Questions tagged [translation]

翻訳. This site does not provide a translation service. However, questions about translation are welcome provided that they have some academic merit. For example, questions about translating uncommon words, phrases that have different meanings in different contexts, and other non-trivial topics.

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Is Saturday considered a weekday or weekend, or something else?

I'm confused about this sign. It states working hours. The first part is easy: weekdays is 9:30 to 20:00. The second part is strange. Instead of saying 週末・祭日 (weekends and holidays), it says "...
Nexen's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
1k views

How correct is Duolingo with 俺は人間をやめるぞ!

Recently I got curious about Duolingo's Japanese courses, so I downloaded it and skipped over to section 5. This is the highest level section where they are still teaching you to my understanding. ...
Tylersanzura's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
133 views

Meaning of しない in sign 飲酒運転しないさせない我が職場

I can't understand this sign. Part しない just doesn't make sense to me. If it weren't there I would translate it as "Drunken driving isn't allowed. This region under my duty" (later part I ...
Nexen's user avatar
  • 353
0 votes
1 answer
94 views

Prepositional phrase with に and verb 感じられる

"界王神界にまでエネルギーが感じられるほど強大な力を開放し" In this phrase, would it to be correct to say the prepositional phrase "界王神界に" connects to the object of the verb "エネルギー" or the subject of ...
eren_my_beloved's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
99 views

したく in 「戦いをしたくありません.」

In 戦いをしたくありません. [He] didn't want to start a war. is したく the adverbial form of したい? Literally speaking, does this sentence means something like "wanting to do a war"-ly doesn't exist. ...
George's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
102 views

Spontaneously in Japanese

How can we say spontaneously in a natural way in Japanese? Here the context: My German friend will spontaneously visit Okayama tomorrow. Because of that I want to cancel our running session tomorrow. ...
Merlin Nestler's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
48 views

Trying to translate a more complex sentence, Instrumentives

I am having difficulty translating something (I am translating as an excerise), how would one translate a more instrumental sentence, like: "Charlie sweetens the cake with sugar" "...
DanceroftheStars's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
68 views

I'm having trouble understanding the usage of 特に...もっとですね, and 15回以上は

From Sakura Tips podcast episode 615. パッキング, there is a transcript to the podcast. I'm having difficulty understanding due to my confusion regarding word/phrase ordering. Original transcript: ...
richizy's user avatar
  • 145
3 votes
1 answer
129 views

Why are conflicting verb tenses allowed in usage of なら

In https://japanesetest4you.com/japanese-language-proficiency-test-jlpt-n4-grammar-exercise-7/ I encountered the following sentence: 父は何でも作れたんだ。 戸棚が必要なら、父が作ってくれた。 If I were to translate this into ...
richizy's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
78 views

Who is the agent in the sentence そんなおとぎ話をよく聞かされたっけ?

In the Chantelise opening narration, having Japanese audio and English text translation, multiple sources, like rpgfan, hardcoregaming101 and RPGamer say that Elise is quoting a warning that her ...
Malady's user avatar
  • 333
0 votes
1 answer
116 views

Grasping the meaning of this passage by Miyamoto Musashi

I was doing some JLPT reading practice and found this passage that I cannot really comprehend. The Miyamoto Musashi quote is highlighted in the brackets: (略) 前田さんによれば、真剣同士の戦いは、実際に刀と刀がぶつかっていなくても、...
Barcia's user avatar
  • 15
0 votes
0 answers
38 views

What does 「やっぱり申告制でひとつ」mean in this context? [duplicate]

Context: MC is asking 2 of his subordinates about their desired salary/ allowance, which he will pay for them. Since he has been isekai'd , he doesn't know about the average salary/ income or ...
goldenlight's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
94 views

Meaning and reading of 益し加える

Reading in a book by 落合淳思 I wonder about (what looks like) the compound verb 益し加える in the sentence 「自は鼻の象形であり、それに声符を益し加えた繁文である。」 (繁文 is used by Ochiai as a technical term for the modern shape of a ...
hurdsean's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
115 views

A story called japan vs a story called old story, their difference in japanese

So I'm learning japanese. I've put the above phrases in google translate and they translate differently. One says, "Nihon to iu monogatari" which I understand as simply a story called japan. ...
Rommel Bagasina's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
134 views

Disjointed dialogue in Zelda: Ocarina of Time?

Near the beginning of the game, an NPC says this dialogue, explaining some controls: This seems to defy all conventions of building a complete sentence, which seems strange since it's supposed to be ...
Hikonyan's user avatar
  • 1,900
0 votes
3 answers
88 views

Cant understand this relative clause

There is this little article that im using to study japanese and one of its passages says: 国立感染症研究所によると、約3000の病院で6月25日までの1週間にヘルパンギーナがうつったことがわかった人は、1つの病院に平均で5.79人いました。今までの10年でいちばん多くなりました。 I cant ...
Nima's user avatar
  • 3
0 votes
2 answers
262 views

Is "Watashitachi wa, donna shigoto wo shimasu ka" the best way to ask "what kind of job are we going to do?" in a job interview?

