Tuesday, September 04, 2007
FRUITS BASKET TRANSLATION NOTES, VOL. 1, PART 1
This time I've gone back to the beginning. There's a lot of material here: so much that I'm dividing it into two parts. Since I haven't done one of these in a while, I'll go over the basics (see the sidebar for my previous translation notes).
In each entry, TP refers to the Tokyopop edition, JP refers to the Japanese edition, and the line below the JP is my own translation. I haven't included every discrepancy between the TP and JP, only ones where there's a plot or character point involved, where the TP doesn't make sense, or where a joke is lost in the TP.
My translations should not be considered as polished translations; they're intended only to present the meaning of the JP as accurately as I can. They aren't always word-for-word literal translations, but when I had to choose between preserving the overall meaning of the passage and avoiding awkwardness in the English, I've chosen the former. In this regard I should again stress that these notes aren't intended to disparage the work of the translators and adaptor. Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sure they did much better jobs than I could have.
In this volume, unlike the others I've done, the Japanese and English page numbers are the same.
p. 6:
TP: Life in the Sohma household, pre-Tohru
JP: Shigure mo douzai nan' desu keredo.
Shigure is also guilty, though.
p. 7, panel 1:
TP: Let's get this show on the road, shall we? This is where the fun begins ...
JP: Enkai o hajimemashou. Minna to tanoshiku itsumademo
Let's start the banquet, and enjoy ourselves with everyone as long as we like/forever
I'm not entirely sure of the second half of my translation. In isolation, the TP is fine as a free translation; but "enkai" is the word used to describe the banquet to which God invites the animals, which gives these lines an extra layer of significance. A further layer will be apparent later. "Itsumademo" can mean "as long as one likes" or "forever"; both meanings are significant here.
p.8 panels 3-4:
TP: No matter what happens in life I never let it get me down. That's me -- ever the optimist!
JP: Watashi no torie wa donna toki demo megunai koto desu
My good point is that whatever happens I never lose heart
p. 15, panel 1:
TP: Stop fantasizing and get a life.
JP: Kudannee innen tsukete n' ja nee zo kuraa ...
You're inventing an absurd pretext for a quarrel
p.18, panel 6:
TP: That sucks, you having to pay all your school expenses yourself.
JP: Taihen da naa. Gakuhi wa jibun de harau tte yakusoku shite n' da kke ka
Isn't it awful that you promised to pay your school expenses by yourself? [My emphasis]
Also, Hana's second balloon in this panel is a question.
p. 19, panel 1:
TP: After I graduate, I want to be able to pay my own way.
JP: Demo sotsugyou shitara hitorigurashi o hajimetai to omotte
But when I graduate I want to start living on my own
panel 2: There's no "so selfless" in the JP.
p. 24, panel 1:
TP: My head is spinning just from being around him.
JP: Amari no kireisa ni tamashii o suwareta kibun ...
I feel like my soul is being sucked in by too much beauty ...
panel 6: The word on the cover of the book Tohru is holding is "kakeiba," which means a household accounting book.
panel 7:
TP: Mom was always there for me.
JP: Watashi o mamotte kureta okaasan
Mom protected me
p. 25, panel 1:
TP: She was my cheerful protector.
JP: Itsu datte pawafuru de akarukute
Always powerful and bright
panel 4:
TP: Yes, yes! Good, good!
JP: Uki-uki uki-uki
Cheerfully cheerfully
p. 26, panel 2:
TP: Why don't I just start now?!
JP: Ima kara sono sabishisa ni taeru ii chansu da to omou koto ni shimashou!!
I'll think of this as an opportunity to endure that loneliness!!
p. 27, panel 1:
TP: My home is my castle. My home is my castle!
JP: Sumeba miyako. Sumeba miyako desu ... !!
There's no place like home. There's no place like home ... !! [Literally, "If you live there, it's the capital."]
p. 28, panel 1:
"Kiraku," the word translated as "progressive," actually means "easygoing, carefree, optimistic."
p. 35, panel 4:
There's no "castle" in the JP.
p. 36, panel 3:
TP: "Come home safe."
JP: ... Itterasshai
When a Japanese person leaves their house for a short time (e.g. to go to work or school) and someone else is in the house, they will automatically say "ittekimasu," which literally means "I'm going and coming [back]." The other person will just as automatically reply "itterasshai." I'm not sure of the literal meaning of this, but it might be something like "you'll be welcome when you return." If you watch anime with subtitles, you've probably heard this exchange many times. The important things here are that first, this is simply a standard phrase with no deep meaning; and second, there's no suggestion that Tohru thinks her not saying "itterasshai" had anything to do with her mother's death: she's just sorry she didn't say goodbye to her that morning.
p. 37, panel 1:
TP: I missed out on a lot of opportunities because of it.
JP: Demo yappa joshi kousei tte no mo yatte mitakatta na
But I wanted to try being a high schooler, after all
panel 3:
TP: But it's not too late! Even with my grades and my house being blown away I can still make it up to my mom.
JP: Baka desu. Akaten totte mo ie ga fukitonde mo taisetsu ni shinakya ikenai no wa okaasan datta no ni
I'm stupid. I get bad grades, and my house is blown away, and even though I should have taken good care of mom
panel 4:
TP: I can't bring her back ...
JP: Mou nido to ienai
Once again I couldn't say goodbye
panel 5:
TP: ... but I can live the life she wanted for me. She wanted me to finish high school so I'll graduate ... for her.
JP: Dakara semete gakkou wa okaasan ga nyuugaku suru koto o nozonda gakkou dake wa buji ni sotsugyou shitai desu ...
So at least I want to graduate safely from high school, which my mother wanted to enter ...
p. 41, panel 1:
TP: You don't have to push yourself so hard.
JP: Muri shite made kaji o tetsudau koto nai n' da yo
You don't have to help with the housework until you wear yourself out
panel 3:
TP: ... I'll die alone.
JP: notareji ni kettei desu ...
I'll definitely die of exposure ...
p. 44, panel 3:
TP: I'm pretty good at it, too, if I do say so.
JP: tto iu ka sore igai tokui na koto ga nai ...
That is, aside from that I have no strong points ...
p. 46, panel 1:
TP: I am at the mercy of your hospitality.
JP: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!!
"Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," sometimes translated as "please treat me favorably," is commonly used in a variety of situations (often informally abbreviated to "yoroshiku"). Like "itterasshai," if you watch subtitled anime you've probably heard it a lot, particularly when a transfer student is being introduced. Also like "itterasshai," it shouldn't be translated as anything more than a routine polite formula.
p. 47, panel 3:
TP: It's all too good to be true. I hope my staying here doesn't cause them too much trouble.
JP: Aa demo hontou ni hontou ni ii no deshou ka. Kouun sugite fuan ni narimasu ...
Oh, but is it really, really okay? Too much good luck makes me uneasy ...
p. 51, panel 1:
TP: Is Kyo back?
JP: Moshikashite Kyou ga kita?
Did Kyou perhaps come?
The significance of this, and the final note to p. 84, panel 5, is that the TP has sometimes been taken to imply that before Kyou went off to the mountains, he had lived in Shigure's house. In the JP, there is no such implication.
p. 52, panel 1:
TP: I'm the same age as Kyo-kun ...
JP: Kyou-kun ni totte wa onaidoshi no onna no ko nan' desu ga ...
But for Kyou-kun the girls are the same age ... [And so Kyou won't be as excited at going to school with them as Shigure would be.]
p. 59, panel 4:
TP has switched the words in the two balloons.
p. 60, panel 2:
TP: I'm getting there.
JP: Daibu jijou wa nomikomete ... kimashita
There was ... quite a lot to take in
p. 61, panel 4:
There's nothing in the JP corresponding to "he's like a lovestruck fool."
p. 62, panel 2:
"Bugaisha," which TP translates as "outcast," means simply "outsider."
p. 63, panel 4:
TP: Just this once I'll overlook your stupidity
JP: Sono bakasa kagen ni menjite
Out of respect for the extent of that stupidity
p. 64, panel 4:
In the JP Tohru's thought is a question.
p. 71, panel 4:
There's no "I'm a liability, aren't I?!" in the JP.
p. 81, panel 2:
TP: Yuki does have good instincts, but still ... proceed with caution.
JP: Demo Yuki wa kan ga ii kara ki o tsukete ne
But Yuki is [mentally] sharp, so be careful
panel 5:
TP: I am at your mercy.
JP: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu
See the note to p. 46, panel 1.
p. 82, panel 1:
TP: Our mercy ...
JP: Yoroshiku ...
This is difficult to translate, but "yoroshiku" on its own can mean "well," "suitably," or "as one thinks fit," and Yuki is probably thinking ironically of one (or more) of these senses.
panel 2:
TP: I am in debt to you, too, Kyo-san."
JP: Yo- yoroshiku onegai shimasu eto ... Kyou-kun
See the note to p. 46, panel 1 ("eto" is just an interjection indicating hesitation, like "um" in English).
panel 3:
TP: Why should I be nice to anyone in this ...
JP: Dare ga yoroshiku suru ka konna ie ...
Who behaves well [or "suitably"] in a house like this ...
(I'm not really sure here, but that's my best guess.)
panel 5:
TP: Fix it again!
JP: Fuman ga aru nara dete ike
If you're dissatisfied, get out
panel 5:
TP: Maybe I will!
JP: Dete ... konna ... [ellipses mine]
The text is cut off by the panel border, and I can't tell what Kyou is supposed to be saying.
panel 5:
TP: We gave away your room.
JP: Omae no heya nanka nai zo
You have no room
See p. 51, panel 1.
p. 85, panel 1:
TP: It's a great setup -- I own them so much.
JP: Arigatasugite atama ga agarimasen
I'm so grateful [or "obliged"] that I can't hold my head up
p. 88, panel 2:
TP: You look like a talk show host.
JP: Hosuto mitai.
You look like a host.
"Host" here doesn't mean "talk show host." Those who have read or watched Ouran High School Host Club or watched Nerima Daikon Brothers will know what a "host" is. For those who don't, a host works at a "host club": a commercial establishment were women pay (quite a lot) for the company of young men. A host will flirt with his customer, and cater to her romantic or sexual fantasies, but ordinarily will not have sex with her. This may sound like something dreamt up by a shoujo mangaka, but host clubs are real: for more information see here. Shigure in this scene is, in fact, dressed similarly to a typical host as described in that article, or to Ichiro, the host character from Nerima Daikon Brothers.
Since "hosts" do not exist in the U.S. and the concept is unfamiliar, producing a translation that makes sense to American readers is problematic. If it were me, I might go with "You look like a gigolo," even though that only approximates the original meaning.
p. 93, panel 1:
TP: Hana-chan is very powerful to sense things no one else can, but I have to admit, I never understand her wave report!
JP: Yappari Hana-chan no denwa jouhou wa anadoremasen ... !!
You can't take the information Hana-chan gets from waves lightly, after all ... !!
p. 94, panel 4:
TP: Special? He's a freak!
JP: Sou iu mondai?
Is that the problem? [Emphasis mine]
p. 100, panel 2:
At the end of Tohru's thought balloon in the JP is the phrase "Watashi baka desu ..."
which means "I'm stupid" or "I'm an idiot." TP leaves this out.
p. 102, panel 3:
TP: People aren't born social. Sure it comes easier to some people[,] but most people, like you, need to work at it. Some more than others. You're just inexperienced.
JP: --... naka ni wa sou iu hito mo iru kedo ne. Kimi no baai wa tan ni keiken ga tarinai dake da yo.
There is a person [or people] like that on the inside. But in your case you're just inexperienced.
An alternate translation of the first half would be "there are people who are like that inside."
p. 103, panel 2:
TP: you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself.
JP: honto no imi de tanin o omoiyareru you na ningen ni wa narenai yo
You won't be able to become a person who can enter into another's feelings [or "be considerate with others"] in the true sense of the words
p. 111, panel 1:
TP: Someone sincere who speaks from the heart.
JP: Gomen nasai no kimochi o shiteru ... hito [ellipsis mine]
A person who knows what it's like to feel sorry
p. 112, panel 4:
TP: And so Kyo and I became friends ...
JP: Koushite nakanaori mo dekimashita
That's how we were able to make up our quarrel
This time I've gone back to the beginning. There's a lot of material here: so much that I'm dividing it into two parts. Since I haven't done one of these in a while, I'll go over the basics (see the sidebar for my previous translation notes).
In each entry, TP refers to the Tokyopop edition, JP refers to the Japanese edition, and the line below the JP is my own translation. I haven't included every discrepancy between the TP and JP, only ones where there's a plot or character point involved, where the TP doesn't make sense, or where a joke is lost in the TP.
