Need a word or phrase translated?

[Toritoribe]

I understand 要りません and 要らないです are the same in meaning. I just wondered if there is any difference between them. Like when would you use ません and not ない です.

ません sounds more formal. ないです has a colloquial nuance.

This might be a bit advanced, but there are several hypotheses among linguists about the difference in use between them, for instance, ないです tends to be used with stative verbs（雨は降ってません ＜ 雨は降ってないです）, ません is often used for "intention" than "fact"（絶対行きません ＞ 絶対行かないです, 今は時間がありません ＜ 今は時間がないです）, ないです is less used than ません in past tense（昨日は時間がありませんでした ＞ 昨日は時間がなかったです）, and so on.

I recommend to use ません for situations where the polite form is used, just in case.

 

[Noodle06]

Thanks again toritoribe,
It seems like more and more Japanese is becoming impossible to translate directly into English. Many things without and English equivalent.

 

[Shira]

Hey hey hey
I'm searching for a translation,it's "Born to be Free" I think the translation is 自由に生まれ .
Could you correct me ? Thanks !! =D

 

[BigBoss4]

Sorry for disturbing, just slightly confused with this sentence:

ジャックは姉弟で戦わせるという、卑怯な手に出ようとし…

I've got "Jack calls for a fight between brother and sister, and is about to leave in a cowardly way..."

But I'm not sure if it sounds right.

 

[Ashikaga]

Sorry for disturbing, just slightly confused with this sentence:

ジャックは姉弟で戦わせるという、卑怯な手に出ようとし…

I've got "Jack calls for a fight between brother and sister, and is about to leave in a cowardly way..."

But I'm not sure if it sounds right.

ジャックは、姉弟で戦わせるという卑怯な手 に出ようとし…

The cowardly tactic that Jack is employing = pitting a sister against her younger brother.

 

[poompoom]

Hi, I'm new here, I just was wondering if anyone could help me decipher this:
チビの誕生会を祝いに「Say cheese！」へ。近所を中心にアート系の異様なメンツであったが、チビは大喜び。

I translated the first part as: In celebration of my child's birthday, we "say cheese". And then I got confused with the second part and I translated it as: There is the bizarre face of an artist in the neighborhood but my child is delighted.

Thanks if anyone can get this weird sentence!!

 

[Toritoribe]

"Say cheese！" would be the name of a shop, maybe a restaurant or something. メンツ means "member(s)" here. You can think it as （集まったのは）近所を中心にアート系の異様なメンツであったが.

 

[poompoom]

Ahh, that makes sense, I just googled it, it's an Italian restaurant. So the second sentence sort of means "Around the neighborhood, there are odd members of artists"?
I was checking in some dictionaries and all them say メンツ means face? Is メンツ like a shortened name for members or something like that? Thanks!

 

[Glenn]

I thought it was 面子 too... This is the first I've heard that メンツ could mean anything else.

 

[Toritoribe]

Ahh, that makes sense, I just googled it, it's an Italian restaurant. So the second sentence sort of means "Around the neighborhood, there are odd members of artists"?
I was checking in some dictionaries and all them say メンツ means face? Is メンツ like a shortened name for members or something like that? Thanks!

That's more likely "there are artist-type odd members mainly from the neighborhood".

２ マージャンを行うためのメンバー。転じて、会合などの顔ぶれ。「―がそろう」

面子（メンツ）の意味 - goo国語辞書

As in the J-J dictionary I quoted above, メンツ/面子 originally means "player(s) of mahjong", but also refers to "member(s) of a meeting" nowadays. It's a bit slangy, though.

 

[poompoom]

Thanks for your prompt response! I never checked out that dictionary, I'm going to definitely bookmark it. I still don't really get the point of that sentence...I guess that sentence is just odd even in its correct meaning!!

 

[Glenn]

Ah, once again a lack of careful (or I guess any, in this case) reading on my part.

 

[poompoom]

Hi, I ran into some difficulties translating these sentences:
この忠誠に恥ずかしくない生き方をしたい。
I want to live a way of life without embarrassment in this loyalty. <--- is it somewhat accurate>

森先生とチカさんといっちゃんとお昼を食べる。
この組み合わせ、お金がとれそう…というくらい面白い会話満載。
I ate lunch with Mori-sensei, Chika-san and Ii-chan. The conversation of this gathering is so interesting that it is like earning money. <--- I'm especially confused by this part, does it make any sense?

 

[jayse]

Can someone please translate this?

そうですね！
なんも特にないです

I know it says "yes!" but that's all I got..
Thanks!

