Japanese Help Thread

[Mephisto]

The line you called out is a bit iffy, but honestly reading the translation it seemed pretty natural and well done. Didn't seem particularly melodramatic at all, pretty standard war memoir fare. 

[The Last Melody]

Hey folks, I can't figure out what this kanji is, could someone give me a hand?

I am thinking it may be this one:

http://www.edrdg.org/cgi-bin/wwwjdic/wwwjdic?1MMJ%E7%91%9B

[Deep Blue]

it could be that one or this one 暎 can't say for sure if the strokes are closed or not. I hate when they use weird fonts, i hate it even in english because most of the time i cant understand what it's written and is even worst with kanji or kana -.-

[Fiddle]

it could be that one or this one 暎 can't say for sure if the strokes are closed or not. I hate when they use weird fonts, i hate it even in english because most of the time i cant understand what it's written and is even worst with kanji or kana -.-

I think it's pretty clear that the strokes are open. Plus, the bottom line is much more slanted than the others:

as in the kanji 瑛. In contrast, the bottom line of 暎 seems to be flat in all fonts.

Also, there don't seem to be any other credible possibilities with Jisho's kanji finding thing (admittedly, this function is a little inconsistent with the radicals, but I tried a few different combinations and didn't find anything but the two kanji in question):

[Deep Blue]

I think it's pretty clear that the strokes are open. Plus, the bottom line is much more slanted than the others:

as in the kanji 瑛. In contrast, the bottom line of 暎 seems to be flat in all fonts.

Also, there don't seem to be any other credible possibilities with Jisho's kanji finding thing (admittedly, this function is a little inconsistent with the radicals, but I tried a few different combinations and didn't find anything but the two kanji in question):

To tell you the truth I didn't see it like that and I still don't but like I said I have problems even with the alphabets letters using weird fonts.

[The Last Melody]

Then I shall go for 瑛 if it makes sense

[The Last Melody]

How do the Japanese say that they have flipped a switch or is flipping a switch?

[Conjueror]

It depends on what kind of switch you are talking about, but スイッチを動かす is probably the most neutral way of saying it.

[The Last Melody]

Hmm hmm, I see, thanks

[Deep Blue]

まりも....見てご覧なさい.あんたの子供たちが行くの

 

Marimo...please look. Your childrens are leaving/marching.

 

Look, Marimo......they're leaving now.

 

(The childrens are soldiers)

 

Which one of those translations is more accurate?

[Fiddle]

まりも....見てご覧なさい.あんたの子供たちが行くの

 

Marimo...please look. Your childrens are leaving.

 

Look, Marimo......they're leaving now.

 

 

Which one of those translations is more accurate?

The first one is more accurate (disregarding the English errors and tone of speech). I see nothing concerning "now" anywhere. The Japanese says "leave," not "leaving," but I assume that the latter makes more sense in context. Also, referring to the children as "they" might be acceptable if it's clear in context.

[Deep Blue]

The first one is more accurate (disregarding the English errors and tone of speech). I see nothing concerning "now" anywhere. The Japanese says "leave," not "leaving," but I assume that the latter makes more sense in context. Also, referring to the children as "they" might be acceptable if it's clear in context.

Well the first one was my rough translation, the second one was the one i found already translated on the internet and didn't make much sense to me, so you can change "childrens" for "they" if the context allows it? Doing that sounds wrong to me.

 

Btw is this incorrect?:

の after a verb

｢<Verb> の｣ is a noun that means "the action of <verb>-ing" or just "<verb>-ing".

 

 

Source:http://www.poslarchive.com/math/japanese/particles.html

[Fiddle]

Well the first one was my rough translation, the second one was the one i found already translated on the internet and didn't make much sense to me, so you can change "childrens" for "they" if the context allows it? Doing that sounds wrong to me.

I mean that in Japanese, they tend to state topics without the same frequency as in English. For example, if you compare a translation with the original Japanese, the word 彼 probably won't appear nearly as often as "he" and "him" do in the translation. Meanwhile, somebody's actual name is said with much greater frequency.

 

Btw is this incorrect?:

 

Source:http://www.poslarchive.com/math/japanese/particles.html

It is accurate, but this use of の can be a little more complicated.

 

First of all, the gerund (-ing) form of a verb doesn't have only one function; it can be used to form the present perfect tense, which describes an action that is ongoing, as your translation does, but it can also be used just to make a verb into a noun for other purposes. For example, "I like walking" doesn't have anything to do with the present perfect.

 

Also, the particle の doesn't always refer just to the verb immediately preceding it, but often to the whole clause as well, which it appears to do in this case. A literal translation of it when used like this is "it is that..." For example, 彼は行かないの？ = "Is it that he is not going?" whereas 彼は行かない？ = "He is not going?" Bear in mind that the whole "it is that" can often be dropped or adjusted in English due to being unnatural and/or unnecessary.

Tae Kim can probably describe it in better detail in the second part of this article.

[Deep Blue]

Thanks a lot for your explanation Fiddle

[Nosebleed]

Easy way to think of "の" in this and many other contexts outside of possessive is to just think "nominalization". (They even both start with no!)

"の" turns verbs/adjectives into "nouns" per se.

So 行くの is basically the notion of going, the idea if going, not just "going". It's pretty similar to koto in that regard. (Actually imabi lumps them together)

At least that's how i came to terms with の (On the other hand i still haven't come to terms with koto)

[Conjueror]

まりも....見てご覧なさい.あんたの子供たちが行くの

 

I assume the speaker here is female? Because the の part here mostly serves to give the sentence a feminine voice (masculine would be あんたの子供たちが行くのだ/行っている). It kinda sounds awkward to me though, I wonder if the original line even follows conventional style.