My translations should not be considered as polished translations; they're intended only to present the meaning of the JP as accurately as I can. They aren't always word-for-word literal translations, but when I had to choose between preserving the overall meaning of the passage and avoiding awkwardness in the English, I've chosen the former. In this regard I should again stress that these notes aren't intended to disparage the work of the translators and adaptor. Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sure they did much better jobs than I could have.
In this volume, unlike the others I've done, the Japanese and English page numbers are the same.
p. 6:
TP: Life in the Sohma household, pre-Tohru
JP: Shigure mo douzai nan' desu keredo.
Shigure is also guilty, though.
p. 7, panel 1:
TP: Let's get this show on the road, shall we? This is where the fun begins ...
JP: Enkai o hajimemashou. Minna to tanoshiku itsumademo
Let's start the banquet, and enjoy ourselves with everyone as long as we like/forever
I'm not entirely sure of the second half of my translation. In isolation, the TP is fine as a free translation; but "enkai" is the word used to describe the banquet to which God invites the animals, which gives these lines an extra layer of significance. A further layer will be apparent later. "Itsumademo" can mean "as long as one likes" or "forever"; both meanings are significant here.
p.8 panels 3-4:
TP: No matter what happens in life I never let it get me down. That's me -- ever the optimist!
JP: Watashi no torie wa donna toki demo megunai koto desu
My good point is that whatever happens I never lose heart
p. 15, panel 1:
TP: Stop fantasizing and get a life.
JP: Kudannee innen tsukete n' ja nee zo kuraa ...
You're inventing an absurd pretext for a quarrel
p.18, panel 6:
TP: That sucks, you having to pay all your school expenses yourself.
JP: Taihen da naa. Gakuhi wa jibun de harau tte yakusoku shite n' da kke ka
Isn't it awful that you promised to pay your school expenses by yourself? [My emphasis]
Also, Hana's second balloon in this panel is a question.
p. 19, panel 1:
TP: After I graduate, I want to be able to pay my own way.
JP: Demo sotsugyou shitara hitorigurashi o hajimetai to omotte
But when I graduate I want to start living on my own
panel 2: There's no "so selfless" in the JP.
p. 24, panel 1:
TP: My head is spinning just from being around him.
JP: Amari no kireisa ni tamashii o suwareta kibun ...
I feel like my soul is being sucked in by too much beauty ...
panel 6: The word on the cover of the book Tohru is holding is "kakeiba," which means a household accounting book.
panel 7:
TP: Mom was always there for me.
JP: Watashi o mamotte kureta okaasan
Mom protected me
p. 25, panel 1:
TP: She was my cheerful protector.
JP: Itsu datte pawafuru de akarukute
Always powerful and bright
panel 4:
TP: Yes, yes! Good, good!
JP: Uki-uki uki-uki
Cheerfully cheerfully
p. 26, panel 2:
TP: Why don't I just start now?!
JP: Ima kara sono sabishisa ni taeru ii chansu da to omou koto ni shimashou!!
I'll think of this as an opportunity to endure that loneliness!!
p. 27, panel 1:
TP: My home is my castle. My home is my castle!
JP: Sumeba miyako. Sumeba miyako desu ... !!
There's no place like home. There's no place like home ... !! [Literally, "If you live there, it's the capital."]
p. 28, panel 1:
"Kiraku," the word translated as "progressive," actually means "easygoing, carefree, optimistic."
p. 35, panel 4:
There's no "castle" in the JP.
p. 36, panel 3:
TP: "Come home safe."
JP: ... Itterasshai
When a Japanese person leaves their house for a short time (e.g. to go to work or school) and someone else is in the house, they will automatically say "ittekimasu," which literally means "I'm going and coming [back]." The other person will just as automatically reply "itterasshai." I'm not sure of the literal meaning of this, but it might be something like "you'll be welcome when you return." If you watch anime with subtitles, you've probably heard this exchange many times. The important things here are that first, this is simply a standard phrase with no deep meaning; and second, there's no suggestion that Tohru thinks her not saying "itterasshai" had anything to do with her mother's death: she's just sorry she didn't say goodbye to her that morning.
p. 37, panel 1:
TP: I missed out on a lot of opportunities because of it.
JP: Demo yappa joshi kousei tte no mo yatte mitakatta na
But I wanted to try being a high schooler, after all
panel 3:
TP: But it's not too late! Even with my grades and my house being blown away I can still make it up to my mom.
JP: Baka desu. Akaten totte mo ie ga fukitonde mo taisetsu ni shinakya ikenai no wa okaasan datta no ni
I'm stupid. I get bad grades, and my house is blown away, and even though I should have taken good care of mom
panel 4:
TP: I can't bring her back ...
JP: Mou nido to ienai
Once again I couldn't say goodbye
panel 5:
TP: ... but I can live the life she wanted for me. She wanted me to finish high school so I'll graduate ... for her.
JP: Dakara semete gakkou wa okaasan ga nyuugaku suru koto o nozonda gakkou dake wa buji ni sotsugyou shitai desu ...
So at least I want to graduate safely from high school, which my mother wanted to enter ...
p. 41, panel 1:
TP: You don't have to push yourself so hard.
JP: Muri shite made kaji o tetsudau koto nai n' da yo
You don't have to help with the housework until you wear yourself out
panel 3:
TP: ... I'll die alone.
JP: notareji ni kettei desu ...
I'll definitely die of exposure ...
p. 44, panel 3:
TP: I'm pretty good at it, too, if I do say so.
JP: tto iu ka sore igai tokui na koto ga nai ...
That is, aside from that I have no strong points ...
p. 46, panel 1:
TP: I am at the mercy of your hospitality.
JP: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!!
"Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," sometimes translated as "please treat me favorably," is commonly used in a variety of situations (often informally abbreviated to "yoroshiku"). Like "itterasshai," if you watch subtitled anime you've probably heard it a lot, particularly when a transfer student is being introduced. Also like "itterasshai," it shouldn't be translated as anything more than a routine polite formula.
p. 47, panel 3:
TP: It's all too good to be true. I hope my staying here doesn't cause them too much trouble.
JP: Aa demo hontou ni hontou ni ii no deshou ka. Kouun sugite fuan ni narimasu ...
Oh, but is it really, really okay? Too much good luck makes me uneasy ...
p. 51, panel 1:
TP: Is Kyo back?
JP: Moshikashite Kyou ga kita?
Did Kyou perhaps come?
