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世界観 something that has never set well with me

GaijinPunch

遠いから行きません
25 Nov 2004
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Can someone give me a direct (colloquial) translation of this in a sentence. I know what it means, but I really don't know how to use it in English. I think I learned this second hear and it just hasn't clicked. :/
 
GaijinPunch said:
Can someone give me a direct (colloquial) translation of this in a sentence. I know what it means, but I really don't know how to use it in English. I think I learned this second hear and it just hasn't clicked. :/
I don't have any sentence I can think of that will help you understand it better. You probably understand it but just feel uncomfortable with it. (I think it happens to many, including myself.)

I think the word "sekai-kan" was originally imported from the concept in Germany philosophy (Weltanschauung)--is that the reason why you feel it doesn't really fit into your interpretation of it?

Anyway, I think most Japanese people use it very loosely, without any strict notions attached to it, meaning only as "an outlook toward society/world/cosmos." So, just try using it in a relaxed way.

Does this help?? :?
 
I've only learned to use "人生観" in sentences like "Kono kotoba wa watashi no jinseikan wo igi no aru mono deshita," so I feel your awkwardness gp. :)

Although there are surely good examples of both around somewhere nearby.
 
Hmmm... I never really looked into this concept very closely until now and found this:

"Sekai-kan" is basically the basic view/understanding upheld by a person, ethnic group, civilization, etc., on how the world is structured, how things are related and how they interact. the word "sekai" is used in Kabuki and Ningyo-joururi to describe the framework created by a preceding work on which the play is performed.

However, it is presently being used to describe the background and setting for dramatic and literary works. The use of the word in this way is actually wrong but is being accepted by a growing number of persons. See this poll:
「世界観」という言葉は「世界についての見方・考え方」という意… - 人力検索はてな

Very interesting, isn't it? As for myself, I have noticed this "wrong" usage but accepted it as one of the words that acquired a new definition over time.

I'll try giving both examples:
Correct usage: 9・11は、アメリカ人の世界観を変える出来事だった。
"Wrong" usage: この本は、中世ヨーロッパの美しい世界観がある作品です。
Errr... not very good... 😊

Okay, another Japanese web page that discusses "sekai-kan" for your reference.

Just my two yen... :p

BTW, I have noticed quite a few writer who use "sekai-kan" seemingly without hesitation to mean "jinsei-kan".
 
英語では:

world·view
n. In both senses also called Weltanschauung.

1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.
2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

引用
 
Well... I knew the definitions of it. The problem is, you hear about it in development too. Specifically, I'm translating an article by a games design team... I've actually heard this more than a few times when people "make worlds". I think this is why it's so hard to find a fitting substitute in English... it's not really a "world view" but "how they're seeing this world they've made". 0_o

On top of all that, this guy speaks some awful Japanese (either that or the transcriber doesn't know how to edit properly). Kinda sucks.
 
Looks like what you're dealing with is one of those "loose" usage I've seen in recent years, based on the "wrong" usage thing I posted earlier (not that I think it's "wrong").

I think you should just ignore that word and translate what he actually means.

Translating ramblings that shoot in different directions randomly is certainly tough. (Doujou shimasu...) ☝
 
Yeah... kinda sucks, but is the way it goes. These guys redefine run-on. :/
 
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