Hyacine🦄

This topic has actually been around for several years. Back then, I hadn't even studied computer architecture yet.
I was a regular at spamming

Most of the content below was generated by AI, supplemented with manual verification and annotations. Some viewpoints are scattered across Twitter, Zhihu, and comment sections, making it difficult to trace back to more detailed sources, so I won't list more specific references.

Easily searchable 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 word "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.
计算机科学中只有两个难题：缓存失效和命名
── 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 technique used to store temporary copies of data. Its core purposes are:

1. Speeding up access: Providing faster access than accessing the original data sources (such as main memory, hard drives, networks).
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 the storage structure and developing intuition about them is crucial for architecture 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 before moving on; otherwise, you can only enjoy it for fun~

First Comparison#

Translation Analysis: Cache vs. 快取#

1. Mainland China: 缓存

   • Literal Analysis:
     • 缓: Means "slow," "delay," "buffer." Here it takes 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—acting as a buffer layer between speed differences. It's like a reservoir that temporarily stores water (from slow sources) and can quickly provide it when needed.
   • Focus:
     • Functionality (buffering role): Highlights its role as a bridge between slow sources and high-speed demands.
     • Nature of storage: 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 purpose is to speed up, it does not directly reflect "fast" in its literal sense.
   • Cultural/Language Background:
     • The "faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance" 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 the sake of accurate concept transmission. "缓存" fits the requirements of "faithfulness" (accuracy) and "expressiveness" (smoothness) very well.
     • Word Formation Habit: Prefers using a verb (缓) + noun (存) to form compound nouns, clearly expressing actions and objects.
     • Pragmatic Tendency: Naming directly points to the core issue 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 highlights the ultimate purpose and effect of using Cache—fast!
     • Action (obtain): Emphasizes 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:
     • The "conciseness" and "free translation" tendency 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 of 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 a free translation of the core value (fast), which has similarities 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's "缓存" reflects an emphasis on the internal working mechanisms of technology, where users (especially technical personnel) need to understand its principles through the name.
   • Taiwan's "快取" reflects an emphasis on the direct benefits brought by technology, where the name intuitively tells 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 concise expression style of Japanese.
3. Commercialization and User Orientation in Technical Communication:
   • The name "快取" itself has more "selling points," directly pointing out advantages (fast), 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, indeed, the above part is summarized by Deepseek. (It's really too much fluff)

I wonder if readers have the habit of clicking on reference links. If a little curious cat happens to click in or reads it a few times, they will 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 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. However, the translation in Mainland often does not consider pronunciation when fully sinicizing. (Don't consider it, isn't the robustness enough to hang the shame pillar?)

To elaborate, let's leave it to them:

The two points you mentioned are indeed crucial and were not fully expanded in my previous analysis. These two supplements deeply reveal the differences in term translation regarding the temporal dimension of technical logic and the path dependency of language evolution. Let me analyze in detail:

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

• The core operational mechanism of Cache can be broken down into two consecutive actions:
  • Writing/Storing (Store): Preemptively copying original data (such as memory, hard disk data) to high-speed storage.
  • Reading/Accessing (Access): When data is needed, prioritizing retrieval from high-speed storage to avoid accessing slow sources.
• Correspondence of Terms:
  • 缓存 (Mainland): Emphasizes the "Writing/Storing" phase
    The character "缓" directly corresponds to the action of "buffered writing"—the process of data being temporarily stored from slow sources to high-speed areas. It describes how data is placed in Cache (the first half).
  • 快取 (Taiwan): Emphasizes the "Reading/Accessing" phase
    The character "取" clearly points to the action of "reading and obtaining"—the process of users/CPUs quickly retrieving data from Cache. It describes how data is used (the latter half).
• Reflection of 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 engineering mindset, emphasizing the internal state of the system (how data is stored).
  • Taiwan Perspective: Focuses more on the final effects of technical applications. The term "快取" answers the question "What benefits does using Cache bring?"—it allows you to retrieve 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, while "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 Dependency)#