The significance of this, and the final note to p. 84, panel 5, is that the TP has sometimes been taken to imply that before Kyou went off to the mountains, he had lived in Shigure's house. In the JP, there is no such implication.
p. 52, panel 1:
TP: I'm the same age as Kyo-kun ...
JP: Kyou-kun ni totte wa onaidoshi no onna no ko nan' desu ga ...
But for Kyou-kun the girls are the same age ... [And so Kyou won't be as excited at going to school with them as Shigure would be.]
p. 59, panel 4:
TP has switched the words in the two balloons.
p. 60, panel 2:
TP: I'm getting there.
JP: Daibu jijou wa nomikomete ... kimashita
There was ... quite a lot to take in
p. 61, panel 4:
There's nothing in the JP corresponding to "he's like a lovestruck fool."
p. 62, panel 2:
"Bugaisha," which TP translates as "outcast," means simply "outsider."
p. 63, panel 4:
TP: Just this once I'll overlook your stupidity
JP: Sono bakasa kagen ni menjite
Out of respect for the extent of that stupidity
p. 64, panel 4:
In the JP Tohru's thought is a question.
p. 71, panel 4:
There's no "I'm a liability, aren't I?!" in the JP.
p. 81, panel 2:
TP: Yuki does have good instincts, but still ... proceed with caution.
JP: Demo Yuki wa kan ga ii kara ki o tsukete ne
But Yuki is [mentally] sharp, so be careful
panel 5:
TP: I am at your mercy.
JP: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu
See the note to p. 46, panel 1.
p. 82, panel 1:
TP: Our mercy ...
JP: Yoroshiku ...
This is difficult to translate, but "yoroshiku" on its own can mean "well," "suitably," or "as one thinks fit," and Yuki is probably thinking ironically of one (or more) of these senses.
panel 2:
TP: I am in debt to you, too, Kyo-san."
JP: Yo- yoroshiku onegai shimasu eto ... Kyou-kun
See the note to p. 46, panel 1 ("eto" is just an interjection indicating hesitation, like "um" in English).
panel 3:
TP: Why should I be nice to anyone in this ...
JP: Dare ga yoroshiku suru ka konna ie ...
Who behaves well [or "suitably"] in a house like this ...
(I'm not really sure here, but that's my best guess.)
panel 5:
TP: Fix it again!
JP: Fuman ga aru nara dete ike
If you're dissatisfied, get out
panel 5:
TP: Maybe I will!
JP: Dete ... konna ... [ellipses mine]
The text is cut off by the panel border, and I can't tell what Kyou is supposed to be saying.
panel 5:
TP: We gave away your room.
JP: Omae no heya nanka nai zo
You have no room
See p. 51, panel 1.
p. 85, panel 1:
TP: It's a great setup -- I own them so much.
JP: Arigatasugite atama ga agarimasen
I'm so grateful [or "obliged"] that I can't hold my head up
p. 88, panel 2:
TP: You look like a talk show host.
JP: Hosuto mitai.
You look like a host.
"Host" here doesn't mean "talk show host." Those who have read or watched Ouran High School Host Club or watched Nerima Daikon Brothers will know what a "host" is. For those who don't, a host works at a "host club": a commercial establishment were women pay (quite a lot) for the company of young men. A host will flirt with his customer, and cater to her romantic or sexual fantasies, but ordinarily will not have sex with her. This may sound like something dreamt up by a shoujo mangaka, but host clubs are real: for more information see here. Shigure in this scene is, in fact, dressed similarly to a typical host as described in that article, or to Ichiro, the host character from Nerima Daikon Brothers.
Since "hosts" do not exist in the U.S. and the concept is unfamiliar, producing a translation that makes sense to American readers is problematic. If it were me, I might go with "You look like a gigolo," even though that only approximates the original meaning.
p. 93, panel 1:
TP: Hana-chan is very powerful to sense things no one else can, but I have to admit, I never understand her wave report!
JP: Yappari Hana-chan no denwa jouhou wa anadoremasen ... !!
You can't take the information Hana-chan gets from waves lightly, after all ... !!
p. 94, panel 4:
TP: Special? He's a freak!
JP: Sou iu mondai?
Is that the problem? [Emphasis mine]
p. 100, panel 2:
At the end of Tohru's thought balloon in the JP is the phrase "Watashi baka desu ..."
which means "I'm stupid" or "I'm an idiot." TP leaves this out.
p. 102, panel 3:
TP: People aren't born social. Sure it comes easier to some people[,] but most people, like you, need to work at it. Some more than others. You're just inexperienced.
JP: --... naka ni wa sou iu hito mo iru kedo ne. Kimi no baai wa tan ni keiken ga tarinai dake da yo.
There is a person [or people] like that on the inside. But in your case you're just inexperienced.
An alternate translation of the first half would be "there are people who are like that inside."
p. 103, panel 2:
TP: you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself.
JP: honto no imi de tanin o omoiyareru you na ningen ni wa narenai yo
You won't be able to become a person who can enter into another's feelings [or "be considerate with others"] in the true sense of the words
p. 111, panel 1:
TP: Someone sincere who speaks from the heart.
JP: Gomen nasai no kimochi o shiteru ... hito [ellipsis mine]
A person who knows what it's like to feel sorry
p. 112, panel 4:
TP: And so Kyo and I became friends ...
JP: Koushite nakanaori mo dekimashita
That's how we were able to make up our quarrel
Comments:
Hello! We're looking at your comparison, and we have a few things to add. First of all, a lot of the differences were put there by the adaptation writer, but we're noticing that if you look at the whole monologue instead of one bubble at a time, some of the discrepancies you're listing aren't quite as discrepant (for example, p.24 panel 7 and p.25 panel 1). But here some things we wanted to point out, translation-wise.
>p. 15, panel 1:
TP: Stop fantasizing and get a life.
JP: Kudannee innen tsukete n' ja nee zo kuraa ...
You're inventing an absurd pretext for a quarrel
The "no da" can actually be used as a command form, so "no de wa nai ('n ja nee)" would be the negative command form. So it's more along the lines of, "Don't be inventing stupid pretexts for quarrels."
>p.18, panel 6:
TP: That sucks, you having to pay all your school expenses yourself.
JP: Taihen da naa. Gakuhi wa jibun de harau tte yakusoku shite n' da kke ka
Isn't it awful that you promised to pay your school expenses by yourself? [My emphasis]
Yakusoku actually isn't always as strong as making a promise; it's also used in referring to appointments or arrangements. In this case, it has been arranged that Tohru pay the expenses herself, and it does mean she promised, but it still sucks for her.
