Hyacine🦄

This topic has actually been around for several years; back then, I hadn't even studied computer architecture yet.
A regular in the water cooler discussions

Most of the following content is generated by AI, supplemented with manual verification and annotations. Some viewpoints are scattered across Twitter, Zhihu, and comment sections, making it difficult to retrieve, so I won't specify more detailed sources.

Easily retrievable links:
https://www.zhihu.com/question/40529812/answer/105497209
https://v2ex.com/t/740142
https://x.com/txyyss/status/1625151559750283266
https://www.zhihu.com/question/46693101/answer/332993099
https://www.zhihu.com/question/541462082/answer/3501593465

These two terms both originate from the English "cache," but they indeed reflect different linguistic habits and cultural backgrounds in terms of translation strategy and emphasis.

There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things.
In computer science, there are only two hard problems: cache invalidation and naming.
── Phil Karlton, Netscape 1990s

Coincidentally, today we talk about caching and naming again (x Who says translation isn't naming)

Core Concept Review: Cache#

In computer science, "cache" refers to a special high-speed storage component or technology used to store temporary copies of data. Its core purposes are:

1. Speeding up access: Providing faster access than accessing the original data source (such as main memory, hard disk, network).
2. Reducing overhead: Lowering system load and latency by avoiding repeated access to slow sources or redundant calculations.
3. Temporality: Cached data is usually a copy of the original data and may not be up-to-date, requiring updates or invalidation based on policies.

From the perspective of computer architecture, the storage system is typically pyramid-shaped. Understanding the approximate latency and bandwidth of storage structures and developing intuition about them is crucial for architectural design and writing efficient code.

Further reading:

System Latency Every Programmer Must Understand - bilibili Youtube (EN)

CSAPP 6-4. Memory Hierarchy - bilibili

This is essential knowledge for excellent programmers. You need to know all this to continue; otherwise, you can only enjoy it~

First Comparison#

Translation Analysis: Cache vs. 快取#

1. Mainland China: 缓存

   • Literal Analysis:
     • 缓: Means "slow," "delay," "buffer." Here it takes on the meaning of "buffer" or "temporary storage."
     • 存: Means "store," "save."
   • Combined Meaning: "Storage used for buffering (slow access)." It clearly emphasizes one of the core functions of Cache—serving as a buffer layer between speed differences. It is like a reservoir that temporarily stores water (from slow sources) and can provide it quickly when needed.
   • Focus:
     • Functionality (buffering role): Highlights its role as a bridge between slow sources and high-speed demands.
     • Storage essence: Clearly identifies it as a storage mechanism.
     • Passivity (relative): The term "缓存" itself focuses more on the state and function of "存，" although the goal is to speed up, it does not directly reflect "fast" in its literal meaning.
   • Cultural/Language Background:
     • "Faithful, Expressive, Elegant" tendency in technical term translation: Mainland China tends to seek Chinese vocabulary that accurately describes the function or principle when translating technical terms, sometimes sacrificing brevity for accurate concept transmission. "缓存" fits the requirements of "faithful" (accurate) and "expressive" (smooth) very well.
     • Word formation habits: Prefers using verbs (缓) + nouns (存) to form compound nouns, clearly expressing actions and objects.
     • Pragmatic tendency: Naming more directly points to the core problem it solves (speed mismatch).

2. Taiwan: 快取

   • Literal Analysis:
     • 快: Means "fast," "quick."
     • 取: Means "obtain," "take."
   • Combined Meaning: "Quickly obtain." It directly points out the most immediate and user-perceptible benefit brought by Cache—access speed has increased. It focuses more on the result (getting things quickly) rather than the internal mechanism (how buffering storage works).
   • Focus:
     • User experience/effect (speed): Strongly emphasizes the ultimate purpose and effect of using Cache—speed!
     • Action (obtain): Highlights the operation of "取，" which is closer to the user's (or CPU's) perspective.
     • Proactivity (relative): The term "快取" gives a sense of actively and quickly obtaining.
   • Cultural/Language Background:
     • Tendency for "conciseness" and "free translation" in technical term translation: Taiwan sometimes prefers concise and direct translations, even adopting transliterations (like "雷射" for Laser) or focusing more on conveying core values rather than technical details. "快取" is very concise and powerful.
     • Influence from Japanese: In Japanese, Cache is often translated as "キャッシュ" (transliteration) or "高速バッファメモリ" (high-speed buffer memory), but there is also the usage of "キャッシュメモリ" (Cache memory). Taiwan's "快取" leans more towards free translation of core value (fast), which aligns with the Japanese focus on "high-speed," but is expressed more succinctly.
     • Commercialization and user orientation: Naming focuses more on the direct benefits (speed improvement) that users (including developers as users of technology) can perceive, making it more marketing-oriented and results-driven.