How could I ask "what kind of job are we going to do" in a Japanese job interview? I could just simply use something like: Watashitachi wa, donna shigoto wo shimasu ka But for me it doesn'...
quielfala's user avatar
  • 103
0 votes
1 answer
118 views

What is supposed to be first or second for ながら

So I learned that ながら means doing things are the same time, but is a certain activity specified as a main activity or the first activity? My textbook always puts the second activity first in the ...
Infernoboy's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
135 views

What is the difference between 言語一般 and 一般言語?

I was reading an article about 統語論 which was defined as follows: 言語一般において文が構成される仕組みを扱う分野。 Now when I tried to search for the meaning of "言語一般" I could not find any thing on it. When I ...
goldenlight's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
119 views

Meaning of shiji no hoshi

I just bought a japanese maple tree - in Oregon, USA - and the variety is listed as 'shiji no hoshi' (English letters, no kanji of course). I know hoshi is star; for shiji Google translate gave me ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
1 answer
121 views

Is 歌い踊り舞う a compound verb or something else?

I came across this line from YOASOBI's song 「アイドル」: 流れる汗も綺麗なアクア ルビーを隠したこの瞼 歌い踊り舞う私はマリア そう嘘はとびきりの愛だ I'm having some trouble with the bolded part and I want to break it up grammatically. I've tried to ...
Uri Greenberg's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
95 views

What does 「にすん」 mean in this phrase?

Above shows the phrase with the structure highlighted, from the "Blood Plus" manga. Maybe it means "to decide to be", being a contraction of にする, with the translation being "...
Tito Morenno Pontes e Souza's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
103 views

Understanding two more sections of Still for your love

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4    Part 5 This time I'm cross-posting this, and I'm already splitting it. I still give the full lyrics to the song, Still for your love (video) in case it's useful ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
0 votes
1 answer
56 views

Understanding two sections of Still for your love

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4    Part 5 The question is about the following part of Still for your love (video): さぁ 裸足になって 大地けって 虹をこえて 空をつかんで I wish 胸の十字架をにぎり 朝は 希望があなたにふりそそぎ 夜は やわらかな光が ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
0 votes
1 answer
87 views

About two sentences in Still for your love

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4    Part 5 This time I'm cross-posting this, and I'm already splitting it. The song is Still for your love (video), and we're talking about the following part: ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
-1 votes
1 answer
99 views

Understanding the first section of Still for your love

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4    Part 5 This time I'm cross-posting this, and I'm already splitting it. The song this is about is Still for your love (video). This question is about the ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
0 votes
1 answer
94 views

あなたがいるから: "will to kneel" or "kneeling stone"? (And probably the debunking of a wrong translation of that couplet)

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4 This is part four of what was mostly a cross-post of this Quora post. The song is this one, and the lyrics go: もしもこの世に汚れがなければ 姿を変えずに愛し合えたのに どうして時は衆を分つの ねえそばにいて今だけ ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
0 votes
1 answer
43 views

Help understanding the third section of あなたがいるから

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4 This is part three of what was mostly a cross-post of this Quora post. The song is this one, and the lyrics go: もしもこの世に汚れがなければ 姿を変えずに愛し合えたのに どうして時は衆を分つの ねえそばにいて今だけ ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
0 votes
1 answer
55 views

Middle of あなたがいるから: singulars or plurals?

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4 This is part two of what was mostly a cross-post of this Quora post. The song is this one, and the lyrics go: もしもこの世に汚れがなければ 姿を変えずに愛し合えたのに どうして時は衆を分つの ねえそばにいて今だけ ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
0 votes
1 answer
66 views

Help understanding the beginning of the song あなたがいるから

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4 This is part one of what was mostly a cross-post of this Quora post. The song is this one, and the lyrics go: もしもこの世に汚れがなければ 姿を変えずに愛し合えたのに どうして時は衆を分つの ねえそばにいて今だけ ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 502
1 vote
1 answer
97 views

コトを appears after the verb

I came across this sentence in chapter 37 of それでも歩は寄せてくる: うるし:「あぶなー… 寒いとか言ってたら歩のことだ」 歩:「オレの学ランをどうぞ」 うるし:「とか言って私がまた照れちゃうコトを」 Now, what I understand the use of the first こと in which there is an ...
Uri Greenberg's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
96 views

とどく; 届く meaning in this sentence

と…とても信じられん…こ…この聖域にまでパワーがとどくなんて Unbelievable! That the power would reach even this sanctuary...! Looking for an in depth explanation of the usage of とどく; 届く here, because I've read that it means reach ...
eren_my_beloved's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
188 views

欠く vs. 欠ける vs. 欠かせる vs. 欠かせない

I can't clearly see the differences between the meanings of 欠く, 欠ける, 欠かせる, and 欠かせない that I get from resources like Google Translate, Deepl, or wwwjdic. For example, if I enter the following in Deepl ...
kjo's user avatar
  • 321
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the meaning of 富士山麓オウム返しに?

