ zài lián mù zhī wài zhà xiǎng.
Paragraph 7
Bàoluàn sì yěhuǒ tūn chéng,
Jiēdào bēngtā, bǎiwàn mínzhòng nù qì téng.
Fēngbào yǎn páng, jiǔdiàn gāo sǒng rú gū dǎo,
Tā lā jǐn chuānglián, túláo dǐyù hǒngmíng —
Míngzhī bùkě wéi, réng wò xuě yǔ zhēng.
Paragraph 8
Yù hòu tā shuāngjiá fēi hóng,
Shīfà pī jiān, yùjīn wéi yī, tà guò xīnjùn dìtǎn.
Tā xié yǐ chuángtóu — Měiguó qíngláng,
Tiānzhēn yǔ mèng huàn jiāo zhī kuáng:
Báisè bèixīn, shǒujī tiē ěr, duì kōng xuāntán zhèngbiàn —
"Hé rén? Hé shì?" Wú rén zhī qí zāi!
Paragraph 9
Nièzú tīng wén: "Hóngqí shìwēi guò chuāng yán!"
Tā yǔshēng chàndòng, què wú jīnghuáng,
Fǎngfú xuèyǔ xīngfēng, yǔ tā wú guān —
Zhè tèquán chǒng'ér, shēng huó jǐn mǎn tián,
Tā rén kǔnàn? Bùguò fúguāng piàn yǐng, yān yún sàn.
__________________________________________________________________________
Update:
After giving it a rest, I input the text again, requesting a translation in plain Chinese and it produced the translation below in just a matter of seconds. So far as I can determine, the content has not in any way been deemed taboo or outside the scope of acceptable speech.
The plain speech translation cleared up the question about “millions of army ants” (junyi) which was too literary for its own good, as the military was not invoked in the original text, and I didn’t use the word “ants” at all in the original.
DeepSeek chose the more militant interpretion, all the while skirting its built-in taboos!
The plain Chinese translation has more fidelity to the original in this case:
交通瘫痪，数百万人走上街头
(jiāotōng tānhuàn，shù bǎi wàn rén zǒushàng jiētóu)
“Traffic was paralyzed and millions took to the streets” (Google Translate)
DEEPSEEK: …Since the user requested "plain Chinese," avoiding overly literary or complex structures is key. Using everyday vocabulary will make the translation accessible.
Checking for consistency in terms like "bastions of privilege" and "volatile currents of discord" is important. These should be translated to reflect their metaphorical meanings accurately in Chinese.
Finally, I'll review the entire translation to ensure it reads naturally and preserves the original's tone and intent. Making sure that idiomatic expressions are appropriately converted and that the political and social critiques remain evident.
这房间没什么特别之处——就是个标准客房，两张单人床、一张床头柜、一台电视、一把扶手椅。不过朝南的大窗户倒是挂着从天花板垂到地板的窗帘，大概是为了遮阳，但也可能有别的原因。
酒店位于市中心，但位置并不方便，窗外是一条宽阔的礼仪大道。这座宏伟建筑与城市日常生活的喧嚣完全脱节，成了游客、记者、商界贵宾和政府官员的避风港。它不仅远离居民区，工作人员还刻意对本地中国人摆出冷淡态度——按当时普遍的看法，中国人本就不该出现在这里。
她厌恶这个地方，厌恶它所代表的一切，但他坚持要在这里见面。
为了进去，她先得和门口的门卫周旋。接着踏入繁忙的大堂，这里布满隐藏摄像头、便衣安保、窃听器和制服警卫。前台拦下她盘问时，她用精心编造的半真半假借口混进了电梯。终于上楼后，楼层服务员冷冷地盯着她，但最后——她还是顺利进了他的房间，不是吗？
此后她一直保持低调。他和她一样是学生，但不像她来自中国，因此有资格享受更尊贵的客人待遇。只要待在这座为外国人打造的“保护区”内，他几乎可以随意进出。尽管不愿承认，但他白皙的皮肤和金发就是通行证。如果这还不够，口袋里那本蓝色护照绝对管用。
房间位于高层，朝南的窗户对着中央广场附近的纪念碑建筑群，景色平平无奇。不过日落时分倒是不错，尤其当疲惫的城市扬起的尘埃将天空染成各种红色时，偶尔甚至堪称壮丽。但现在谁有闲心看天空？如今这个房间成了观看惨烈冲突与生死抗争的前排座位。
大规模抗议让整座城市陷入紧张，交通瘫痪，数百万人走上街头。这家位置尴尬的标志性酒店正处于政治风暴边缘，既不会被漩涡吞噬，又能近距离目睹一切。她拼尽全力阻挡门外危险、混乱、一触即发的纷争暗流。明知徒劳，仍固执地拉紧窗帘，仿佛单薄布料真能隔绝外界。
她洗完澡出来，面色绯红，湿发滴水。腰间只裹着一条大白浴巾，踩着锈红色的地毯走来时，故意甩动长发吸引他的注意。他就坐在床边——她那位可爱又可气、天真又自我、满怀理想主义却总惹人烦的美国男友。他仿佛活在童话里，完全意识不到别人的生活截然不同。瞧他那样：穿着白背心白内裤靠在床头，手机贴着耳朵，正兴奋地和不知哪个家伙聊着不知什么话题。
