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I'm having trouble determining the meaning and nuance of this sentence. Can you help me out?

[技術]{ぎじゅつ}といっても、上手か下手かだけではなく、その技術を使う人の気持ちの持ち方まで[問題]{もんだい}にしているのです。

I think the closest I've been able to get so far is…

Even though one may call it a "skill," it's not so much whether one is good or bad at it, but… (how feelings of those who practice the skill are held?)

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    I think I'd translate the 気持ち as attitude rather than feelings. "it's not only about how good or bad someone is at doing it, but it's also about what attitude people have who practice it". I'm not sure about how to translate the 問題にしている. May 15, 2012 at 15:15
  • eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=問題にしている i need more context but here is my guess= "Speaking of skill( art; craft; technique; technology; engineering;), it's not just how good or bad one is at something, but it is the way that one uses that skill which is the matter at hand." *I am a little confused by 気持ちの持ち方.
    – yadokari
    May 15, 2012 at 15:25
  • I don't think that 気持ち can always be translated to the English "feeling". Daijisen lists it as ...感情や考え方 ("...'emotion/feeling' or 'way of thinking'")
    – cypher
    May 15, 2012 at 23:20
  • Context? I am curious who the subject of "問題にしているのです" is.
    – dainichi
    May 16, 2012 at 0:32
  • dainichi: The context is an essay about the suffix ~[道]{どう} as in [華道]{かどう} (flower arranging) and [剣道]{けんどう} (fencing) and how it is sometimes used ironically to imply a non-traditional skill, like パチンコ道 (implying a skill in the traditional art of pachinko). At least, I think what that's about. To tell the truth, the textbook it's from, [中級]{ちゅうきゅう}から[学]{まな}ぶ日本語 (第6課), and the class I'm taking that's using it are pretty much kicking my ass. May 16, 2012 at 13:23

5 Answers 5

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Here is my crack at it:

Although one may call it a "skill", it's not only a matter of how well you do it, but also the "way of thinking" of a person who uses that skill that is very important.

Lets dissect 気持ちの持ち方まで問題にしているのです。

The 気持ちの持ち方 could probably translated as "way of thinking" or "attitude" as Matt N points out. But, basically it means your feelings or disposition with regard to something.

The 問題にしている doesn't mean "problem" in the English sense here. You could literally think of it as saying "make it an issue". In other words, it is something that is important is what they are saying.

EDIT

Here is a re-translation after understanding more about what this is about:

Although I said winning or losing depends on your skill level, it's not just whether you are good or bad at it, but your mindset when you play Pachinko is also very important.

I based the above sentence on the following passage:

ある人が「パチンコは単なる暇つぶしじゃありません。勝ち負けは自分の腕ひとつだと思うから一生懸命になるのです」と言って、こんな話をしてくれました。「腕ひとつとい‌​っても、技術的に上手か下手かだけでわなく、気持ちの持ち方までも問題にしているのです。高い技術を身に付けようとして、悩み、苦しみながら精神的にも成長していく。そうし‌​て身に付けた技術が心と一つになったとき、パチンコに勝てるのです」。

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  • I don't agree with your translation. "is very important" is subjective by the narrator. "問題にしているのです" is suggesting that someone is finding it important. That person could be the narrator herself, but that's not a given.
    – dainichi
    May 16, 2012 at 0:34
  • @dainichi: You're right, but without any more context I had to guess.
    – Jesse Good
    May 16, 2012 at 0:41
  • I feel that "one's feelings or disposition with regard to something" could also be defined as 気持ち.Is there not any added nuance with 気持ちの持ち方?
    – yadokari
    May 16, 2012 at 3:11
  • @yadokari: Yes, 気持ちの持ち方 expresses the way or method of thinking (feeling), whereas 気持ち is just the thinking(feeling) itself.
    – Jesse Good
    May 16, 2012 at 3:29
  • Although I said winning or losing depends on your skill level is totally a wrong translation.
    – user458
    May 18, 2012 at 10:21
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I found a site. If this is from a textbook, I'm not sure I should link to that site, but it's not all that hard to find (it or one like it). I'll just lift the relevant parts.

The entire context seems to be this ("Q" and "A" added for clarity):

Q: 柔道の技術というのは何を問題にしているのですか。
A: 技術といっても、上手か下手かだけではなく、その技術を使う人の気持ちの持ち方まで問題にしているのです。

Translation:

Q: What is relevant to someone's judo skills?
A: Though it is called skill, whether a person is good or bad at judo is not the only factor; the attitude of the person employing those skills is also important.

That's the meaning. Nuance...?

Xといっても kind of means "it's kind of X, but not entirely what X immediately implies".

問題 has a meaning of "something that needs to be discussed", so I took that as "relevant". But a more standard translation of 問題 that fits that same sense is "issue", so you might also think of the question as "What is at issue in" or "What is an issue for". For what it's worth, alc's results for 問題にして(いる) suggest "concern" or "worry"...arguably, "important", but those are also with people as the subject, not judo or some such, as here (although, as you may note by the switcheroo from "what is relevant" to "is also important", "relevant" and "important" are fairly close).

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Giving my two cents, this is the way I interpret it:

Q: 柔道の技術というのは何を問題にしているのですか。
Q: What are you making an issue of in regards to the skill of Judo?

A: 技術といっても、上手か下手かだけではなく、その技術を使う人の気持ちの持ち方まで問題にしているのです。
A: Though I say it is a skill, it's not just about whether one is good or bad at it, I am making an issue as far as the mindset of the people who employ the skill.

問題にする = "make an issue of" or "bring (something) into question".

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I think the major problem you have is the translation of といっても. It does not necessarily mean as strong as "even though" as you wrote. In this case, simply take it as indicating a topic: "As for technology/skill", "Regarding technology/skill".

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    There's something more to といっても than "simply" indicating a topic, even here. To say that's all it is here is to miss part of the meaning, IMO. It may not be eloquent, but I do believe Garrett Albright is essentially correct with "even though" in his attempt in the question. May 19, 2012 at 20:09
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Here is my try:

"Regarding skill, it's not only just how good or bad one is, but it is the way one thinks about using a skill which is the matter at hand."

I guess this sentiment would make sense in the gravity with which certain people approach a profession, such as an esteemed sushi chef.

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