Reflection of Cultural Differences#

1. Understanding and acceptance of technical terms:
   • Mainland China's "缓存" reflects an emphasis on the internal working mechanisms of technology, where users (especially technical personnel) need to understand the principles through the name.
   • Taiwan's "快取" reflects an emphasis on the direct benefits brought by technology, with the name more intuitively telling users "what benefits it brings."
2. Language aesthetics and efficiency:
   • "缓存" aligns more with Mainland China's preference for a complete conceptual expression of technical vocabulary.
   • "快取" aligns more with Taiwan's preference for concise and efficient expression, possibly influenced by the Japanese style of succinct expression.
3. Commercialization and user orientation in technical dissemination:
   • The name "快取" itself has more "selling points," directly highlighting advantages (speed), reflecting a tendency to emphasize user value and market acceptance of technical products (even though this term is a technical term).
   • "缓存" appears more neutral and technical.

Is it over?#

Yes, that's right, the above part is a summary from Deepseek. (Really too much fluff)

I wonder if readers have the habit of clicking on reference links when they see them. If a little curious cat happens to click in or reads it a few times, they may easily find that the above viewpoints do not hit the most clever differences directly; although some have been mentioned, it's just a little short.

Let's directly TL;DR to inspire Deepseek:

• 缓存 and 快取 are precisely two sides of cache, one refers to the first half (the storage part), and the other refers to the latter half (when accessing and reading).
• cache and 快取，combined with Japanese and Taiwan's influence from Japan, have very similar pronunciations. In contrast, Mainland China's translations often do not consider pronunciation when fully sinicizing. (Don't consider it, isn't the robustness enough of a disgrace)

To elaborate, let's leave it to it:

The two points you mentioned are indeed crucial and are deep connections that I did not fully elaborate on in my previous analysis. These two points profoundly reveal the differences in term translation regarding the temporal dimension of technical logic and the path dependence of language evolution. Let me analyze in detail:

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"缓存" and "快取" Correspond to the Two Aspects of Cache Operation (Temporal Dimension)#

• The core operational mechanism of Cache can be broken down into two consecutive actions:
  • Write/Store (Store): Preemptively copying the original data (such as memory, hard disk data) to the high-speed storage area.
  • Read/Access (Access): When data is needed, prioritize obtaining it from the high-speed storage area, avoiding access to slow sources.
• Correspondence of Terms:
  • 缓存 (Mainland): Emphasizes the "Write/Store" phase
    The character "缓" directly corresponds to the action of "buffered writing"—the process of temporarily storing data from slow sources to high-speed areas. It describes how data is placed in Cache (the first half).
  • 快取 (Taiwan): Emphasizes the "Read/Access" phase
    The character "取" clearly points to the action of "reading and obtaining"—the process of users/CPUs quickly taking out data from Cache. It describes how data is used (the latter half).
• Cultural/Thinking Differences:
  • Mainland Perspective: Focuses more on the underlying logic of technical implementation. The term "缓存" answers the question "How does Cache work?"—by establishing a buffer storage layer to solve the problem. This is an engineer mindset, emphasizing the internal state of the system (how data is stored).
  • Taiwan Perspective: Focuses more on the final effect of technical application. The term "快取" answers the question "What benefits does using Cache bring?"—it allows you to get things quickly. This is a user/result-oriented mindset, emphasizing the interactive experience (how users benefit).
  • Unity of Two Aspects: Both are indispensable. "缓存" (storage) is the means, "快取" (access) is the goal. The Mainland term names the means, while the Taiwan term names the goal. This perfectly reflects the essence of Cache technology, "storage serves to accelerate."

