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[s_sirotori_m]

Hello, everyone

I have to translate a passage from Japanese into English. Would you help me translate it?

What I translated is:
�A lot of people say that (1)dialogue is important, but if they think that mere chatting is (2)dialogue, they are seriously mistaken. In order to have (3)dialogue, we need a dramatic sense which makes us understand the situation. If two people without this sense discuss a complicated matter, they will start fighting each other.�

I have a question about the word �dialogue�. A lot of dictionaries say that �dialogue� is both countable and uncountable. I wonder whether I should add the article �a� before the word �dialogue�. I think we shouldn�t add �a� before (1) and (2) �dialogue� and that we should add �a� before (3)�dialogue. Is that right? Would you teach me about it? And if there are any other mistakes, would you mind correcting them?

[dragn]

Hi,

So you want to say:

"A lot of people say that dialogue is important, but if they think that mere chatting is dialogue, they are seriously mistaken. In order to have a dialogue, we need a dramatic sense which makes us understand the situation. If two people without this sense discuss a complicated matter, they will start fighting each other."

I agree with your choices--I think your sense of usage here is spot on. The basic question to ask yourself is whether you are talking about dialogue in general or one individual dialogue. In the third instance (In order to have a dialogue...) I think you could probably go either way without doing any real damage, but it is easy and natural to think of one individual dialogue in that phrase.

A couple of simple examples:

Ex. Dialogue is crucial to solving problems between countries.

Clearly we are emphasizing the concept of dialogue in general, and not one certain dialogue.

Ex. The two countries sought to establish a dialogue.

Here there is greater emphasis on one certain dialogue, not just dialogue in general.

One thing to keep in mind is that a dialogue, in the countable sense, can be thought of in two ways. A dialogue can be thought of as either one single conversation or discussion, or as an ongoing series of conversations or discussions between the same people or groups about some problem or issue. The idea of an ongoing series of discussions is the way we usually use the word dialogue in the area of diplomacy, such as when two countries have strained relations and may be on the brink of war.

There are other types of dialogue, however. There is also dialogue in the literary sense. In that sense, dialogue is nearly always uncountable, since it refers to any and all conversation that occurs between any characters in the story.

So as you can see, the context in which you are using the word dialogue does matter.

As far as the rest is concerned, I see nothing screamingly wrong. However, I would probably say "...fighting with each other." If you just say that two people are fighting each other, it tends to conjure up the image of two people actually punching each other. Unless you're referring to American television talk shows, I am confident this is not your meaning.

I'm niggling now. In the phrase "...we need a dramatic sense which makes us understand the situation," would you consider "...a sense of the dramatic which enables us to understand the situation"? It is very possible, however, that I'm not quite tuned in to precisely what you're trying to say. At first glance, I would say that the use of make seems a bit muscular here.

OK, this is hyper-niggling. Contrary to the loosey-goosey style of many modern writers that no doubt signals the crumbling of Western civilization as we know it, I would replace the comma before but with a semicolon.

Good question. Hope this helps.

dragn