先 / だけではすまん
- Thread starter eeky
- Start date
- 22 Feb 2008
- 18,266
- 4,926
1)
足（の）先 means "toe". It's from the meaning #1.
先／前（さき）の意味 - goo国語辞書
2)
～ではすまない: can't get away with ~
俺がクビになるだけではすまんよ
You/We/I can't get away with just (my) being fired.
足（の）先 means "toe". It's from the meaning #1.
先／前（さき）の意味 - goo国語辞書
2)
～ではすまない: can't get away with ~
俺がクビになるだけではすまんよ
You/We/I can't get away with just (my) being fired.
- Thread starter
- #3
This sentence 「おまえさんにしゃべったりしたら、俺がクビになるだ けではすまんよ」 is supposed to mean "More'n [More than] my job's worth ter [to] tell yeh [you] that". Probably you know this, but "(it's) more than my job's worth to..." is an expression implying "I could get fired if...". I can't relate your explanation to this supposed meaning. Do you think the Japanese does actually mean that?
(Edited) Though it just occurred to me ... I suppose it must mean "If it tell you then the consequences will not be limited to my just being fired" (i.e. implying that some other bad things will happen too)?
(Edited) Though it just occurred to me ... I suppose it must mean "If it tell you then the consequences will not be limited to my just being fired" (i.e. implying that some other bad things will happen too)?
- 22 Feb 2008
- 18,266
- 4,926
Yes, that's right. It exactly means "If I tell you then the consequences will not be limited to my just being fired. Some other bad things will happen too".
- 22 Feb 2008
- 18,266
- 4,926
It's said that the Japanese translation of Harry Potter Series has so many mistranslations and misinterpretations. It's pointed out that one of the reasons is that the translator is not a translator of literature but a simultaneous interpreter. In fact, Harry Potter Series is her first (and only) translation of literature.
- Thread starter
- #7
I haven't come across too many blatant mistranslations yet (113 pages so far), but then again I am insensitive to the fine nuances of the Japanese text and the exact choice of words and phrases, representations of people's characters through their style of speech, etc..
Glenn
一切皆苦
- 8 Jan 2004
- 7,842
- 200
I wouldn't feel too bad about that, eeky, just to let you know. Not that I'd know how you feel about it... I just want to say that given enough time and exposure, it'll come, so you needn't pay too much attention to where you are now in that regard. Just words of encouragement if you needed any.
I find this fascinating, and it really underscores some of the differences between translation and interpretation. I feel like most (monolingual) people make all sorts of assumptions about languages, like if you know more than one, you can perfectly translate/interpret between them, but this is a great counterexample to that assumption if it is in fact true. Even if it isn't true, I have enough personal experience to know that the assumption that bilingualism is all that's required to be a proficient (or even adequate) translator/interpreter is bogus. It is, in fact, about on par with saying that merely by being a native speaker of a language, you are a great (or even adequate) writer in that language, which I'm sure anyone would realize is not the case.
I find this fascinating, and it really underscores some of the differences between translation and interpretation. I feel like most (monolingual) people make all sorts of assumptions about languages, like if you know more than one, you can perfectly translate/interpret between them, but this is a great counterexample to that assumption if it is in fact true. Even if it isn't true, I have enough personal experience to know that the assumption that bilingualism is all that's required to be a proficient (or even adequate) translator/interpreter is bogus. It is, in fact, about on par with saying that merely by being a native speaker of a language, you are a great (or even adequate) writer in that language, which I'm sure anyone would realize is not the case.