>p. 27, panel 1:
TP: My home is my castle. My home is my castle!
JP: Sumeba miyako. Sumeba miyako desu ... !!
There's no place like home. There's no place like home ... !! [Literally, "If you live there, it's the capital."]
Maybe we're just being nitpicky here, but if living there makes a place your capital, wouldn't that also make it your castle? Since most castles are in the capital?
>p. 36, panel 3:
TP: "Come home safe."
JP: ... Itterasshai
The "rasshai" in "itterasshai" comes from "irassharu (to go, to come, to be (honorific))," and is in command form, so when someone leaves, they say "ittekimasu (I'm going to go and come (back))," and the person staying behind says, "Itterasshai (Go and come back)." The "coming back" part indicates that they will be safe during their journey, else they would not be able to come back.
>p. 41, panel 1:
TP: You don't have to push yourself so hard.
JP: Muri shite made kaji o tetsudau koto nai n' da yo
You don't have to help with the housework until you wear yourself out
We think this is more along the lines of, "You don't have to help with the housework to the extent of pushing yourself to do so."
>panel 3:
TP: ... I'll die alone.
JP: notareji ni kettei desu ...
I'll definitely die of exposure ...
Notareji is more along the lines of dying by the roadside, which could be dying from starvation, exhaustion, a hit and run, or anything as well as of exposure. The point is that there's no honor in it, and, "dying, dangling by the wilderness (literal translation)," there's probably no one there to mourn her.
>p. 46, panel 1:
TP: I am at the mercy of your hospitality.
JP: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!!
If you have a routine polite formula that is easily adaptable for every situation "yoroshiku onegai shimasu" is used in, as well as for the character saying it, we would love to hear it.
>p. 47, panel 3:
TP: It's all too good to be true. I hope my staying here doesn't cause them too much trouble.
JP: Aa demo hontou ni hontou ni ii no deshou ka. Kouun sugite fuan ni narimasu ...
Oh, but is it really, really okay? Too much good luck makes me uneasy ...
More like, "It's too much good luck; it's making me nervous." To get "Too much good luck makes me uneasy," you'd want something like, "Kouun sugiru to, fuan ni narimasu."
>p. 60, panel 2:
TP: I'm getting there.
JP: Daibu jijou wa nomikomete ... kimashita
There was ... quite a lot to take in
It's more along the lines of, "I've taken in quite a bit of the situation... now"
>panel 3:
TP: Why should I be nice to anyone in this ...
JP: Dare ga yoroshiku suru ka konna ie ...
Who behaves well [or "suitably"] in a house like this ...
More like, "Who would yoroshiku suru (or "be nice/good") [to anyone in] this house...?" So really, the TP version works very well, we'd say.
>p. 103, panel 2:
TP: you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself.
JP: honto no imi de tanin o omoiyareru you na ningen ni wa narenai yo
You won't be able to become a person who can enter into another's feelings [or "be considerate with others"] in the true sense of the words
The "yaru" in "omoiyaru" actually means "give," so it's more, "give thought/care to," or in other words, "care about."
>p. 15, panel 1:
TP: Stop fantasizing and get a life.
JP: Kudannee innen tsukete n' ja nee zo kuraa ...
You're inventing an absurd pretext for a quarrel
The "no da" can actually be used as a command form, so "no de wa nai ('n ja nee)" would be the negative command form. So it's more along the lines of, "Don't be inventing stupid pretexts for quarrels."
>p.18, panel 6:
TP: That sucks, you having to pay all your school expenses yourself.
JP: Taihen da naa. Gakuhi wa jibun de harau tte yakusoku shite n' da kke ka
Isn't it awful that you promised to pay your school expenses by yourself? [My emphasis]
Yakusoku actually isn't always as strong as making a promise; it's also used in referring to appointments or arrangements. In this case, it has been arranged that Tohru pay the expenses herself, and it does mean she promised, but it still sucks for her.
>p. 27, panel 1:
TP: My home is my castle. My home is my castle!
JP: Sumeba miyako. Sumeba miyako desu ... !!
There's no place like home. There's no place like home ... !! [Literally, "If you live there, it's the capital."]
Maybe we're just being nitpicky here, but if living there makes a place your capital, wouldn't that also make it your castle? Since most castles are in the capital?
>p. 36, panel 3:
TP: "Come home safe."
JP: ... Itterasshai
The "rasshai" in "itterasshai" comes from "irassharu (to go, to come, to be (honorific))," and is in command form, so when someone leaves, they say "ittekimasu (I'm going to go and come (back))," and the person staying behind says, "Itterasshai (Go and come back)." The "coming back" part indicates that they will be safe during their journey, else they would not be able to come back.
>p. 41, panel 1:
TP: You don't have to push yourself so hard.
JP: Muri shite made kaji o tetsudau koto nai n' da yo
You don't have to help with the housework until you wear yourself out
We think this is more along the lines of, "You don't have to help with the housework to the extent of pushing yourself to do so."
>panel 3:
TP: ... I'll die alone.
JP: notareji ni kettei desu ...
I'll definitely die of exposure ...
Notareji is more along the lines of dying by the roadside, which could be dying from starvation, exhaustion, a hit and run, or anything as well as of exposure. The point is that there's no honor in it, and, "dying, dangling by the wilderness (literal translation)," there's probably no one there to mourn her.
>p. 46, panel 1:
TP: I am at the mercy of your hospitality.
JP: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!!
If you have a routine polite formula that is easily adaptable for every situation "yoroshiku onegai shimasu" is used in, as well as for the character saying it, we would love to hear it.
>p. 47, panel 3:
TP: It's all too good to be true. I hope my staying here doesn't cause them too much trouble.
JP: Aa demo hontou ni hontou ni ii no deshou ka. Kouun sugite fuan ni narimasu ...
Oh, but is it really, really okay? Too much good luck makes me uneasy ...
More like, "It's too much good luck; it's making me nervous." To get "Too much good luck makes me uneasy," you'd want something like, "Kouun sugiru to, fuan ni narimasu."
>p. 60, panel 2:
TP: I'm getting there.
JP: Daibu jijou wa nomikomete ... kimashita
There was ... quite a lot to take in
It's more along the lines of, "I've taken in quite a bit of the situation... now"
>panel 3:
TP: Why should I be nice to anyone in this ...
JP: Dare ga yoroshiku suru ka konna ie ...
