Need a word or phrase translated?

[epigene]

Here's my simple phrase I would like translated:

どちらかといえば評価していたくらいだわ。
Context:
:なんかすごいバカにされてるような気がしたんだが。
:気のせいよ、そんなの。どちらかといえば評価していたくらいだわ。

Didn't you ask the same question in your own translation thread? If it was wrong, it must be because of context.

Literally, "dochiraka to ieba" means "if you want to choose one from the other." "Hyouka" is evaluation but is very often used positively to mean recognition, praise, etc.

 

[euske]

> どちらかといえば評価していたくらいだわ。

"I would rather appreciate it."

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Here's my simple phrase I would like translated:

どちらかといえば評価していたくらいだわ。
Context:
:なんかすごいバカにされてるような気がしたんだが。
:気のせいよ、そんなの。どちらかといえば評価していたくらいだわ。

Race against the clock!

It means that he or she was praised if anything.

 

[maxchris]

Hey Chris,
First, I agree with what Glenn has told you. The meaning of "dai suki" can range anywhere from "I really like you" to "I'm nuts about you" and even to "I love you dearly." But I want to caution you that, like Glenn suggested, there are a lot of variables involved.
You have to take into consideration how young the girl is, and even how fickle she may be. Japanese people almost never say "ai shiteru" but young girls seem to compensate for this by over-using "dai suki."
And young girls tend to apply it not just to people, but to anything and everything that fits their fancy -- their favorite food, a cool movie, some new music, a favorite singer, baseball player or car or neat new cellphone.
So, now you may ask, "How do I know what she really is saying to me?"
Hey, that is the mystery that every guy is faced with sooner or later.
I'm new to this forum, but I've been living in Japan and doing Japanese every day for a long time. I hope this helps, Chris.

She's 26 years old (in the U.S. for about six years but working for an all-Japanese company), we're in a post-graduate class together and going out after class about once a week for a couple of months, just hanging out. We had a candid email exchange the other day, and it turns out she was trying to convey a feeling of attraction and affection beyond friendship (woo-hoo!).

Thanks Jagotaro and everyone else for your replies. If there's one thing I'm learning (if she is typical), Japanese are seldom direct with their words or meaning...

 

[Fehrant]

すみません。質問あります。「うりば」はどんなばしょです?

 

[DingoEnderZOE2]

Didn't you ask the same question in your own translation thread? If it was wrong, it must be because of context.
Literally, "dochiraka to ieba" means "if you want to choose one from the other." "Hyouka" is evaluation but is very often used positively to mean recognition, praise, etc.

Yes I after looking in my topic I did ask the question. I kinda forgot. My apologies. Okay let me see if I can make a translation and let me know if it sounds right:

:なんかすごいバカにされてるような気がしたんだが。
"I get the feeling you were completely ridiculed.
:気のせいよ、そんなの。どちらかといえば評価していたくらいだわ。
"That's all just your imagination. I'd rather appreciate that.

.......Does that sound right???

 

[Apple Bomb]

Passage from a song, whose lyrics I memorized from catchiness but don't really know what the words mean. And yeah, I tried the dictionary first I swear

クソッタレの世界のため
全てのクズ共のために

So basically we are looking at kussotare (which, if it's what I am suspecting, forgive me for mentioning) and kuzudomo.

What do you guys think of making a thread for translating song lyrics or something? It seems like a kind of common request. Unfortunately I don't listen to very much music with Japanese lyrics, but I do think it's a good way to pick up on the language.

 

[undrentide]

すみません。質問があります。「うりば」はどんなばしょですか?

売り場（うりば）は何かを売っている場所（ばしょ）です。
デパートやスーパーなど、広いところでなにか特定のものを売っている場所を指すときに使うことばです。
「家具（かぐ）売り場はどこですか」
「野菜（やさい）売り場は地下（ちか）１階（いっかい）にあります」
売り場 is a place something is sold.
Usually it is used to indicate a place where a certain thing is sold within a department store or supermarket.

