これを機会に / させてもらう / に / 僕でよかったら / 考えてんのか

[eeky]

Hi,


1. 足立： あ、仕事のことは、あの、心配なさらないでください。僕達でなんとかやってますから、これを機会にゆっくりお休みになってください。

My translation: "Ah, please don't worry about work. We'll manage it somehow amongst ourselves, so please take this opportunity to have a break."

Is this OK? I am unsure, especially, about これを機会に.


2. Next line:

部長： ま、そう言ってもらえると、少し気が楽になるな。じゃ、この際、ちょっと骨休めでもさせてもらうとするか。

My translation: "Well, your saying that makes me feel a bit more relaxed. If you're happy for me to take a break now, I think I will."

I am trying to interpret the last part as:

ちょっと骨休めでもさせてもらうと = if you will allow me to take (even) a little break ...
するか = ... (then) I will, perhaps

but I am not sure if this is correct.


3. 彼に過ちをあからさまに白状した。

Translation given: "He openly confessed his faults."

Why 彼に?

Edited: Maybe 彼に過ち = "his faults"?


4. The speaker's friend wants to ask him for some advice. The speaker says:

ああ、あ、いいですよ。僕でよかったら。

What does 僕でよかったら mean? Why で? Why よかったら?

Edited: Literally "It would be good if (you discussed it) with me"?? (sorry, second time in this thread that something has just occurred to me the moment I submitted it!)


5. それが、時々、彼女何考えてんのか、よくわからないことがあるんですよ。

I assume this means "Sometimes I don't understand what she is thinking very well", but I do not understand the grammar around 考えてんのか. Is there a typo there? Or maybe a dialect or contracted form?

 

[LloydVincent]

1. 足立： あ、仕事のことは、あの、心配なさらないでく ださい。僕達でなんとかやってますから、これを機会に ゆっくりお休みになってください。

Hello again This is a continuation of 足立 and 部長's dialogue from yesterday, right? Remember how I said that 部長 was recovering from some health issue?

In the phrase これを機会に, これ is referring to the circumstance that 部長 had fallen ill. So 足立 is saying that 部長 should take the chance while he's not feeling so well to really rest up, instead of worrying about work.


2. 部長： ま、そう言ってもらえると、少し気が楽になる な。じゃ、この際、ちょっと骨休めでもさせてもらうと するか。

Yes, you're correct. ・・・とするか is a way to declare one's intent to do something. 部長 could also say: させてもらおうか and the meaning would be the same.

Note however, 骨休め refers to something more substantial than a "little break". It's actually a pretty good break, something intended to revitalize one's energy. It makes me think of going to a hot springs or something.

ちょっと and でも are used here not for their literal meaning. They're used to make the sentence more indirect. It's appropriate to speak indirectly when you take time off of work for personal reasons.

3. 彼に過ちをあからさまに白状した。

彼に here is "to him", so... (I/he/she) openly confessed their mistake TO him.


4. ああ、あ、いいですよ。僕でよかったら。

What does 僕でよかったら mean? Why で? Why よかったら?

"if (you're) comfortable with (=で) (telling/asking) me" is what's meant here. This is a common expression used to make it easier for someone to open up to/rely on you. You can also say 僕でよければ.

Edit: 僕でよければ also conveys a sense of humility. If you use it before making a request that involves you directly, it conveys something like "I know I'm not the best person for this, but..."


5. それが、時々、彼女何考えてんのか、よくわからないこ とがあるんですよ。

Yes, this is an abbreviated form. The full form would be 何を考えているのか

 

[eeky]

Thank you very much.

In (2), is と near the end used in the sense of "if/when", or is it just marking 骨休めでもさせてもらう as the thing that will be done?

 

[Toritoribe]

2)
The latter. ～とする is an idiom, meaning "to think ~" here.

２ …と考える。…と判断する。「彼の意見をよし― ◦する者」

とする - goo辞書

3)
If the given translation is correct, that's a typo of 彼は, as always.

 

[eeky]

Thanks Toritoribe.

1. I was having problems fitting dictionary meanings of とする with 骨休めでもさせてもらう. I believe that the latter is a polite circumlocution, but if ～とする means "to think" here (or, as Lloyd says, ～とするか declares one's intent to do something) then, as literally as you can express it in English, what is it that the speaker thinks or is intending to do?

In (3) it is not possible to tell whether the English or Japanese is correct, but as long as the one doesn't mean the other I'm happy.

 

[Toritoribe]

I think/consider/judge that it's good/no problem to receive a favor of your allowing me to take a little break.

The last か gives a nuance of declaring these things to the listeners (or the speaker themselves, depending on the context), as LloydVincent-san explained.

 

[eeky]

Thanks, that's very helpful.

I have one more question about this, if I may. It seems to me that ちょっと骨休めでもさせてもらうとするか is quite a humble and almost deferential thing to say, yet it is being said by 部長 to 足立さん, and 足立さん seems to be presented as an ordinary employee, who would be subservient to 部長? Or have I got this wrong, and 足立さん is actually senior to 部長?

 

[Toritoribe]

That's a polite saying but not enough polite. In fact, if Adachi said this phrase to his superior, even if it's させてもらいます, it could sound rather aggressive. He must say させていただきます for the case.

 

[eeky]

In fact, if Adachi said this phrase to his superior, even if it's させてもらいます, it could sound rather aggressive.

Gosh! There was me thinking it was deferential!

 

[Toritoribe]

No, your interpretation is correct. It's indeed deferential. There is no problem to use this expression in an appropriate situation. The business scene is a bit special. It sometimes(or always) tends to require super polite expressions.