Job Discussion Forums

[SeasonedVet]

LuckyLoser I hear you loud and clear.
That has happened to me on some occasions.
Almost everyday people ask me "How do you say _____ in English?"
And after I give the answer they pull out a dictionary and check it and then say " Ah Honmaya Na." Which means what??? That they didn't believe me? Or that they just ask for asking sake?? Or ... what?

Some Japanese words have various meanings or slightly different meanings depending on the situation. Mottainai is one of them. Also some very short phrases in Japanese or even stand alone word/expressions when translated into English turn into long sentences.
I am wondering if when Japanese people try to translate into English if they aren't considering all the factors involved namely:

kanji, the kanji meanings might be complex so they expect a complex answer in English not something as simple as "what a waste"
They might also be thinking that a word like mottaiani can be used in so many different situations that it has to be more complex than "what a waste"
I did a lesson once based on an article that had the word " mottanai" in it and it generated a fair amount of discussion that one word did.
And I talked to some friends and acquaintances about the lesson I did and the part about the word "mottainai" and again it generated discussion. (pretty interesting word maybe huh)
I am not sure neither am I defending the Japanese guy because it sounds very familiar to me.
I am just thinking that these things might be a part of it.


( A bit off the original topic but quitye interesting. Maybe we need a new Thread for this one)

[SeasonedVet]

Yawarakaijin wrote:

[Perpetual Traveller]

[luckyloser700]

Thanks, SeasonedV.

I understand that many Japanese words like mottanai have various meanings and that the meanings depend on the context in which the word is used. From the context in my story, the meaning was clear. I just get worked up when Japanese friends I respect pull that kind "we're so special" crap. Sure, they're unique in lots of ways, but the concept of seeing waste as regretful is not particular to any one nationality and when someone refuses to accept that another person from a different culture can see things in exactly the same light as he/she does it's a bit annoying, to say the least.

[kdynamic]

I think anything can be translated well, provided that a) you know the context and b) you have the freedom to express the meaning, and aren't help to overly literal direct translation.

What is so hard about mottainai??? I would be interested to hear the content of the controversy you have heard the word generate. To me it's always seemed like a very straightforward word.

Sometimes things do get lost in translation due to cultural differences. Recently I was trying to understand an essay about the phrase "水は天から貰い水" ... to me this implied that it came from heaven and thus should be treated with respect and not wasted. However, I ended up misinterpreting it because, according to a Japanese friend who explained it to me, that means water is just a natural thing that's always around, so it's perfectly normal to simply take it for granted, like air or sunshine. Brings up an interesting point about how different cultures view the concept of things coming from heaven!

[gaijinalways]

What about the expression 'amakudari' describing 'descended from heaven' applying to ex-government execs who grab cushy private jobs working in the industry they used to regulate?

[Sweetsee]

While service in Japan is good, some restaurants have trouble serving food together. Have you ever been served a meal and found yourself waiting, sometimes forever, for your friend's meal to arrive?

[SeasonedVet]

kdynamic wrote:

[furiousmilksheikali]

[gaijinalways]

Good idea, I third that!

[kdynamic]

I went ahead and started a new thread with this branching topic called "Untranslatable, unsimplifiable Japanese? [moved topic]" with the quotes from this thread relating to that topic. Go continue the conversation over there because I found it interesting

[G Cthulhu]