 

[Fehrant]

やっぱり私の日本語はまだまだですね。ええと、少し分 かりました、でもundrentideさんのレベルがぜんぜんちが う私のです。(this would ideally translate into "as I thought, my Japanese has still a long way to go. Hmm, I understood a little, but undrentide's level is completely different from mine's).

It took some effort, but I think I made out something of most of your Japanese sentence. This is what I partially understood, some words and particles were beyond my knowledge, though, so it will miss the complete meaning.

"uriba" is something of a place for selling (or "a place that sells [things]").
デパートやスーパーなど (depatoya (department store) and supa (supermarket) -- not sure how this fits exactly into the sentence) [...] a broad place where specific things are sold...

...and then I got lost between "pointing [with the finger?]" (sasu) and "to use" (tsukau).

The rest as far as I understood is a "where is the uriba?" and the answer "it's [on some specific place]".

I don't mean to discredit the effort of your reply, but that as far as three months of a once-a-week Japanese learning class, never reading more than chapter 6 of "Japanese for Dummies", watching anime, and desperately using WWWJDIC and Wakan, allowed me to understand. Feel free to point out any mistakes, like you did with the missing particles "ga" and "ka" respectively. I might just learn something one day.

 

[Elizabeth]

"uriba" is something of a place for selling (or "a place that sells [things]").
デパートやスーパーなど (depatoya (deparment store) and supa (supermarket) -- not sure how this fits exactly into the sentence) [...] a broad place where specific things are sold...

デパートやスーパーなど、広いところで Within a large place, such as a supermarket or depato
なにか特定のものを売っている場所 (Place where something specific is sold)
を指すときに使うことばです。(Is the word we use to indicate (point to) this specifically)
Where is the furniture department ?
The veggie stand is in the basement and on the first floor.

少しでも助けになればと思っています。

少し分 かりました、でもundrentideさんのレベルがぜんぜんち が う私のです。
少しい分かりましたが、undrentideさんの（日本語）のレベルが全然違うですね。

でも、英訳もあれば、Fehrant さんがわかるような内容ばかりだと思う相手は必要ではないとおもいます。 (Although if there is also an English translation, I don't think it's necessary that partner uses only content on your level).

私の日本語も訂正してくださいね。

 

[undrentide]

やっぱり私の日本語はまだまだですね。ええと、少し分 かりました、でもundrentideさんのレベルがぜんぜんちが う私のです。(this would ideally translate into "as I thought, my Japanese has still a long way to go. Hmm, I understood a little, but undrentide's level is completely different from mine's).

Sorry, I should have explained in simpler Japanese.
ごめんなさいね。
Next time I'll try to be clearer when explaining in Japanese.

It took some effort, but I think I made out something of most of your Japanese sentence. This is what I partially understood, some words and particles were beyond my knowledge, though, so it will miss the complete meaning.
"uriba" is something of a place for selling (or "a place that sells [things]").
デパートやスーパーなど (depatoya (department store) and supa (supermarket) -- not sure how this fits exactly into the sentence) [...] a broad place where specific things are sold...
...and then I got lost between "pointing [with the finger?]" (sasu) and "to use" (tsukau).

I think Elizabeth has explained it very clearly.
(Elizabethさん、ありがとう！）

 

[Elizabeth]

Sorry, I should have explained in simpler Japanese.
ごめんなさいね。
Next time I'll try to be clearer when explaining in Japanese.
I think Elizabeth has explained it very clearly.
(Elizabethさん、ありがとう！）

どういたしまして。今でも『場所」と『ところ』の使い方の違いがちょっと難しいですよ。

『場所』というのは、何か特定のものが位置しているか、何かが起こる「place」を指すときに
使うことばでしょう。英語で、「spot」になりますね。 ところは、より一般的な言葉ですね。

 

[Fehrant]

Elizabethさんの助けをありがたいです。(roughly, "[I'm] grateful for your assistance")

(Although if there is also an English translation, I don't think it's necessary that partner uses only content on your level)

This is indeed true, and to a certain extent, I don't expect it either. What I'm trying to imply is that an intricate explanation will most likely be wasted on someone that is barely capable of handling particles appropiately.