I am trying to translate a song from Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei (Private Lesson by Yuu Kobayashi). This is the complete stanza: 水兵リーベ・悪いボク シップスクラーク・いけないわ ひと晩中ひと見頃 富士山麓オウム返しに Repeat after me 今夜の授業は ...
peakcipher's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
120 views

聞いていない different meanings

So I saw somewhere that 聞いていない could mean "wasn't listening", or "didn't hear anything" but if they are all in the past, wouldn't they be 聞いていなかった? 聞く is a continous action, so ...
Infernoboy's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
98 views

Noun modifying clauses and なんて

This is about this scene from volume 33 of Attack on Titan (hidden to prevent spoilers, continue reading the question at your own risk) I feel I'm close to understanding this sentence but some parts ...
Uri Greenberg's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
70 views

なきゃ and とこ usage and translation

I've come across this conversation in それでも歩は寄せてくる: This is the transcript: 田中歩:「何してるんですか」 八乙女うるし:「お 田中 いいとこに来たな」 八乙女うるし:「新入部員も入ったことだし 名前を入れてやらなきゃなーって 今書いてんだ」 I'm having trouble with Urushi's ...
Uri Greenberg's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
75 views

Other meaning of ふたたび?

I'm reading Cardcaptor Sakura (Clear Card edition), and there is this sentence at the beginning (to explain to the reader who Eriol is), but I can't figure out the second part at all, please help! 「...
Titania313's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
108 views

Sentence with と 来ている! [duplicate]

I started watching Hi score girl, and in the first episode there is a sentence like this : コイツはこんな所に来る 女の子ではなかったはず 成績優秀で誰からも慕われ― しかも金持ちの娘と 来ている! I've never seen と 来ている! Is this a mistake in subtitles ...
ameri087's user avatar
-5 votes
1 answer
134 views

What do "。" and "、" mean?

I was browsing and found this question. At the end of the following text (from "Night on the Galactic Railroad"): ...
Malekai's user avatar
  • 95
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

What does 適度な所で斜め上に向かって穴を掘る mean here?

出る時は斜めに掘る必要があるな。いや、待て待て。 縦の穴。酸素はどうなっている? マズイ、死ぬ? 俺は慌てて斜め上に向かって穴を掘り、脱出する。 反省。次は空気の通り道を考えながら、掘ってみた。 基本、斜め掘り。適度な所で斜め上に向かって穴を掘る。俺の中のイメージの井戸とは全然違うが、要は空気が流れればよい。 最終的に下に向かって掘っていれば問題はないだろう。 So, a guy tries ...
goldenlight's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
162 views

What is ならぬ Meaning in this sentence?

Found ならぬ in the following sentence and am unsure of what it's meaning is. Also would be nice if anyone provided a total translation for the whole sentence for increased clarity. 「...
デイター's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
237 views

Interpretation of dotted verbs like 検査・判別する

When you see verbs connected by a dot in a text, such as "検査・判別する," what is the best way to interpret this? Normally when I come across examples like this I assume that the meaning is 'or', ...
Tzadeck's user avatar
  • 23
0 votes
1 answer
117 views

Understanding 気分任せの足跡

I'm translating the song “はだしの軌跡” from Final Fantasy X-2: Vocal Collection - Rikku. 気分まかせの足跡つけて新しい地図 描こう I’m translating this lyric from right to left, reading as “Let’s draw a new map by...” ...
A.T.A.'s user avatar
  • 95
0 votes
1 answer
151 views

What verb means "create a problem"?

When creating japanese languages packages for computer languages, we have to translate the words "raise" or "throw" from computer programming jargon into everyday japanese. What ...
Samuel Muldoon's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
91 views

What is the Japanese word equivalent for [Remember me] usually found in system login

I need to translate my web system to japanese languange, and kinda stuck on translating [remember me] word to its japanese equivalent. Any suggestion?
Mario Ariyanto's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
593 views

What is the W for Wワーク

Just as the title, what is the W in Wワーク? There is also those U-turn I-turn.....etc Could you elaborate why is it just a single leter and what is the meaning of it?
K a r L's user avatar
  • 33
1 vote
0 answers
357 views

Correct Japanese spelling of ‘Redemption’ when being used as a name for a male [closed]

I am trying to find how to spell ‘Redemption’ in Japanese if I were going to use it as a name/alias. Or if there is a wording/phrasing that means ‘Man on the path of Redemption’ Like yamabusi for ...
Wez J's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
381 views

Attack on Titan episode 2 - What does preacher say?

I am translating 進撃の巨人. Below is a sentence from the transcript of the second episode. Here the link for reference: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XT7gHjFO8jft8DAQCVpPfmU3DreCsraJVYC-NPtmv5g/edit ...
Merlin Nestler's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
180 views

Grammar and meaning of a Taisho era sentence

I'm having some problems understanding the following sentence (it comes from a Taisho era story): 丁度女が額の真廂《まびさし》をむきつけに電燈の光で射向けられるやうな寂しくもけうとい感じがした My understanding of it is: I felt forlorn and ...
Bruce's user avatar
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