English sneaks into everyday Traditional Chinese on menus, in shops, in tech, and all over social media. This guide rounds up high-frequency English loanwords and calques you’ll actually meet in Taiwan, with Traditional Chinese first, pinyin right after, and a clear English gloss. You’ll also get common code-switching patterns, pronunciation tips, false friends, and copy-ready mini dialogues.
How English Becomes Chinese: Four Common Paths
音譯 yīn yì — phonetic borrowing (copy the sound): 漢堡 hàn bǎo “hamburger”, 可樂 kě lè “cola”.
意譯 yì yì — semantic borrowing (translate the meaning): 社群媒體 shè qún méi tǐ “social media”.
混合譯 hùn hé yì — hybrid (sound + meaning): 部落客 bù luò kè “blogger” (from blog 部落格 bù luò gé + person).
直借 zhí jiè — direct borrowing in Latin letters (code-switch): USB、AI、KPI、OK。
Food & Drinks You’ll See On Menus
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 漢堡 | hàn bǎo | hamburger |
| 起司 | qǐ sī | cheese (also 乳酪 rǔ luò) |
| 三明治 | sān míng zhì | sandwich |
| 薯條 | shǔ tiáo | fries |
| 可樂 | kě lè | cola |
| 拿鐵 | ná tiě | latte |
| 卡布奇諾 | kǎ bù qí nuò | cappuccino |
| 可可 | kě kě | cocoa |
| 布朗尼 | bù lǎng ní | brownie |
| 冰沙 | bīng shā | smoothie/slush |
Example
我要一份漢堡加起司，再一杯拿鐵。
wǒ yào yí fèn hàn bǎo jiā qǐ sī, zài yì bēi ná tiě
I’ll have a cheeseburger and a latte.
Tech, Apps, And Internet Life
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| APP（應用程式） | āi pī pī / ài pǔ | app |
| 帳號 | zhàng hào | account |
| 登入／登出 | dēng rù / dēng chū | log in / log out |
| 更新 | gēng xīn | update |
| 下載／上傳 | xià zǎi / shàng chuán | download / upload |
| 打卡 | dǎ kǎ | check in (social) |
| 追蹤 | zhuī zōng | follow |
| 粉絲團／粉專 | fěn sī tuán / fěn zhuān | fan page |
| 直播 | zhí bō | live stream |
| 介面 | jiè miàn | interface |
| 漏洞 | lòu dòng | bug/vulnerability |
| 伺服器 | sì fú qì | server |
| 雲端 | yún duān | cloud |
Mini line
這版 APP 更新介面很順，登入更快。
zhè bǎn āi pī pī gēng xīn jiè miàn hěn shùn, dēng rù gèng kuài
This app update makes the UI smooth and login faster.
Office, Startups, And Marketing
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 簽核 | qiān hé | sign-off/approval |
| 簽到會議 | qiān dào huì yì | stand-up meeting (daily standup) |
| 會後紀錄 | huì hòu jì lù | meeting minutes |
| 里程碑 | lǐ chéng bēi | milestone |
| 指標（KPI） | zhǐ biāo (K P I) | KPI |
| 成長黑客 | chéng zhǎng hēi kè | growth hacking |
| 漏斗 | lòu dǒu | funnel |
| 轉換 | zhuǎn huàn | conversion |
| 觸及 | chù jí | reach |
| 互動率 | hù dòng lǜ | engagement rate |
| 迭代 | dié dài | iterate |
| SAAS / B2B / B2C | sā sī / B-2-B / B-2-C | SaaS / B2B / B2C |
Example
這季的觸及跟互動率都漲，但轉換還要再拉。
zhè jì de chù jí gēn hù dòng lǜ dōu zhǎng, dàn zhuǎn huàn hái yào zài lā
Reach and engagement are up this quarter, but conversion still needs work.
Fashion, Beauty, And Gyms
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 指甲光療 | zhǐ jiǎ guāng liáo | gel nails |
| 眉型設計 | méi xíng shè jì | brow design |
| 打亮 | dǎ liàng | highlighter (makeup) |
| 粉底 | fěn dǐ | foundation |
| 健身 | jiàn shēn | fitness |
| 重訓 | zhòng xùn | weight training |
| 瑜珈 | yú jiā | yoga |
| 馬甲線 | mǎ jiǎ xiàn | ab “V-line” |
| 防風外套 | fáng fēng wài tào | windbreaker |
| 連帽 | lián mào | hoodie |
Mini line
這件防風外套版型好看，跑步也不會悶。
zhè jiàn fáng fēng wài tào bǎn xíng hǎo kàn, pǎo bù yě bú huì mēn
This windbreaker looks great and breathes well for runs.
Pop Culture, Entertainment, And Everyday Small Talk
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 影集 | yǐng jí | series (streaming) |
| 追劇 | zhuī jù | binge a show |
| 彩蛋 | cǎi dàn | Easter egg |
| 票房 | piào fáng | box office |
| 經典台詞 | jīng diǎn tái cí | iconic line |
| 角色弧線 | jué sè hú xiàn | character arc |
| 迷因 | mí yīn | meme |
| 爆紅 | bào hóng | go viral |
| 一起開房（遊戲） | yì qǐ kāi fáng | open a game room (online) |
| 排位 | pái wèi | ranked (gaming) |
Example
這個迷因昨天爆紅，今天已經被玩壞了。
zhè ge mí yīn zuó tiān bào hóng, jīn tiān yǐ jīng bèi wán huài le
That meme blew up yesterday and is already overplayed today.