Who behaves well [or "suitably"] in a house like this ...
More like, "Who would yoroshiku suru (or "be nice/good") [to anyone in] this house...?" So really, the TP version works very well, we'd say.
>p. 103, panel 2:
TP: you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself.
JP: honto no imi de tanin o omoiyareru you na ningen ni wa narenai yo
You won't be able to become a person who can enter into another's feelings [or "be considerate with others"] in the true sense of the words
The "yaru" in "omoiyaru" actually means "give," so it's more, "give thought/care to," or in other words, "care about."
# posted by 
: 2:04 PM
: 2:04 PM
Hello! Thanks for taking the time to respond so informatively. As I've said before, my Japanese is far from perfect, and I wish that more people would tell me when they think I'm wrong.
>First of all, a lot of the differences were put there by the adaptation writer
I guessed as much (it's even more obvious in some of the other chapters). Perhaps I should have called these "translation and adaptation notes" to start with. But in most literary translations, what are in manga called "translation" and "adaptation" are both done by the translator, while "adaptation" refers to more drastic alterations, for example changing the setting. And since I wasn't that used to manga translation when I started this, that's the terminology I used.
>but we're noticing that if you look at the whole monologue instead of one bubble at a time, some of the discrepancies you're listing aren't quite as discrepant (for example, p.24 panel 7 and p.25 panel 1).
Looking back at that spot, I agree with you. At the time, I was uncertain whether the differences here were important enough to list, and I probably made the wrong choice.
>Yakusoku actually isn't always as strong as making a promise; it's also used in referring to appointments or arrangements. In this case, it has been arranged that Tohru pay the expenses herself, and it does mean she promised, but it still sucks for her.
Did you mean to say, "it doesn't mean she promised"? On p. 25, panel 3, TP itself says she promised (again translating "yakusoku"). In any case, I'm not wedded to the word "promised," though I don't see how it can be said to be wrong. The important thing is that Tohru voluntarily undertook to pay her own expenses, rather than it being something forced on her.
>p. 27, panel 1: TP: My home is my castle. My home is my castle! JP: Sumeba miyako. Sumeba miyako desu ... !! There's no place like home. There's no place like home ... !! [Literally, "If you live there, it's the capital."] Maybe we're just being nitpicky here, but if living there makes a place your capital, wouldn't that also make it your castle? Since most castles are in the capital?
Indeed, but to me at least, in English the phrase "my home is my castle" has quite a different connotation: "in my home nobody can interfere with me."
>p. 36, panel 3: TP: "Come home safe." JP: ... Itterasshai The "rasshai" in "itterasshai" comes from "irassharu (to go, to come, to be (honorific))," and is in command form, so when someone leaves, they say "ittekimasu (I'm going to go and come (back))," and the person staying behind says, "Itterasshai (Go and come back)." The "coming back" part indicates that they will be safe during their journey, else they would not be able to come back.
You may be right that "come back safe" works as a literal translation. My point, though, was that is something that Japanese people say almost automatically in this situation, and it shouldn't be translated in a way that gives it more importance than this.
>panel 3: TP: ... I'll die alone. JP: notareji ni kettei desu ... I'll definitely die of exposure ... Notareji is more along the lines of dying by the roadside, which could be dying from starvation, exhaustion, a hit and run, or anything as well as of exposure. The point is that there's no honor in it, and, "dying, dangling by the wilderness (literal translation)," there's probably no one there to mourn her.
You're right, but the trouble is that just saying "I'll die alone" sounds like a non-sequitur. Saying "I'll die in a ditch" doesn't work either, since there's no reason why she should. "I'll die of exposure" was the best choice among the alternatives in my dictionary.
>panel 3: TP: Why should I be nice to anyone in this ... JP: Dare ga yoroshiku suru ka konna ie ... Who behaves well [or "suitably"] in a house like this ... More like, "Who would yoroshiku suru (or "be nice/good") [to anyone in] this house...?" So really, the TP version works very well, we'd say.
I think that the shift from "who would" to "why should I" makes Kyou sound too harsh.
>p. 103, panel 2: TP: you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself. JP: honto no imi de tanin o omoiyareru you na ningen ni wa narenai yo You won't be able to become a person who can enter into another's feelings [or "be considerate with others"] in the true sense of the words The "yaru" in "omoiyaru" actually means "give," so it's more, "give thought/care to," or in other words, "care about."
This was another one I was on the line about including. In this case I think I made the correct choice. The dictionary I use (the big Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English; it's from 1957, that being the latest circulating edition my library has, but I doubt that many meanings have become obsolete in subsequent years) gives "enter into another's feelings" as one meaning for omoiyaru, along with "put oneself in the place of (others)" and "identify oneself with (another)," in addition to the meanings you cite. And my translation seems to me more coherent than the TP: why should Kyou have to hurt other people in order to care about them?
>First of all, a lot of the differences were put there by the adaptation writer
I guessed as much (it's even more obvious in some of the other chapters). Perhaps I should have called these "translation and adaptation notes" to start with. But in most literary translations, what are in manga called "translation" and "adaptation" are both done by the translator, while "adaptation" refers to more drastic alterations, for example changing the setting. And since I wasn't that used to manga translation when I started this, that's the terminology I used.
>but we're noticing that if you look at the whole monologue instead of one bubble at a time, some of the discrepancies you're listing aren't quite as discrepant (for example, p.24 panel 7 and p.25 panel 1).
Looking back at that spot, I agree with you. At the time, I was uncertain whether the differences here were important enough to list, and I probably made the wrong choice.
>Yakusoku actually isn't always as strong as making a promise; it's also used in referring to appointments or arrangements. In this case, it has been arranged that Tohru pay the expenses herself, and it does mean she promised, but it still sucks for her.
Did you mean to say, "it doesn't mean she promised"? On p. 25, panel 3, TP itself says she promised (again translating "yakusoku"). In any case, I'm not wedded to the word "promised," though I don't see how it can be said to be wrong. The important thing is that Tohru voluntarily undertook to pay her own expenses, rather than it being something forced on her.
>p. 27, panel 1: TP: My home is my castle. My home is my castle! JP: Sumeba miyako. Sumeba miyako desu ... !! There's no place like home. There's no place like home ... !! [Literally, "If you live there, it's the capital."] Maybe we're just being nitpicky here, but if living there makes a place your capital, wouldn't that also make it your castle? Since most castles are in the capital?
Indeed, but to me at least, in English the phrase "my home is my castle" has quite a different connotation: "in my home nobody can interfere with me."
