私にはまだ例の... / みる / 国籍上はアメリカ人でも...

Hi,

1. 私にはまだ例の反日感情があったが、それよりも、恥ず かしながら、まず山へ行って人並な生活をしたいという 欲望のほうが強かった。

The writer is an American who has been invited to go and stay in a villa in the mountains for the summer to study Japanese. It is 1940.

My translation: "I still had the usual anti-Japanese sentiment, but nevertheless, and although I was shy, I above all had a strong desire to go to mountains and live an ordinary life."

As well as other things that might be wrong, I have the following doubts:

a) In what sense do you think まだ is used? I translated it as "still", but I don't really understand why in 1940 he would use the word "still" in reference to anti-Japanese sentiment amongst Americans, assuming that's what he's referring to. Maybe in 1960, yes.

b) In what sense is 例の used?

c) Is 恥ずかしい more like "shy" or "embarrassed"?

d) How would you translate 人並な生活 here?


2. 別荘に着いてみると、家庭教師は既に来ていて、果樹園 で果物を折っていた。

My translation: "When we arrived at the villa, the tutor had already come (i.e. arrived), and was picking fruit in the orchard."

What meaning does みる have here? Is it literally referring to their seeing the villa?


3. 国籍上はアメリカ人でも、英語はほとんどできなかった わけで、それがかえって日本語を習う上ではよかったよ うだ。

My translation: "Although he was an American citizen, he spoke hardly any English, but despite this, it was good learning Japanese (from him)."

Even if this is close, I don't exactly understand what わけ, 上 or よう mean in this context.

I'm also not very sure about それがかえって, which I guessed to mean something like "despite this"?

eeky said:

1. 私にはまだ例の反日感情があったが、それよりも、恥ず かしながら、まず山へ行って人並な生活をしたいという 欲望のほうが強かった。

My translation: "I still had the usual anti-Japanese sentiment, but nevertheless, and although I was shy, I above all had a strong desire to go to mountains and live an ordinary life."

a) In what sense do you think まだ is used? I translated it as "still", but I don't really understand why in 1940 he would use the word "still" in reference to anti-Japanese sentiment amongst Americans, assuming that's what he's referring to. Maybe in 1960, yes.

b) In what sense is 例の used?

c) Is 恥ずかしい more like "shy" or "embarrassed"?

d) How would you translate 人並な生活 here?

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a) The speaker had had the anti-Japanese feelings in the past and he still had it.
Since it is not clear why he had that feelings - based on his past experience or the general tendency in the place he was living, it is hard to tell whether it was 1940 or 1960.
Considering the Japanese-American internment was in 1942, it is possible that there was already some anti-Japanese sentiment but I'm not sure.

b) 例の is used to refer a particular thing that is already known/understood between the speaker and those who are being spoken. It can be translated as "the" or "that".
Obviously his anti-Japanese feeling was already mentioned before this sentence.

c) 恥ずかしい in 恥ずかしながら is "shame".
I'm ashamed to tell/say/admit...

d) 人並み literally means "same level as people/others".
So your translation "ordinary" fits well. Alternatively, "normal" or "decent" can be used.

eeky said:

2. 別荘に着いてみると、家庭教師は既に来ていて、果樹園 で果物を折っていた。

My translation: "When we arrived at the villa, the tutor had already come (i.e. arrived), and was picking fruit in the orchard."

What meaning does みる have here? Is it literally referring to their seeing the villa?

Click to expand...

～てみる is an expression for "to do something for a try/change/to see what it is like".
It is also used to express "to do something then see/realize/find (the result, fact, etc)"
In this case it is the latter.

eeky said:

3. 国籍上はアメリカ人でも、英語はほとんどできなかった わけで、それがかえって日本語を習う上ではよかったよ うだ。

My translation: "Although he was an American citizen, he spoke hardly any English, but despite this, it was good learning Japanese (from him)."

Even if this is close, I don't exactly understand what わけ, 上 or よう mean in this context.

I'm also not very sure about それがかえって, which I guessed to mean something like "despite this"?

Click to expand...

わけ is used to say the conclusion. Maybe there is some explanation about himself, which is followed 国籍上はアメリカ人でも英語はほとんどできなかった.
This わけ does not have to be always translated, I think, but if I dare to put into words, "that is..." "which is to say..." for instance.

上で has several meanings but here it means the same as ため.
日本語を習う上では＝日本語を習うためには to learn Japanese

よう means assumption by the speaker. It seems, I guess, I think, etc.

かえって means "contrary to the expectation".
What expectation was there is not clear, but the possibility is:
Normally a person who has American citizenship is supposed to be able to speak English fluently and inability in English language is usually considered as disadvantage.
But in this particular situation, being not able to speak English helps learning Japanese.

undrentide said:

わけ is used to say the conclusion. Maybe there is some explanation about himself, which is followed 国籍上はアメリカ人でも英語はほとんどできなかった

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Hi undrentide, thanks for your help. I wonder if I could ask further about わけ. The preceding sentence is:

家庭教師は猪股忠君という人で、彼はアメリカ生まれだ ったが、小さい時に家族ともども日本へ帰り、十七、八 歳で再びアメリカへ戻ったそうだ。

I translated this as: "The tutor was a man named Tadashi Inomata; he said he had been born in America, but had gone back to Japan with his family when he was small, then returned again to America at the age of 17 or 18."

So, when we get to the next sentence, 国籍上はアメリカ人でも、英語はほとんどできなかった わけで..., is わけ reinforcing the idea that his speaking almost no English was a result of his having grown up mostly in Japan?

eeky said:

Hi undrentide, thanks for your help. I wonder if I could ask further about わけ. The preceding sentence is:

家庭教師は猪股忠君という人で、彼はアメリカ生まれだ ったが、小さい時に家族ともども日本へ帰り、十七、八 歳で再びアメリカへ戻ったそうだ。

I translated this as: "The tutor was a man named Tadashi Inomata; he said he had been born in America, but had gone back to Japan with his family when he was small, then returned again to America at the age of 17 or 18."

So, when we get to the next sentence, 国籍上はアメリカ人でも、英語はほとんどできなかった わけで..., is わけ reinforcing the idea that his speaking almost no English was a result of his having grown up mostly in Japan?

Click to expand...

As far as I read the sentence you quoted, yes, your understanding is correct.