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is this a correct translation?

money-mike

後輩
22 Jun 2008
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Hello,
I am a Chicago Cubs fan and I have seen jerseys for Kosuke Fukudome...
I was wondering, is the translation below really his last name?
What does it say? Is it a phonetical translation?

Thank you all!!!
 
It is written correctly in *katakana*

Most correct is to write his name in kanji, which is 福留
If you can't read this, install Asian language pack (for Windows XP) which can be found in your OS CD. Other Windows systems require slightly different installations, which you can check at the Microsoft website.
Mac OS has one, too, most likely pre-installed. It only needs to be set up.
 
Thanks!
Another question... what is the difference between katakana and kanji? Why is it more correct to use Kanji instead of katakana?
 
If you're asking about writing the name under common circumstances, such as signing your name, writing the name in a letter, a report, etc., names are written in kanji. That is the most correct way.

Names may be written in katakana when it is likely that the reader may not be able to read the kanji (some kanji names are difficult to read, just the same as some English names are difficult to pronounce).
Names may also be in katakana for emphatic purpose, although this is very rare.

When talking about baseball, however, Japanese baseball players in Japan have their names printed on the back of their uniforms in alphabetical characters (called "romaji"), i.e., FUKUDOME.
 
Names may also be in katakana for emphatic purpose, although this is very rare. When talking about baseball, however, Japanese baseball players in Japan have their names printed on the back of their uniforms in alphabetical characters (called "romaji"), i.e., FUKUDOME.
I don't know why the only shirts with his name in Japanese are in katakana.
Maybe it is "cooler" to Fukudome in the same way that Japanese players actually prefer the alphabet to kanji or kana backed uniforms.

I know with Matsuzaka, though, all signage is in kanji and English and in my opinion that is the most culturally sensitive, most proper response from a MLB team. 😌
 
I don't know why the only shirts with his name in Japanese are in katakana.
Maybe it is "cooler" to Fukudome in the same way that Japanese players actually prefer the alphabet to kanji or kana backed uniforms.

I know with Matsuzaka, though, all signage is in kanji and English and in my opinion that is the most culturally sensitive, most proper response from a MLB team. 😌
I haven't been following MLB so much this year, so this is a basic question.

Do you mean that Fukudome has his name in katakana while playing in official MLB games? If so, that is absolutely weird!! No Japanese player had ever had KANJI or KATAKANA on the official uniform--in Japanese professional baseball and in MLB (starting with Nomo to Ichiro and Matsuzaka today).

From what I heard in the MLB news and Japanese media, the Chicago Cubs are having a hard time dealing with Fukudome's name, since many Cubs fans (who don't have an inkling of what the Japanese language is like) pronounce his name like "F*** do me"?? 😊
Maybe that's the reason for their choice of katakana?

That's on top of that incident during a game when Fukudome hit a home run and Cubs fan put up a sign that said 偶然だ (meaning "it's an accident') when they thought it meant "It's gonna happen"!! It reportedly was the result of using a Web translation site... :D

I haven't heard Fukudome make any comment on that or any other... He probably is just too happy to be in MLB and with the Chicago Cubs. 😌
 
It's possible that Fukudome's name was done in katakana because to the average American, kanji all look the same anyway, and this way it's much clearer that it's someone else's name other than Matsuzaka.

On an unlrelated note, for some reason when I looked at the picture of the jersey and saw Fukudome's name in katakana, I had the image of Mr. Sparkle from the Simpson's flash in my head.
 
I haven't been following MLB so much this year, so this is a basic question.
Do you mean that Fukudome has his name in katakana while playing in official MLB games? If so, that is absolutely weird!! No Japanese player had ever had KANJI or KATAKANA on the official uniform--in Japanese professional baseball and in MLB (starting with Nomo to Ichiro and Matsuzaka today).
Yes, I have seen that was the typical Japanese practice, for teams whose uniforms use a player name, is to use romaji. And of course there is even the Japanese team name is written in English, "Lions". :eek:

But Matsuzaka jerseys and other memorabilia, autographs, etc are frequently in kanji script. That's the difference I was talking about. In addition to small touches such as the Red Sox reprinting all their business cards with Japanese on the back and hiring a language trainer for the coaches.


That's on top of that incident during a game when Fukudome hit a home run and Cubs fan put up a sign that said 偶然だ (meaning "it's an accident') when they thought it meant "It's gonna happen"!! It reportedly was the result of using a Web translation site...

I thought that was hilarious ! :LOL: Not that katakana would rescue the situation, so his translator suggested instead the signs say "kotoshi koso." 😅
 
If you check out MLB photos, it looks like his name is in romaji like the rest of the MLB players, and I would be absolutely stunned if it werent the case. Plus, there would be no need for the OP to ask how to write it in Japanese if it already appeared in Japanese on the normal Jersey.

I imagine the OP wanted to try to create a more 'authentic' jersey. Clearly 'authentic' is one of those 'eye of the beholder' phenomena.
 
If you check out MLB photos, it looks like his name is in romaji like the rest of the MLB players, and I would be absolutely stunned if it werent the case. Plus, there would be no need for the OP to ask how to write it in Japanese if it already appeared in Japanese on the normal Jersey.
I imagine the OP wanted to try to create a more 'authentic' jersey. Clearly 'authentic' is one of those 'eye of the beholder' phenomena.
The OP was asking how to read it. And the shirt may be official MLB memorabilia. It's still is a sale jersey (or whatever they're called). His game day uniform for sure is in Romaji.
 
If you were to ask me why they put his name in katakana instead of kanji or hiragana its probably to save money and make it easier to look at.

ふくどめ is way too squiggly if you know what i mean. There for using more fabric and costing them more money.

福留 if that is the right Kanji for his name is way too complicated for the average American's eyes. Plus it is way too complex for them to put on the back of jerseys and probably wouldn't look too great if you ask me.

フクドメ I think that this is just way easier on the eyes. More straight-lined like most katakana compared to hiragana, so it will use less fabric and be easier to produce.

Those are just my thoughts. Might be completely off from the truth or it could be completely right haha. Who knows?

P.S. I know its not his actual jersey, its just memorabilia.
 
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