"Cache" and "快取" Phonetic Association and Translation Strategy Differences (Language Path Dependence)#

• Phonetic Association:
  • Cache (English pronunciation): /kæʃ/ (similar to "喀什" or "开什").
  • 快取 (Taiwanese pronunciation): "快" (kuài, /kʰuai/) + "取" (qǔ, /tɕʰy/). Although not a strict transliteration, the initial consonant /kʰ/ of "快" and the vowel /u/ and tone of "取" combine to create a phonetic impression that is indeed closer to the pronunciation of "Cache" /kæʃ/. Especially in fast speech, "快取" (/kʰuai.tɕʰy/) has a certain fuzzy correspondence with "Cache."
  • Influence from Japanese (Key): In Japanese, "Cache" is translated as キャッシュ (Kyasshu), which is a very direct transliteration. Taiwan's translation of technical vocabulary is deeply influenced by Japanese (historical and geographical factors). Even when translating independently later, its terminology system (including thinking patterns) still inevitably bears traces of Japanese influence. The sensitivity to phonetics (even in free translations) and the acceptance of partial transliterations (like 软体 / Software, 位元 / Bit) reflect this influence. "快取" is a product of this environment, primarily free translation, supplemented by potential phonetic considerations.
• Comparison of Mainland Translation Strategy:
  • Complete Sinicization, stripping phonetics: The pronunciation of "缓存" (huǎn cún) /xuan.tsʰun/has no phonetic similarity to "Cache" /kæʃ/. Mainland China prioritizes accurate transmission of meaning (faithful, expressive, elegant) when translating most technical terms, completely abandoning the association with the source language pronunciation. This is a general principle of terminology translation in Mainland (e.g., 激光 / Laser, 引擎 / Engine, 博客 / Blog).
  • Systematic Priority: Mainland emphasizes the coherence and systematization of terms within the entire Chinese technical system. "缓存" is highly unified in both literal and logical terms with words like "缓冲，" "内存，" and "存储，" facilitating understanding and knowledge system construction, while phonetic association is not considered.
• Cultural/Historical Differences:
  • Taiwan (Influenced by Japanese Path): Historically influenced by Japanese rule for 50 years, Japanese has had a profound impact on technology and education. Even later, when translating independently, its terminology system (including thinking patterns) still inevitably bears traces of Japanese influence. The sensitivity to phonetics (even in free translations) and the acceptance of partial transliterations (like 软体 / Software, 位元 / Bit) reflect this influence. "快取" is a product of this environment, primarily free translation, supplemented by potential phonetic considerations.
  • Mainland (Independent Sinicization Path): Follows a completely autonomous, meaning-oriented path of terminology sinicization. Its goal is to establish an independent, self-sufficient, and logically clear system of technical vocabulary in the Chinese context, deliberately avoiding interference from foreign phonetics, ensuring the pure denotative function of terms. The "disregard" for phonetic association is a necessary result of its systematic sinicization principle.

Who is more Faithful, Expressive, and Elegant?#

1. Dialectical Evaluation of "Faithful, Expressive, Elegant"

   • Mainland "缓存" excels in "Faithful" (accurately describing mechanisms) and has higher technical rigor, but "Elegant" is limited in literal aesthetic.
   • Taiwan "快取" performs better in "Expressive" (user understanding efficiency) and "Elegant" (the cleverness of phonetic and semantic integration), especially the phonetic association gives the term a sense of liveliness.
     → Both meet the criteria of "Faithful, Expressive, Elegant," but the weight distribution differs: Mainland emphasizes "Faithful," while Taiwan emphasizes "Expressive and Elegant."

2. Roots of Differences

   Mainland Path	Taiwan Path
   ▶ Independent Sinicization: Stripping phonetics, building a Chinese terminology system	▶ Japanese Influence: Balancing phonetics and semantics, leaning towards practical dissemination
   ▶ Engineer Mindset: Naming technical essence	▶ User Mindset: Naming user experience

3. Cultural Metaphors

   • "缓存" is like a rigorous engineer: focused on "how to build the bridge."
   • "快取" is like an agile product manager: focused on "how fast to cross the bridge."
     → Both together constitute the complete lifecycle of Cache (storage as a means, access as a goal).

