Job Discussion Forums

[shmooj]

I just got through watching Lost in Translation. My wife and I nearly wet ourselves several times. Having left Japan a month ago now, it made us both long to go back and brought back memories of things that used to drive us nuts but which we now find quaint.

The thing is, how does anyone follow this movie without having spent a few years in Japan? I mean, yeah it would be humourous without having been there but it's absolutely hilarious if you have been. The scene in the hospital waiting room with the old lady... "Nan nen iru no... muzukashiii neee...." I almost died laughing.

For me, in so many ways, the film was the answer to my recent "The Essence of Japan" thread.

Anyone else think so... or am I just missing "home"

[Mark-O]

Shmooj,

Not sure if you're aware, but I'd fairly recently posted about this film on the Japan Forum, entitled 'Lost in Translation'. A few people replied. Check it out if you're interested ...

I'm still yet to see the film!

[shmooj]

[shmooj]

[Mark-O]

*Yawn*

"I have yet to see the film"

Happy?

Chill out, it was only a helpful reference to another similar post.

[Billy Chaka]

[Glenski]

[BenJ]

because America of course is only the size of a village and couldn't possibly have differing dialects could it.... ?

Lost in Translation - great movie, enjoyed it all the more having lived for even a short time in Japan. My grandma liked it, so it must be good.

[Billy Chaka]

Well, this is kind of getting off topic from the original post, but it's kind of a debate on what grammar is. I took a few graduate-level ESL courses about 10 years back or so, and as I recall, as far as grammar goes, the debate amoung the academics was whether grammar is a static set of rules that exist in a book, or whether grammar is the rules of everyday speech that are continually evolving. I agree that if you looked in any grammar book it would say that "I have yet to see the film" is the correct usage. But the point I was trying to make is that when I read (or if I heard) "I'm still yet to see the film!", it didn't sound the least bit strange to me, and if my friends said it to me or I said it to my friends in the course of everyday conversation, we wouldn't think anything of it. So even though the grammar book may say that it's wrong, in reality many would argue that it is in fact correct grammar because it's the way people really speak, and 50 years from now it will be in the grammar books (even though people will probably be saying it a different way in 50 years).

[Lynn]

If you include the General Forum, this is actually the third post about this movie. I hated the movie.

[foster]

I agree with you Smooj...I have been away from Japan for 9 months now and I found myself missing it while watching this film...and I loved the film!!

Hope you are enjoying Korea.

[shmooj]

[Mark-O]

I wouldn't know as I speak English (when I'm not making grammatical errors) ... having been born and raised in England.

[Li-ka]

...Because I'm too lazy to search the general forum for the posts on this...

After seeing the movie (which was only a few weeks ago), I was actually scared about coming to Japan. Maybe the pace of the movie threw me off, but everything seemed so slow and lonely. Mostly though, at every eikaiwa interview I have gone to, someone mentioned the movie and loved it because it accurately represented their first visit to Japan. Fortunately for me, a friend is currently working for Nova and let me see the pics he has on the web, and I once again grew excited about coming to Japan. At least I will know someone who is already there.

[Gordon]

Li-ka
Please don't let a Hollywood movie affect whether you want to come to Japan or not. Lost in T. had such depressing characters and I can say I can't relate to many of their events. It's the Japanese people and their reactions that make the movie IMO.