Need a word or phrase translated?

[turvy]

Thanks Mike Cash and everyone, I hadn't seen it actually, since last time I read the thread Mike Cash said he was on the road and I wasn't subscribed to the thread either (now I am). I get that now or more like I am getting used to it.

As for the current topic, I understand what you are saying and it does help but it still doesn't click.

Say, I bump into my boss at the convenience store while I am supposed to be working in the office, clearly I am playing hooky and my boss asks me "Aren't you supposed to be working now?". "Well, it is that I had to buy some materials for the project I am working on." I reply.

A rather complicated example but making sense of the explanative "it is that". Is that what んだ is supposed to do in a sentence?. I actually see these Japanese constructions used a lot so I can't help to think what is it that they need to explain / excuse themselves of so much.

 

[sl89]

A: 昨日は仕事で…いつもはそこまで遅くはならんから大丈夫だ
B: なんかノリ悪くないか！ テンション低いんおはいつもの事だけどよ

What does ノリ mean in this context?

 

[Mike Cash]

Turvy, we have situations all the time in English where we say something by way of explanation. The difference is that we don't always use a different phrasing to indicate it. Japanese does. You just have to get used to noticing the nature of what you are saying (or what is being said) and use the appropriate phrasing.

Your example was a good one. Look at the situation and you will see that the nature of the statement to the boss was explanatory. Of course we wouldn't use the somewhat awkward "it is that...." phrasing in English as a general thing, but it is handy for a teaching device....except for causing confusion when people get hung up on literal translations instead of going sort of Zen and developing an awareness of the functional aspect of communication. Gotta open up your mind and put literal translation behind you or you'll be tripping over every little thing.

 

[turvy]

I see, that really makes sense, now I only need to see a few examples that carry such explanatory tone in English (which is the language that is not consistent in how sentences carrying an explanatory tone are phrased).

In order to get used to noticing this I have to be able to notice it first in English. I think I can finally say I get it but seeing some examples that follow up exactly with your explanation would help tremendously to wrap this up.

 

[Mike Cash]

I see, that really makes sense, now I only need to see a few examples that carry such explanatory tone in English (which is the language that is not consistent in how sentences carrying an explanatory tone are phrased).

In order to get used to noticing this I have to be able to notice it first in English. I think I can finally say I get it but seeing some examples that follow up exactly with your explanation would help tremendously to wrap this up.

My mother can't come to my graduation. She's in the hospital.

母は卒業式に出席出来ません。入院しているのです。

When learning Japanese, if you don't end up learning almost as much about English at the same time then you're probably going to have a hard time. Or such has always been my opinion on the matter, anyway.

There are quite a few "that doesn't translate" sort of things, and as you mention it is important to develop an awareness of them. I've had coworkers, for example, ask me "How do you say お疲れ様 in English?" and my answer is, "You don't". But the thought of a Japanese workplace trying to get along without it sort of boggles the mind, it is such an integral part of interaction.

One area I have always noticed that foreign learners come up short is failing to use (not misuse....just flat-out not use) the multiple giving/receiving verbs in regard to the actions (favors) of others. We don't have the equivalent in English and aren't conscious of their absence in our Japanese sentences....but you can be sure the native speakers notice the omission and are apt to think it ungrateful, thoughtless, or just plain old rude.

 

[turvy]

Absolutely. Japanese is not about mapping patterns, some of it is, but there is a huge portion of unique elements alien to English and my/our western system of thinking. I actually had a similar conversation with my boss (in English) the other day regarding ご苦労様でした, I said something like "In English you usually simply say what you literally mean, in this case something like 'thank you for coming' is more than enough".

Now, your example is just spot on, the two sentences are not connected grammatically in any way but there is a clear relation. My mother can't come to my graduation. [Why?] She's in the hospital.

With this in mind let me grab the first example I see from what I am currently reading and see if I can apply these rules to make sense of it.

電車は、とても重い乗り物です。スピードを出して走ると、せんろや地面に、大きな力がかかります。それを、少しでも和らげるために、たくさんの石が敷いてあるのです。

Trains are very heavy vehicles. When moving at high speed, the tracks, ground, etc., are under great force/pressure. For this reason and in order to relieve the pressure is why rocks are laid out.

***
Wow, I think it's making sense! Would it be wrong to think of it as a "because" in disguise?.

 

[Toritoribe]

A: 昨日は仕事で…いつもはそこまで遅くはならんから大丈夫だ
B: なんかノリ悪くないか！ テンション低いんおはいつもの事だけどよ

What does ノリ mean in this context?

ノリ means "mood", and ノリ（が）悪い is a set phrase roughly meaning "not to join in our mood".

 

[Mike Cash]

Wow, I think it's making sense! Would it be wrong to think of it as a "because" in disguise?.

I think it is safe to say you have achieved a moment of enlightenment.