• 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 rapid speech, "快取" (/kʰuai.tɕʰy/) has a certain fuzzy correspondence with "Cache."
  • Influence of Japanese (Key): Japanese translates "Cache" as キャッシュ (Kyasshu), which is a very direct transliteration. Taiwan's translation of technical terms 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" for Software, "位元" for Bit) reflect this influence. "快取" is a product of this environment, emphasizing free translation with potential phonetic considerations.
• Comparison of Mainland Translation Strategies:
  • 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 (faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance) when translating most technical terms, completely abandoning any connection to the source language's 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 places more emphasis on the coherence and systematization of terms within the entire Chinese technical system. "缓存" is highly unified in meaning and logic with terms like "缓冲，" "内存，" and "存储，" making it easier to understand and build a knowledge system, while phonetic associations are not considered.
• Reflection of 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, emphasizing free translation with potential phonetic considerations.
  • Mainland (Independent Sinicization Path): Follows a completely independent, meaning-oriented path of terminology sinicization. Its goal is to establish an independent, self-sufficient, and logically clear system of scientific vocabulary in the Chinese context, deliberately avoiding interference from foreign phonetics to ensure the pure denotative function of terms. The "disregard" for phonetic associations is a necessary result of its systematic sinicization principle.

Who is More Faithful, Expressive, and Elegant?#

1. Dialectical Evaluation of "Faithfulness, Expressiveness, Elegance"

   • Mainland "缓存" excels in "Faithfulness" (accurately describing mechanisms) with higher technical rigor, but "Elegance" is limited to literal aesthetics.
   • Taiwan "快取" performs better in "Expressiveness" (user understanding efficiency) and "Elegance" (the cleverness of phonetic and semantic integration), especially the phonetic association gives the term a sense of dynamism.
     → Both meet the criteria of "faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance," but the weight distribution is different: Mainland emphasizes "faithfulness," while Taiwan emphasizes "expressiveness and elegance."

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 communication
   ▶ Engineer Mindset: Naming technical essence	▶ User Mindset: Naming user experience

3. Cultural Metaphor

   • "缓存" is like a meticulous 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, retrieval 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—"storing" and "retrieving." Mainland names the foundational action of technical implementation (storing), while Taiwan names the final action of user experience (retrieving).
2. Historical Path of Language Evolution: The subtle phonetic connection between "快取" and "Cache," as well as its potential association with Japanese キャッシュ (Kyasshu), highlights the indirect influence of Japanese translation strategies (preference for transliteration) on Taiwanese terminology. In contrast, Mainland's "缓存" reflects the 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 strait are the result of different entry points of technical perspectives (storing vs. retrieving in the temporal dimension) and path dependency of language and cultural history (phonetic-semantic balance influenced by Japanese vs. thorough sinicization prioritizing denotation). Together, they constitute the rich historical, technical, and cultural landscape behind the terms "缓存" and "快取."

Summary#

Below is a complete summary and comparison table that combines the two analyses, focusing on translation strategies, cultural perspectives, and linguistic features, and specifically addressing the judgment of 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 communication, especially noting the two subtle points of "the temporal dimension of the cache operation process" and "phonetic association."
Regarding the first point of "two sides of the same coin": The user pointed out that the temporal dimension is particularly accurate. Caching indeed emphasizes the process of data "entering" the storage pool (buffered writing), while 快取 focuses on the effect of data "flowing out" (quick reading). This reminds me of the complete cycle of cache operation in computer architecture—loading data from memory is the "storing" phase, while the CPU reading data is the "retrieving" 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 captured the key difference. The pronunciation of Taiwan's "快取" /kʰuai tɕʰy/indeed has a similarity in consonant framework (k-q/ch) with "cache" /kæʃ/, 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 conforming to Taiwan's common practice of "balancing phonetics and semantics" in technology vocabulary. In contrast, Mainland's "缓存" is a product of complete free translation, with huǎn cún's pronunciation having no relation to the original English word, reflecting the different orientations of terminology localization between the two sides—Mainland pursues thorough sinicization, while Taiwan allows 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 free 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 added that this difference is also reflected in non-technical fields. For example, Mainland translates "可口可乐" (completely transliterated but meaningful in Chinese), while Taiwan translates it the same; but for "subway," Mainland translates it as "赛百味" (both phonetic and semantic), while Taiwan translates it as "潜艇堡" (pure free 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.