 

As for translation, you can't really do it justice unless you know the full context, 見てご覧なさい might literally mean look, but it also has the nuance of "realize" (it can also be a little bit condescending). The speaker here is suggesting this Marimo person that she should be either proud of her children, or disheartened that it's them who are being sent off to the war (and it also hints that she (Marimo) might be somehow involved with this outcome).

From what I have I'd probably translate this line as something like "Marimo, behold... It's your children." if the children are the center of attention and the 行く part only indicates their presence, as in "marching" or whatever. If the important part, however, is not the children themselves, but the fact that they are leaving, then something like "Marimo, behold (ambiguous) / just look at it (positive) / get it into your head (negative, Marimo is in denial); your children (neutral) / it's your children who (emphasizes the children) are leaving (ambiguous, negative) / setting off (their own will, positive)/ being sent off (not their own will, negative)." should work, maybe? Depending on the context a completely liberal take might do the job better.

Edit: Is this from Muv-Luv Alternative? I thought someone tled that already.

[Deep Blue]

I assume the speaker here is female? Because the の part here mostly serves to give the sentence a feminine voice (masculine would be あんたの子供たちが行くのだ/行っている). It kinda sounds awkward to me though, I wonder if the original line even follows conventional style.

 

As for translation, you can't really do it justice unless you know the full context, 見てご覧なさい might literally mean look, but it also has the nuance of "realize" (it can also be a little bit condescending). The speaker here is suggesting this Marimo person that she should be either proud of her children, or disheartened that it's them who are being sent off to the war (and it also hints that she (Marimo) might be somehow involved with this outcome).

From what I have I'd probably translate this line as something like "Marimo, behold... It's your children." if the children are the center of attention and the 行く part only indicates their presence, as in "marching" or whatever. If the important part, however, is not the children themselves, but the fact that they are leaving, then something like "Marimo, behold (ambiguous) / just look at it (positive) / get it into your head (negative, Marimo is in denial); your children (neutral) / it's your children who (emphasizes the children) are leaving (ambiguous, negative) / setting off (their own will, positive)/ being sent off (not their own will, negative)." should work, maybe? Depending on the context a completely liberal take might do the job better.

Edit: Is this from Muv-Luv Alternative? I thought someone tled that already.

 

Yeah it's from mla I'm playing it again untranslated and this part was on a txt inside the game and it didn't make much sense to me.

I got the idea in my head but it's really hard to put it into words that express the same thing in english, "behold" sounds like a magician talking but "look" sounds too bland and generic. She is like trying to say, "look to your childs marimo they are leaving/marching to the war, look how well you trained them, feel proud." She is saying all of that but there is not way to translate it

Still the original one "Look, Marimo......they're leaving now." was kinda lacking.

[Conjueror]

Yeah, I assumed it was fantasy setting when I wrote "behold".

"Just look at them, Marimo. Those are your children marching off." or "Just look at them, Marimo. Your children are finally marching off." depending on the context.

 

I don't remember the scene, but if it's Yuuko talking, then she, probably, means it partially sarcastically, and considering her 'voice', a more liberal take like this could work better:

 

"Gloat and rejoice; your children are finally marching off, Marimo."

 

見てご覧なさい is likely used solely for its figurative "feel proud" meaning in here, so the actual action of "look" is redundant.

 

Either way, the original take does indeed look quite lousy; I really hope the whole thing is not tled like that as you'd be losing half of the material there.

[Deep Blue]

That particular scene was really dramatic and she is saying that almost in tears

She is holding a picture of marimo in her hands as to show "marimo" what she had accomplished

[Conjueror]

Oooh, well, forget my liberal take, then.

 

"Just look at them, Marimo. Those are your children marching off." should still work, then. I bet there is a better alternative for "just look at them" lurking somewhere in the English dictionary, but I think I'm done taking blind jabs at this line, haha.

[Kelebek1]

I know nothing at all about the scene, but it sounds like the phrase most apt to represent the line is "flying the nest."

[xplodax]

Hey guys, I came across a line, and I'm unsure about how to translate it. It's「いかにもって感じ」.

 

So this is the scene:

 

A: これよりぃぃぃぃ新入生を歓迎してぇぇぇぇ我々応援団によるぅぅぅぅ演舞をぉぉぉぉ！！

 

B. ああ、応援団の人たちか。うん、いかにもって感じだな。

 

I thought it meant something like "over the top" or "eccentric" or "gaudy", but I'm not really sure if that's even what he means here.

[Fiddle]

Hey guys, I came across a line, and I'm unsure about how to translate it. It's「いかにもって感じ」.

 

So this is the scene:

 

A: これよりぃぃぃぃ新入生を歓迎してぇぇぇぇ我々応援団によるぅぅぅぅ演舞をぉぉぉぉ！！

 

B. ああ、応援団の人たちか。うん、いかにもって感じだな。

 

I thought it meant something like "over the top" or "eccentric" or "gaudy", but I'm not really sure if that's even what he means here.

[xplodax]

Ahhh, okay. I was completely off then, haha. So would I be correct in saying that it has a "what you see is what you get" sort of meaning? Thanks, Fiddle!

[Fiddle]

"What you see is what you get" sounds like a sort of idiomatic phrase that I haven't heard very often, so I don't know, but I'm sure you have the right impression.