>p. 36, panel 3: TP: "Come home safe." JP: ... Itterasshai The "rasshai" in "itterasshai" comes from "irassharu (to go, to come, to be (honorific))," and is in command form, so when someone leaves, they say "ittekimasu (I'm going to go and come (back))," and the person staying behind says, "Itterasshai (Go and come back)." The "coming back" part indicates that they will be safe during their journey, else they would not be able to come back.
You may be right that "come back safe" works as a literal translation. My point, though, was that is something that Japanese people say almost automatically in this situation, and it shouldn't be translated in a way that gives it more importance than this.
>panel 3: TP: ... I'll die alone. JP: notareji ni kettei desu ... I'll definitely die of exposure ... Notareji is more along the lines of dying by the roadside, which could be dying from starvation, exhaustion, a hit and run, or anything as well as of exposure. The point is that there's no honor in it, and, "dying, dangling by the wilderness (literal translation)," there's probably no one there to mourn her.
You're right, but the trouble is that just saying "I'll die alone" sounds like a non-sequitur. Saying "I'll die in a ditch" doesn't work either, since there's no reason why she should. "I'll die of exposure" was the best choice among the alternatives in my dictionary.
>panel 3: TP: Why should I be nice to anyone in this ... JP: Dare ga yoroshiku suru ka konna ie ... Who behaves well [or "suitably"] in a house like this ... More like, "Who would yoroshiku suru (or "be nice/good") [to anyone in] this house...?" So really, the TP version works very well, we'd say.
I think that the shift from "who would" to "why should I" makes Kyou sound too harsh.
>p. 103, panel 2: TP: you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself. JP: honto no imi de tanin o omoiyareru you na ningen ni wa narenai yo You won't be able to become a person who can enter into another's feelings [or "be considerate with others"] in the true sense of the words The "yaru" in "omoiyaru" actually means "give," so it's more, "give thought/care to," or in other words, "care about."
This was another one I was on the line about including. In this case I think I made the correct choice. The dictionary I use (the big Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English; it's from 1957, that being the latest circulating edition my library has, but I doubt that many meanings have become obsolete in subsequent years) gives "enter into another's feelings" as one meaning for omoiyaru, along with "put oneself in the place of (others)" and "identify oneself with (another)," in addition to the meanings you cite. And my translation seems to me more coherent than the TP: why should Kyou have to hurt other people in order to care about them?
>Did you mean to say, "it doesn't mean she promised"? On p. 25, panel 3, TP itself says she promised (again translating "yakusoku"). In any case, I'm not wedded to the word "promised," though I don't see how it can be said to be wrong. The important thing is that Tohru voluntarily undertook to pay her own expenses, rather than it being something forced on her.
No, actually I meant it in the affirmative. She did promise, or rather, she agreed. The point we were trying to make is that, whether she agreed to it or not, there's no need to emphasize the fact that it was voluntary. Arisa's point is that it sucks that she is now obligated to pay her expenses, whether it be becase she promised to or not. You can use promise if you want, but it's not as significant as you seem to be saying it is. We've been in situations where a friend like Arisa would say, "Man, it sucks that you have to do that," and we'd say, "Yeah, well it's our own fault," and the general reaction is, "Yeah, but it still sucks."
>sumeba miyako
To us, "There's no place like home," has the connotation of "It's better to be home than anywhere else," while "My home is my castle," could be meant the way you say, but since we grew up with a big family, it's hard to think of it being a place where no one can mess with us. Anyway, based on what we've learned about Japanese culture, we know that when courtiers were required to leave the capital for any reason, they were extremely distraught and woeful and all such adjectives, because how could anyone stand to be away from the capital? So, this is just a guess, but we think it comes from an effort to comfort themselves by saying, "If I live there, it is the capital (to me)," which sounds very close to, "My home is my castle." Our dictionary (from the last time we installed JWPce about a year ago) translates the saying as, "You can get used to living anywhere."
>You may be right that "come back safe" works as a literal translation. My point, though, was that is something that Japanese people say almost automatically in this situation, and it shouldn't be translated in a way that gives it more importance than this.
But don't you think that someone like Tohru would think about it more deeply when asking herself why oh why did her mother die? Tragedies like that tend to make people over-analyze. And phrases like "tadaima" and "okaeri" can hold extreme significance to people who are used to not having a home in many anime and manga series, so why shouldn't "ittekuru" and "itterasshai" have any deep meaning to people who were used to having a home and lost them?
>You're right, but the trouble is that just saying "I'll die alone" sounds like a non-sequitur. Saying "I'll die in a ditch" doesn't work either, since there's no reason why she should. "I'll die of exposure" was the best choice among the alternatives in my dictionary.
Based on the context around that phrase, "I'll die of exposure" is quite the non sequitur, itself. Of course, Natsuki Takaya's humor tends to use non sequiturs, so it wouldn't be that out of place, except that this isn't a comical scene. Tohru does tend to think things are a little more dramatic than they really are, but she's more likely to die of exposure by pushing herself and living in a tent. The Japanese language dictionary at www.infoseek.co.jp defines "notarejini" as "collapsing on the side of the road and dying there, or dying in like pathetic manner," and the J-E dictionary there give's us, "die a beggar's death, die in the gutter, die a dog's death." "Die a beggar's death" actually sounds really good; I wish we knew about that dictionary before we turned in this translation. But the point is, sometimes you just have to choose something, and as for what's the least of several evils, obviously opinions differ.
>I think that the shift from "who would" to "why should I" makes Kyou sound too harsh.
Why shouldn't Kyo sound harsh? He's kind of acting like a jerk here, wouldn't you say? And in just about every context we've found similar "dare ga..." questions, the speaker is repulsed enough by the idea that has been presented, and likely to say something harsh.
>The dictionary I use (the big Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English; it's from 1957, that being the latest circulating edition my library has, but I doubt that many meanings have become obsolete in subsequent years)
Dude, if you're going to be doing this kind of thing, you need to have your own dictionary. There's one in the JWPce Japanese word processor we use (just Google JWPce and you should find it pretty fast) and of course the one I've been mentioning, at www.infoseek.co.jp (just click the "jisho" button above the search bar), which wouldn't technically count as "having your own" dictionary, but it's close enough.
Also, you'd be surprised at how much the Japanese language has changed in the past 50 years. Mostly grammatically, of course, but it would come up in a lot of conversations on the Honyaku Mailing List, and most of the professional translators (in various fields) there are of the opinion that amateur translators shouldn't be translating stuff that old, because it's just so different.
