Translation Thread

[Jason]

Hmmm. I'd say it means "Isn't it obvious?"

Or maybe "Of course!" or something similar. 決まっている usually carries the connotation that the the person who asked the question to which you reply with it should already know the answer to the question they just asked because it should be obvious/natural. It's very similar to 当然 and 当たり前.

[Brody]

Un, thanks guys, I think "Isn't it obvious?" is a good translation.

Because it's half in katakana and half in hiragana, it looks like a な adjective with base ヒレ. But it can't be, because if the next word is a verb, so if it should be in adverbial に form.

ヒレ means "fin". Are you sure you didn't type it wrong? ヒレがそよがせている could mean something along the lines of "their fins waggle". Remember, the sentence prior to this one is about fish. So I have a feeling that ヒレ means "fin".

No, I typed it in exactly. I don't think it's a dialect thing. The whole book has been in 標準語.

And translating it as "fin" wouldn't work because the subject is not only fish but bugs and rodents too. Weird. I'm gonna ask my Japanese friend. I'll report back on it in a few days.

[Bueller_007]

Un, thanks guys, I think "Isn't it obvious?" is a good translation.

Because it's half in katakana and half in hiragana, it looks like a な adjective with base ヒレ. But it can't be, because if the next word is a verb, so if it should be in adverbial に form.

ヒレ means "fin". Are you sure you didn't type it wrong? ヒレがそよがせている could mean something along the lines of "their fins waggle". Remember, the sentence prior to this one is about fish. So I have a feeling that ヒレ means "fin".

No, I typed it in exactly. I don't think it's a dialect thing. The whole book has been in 標準語.

And translating it as "fin" wouldn't work because the subject is not only fish but bugs and rodents too. Weird. I'm gonna ask my Japanese friend. I'll report back on it in a few days.

Well, I was thinking that 彼ら might apply to only the fish, and "自分たちの世界" might mean "the world of animals that live on land".

I just did a goo.ne.jp check, and there's no such word as "hirena". "hire" means "filet", "fin" or "a strip of cloth".

My money is on "the author made a typo".

[Brody]

Bueller, you're on the money.

I talked to my friend. He says it must be a typo too. He thinks it should be を.

And yeah, now that I look at it, 彼ら most definitely only applies to the fish.

Problem solved.

Thanks for your help.

[Stewie]

Just wondering is it Senpai or Sempai? I've seen it both ways. Hope this is the right thread...

[Bueller_007]

Just wondering is it Senpai or Sempai? I've seen it both ways. Hope this is the right thread...

Hmmm.... Probably not a "translation" as such, but easy enough to answer.

The Japanese word is 先輩 = せんぱい.
When you change it to romaji, it is literally:

se-n-pa-i

So the answer is technically "senpai". However, try saying the word "senpai". It's quite difficult to do. So whenever a ん ("n") comes before a "p-" or a "b-", it changes sound to an "m".

So it is written "senpai", but it is pronounced "sempai".

If you can read katakana/hiragana, you should know that it is impossible to write the word "sempai" in Japanese, as there is no stand-alone "m". All "m-" sounds have a vowel at the end.

[Jason]

Another example of rouma-ji just confusing things.

[Bueller_007]

Another example of rouma-ji just confusing things.

Yes. Romaji is the devil.

[Brody]

heh, curses on you, Hepburn!

[Brody]

ただいま！

Here's the new one. Don't think it needs any contextual background information:

まっすぐ迷いのない思いだよ。

Here's my try: "It's a straightforward way of thinking."

Could someone approve this, give me your thoughts on it?

Thanks!

[Bueller_007]

ただいま！

Here's the new one. Don't think it needs any contextual background information:

まっすぐ迷いのない思いだよ。

Here's my try: "It's a straightforward way of thinking."

Could someone approve this, give me your thoughts on it?

Thanks!

Yeah, I'd say:
まっすぐ=direct, honest
迷いのない=without hesitation/indecision
思い=thought (could be "way of thinking"? or would 考え方 be better for that?)

So I'd say it means something like:
"That's what I think, plain and simple."

[Jason]

ただいま！

おかえり. ^_^

Here's the new one. Don't think it needs any contextual background information:

まっすぐ迷いのない思いだよ。

Here's my try: "It's a straightforward way of thinking."

Could someone approve this, give me your thoughts on it?

Thanks!

Ehh.... While 思う certainly means "to think", 思い is more like the feelings you have towards something or someone. I don't think it can mean "way of thinking." That's 考え方. I think a better translation would be something like: "They're (my) honest, doubtless feelings." or something similar.

[Brody]

^^^Hmmm... that's what I was thinking too. Yet, alc translates 思い as "thoughts" or "feelings."

So literally, I would translate the sentence as, "It's a straight, no confusion, thought/feeling."

Straight caught my eye first, and when I tried to combine it with 迷いのない I came up with "straightforward." So, with "straightforward thought," I changed it to "straightforward thinking," then I thought it would be more colloquial to say, "straightforward way of thinking."

Anyway, I liked the sentence; I'm trying to memorize it.

[Jason]

^^^Hmmm... that's what I was thinking too. Yet, alc translates 思い as "thoughts" or "feelings."

The thing is that it doesn't mean "thought" in an abstract, general kinda way like the English word does (that's what 考え is for). It means specifically a "thought about/towards something/someone." I guess maybe you could think of it as more of a "thought of the heart" instead of a "thought of the mind."

[Brody]

うん、分かった。

さらに問題があるよ。　この文ははっきり理解できない。「いや、いいんだ。気にしないで。それを気付かずに料理したパパも同じだから。」

文脈は　ぱぱが新しいレシピを作ろうとすると、失敗した。違い材料を買ちゃったから。パパは息子に謝ると、息子が前記を言った。

英語では、多分"No, it's okay, don't worry about it. It's like you to not pay attention when you're cooking."という意味だろう。　

ね？

ありがとう！