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Deep Logical Differences#

1. Temporal Segmentation of Technical Logic: "缓存" and "快取" not only reflect different emphases (function vs. effect) but also precisely correspond to the two inseparable phases of Cache's workflow—"store" and "access." Mainland names the foundational action of technical implementation (store), while Taiwan names the final action of user experience (access).
2. Historical Path of Language Evolution: The subtle phonetic connection between "快取" and "Cache," as well as its potential association with the Japanese キャッシュ (Kyasshu), highlights the indirect influence of Japanese translation strategies (preference for transliteration) on Taiwan's terminology. In contrast, "缓存" in Mainland reflects a complete stripping of source language phonetics, pursuing pure denotation and systematic coherence in its independent sinicization philosophy.

These two points perfectly confirm and deepen the core conclusion of the previous analysis: the terminology differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are the result of different entry points from a technical perspective (temporal dimension of store vs. access) and the path dependence of language and cultural history (phonetic-semantic balance influenced by Japanese vs. complete sinicization prioritizing denotation). Together, they constitute the rich historical, technical, and cultural landscape behind the terms "缓存" and "快取."

Summary#

Here is a complete summary and comparison table combining the two analyses, focusing on translation strategies, cultural perspectives, and linguistic features, and specifically addressing whether "快取" is more Faithful, Expressive, and Elegant:

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Complete Comparison Table: Analysis of Translation Differences for Cache

Further Reading#

Examples from Deepseek's thought process, but not included in the final output. They are not closely related to the main text, so they are placed at the end:

Well, the user supplemented two very important perspectives, which I indeed overlooked in my previous analysis. The user clearly has a keen observation of language translation and cultural dissemination, especially noting the two subtle points of the temporal dimension of the "cache" operation process and phonetic association.
Regarding the first point of "two aspects," the user's emphasis on the temporal dimension is particularly apt. Caching indeed emphasizes the process of data "entering" the storage pool (buffered writing), while 快取 focuses on the effect when data "flows out" (quick reading). This reminds me of the complete cycle of cache operation in computer architecture—loading data from memory is the "buffer" phase, while the CPU reading data is the "access" phase. The Mainland terminology focuses on the technical implementation from the input side, while the Taiwan terminology focuses on the user experience from the output side, which perfectly constitutes a complete technical loop.
As for the second point of phonetic association, the user has grasped the key difference. The pronunciation of Taiwan's "快取" /kʰuai tɕʰy/indeed has a similarity in consonant framework with "cache" /kæʃ/ (k-q/ch), and this phonetic transliteration component may be influenced by dual factors: both from the Japanese katakana "キャッシュ" (kyasshu) transliteration tradition and aligning with Taiwan's common practice of "balancing phonetics and semantics" in technology vocabulary. In contrast, Mainland's "缓存" is a product of complete semantic translation, with huǎn cún's pronunciation having no relation to the English original, reflecting the different orientations of terminology localization between the two sides—Mainland pursues thorough sinicization, while Taiwan allows for mixed characteristics.
Interestingly, this difference forms a pattern in computer terminology: Taiwan's "位元" (bit) balances phonetics and semantics, while "碟机" (disk drive) emphasizes functionality; whereas Mainland's "比特" (bit) and "磁盘驱动器" (disk drive) adopt pure transliteration and pure semantic translation, respectively. The phonetic association pointed out by the user actually reveals the balance issue of "linguistic economy" and "cultural affinity" in terminology translation.
Finally, it should be noted that this difference is also reflected in non-technical fields. For example, Mainland translates "可口可乐" (completely transliterated but meaningful in Chinese characters), while Taiwan translates it the same; however, for "subway," Mainland translates it as "赛百味" (excellent in phonetics and semantics), while Taiwan translates it as "潜艇堡" (pure semantic translation), which is contrary to the tendency in the technical field. This indicates that terminology translation strategies are also influenced by industry habits, and technical terms may more stubbornly maintain their respective traditions.