 

[Toritoribe]

Hi, I ran into some difficulties translating these sentences:
この忠誠に恥ずかしくない生き方をしたい。
I want to live a way of life without embarrassment in this loyalty. <--- is it somewhat accurate>

恥ずかしくない is more close to "decent".

この忠誠に恥ずかしくない生き方
a way of life decent for this loyalty

森先生とチカさんといっちゃんとお昼を食べる。
この組み合わせ、お金がとれそう…というくらい面白い会話満載。
I ate lunch with Mori-sensei, Chika-san and Ii-chan. The conversation of this gathering is so interesting that it is like earning money. <--- I'm especially confused by this part, does it make any sense?

That's not いいちゃん but いっちゃん or "Icchan".;-)

お金がとれそう…というくらい面白い会話
so interesting conversation that we could charge (the audience) for it

 

[poompoom]

Ahh, thank you so much, your translation makes perfect sense!

 

[latenight]

Does this make sense? "Wakare sewa."
I'm trying to say, "bye, take care." in a very casual way as possible.
Or do you have any other suggestions.
"Odaiji ni" seems to only apply to a sick person.
"ki wo tsukete ne" is more like to someone traveling if I'm not mistaken.

Also will someone translate this for me:
ほしいかのじょがみる。でも、かのじょはぼくにおこている

thank you very much )

 

[poompoom]

My casual Japanese isn't very good but you could say "ja mata ne" or I think even "bai bai" is fine. Ki wo tsuke ne seems appropriate too.

I think the sentence means I see a girl that I desire/want. However, she is angry with me. Though, I think if the particle ga is used, I think mieru is more appropriate with it? Hope that helps.

 

[poompoom]

Hi, I'm confused over this bit of dialogue:
「人前でゲロを吐いたことには、おまえも一人前になった！とほめてくれたのだが、なぜか熱いみそ汁を飲もうとすると烈火のごとく怒られるという話」

This is how I translated it: "You become an adult when you throw up vomit in public! And he praised me but for some reason when I tried to drink the hot miso soup, it is a story of raging anger".

If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you!

 

[Glenn]

My take on it:

"It's (was) a story regarding having thrown up in front of people, her being praised by her father, saying 'you've grown all up!', but for some reason being fiercely scolded when she would eat hot miso soup."

I'm assuming you got it here: 吉本ばなな公式サイト | 日記 | 2011年2月

Since it's a parenthetical, the surrounding context is almost necessary (I would imagine, but it may just be because I'm not a native speaker).

 

[Toritoribe]

Also will someone translate this for me:
ほしいかのじょがみる。でも、かのじょはぼくにおこている

The sentence was obviously written by a non-native speaker. The first one doesn't make much sense, and the second one has a typo. I suppose the writter might want to say 彼女に見てほしい in the first one, or it could be 彼女に会いたい(mistranslation for "to see; 見る/会う"). "彼女に会いたい。でも、彼女は僕に怒っている/腹を立てている。" or "I want to see her. But she is angry with me." seems reasonable to me.

Hi, I'm confused over this bit of dialogue:
「人前でゲロを吐いたことには、おまえも一人前になった！とほめてくれたのだが、なぜか熱いみそ汁を飲もうとすると烈火のごとく怒られるという話」

This is how I translated it: "You become an adult when you throw up vomit in public! And he praised me but for some reason when I tried to drink the hot miso soup, it is a story of raging anger".

If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you!

Yeah, I agree with Glenn-san. The preceding sentence " まみちゃんの、オチが二段になってるゲロ話＆お父さんの怒りのツボがわからない話", especially "お父さんの怒りのツボがわからない話" in it helps to understand the meaning.

 

[poompoom]

Yup, you got it, I did get it from that site! Sorry, I should put in the context as well. Thanks for the help! I feel like such a noob >.<

 

[Glenn]

It's cool. So you like 吉本ばなな? Have you read any of her novels?

 

[poompoom]

Actually, I'm not the biggest fan of Yoshimoto, I much prefer Haruki Murakami in terms of Japanese fiction! I've read Kitchen, Goodbye Tsugumi and Asleep. I'm doing a little bit of research on her for a paper, it's pretty tough to get info on her, so I'm reading her diary to gain more insight on her. It's definitely tough though, since my Japanese is so subpar but it's really helpful that really nice people like you are helping out!

 

[sl89]

Can anyone translate this? I made the attempt, but what I came up with didn't make any sense, after that I tried again, but I just ended up confusing myself more.

あいつなんかじゃ一生稼がないくらい高価な石なのにちゃっかり持って行きやがって

Any help would be greatly appreciated.