The "I found some Japanese I don't understand" thread.

[JoelMember]

People say “these Arabs are scary”, because they’ve never spoken to an Arab, (but) if they meet with Mr Mohammed and talk, then definitely, they won’t be scared, I think. Because Arabs are very kind and fun people, if Japanese people meet them and speak with them, then they will come to like them a lot.

Because there aren’t many Arabs in Japan, everyone’s image of them only comes from scary videos on TV.

If more Arabs come to Japan, this image will change, I think.

[rohMember]

どうもありがとうございます　＾＾
ところで、　私はムハッマドさんです

[JoelMember]

あ、そうですか

Out of idle curiosity, what was the manga in question? And what was your original comment?

And your take on the translation? =)

[rohMember]

it was comparing the idea of arabs about japan and the idea of japanese about arab countries. you can find the story and my comment here.
http://arabiiki.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2014/04/post-36af.html

she posts a 1 or 2 pages manga every week.

your translation is very good. thank you. i still need to compare the japanese with the translation though. i did understand the general idea of every sentence in her comment. however, i still need to go to jisho alot and sometimes google translate. even with that, i still have difficulty in understanding what some words add to the sentence.

for example, i did understand “Because there aren’t many Arabs in Japan”, but not because i understood every word. it is because what she said previously helps me to predict the sentence by understanding a few words in it.

[ThalianeMember]

Okay, I understand what the word 氏ね (しね) means, I am just not sure about the seriousness of it. What I am asking is basically the context of this word: how angry is a person when he says it, how rude is it etc etc.

Reason I’m asking is my partner has been saying it sometimes lately even though I told him cursing in your own language isn’t fair when the other doesn’t understand you…ah well, won’t bother you with my relationship troubles. :P

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by  Thaliane.

[JoelMember]

Well, it means “drop dead”, basically.

Usage has never really been my strong point, but that’s not something I’d ever say to people in English…

[ThalianeMember]

Me neither, but when I think about a word such as “shit” in Europe/USA there is such a difference between countries…to use “sheisse” in Germany isn’t nearly as serious as using “shit” in England, and I guess in the United States it’s also less rude than in England. Don’t wanna appear like an uneducated fool by using a very serious swear word when you mean something a little less extreme. XD

[JoelMember]

Yah. Sadly, I don’t recall there being a class on the appropriate use of swear words and curses during my uni degree…

[JoelMember]

闇弱　（あんじゃく） – how would you translate it?

It was played as a word in a game of shiritori in an anime I’ve been watching (and for anyone else who’s also seen it: most. epic. shiritori. ever. Amirite?). Fansubbers translated it as “empty-headed academic”, but I’m almost certain this is a complete invention to make it fit their translations of the words that came before and after – they took some rather extreme liberties with their translation, I thought, such as translating クリアンス (the name of a defensive spell in this anime) as “Bkulians” in order to match the B at the end of “hydrogen bomb” (instead of the く at the end of すいばく)… yeah, it’s a long story. =P

Personally, I’m of the opinion that if characters playing shiritori – which relies on the spellings of the words – then just transliterate it, and put the translation underneath.

Anyway, Google search turned up a Japanese-Japanese dictionary which defined it as 愚かで劣っている・こと（さま） which is what… “stupid and inferior”? Not really sure what the こと（さま） is supposed to mean – haven’t learnt Japanese dictionary shorthands. “Applies to people and objects”? Or am I way off the mark?

[MisterM2402 [Michael]Member]

dictionary.goo.ne.jp gives the more common kanji 暗弱 – which might help find other dictionary listings -and this definition, which I’m still not too sure about, sorry:
［名・形動］ものの道理がわからず、気力にとぼしいこと。また、そのさま。

I think the part you said about “applies to people and objects” is correct. Not 100% sure but it would make sense, especially when considering the definition I found saying また、そのさま。, which seems to be like “Also, a person fitting this description.”.

Here’s a long, long list of dictionary terms and shorthand and symbols for various different dictionaries: http://www.sanseido.net/main/howtouse/usage07.aspx

Also, this much shorter list of grammatical terms and abbreviations, because why not: http://www.wordreference.com/english/abbreviationsWRD.aspx?dict=enja

Also also, that’s such a stupid way to translate! Sticking a silent ‘b’ on the front? Really?

[JoelMember]

MisterM2402 [Michael] wrote:

［名・形動］ものの道理がわからず、気力にとぼしいこと。また、そのさま。

Something that doesn’t understand the truth of things and lacks willpower? I guess? It kinda seems a bit like it’s not really one word so much as the meanings of the two kanji glued together.

Also also, that’s such a stupid way to translate! Sticking a silent ‘b’ on the front? Really?

That’s hardly the biggest liberty they took with translations – for example, 朝 became “Eos Lumo”, 明かり became “eye fuel”, and 種植え (which also isn’t in my dictionary, but from the kanji I’m assuming means “plantlife” or something like that) became “sepia”. Sepia?

[QndrezMember]

So i just bought this album from a band called Hitorie, and this was inside the booklet.
It looks like a code to get access to exclusive content maybe. I don’t need a full translation, but if someone can just tell me quickly what it is, that’d be great. Thanks.

Slightly large image.

[YamadaMember]

Qndrez wrote:

So i just bought this album from a band called Hitorie, and this was inside the booklet.
It looks like a code to get access to exclusive content maybe. I don’t need a full translation, but if someone can just tell me quickly what it is, that’d be great. Thanks.

Slightly large image.

I’m pretty sure the text above the code is saying that this is a very important code for application to the campaign (whatever that is, I do not know – maybe premium content, more on this later). It is too blurry for me to try to read or write the final verb (「ご＿？＿ください」, as well as the word before it but I think its 概要　（がい　よう – outline）) but I think it says for an outline of the campaign to check the back. So to get more details we would need to see that as well.

I think this is right but if someone wants to double check they could. I am curious as to the final verb, as I was thinking it probably means “check” or something given the context of the sentence but I can’t see it at all well enough to even attempt to write it out in my dictionary which could find it >_<

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by  Yamada. Reason: Weird "br" thingie got deleted

毎秒は一世一代。

[JoelMember]

It’s not all that large, actually. Some of the smaller kanji are rather tricky to read. =P

Anyway, it’s announcing a campaign for the release of their single “Senseless Wonder” and mini-album “Imaginary Monofiction”. Top section says “Thank you very much for purchasing “Senseless Wonder” and “Imaginary Monofiction” at this time. Furthermore, when you purchase both the target items 1 and 2, everyone who enters will recieve “Live Source and Commentary CD-R” as a present. Please apply heartily!”

Middle section: “To enter the campaign, you will need the ID number recorded below. Please keep it in a safe place. Please look at the campaign’s [something] on the back”. Can’t quite make out the first kanji in that word, but the second is 要.

Bottom section “Mini-album announced! “Imaginary Monofiction” going on sale February 19th, 2014″.

Edit: Bah, ninja-posted. =P The verb you can’t quite make out is ご覧 (ごらん).

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by  Joel.

[YamadaMember]

Can’t quite make out the first kanji in that word, but the second is 要.

Edit: Bah, ninja-posted. =P The verb you can’t quite make out is ご覧 (ごらん).

I am ninja. :D

I thought the word with the second kanji being 要 was 概要 (がいよう) and it would make sense with the sentence but maybe its wrong?

毎秒は一世一代。

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