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Someone must join military service for 1 year of unremitting pain, exertion and tears. At graduation ceremony, he speaks on the stage and says that this duty is like a hell but he will miss it to the extent he wants to do it again in the future.

Question

What is the phrase for "a hell that makes you miss it"? Is 懐かしくさせる地獄 natural?

For example, I want to use the phrase as follows.

まるで懐かしくさせる地獄のような会社で働きたいです。

I want to work in a company that looks like a hell that makes me miss it.

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  • I would argue that "hell that makes me miss it" is pretty non-trivial to translate. There's some idiomatic Japanese expression that would probably fit better than trying to literally translate the english here
    – frei
    Feb 20, 2017 at 2:39
  • "love hate relationship" is translated as 愛と憎しみの[間柄]{あいだ・がら}. I seems logical to apply to it work. Feb 20, 2017 at 5:24
  • @CraigHicks We rather say 愛憎相半ば or such things. Feb 22, 2017 at 1:55
  • @brokenheadphones - 「愛と憎しみの相対する感情を半分ずつ感じている様子。」なるほど! Thanks. Feb 22, 2017 at 4:25

2 Answers 2

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懐かしくさせる地獄 is not natural. In Japanese, an inanimate object doesn't tend to be a subject of such a verb. See: In Japanese, can we say an object asks a question?

So in order to make yourself understood, at least you have to rephrase it and say いつか懐かしく思うであろう地獄, いつか懐かしくなる地獄, 恋しく思ってしまうような地獄, or something like that. But it's still not something we usually say. Normally people say ブラックすぎてむしろやりがいがある会社, 地獄のようでも好きになれる会社 or such.

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My free translation is,

"a hell that makes me(you) miss it"
「まるで地{じ}獄{ごく}のような過{か}酷{こく}な経{けい}験{けん}でしたが、同{どう}時{じ}に決{けっ}して忘{わす}れることのできない貴{き}重{ちょう}な経{けい}験{けん}でもありました」
It was the terrible experience as if I were in the hell, but at the same time it was the valuable experience I'll never forget.


まるで懐かしくさせる地獄のような会社で働きたいです。
I want to work in a company that looks like a hell that makes me miss it.
とても地獄のように大変だけど、一生忘れることが出{で}来{き}ない、そんな会社で働きたいです。

We don't use "地獄" in this context. I recommend you should express your will without "地獄."

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