Sorry, I should have explained in simpler Japanese.
ごめんなさいね。

You don't need to apologize for my own lack of knowledge. Thank you for your help.

 

[Elizabeth]

Elizabethさんの助けをありがたいです。(roughly, "[I'm] grateful for your assistance")

どういたしまして。日本語を見れば見るほど自然に覚えるでしょうね。 As the amount of Japanese you see, are immersed in and exposed to increases, retention also becomes more and more natural.

でも、私も役に立たないことに、むだな時間を使いたくないんですよ。(But I also don't want to waste my time on unhelpful things).

 

[Elizabeth]

@Elizabeth:
「若い娘」なんて、おばあちゃんが使う表現ですよ！

最近、指摘してくれたまでは、私もなんども同じような間違いを繰り返してしまいました。
私からあまり使われない「でしょうかな？」という表現がありましたよ。
しかし、「でしょう」と「かな」はくっ付ける人は、おじさんだけだそうでしたね。
恥ずかしい。。。

 

[Apple Bomb]

I would like to modify my previous request. If someone could tell me what "kuzudomo" means, I'd be appreciative. Jim Breen's awesome dictionary nor google could help me out of this one.
I did find out what kusotare means though.....

 

[KrazyKat]

くずども＝ くず＋ども
くそたれ＝ くそ＋たれ（General insult add on）
Those other parts are in WWWJDIC, ie. kuzu will be there even if kuzudomo isn't.
They are both just general insults

 

[Apple Bomb]

Thanks KrazyKat, you're right of course. I think I did look up くず by itself before after all, but was unsure about the definition given (waste/scrap). Makes sense though, I guess.
I think I need to acquaint myself with more insults/vulgar language so I don't make an *** of myself like this.

 

[Jayern]

what does "nande shindoi no?? risa ha next week ni taikusai ga aruneno!! V4 mezasite ganbarimasu" means?

 

[Elizabeth]

what does "nande shindoi no?? risa ha next week ni taikusai ga aruneno!! V4 mezasite ganbarimasu" means?

Why are you so frazzled and tired out !? Next week Risa has a sports festival !
My goal is to get to V4 (is this a competitive level ?).

 

[undrentide]

Why are you so frazzled and tired out !? Next week Risa has a sports festival !
My goal is to get to V4 (is this a competitive level ?).

I think V4 means 4th consective victory, 四連勝 in Japanese.

 

[Elizabeth]

FYI, it is established rule in the Japanese mass media to rigidly restrict kanji usage to Joyo, if I remember correctly. That's the reason why there are articles with words that appear to strangely mix kanji and hiragana. See here:

Since I'm already used to this arrangement (as it is so with most other Japanese), it becomes increasingly difficult to recall them correctly.

Hehe, so this the convention that seems to be provoking so much stimulation. Thanks to some arrests in a Japanese drug smuggling ring, I finally stumbled onto 覚せい剤 (覚醒剤) as an example of my own.

The below are a sample of entries from Kenneth Henshall's "A Guide to Remembering Japanese." Others are included (藩べい for instance meaning fence ?), without an IME equivalent which aren't common enough usage to worry about.

謙遜(謙そん)
繭紬(繭ちゅう）
珊瑚礁（珊瑚しょう）

 

[Jayern]

I see, thank you both!

 

[Elizabeth]

I think V4 means 4th consecutive victory, 四連勝 in Japanese.

ありがとう、undrentide さん！
「たいくさい」の意味も、すぐに思いつかなかったんですけど。。。それは正しい？
ドイツかどこかから入っている外来語のかな？
それとも、『体躯祭」ってことでしょうか？

 

[Fehrant]

What's the kanji ascribed to the concept of yin and yang? I know it lacks usefulness, but my question is entirely out of curiosity and peculiar interest rather than anything else.