>omoiyaru
>And my translation seems to me more coherent than the TP: why should Kyou have to hurt other people in order to care about them?
We would say your translation actually sounds a little confusing and awkward. I know you like to preserve the Japanese over using natural English, but actually it's almost impossible to do that, because when the grammar is confusing to an English speaker, they're going to have to come up with their own interpretation.
And if you look at Shigure's whole speech, he's not saying Kyo has to hurt people to learn to care about them, but that he will hurt them and be hurt by them, which is a natural part of interacting with them, which is what he needs to do to learn to care about them.
No, actually I meant it in the affirmative. She did promise, or rather, she agreed. The point we were trying to make is that, whether she agreed to it or not, there's no need to emphasize the fact that it was voluntary. Arisa's point is that it sucks that she is now obligated to pay her expenses, whether it be becase she promised to or not. You can use promise if you want, but it's not as significant as you seem to be saying it is. We've been in situations where a friend like Arisa would say, "Man, it sucks that you have to do that," and we'd say, "Yeah, well it's our own fault," and the general reaction is, "Yeah, but it still sucks."
>sumeba miyako
To us, "There's no place like home," has the connotation of "It's better to be home than anywhere else," while "My home is my castle," could be meant the way you say, but since we grew up with a big family, it's hard to think of it being a place where no one can mess with us. Anyway, based on what we've learned about Japanese culture, we know that when courtiers were required to leave the capital for any reason, they were extremely distraught and woeful and all such adjectives, because how could anyone stand to be away from the capital? So, this is just a guess, but we think it comes from an effort to comfort themselves by saying, "If I live there, it is the capital (to me)," which sounds very close to, "My home is my castle." Our dictionary (from the last time we installed JWPce about a year ago) translates the saying as, "You can get used to living anywhere."
>You may be right that "come back safe" works as a literal translation. My point, though, was that is something that Japanese people say almost automatically in this situation, and it shouldn't be translated in a way that gives it more importance than this.
But don't you think that someone like Tohru would think about it more deeply when asking herself why oh why did her mother die? Tragedies like that tend to make people over-analyze. And phrases like "tadaima" and "okaeri" can hold extreme significance to people who are used to not having a home in many anime and manga series, so why shouldn't "ittekuru" and "itterasshai" have any deep meaning to people who were used to having a home and lost them?
>You're right, but the trouble is that just saying "I'll die alone" sounds like a non-sequitur. Saying "I'll die in a ditch" doesn't work either, since there's no reason why she should. "I'll die of exposure" was the best choice among the alternatives in my dictionary.
Based on the context around that phrase, "I'll die of exposure" is quite the non sequitur, itself. Of course, Natsuki Takaya's humor tends to use non sequiturs, so it wouldn't be that out of place, except that this isn't a comical scene. Tohru does tend to think things are a little more dramatic than they really are, but she's more likely to die of exposure by pushing herself and living in a tent. The Japanese language dictionary at www.infoseek.co.jp defines "notarejini" as "collapsing on the side of the road and dying there, or dying in like pathetic manner," and the J-E dictionary there give's us, "die a beggar's death, die in the gutter, die a dog's death." "Die a beggar's death" actually sounds really good; I wish we knew about that dictionary before we turned in this translation. But the point is, sometimes you just have to choose something, and as for what's the least of several evils, obviously opinions differ.
>I think that the shift from "who would" to "why should I" makes Kyou sound too harsh.
Why shouldn't Kyo sound harsh? He's kind of acting like a jerk here, wouldn't you say? And in just about every context we've found similar "dare ga..." questions, the speaker is repulsed enough by the idea that has been presented, and likely to say something harsh.
>The dictionary I use (the big Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English; it's from 1957, that being the latest circulating edition my library has, but I doubt that many meanings have become obsolete in subsequent years)
Dude, if you're going to be doing this kind of thing, you need to have your own dictionary. There's one in the JWPce Japanese word processor we use (just Google JWPce and you should find it pretty fast) and of course the one I've been mentioning, at www.infoseek.co.jp (just click the "jisho" button above the search bar), which wouldn't technically count as "having your own" dictionary, but it's close enough.
Also, you'd be surprised at how much the Japanese language has changed in the past 50 years. Mostly grammatically, of course, but it would come up in a lot of conversations on the Honyaku Mailing List, and most of the professional translators (in various fields) there are of the opinion that amateur translators shouldn't be translating stuff that old, because it's just so different.
>omoiyaru
>And my translation seems to me more coherent than the TP: why should Kyou have to hurt other people in order to care about them?
We would say your translation actually sounds a little confusing and awkward. I know you like to preserve the Japanese over using natural English, but actually it's almost impossible to do that, because when the grammar is confusing to an English speaker, they're going to have to come up with their own interpretation.
And if you look at Shigure's whole speech, he's not saying Kyo has to hurt people to learn to care about them, but that he will hurt them and be hurt by them, which is a natural part of interacting with them, which is what he needs to do to learn to care about them.
# posted by : 2:56 PM
: 2:56 PM
I am a student of comparative Literature from india,i chanced upon your blog while writing a paper on the japanese manga with emphasis on " the wallflower"
will be visiting more often
will be visiting more often
"Tohru does tend to think things are a little more dramatic than they really are, but she's more likely to die of exposure by pushing herself and living in a tent."
Interesting. My interpretation was exactly the opposite: that Tohru has to push herself and earn money so as not to have to live in a tent, otherwise she will die of exposure when her tent blows away. Your reading hadn't even occurred to me.
"Dude, if you're going to be doing this kind of thing, you need to have your own dictionary."
While I don't own the big Kenkyusha's, it's from a university library, and I'm able to have it checked out almost continuously. In doing these translation notes, I always look up any word I'm not sure of. And I do own a J-E dictionary, one that's much smaller than the big K but more up-to-date.
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Interesting. My interpretation was exactly the opposite: that Tohru has to push herself and earn money so as not to have to live in a tent, otherwise she will die of exposure when her tent blows away. Your reading hadn't even occurred to me.
"Dude, if you're going to be doing this kind of thing, you need to have your own dictionary."
While I don't own the big Kenkyusha's, it's from a university library, and I'm able to have it checked out almost continuously. In doing these translation notes, I always look up any word I'm not sure of. And I do own a J-E dictionary, one that's much smaller than the big K but more up-to-date.