 

[sl89]

ノリ means "mood", and ノリ（が）悪い is a set phrase roughly meaning "not to join in our mood".

Thank you very much!

So, right after that last bit, person B continues to say:
食いもの食ってるか？忙しいつってブロック飯ばっかじゃないだろう

What is ブロック飯? I've never heard of it before, is it literally a block of rice?

 

[Toritoribe]

I haven't heard it either. I've googled it and got a result that ブロック飯 apparently refers to block type energy-supplement foods like CalorieMate or SOYJOY.

 

[undrentide]

ブロック飯 most likely refers to カロリーメイト and some such because they are blocks (cubes) in form.
カロリーメイト公式サイト | 大塚製薬

Oops, Toritoribe san beat me! :

 

[sl89]

I haven't heard it either. I've googled it and got a result that ブロック飯 apparently refers to block type energy-supplement foods like CalorieMate or SOYJOY.

ブロック飯 most likely refers to カロリーメイト and some such because they are blocks (cubes) in form.
カロリーメイト公式サイト | 大塚製薬

Oops, Toritoribe san beat me! :

I see, thank you both for the help!

 

[Auzzie1606]

Hi
I need help with this sentence:

若い世代向けのワンルームアパートを中心に退去が相次いだということです
I can't translate it to english. Individually I know what the words mean but I can't work out an overall meaning. Any help would be fantastically wonderful

Reference to the whole article (and context) is here

 

[Toritoribe]

The core of the sentence is 退去が相次いだ. 退去 refers to 住人のワンルームアパートからの退去 in this case.

 

[Auzzie1606]

My best translation of "若い世代向けのワンルームアパートを中心に退去が相次いだということです" would be:
people who inhabit one room apartments aimed at the younger generation are leaving one by one to the center (city centers perhaps?)
Perhaps the two greatest confusions are the meaning of 中心(center) & the fact that a subject (ie; person) is not mentioned.

 

[Toritoribe]

Sorry, I should say 住人の賃貸アパートからの退去 instead.
中心 doesn't mean "center". 中心に is used adverbially, meaning "mainly". The subject is "inhabitants who live in rented apartments".

 

[Jakareh]

Years ago, I read a book about the Tech Bubble of the 1990s in which an arrogant American venture capitalist had a pet Japanese phrase, which he translated into English as "It's all about now". I tried searching for this phrase and remembering it myself, but all I could come up with was "keiretsu". I know that's incorrect, but it was something of comparable length.

I would be grateful for any help. This is of some importance to me.

 

[Toritoribe]

刹那主義[setsunashugi]?

 

[Jakareh]

刹那主義[setsunashugi]?

Thank you, but that does not sound quite right. I believe the transliteration did start with a "k" and it may have had something with Zen Buddhism.

 

[LilGirl]

Can someone please translate this sentence : "I love Vocaloid" into Japanese (phonetically) for me ?
I'm new to this language and I barely have any basic knowledge about it yet, but I really need that sentence translated into Japanese.
Please help Thanks

 

[Auzzie1606]

Can someone please translate this sentence : "I love Vocaloid" into Japanese (phonetically) for me ?
I'm new to this language and I barely have any basic knowledge about it yet, but I really need that sentence translated into Japanese.
Please help Thanks

ボーカロイドが大好きです
bo-karoido ga daisuki desu

Or if you're being informal you can shorten the word Vocaloid and just leave off the desu

ボカロが大好き！
bokaro ga daisuki!

Hope it helps

 

[Vicksss]

How do you say 'in this photo, there are three people'

Here's what I think: かの フォト で, さんにん が あります。
I'm not sure if I'm using arismasu correctly or should it be imasu? Techniquely they're not living inside the picture right?

 

[Auzzie1606]

How do you say 'in this photo, there are three people'

Here's what I think: かの フォト で, さんにん が あります。
I'm not sure if I'm using arismasu correctly or should it be imasu? Techniquely they're not living inside the picture right?

Particles are particularly tricky - They're the bane of all japanese language learners. In this sentence I'm sure the use of で is right.
However you're right in saying you should use imasu （います）. Imasu is for living things (ie pets and humans, not plants) and arimasu is for objects. Saying さんにん が あります can either be rude or imply they are dead : (
Also I think you meant to write この instead of かの otherwise it's a word I don't know

このしゃしんで、さんにん が います。is the sentence I would use

しゃしん is a more commonly used word for フォト but using either one is still correct!

 

[Mike Cash]

さんにん is "three people".....not "two people".

I'm no expert on particles, but I would go with に instead of で.

います is correct. I'd go with ふたりがうつっています instead of ふたりがいます, but if you haven't learned that construction yet then what you had is also fine (with the noted corrections).

 

[Toritoribe]

The correct particle is に, as Mike-san wrote.
かの is an archaic way of saying あの, i.e., "that".
I would say この写真には、３人の人が写っています.