Direct English (Code-Switch) You’ll Hear Constantly
| Latin | How It’s Said | Meaning |
| OK / O K | OK / ōu-kēi | OK |
| KPI | K-P-I | KPI |
| AI | A-I / ài-yī | artificial intelligence |
| UI／UX | yū-āi / yū-āi-kè sī | UI / UX |
| APP | āi-pī-pī | app |
| USB | yū-ēi-sī-bī | USB |
| WIFI | wài-fāi | Wi-Fi |
| LOL | L-O-L / ㄌㄛˇ | laugh out loud (online) |
| IG | āi-jī | |
| DM | D-M | direct message |
Mini lines
IG 私訊我就好。
āi jī sī xùn wǒ jiù hǎo
Just DM me on Instagram.
明天把 KPI 更新丟到群組。
míng tiān bǎ K-P-I gēng xīn diū dào qún zǔ
Drop the KPI update in the group tomorrow.
Calques: English Ideas Translated Into Chinese
| English Idea | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin |
| social distance | 社交距離 | shè jiāo jù lí |
| digital footprint | 數位足跡 | shù wèi zú jì |
| creator economy | 創作者經濟 | chuàng zuò zhě jīng jì |
| echo chamber | 同溫層 | tóng wēn céng |
| spoiler | 劇透 | jù tòu |
| binge watching | 追劇 | zhuī jù |
| fact-check | 事實查核 | shì shí chá hé |
Example
這篇文章有事實查核連結，可信度高。
zhè piān wén zhāng yǒu shì shí chá hé lián jié, kě xìn dù gāo
This article links to fact-checks—pretty credible.
Pronunciation & Tone Tips For Loanwords
Keep tones clean even for “Englishy” words: 拿鐵 ná tiě is second + third tone; don’t flatten it into “nah-teh.”
Brands and acronyms are often read as letters: KPI、AI、USB。Mirror native rhythm: short, even syllables.
Beware zh vs. z, ch vs. c: “cheese” → 起司 qǐ sī (q-s), not chì-sī.
False Friends, Traps, And Regional Quirks
台式 “鬆餅 sōng bǐng” can mean waffles or pancakes depending on the shop; check the photo/menu.
“布丁 bù dīng” is flan-style custard, not British pudding.
“蘇打 sū dǎ” may mean soda water or lemon soda; specify 蘇打水 sū dǎ shuǐ for sparkling water.
“外送 wài sòng” is delivery; “外帶 wài dài” is take-out.
“直播 zhí bō” is live streaming, not “broadcast TV only.”
Mini Dialogues You Can Lift
A：你有 IG 嗎，我私訊你時間。
A: nǐ yǒu āi jī ma, wǒ sī xùn nǐ shí jiān
Do you have IG? I’ll DM you the time.
B：有，帳號是 @yak.yacker。
B: yǒu, zhàng hào shì @yak.yacker
Yes—handle is @yak.yacker.
A：這間咖啡店有沒有 WIFI 和插座
A: zhè jiān kā fēi diàn yǒu méi yǒu wài fāi hé chā zuò
Does this café have Wi-Fi and outlets
B：有，密碼在櫃台，插座靠窗比較多。
B: yǒu, mì mǎ zài guì tái, chā zuò kào chuāng bǐ jiào duō
Yes—the password’s at the counter; more plugs by the windows.
A：簡報檔今晚先丟一版上來，我明天早上修最後一次。
A: jiǎn bào dǎng jīn wǎn xiān diū yì bǎn shàng lái, wǒ míng tiān zǎo shang xiū zuì hòu yí cì
Upload a first draft of the deck tonight; I’ll do a final pass in the morning.
B：收到，我把重點跟 KPI 放在一頁裡。
B: shōu dào, wǒ bǎ zhòng diǎn gēn K-P-I fàng zài yí yè lǐ
Got it—I’ll put the key points and KPIs on one page.
Quick Reference (Copy-Friendly)
| Need | Phrase (Trad + Pinyin) |
| DM me on IG | IG 私訊我 āi jī sī xùn wǒ |
| check in (social) | 打卡 dǎ kǎ |
| go viral | 爆紅 bào hóng |
| update the app | 更新 APP gēng xīn āi pī pī |
| live stream starts at 8 | 八點開直播 bā diǎn kāi zhí bō |
| take-out please | 外帶，謝謝 wài dài, xiè xiè |
| delivery | 外送 wài sòng |
| growth KPI | 成長指標 chéng zhǎng zhǐ biāo |
| conversion rate | 轉換率 zhuǎn huàn lǜ |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
Read one café order aloud using two loanwords: 我要一杯拿鐵、外帶。wǒ yào yì bēi ná tiě, wài dài
Write three office lines with one acronym each: KPI、UI、APP。
Record a 20-second social-media update using 打卡、追蹤、直播。
Make one “false friends” note from this article and add a real menu photo when you see it.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Loanwords are shortcuts: learn a dozen high-frequency items—漢堡、拿鐵、打卡、直播、KPI—and your Traditional Chinese plugs straight into modern life. It’s not cheating; it’s speaking like the locals do: clear, nimble, and delightfully up-to-date.