Need help in Intermediate lesson #16

[watermen]

The second last conversation in this lesson was not given a translation in the PDF. Though Peter said that the translation will be added to the PDF 3 years ago, but nothing has happened. So I hope someone can help me, as I am not sure if my understanding is right.

私が全部負担しますよ。どうですか。あなたのおかげで、私の気分が転換できて、何か恩返ししたいんです。せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。

私が全部負担しますよ。==> I will bare the cost.

どうですか。==> How is it?

あなたのおかげで、私の気分が転換できて ===> As a thanks to you, I will share your burden????

何か恩返ししたいんです。==> I don't understand this part, please help me.

せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。 ==> I also don't quite understand this part.


Thanks in advance.

[shimewaza]

私が全部負担しますよ。どうですか。あなたのおかげで、私の気分が転換できて、何か恩返ししたいんです。せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。

私が全部負担しますよ。==> I will bare the cost.
Yep that's correct. 負担means to bare. The object can be cost, load, effort, etc... Here it seems to be cost (of the trip)

どうですか。==> How is it?
A more natural translation might be "How about it?", where "it" refers to his proposal of paying the other person's cost of going back to Hokkaido.

あなたのおかげで、私の気分が転換できて ===> As a thanks to you, I will share your burden????
私の気分が転換できて：a too-literal translation is "My mood was able to be changed", but a more natural translation might be something like "I'm feeling a lot better", so the total sentence becomes "Thanks to you, I'm feeling a lot better". A very common expression is 気分転換（きぶんてんかん）which means a change of pace, a refreshing change. Check it in Eijiro
http://eow.alc.co.jp/

何か恩返ししたいんです。==> I don't understand this part, please help me.
恩返し（おんがえし）is the paying back of a favor or kindness so this means "I'd like to do something to pay you back" Look up 恩返しin the dictionary if you need more detail or in Eijiro if you need more example sentences.

せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。 ==> I also don't quite understand this part.
He is saying "we are from the same place, aren't we. (so why not visit home together?)"　地元（じもと）in this case means home town, local area. A very common expression is 地元の人々（ひとびと）：local people, the locals

Hope this helps!

[watermen]

私が全部負担しますよ。どうですか。あなたのおかげで、私の気分が転換できて、何か恩返ししたいんです。せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。

私が全部負担しますよ。==> I will bare the cost.
Yep that's correct. 負担means to bare. The object can be cost, load, effort, etc... Here it seems to be cost (of the trip)

どうですか。==> How is it?
A more natural translation might be "How about it?", where "it" refers to his proposal of paying the other person's cost of going back to Hokkaido.

あなたのおかげで、私の気分が転換できて ===> As a thanks to you, I will share your burden????
私の気分が転換できて：a too-literal translation is "My mood was able to be changed", but a more natural translation might be something like "I'm feeling a lot better", so the total sentence becomes "Thanks to you, I'm feeling a lot better". A very common expression is 気分転換（きぶんてんかん）which means a change of pace, a refreshing change. Check it in Eijiro
http://eow.alc.co.jp/

何か恩返ししたいんです。==> I don't understand this part, please help me.
恩返し（おんがえし）is the paying back of a favor or kindness so this means "I'd like to do something to pay you back" Look up 恩返しin the dictionary if you need more detail or in Eijiro if you need more example sentences.

せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。 ==> I also don't quite understand this part.
He is saying "we are from the same place, aren't we. (so why not visit home together?)"　地元（じもと）in this case means home town, local area. A very common expression is 地元の人々（ひとびと）：local people, the locals

Hope this helps!

Thanks for explaining. I think I understand the meaning of せっかく同じ地元じゃないですか。now. It means, "After so much trouble, we are from the same home town right?"


By the way, I have another question.

Do you mind to explain the grammar of 可能性はなくもないですね。

The part I don't understand it なくもない.

[shimewaza]

Hmmm, I wouldn't translate せっかく here as ""After so much trouble" although it can mean something like that in other contexts. Ahhh, how to explain it. Here, I think it means something like "happy coincidence" or "after all", as in "After all we are from the same place (so lets travel back there together!)". Hmmmm, I'm not happy with this explanation at all. Someone will probably do a much better job. I know what it means in Japanese but can't explain it in English. And I'm an English native speaker! Freaky!

可能性はなくもないですね。
This one is easier to tackle
Its a double negative, which are fairly common in Japanese. Think of it this way:
可能性はない：There is no possibility
可能性はなくもない：There is a possibility. Literally "It is not the case that there is no possibility" (double negative: ない→なくない＋addも。も needs to be there or it will sound strange)

Here is another example:
あなたの気持ちは分からなくもないですが。
I understand your feelings but.... I am not unsympathetic to your feelings but.... (literally: Its not that I don't understand your feelings but...)

Hope this helps!

[watermen]

Hmmm, I wouldn't translate せっかく here as ""After so much trouble" although it can mean something like that in other contexts. Ahhh, how to explain it. Here, I think it means something like "happy coincidence" or "after all", as in "After all we are from the same place (so lets travel back there together!)". Hmmmm, I'm not happy with this explanation at all. Someone will probably do a much better job. I know what it means in Japanese but can't explain it in English. And I'm an English native speaker! Freaky!

可能性はなくもないですね。
This one is easier to tackle
Its a double negative, which are fairly common in Japanese. Think of it this way:
可能性はない：There is no possibility
可能性はなくもない：There is a possibility. Literally "It is not the case that there is no possibility" (double negative: ない→なくない＋addも。も needs to be there or it will sound strange)

Here is another example:
あなたの気持ちは分からなくもないですが。
I understand your feelings but.... I am not unsympathetic to your feelings but.... (literally: Its not that I don't understand your feelings but...)

Hope this helps!

Thanks a lot. It is a very clear explanation.