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Need help with Japanese to English translation please

EveOT

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6 May 2015
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I think I've got most of it right but I need it checked for my Japanese class. Please help!

Original Japanese text:

「内と外」といえば、第一に、自分の「家庭」とその外側にある「社会」を意味します。「家」という漢字を「うち」と読むのは、そのことを象徴的に表しています。
日本人にとって、一番初めに出会う「内」は自分の「家」ですが、その後成長するにしたがって、だんだん学校や会社など自分が所属している組織を「内」と意識するようになり、「うちの会社」「うちの学校」と言うようになります。そして、「内」以外の人や組織を、「外」と考えるのです。「外」はまた「よそ」とも言います。
子どもの頃は、友だちの家庭をうらやましいと思うことがよくありますが、「ooくんは新しいゲームを買ってもらった」というような話を聞いて、自分の親に「ぼくも欲しい!」とねだった経験は誰でもあるでしょう。そんなときの日本の親の「決まり文句」が例1です。
例1 子ども「お母さん、あのおもちゃ買ってよ。みんな持ってるんだよ」
母 親「よそはよそ!うちはうち!がまんしなさい!」
例2 先生、こんにちは。うちの子どもがいつもお世話になっています。
大人になっても、自分の家庭はもちろん「内」ですが、自分と同じ会社の人も「うちの会社の人」と言い、会社の中でも同じ部署の人は「うちの部の人」、ほかの部署は「よその部の人」になります。そして同じ部署の中でも、自分と同じプロジェクトチームの人は「うちのチームの人」、ほかのプロジェクトチームは「よそのチームの人」と」なります。
例3 うちの会社はよその会社と比べて給料がいい。
例4 そっちの部長優しくていいなあ。うちの部長なんていつも怒ってばかりで大変だよ。

このように、「内と外」というのは、自分が所属する集団の枠組みの変化によって、その場その場で変わります。
たとえば、ある組織で何か事件が起きたときに、それを「身内」(内部の関係者)」だけで処理することを、「うちうちで片付ける」と言います。これは、「外」には情報を出さない、と言う意味です。
また、普段は着ないようなきれいな服を「よそ行きの服」と言ったり、親しい相手なのに距離があるような態度をとることを、「よそよそしい」と言ったりします。どちらの言葉も文字通り、「よそ(外)」に行くときの服、「よそ(外)」の人に対してとるような態度、と言う意味です。
例5 もう長いつきあいなんだから、いつまでもそんなによそよそしい話し方をしないで、もっとくだけた話し方をしてよ。

敬語は、目上の人やあまり親しくない人に使う場合は丁寧に聞こえる話し方ですが、基本的には「よそ行き」の言葉です。そのため、親しくなったのにいつまでも敬語を使っていると、相手にとっては、親しみを感じない態度に見えてしまいます。しかし、あまり親しくないのに、親しそうにするのも「なれなれしい」と嫌がられるかもしれません。
日本人にとって「内と外」というのは、自分の言葉づかいや態度、行動を決定する上で、非常に重要な基準なのです。

English translation:

When speaking of 「内and外」('inside' and 'outside'), primarily, it signifies one's own home and the society outside of that. And reading the kanji 「家」as uchi, symbolises that fact.
For Japanese people, the first uchi you encounter is 'one's own home', but following growth, gradually one begins to associate uchi with the organisations one is affiliated with, such as school, companies etc., which results in addressing these organisations as uchi no kaisha ('my company') and uchi no gakkou ('my school'). Also, people and organisations that are outside of the uchi are thought of as soto ('outside'). Soto is also referred to as yoso ('outside').
During childhood, situations where one is jealous of a friend's household often occur, but it can be said that everyone has the experience of hearing that '___ got a new game', and then pleading to their own parents 'I want one too!'. The set phrase used by Japanese parents in such times is the first example.
Example 1:
Child: 'Mum, can you buy me that toy? Everyone else has it.'
Mum: 'Their house, their rules. Our house, our rules. Please endure it.'
Example 2:
'Teacher, good afternoon. Thank you very much for always helping my child.'

Even when one becomes an adult, one's own household is certainly referred to as uchi ('my own home'), but it turns out that people in the same company are referred to as uchi no kaisha no hito ('people from my own company'), and within the same company, people in the same department are referred to as uchi no busho no hito ('people from my own department'), while people in another department are referred to as yoso no busho no hito ('people from the other/outside department'). And then, within the same department, the people in the same project team to oneself are referred to as uchi no purojekuto chi-mu ('the people from my own project team'), while people from another project team are referred to as yoso no purojekuto chi-mu ('people from the other/outside project team').
Example 3:
Compared with other companies elsewhere, my company's salary is good.
Example 4:
They are lucky that their department head is nice. Our department head is always angry which makes it hard.

In this way, the way one uses uchi and soto ('inside and outside') changes every time based on the changes of the structure of the groups one is associated with.
For example, when an incident of some sort takes place at an organisation, the process of dealing with that incident using only members of the same organisation is referred to as uchi uchi de katatzukeru ('to settle the matter privately'). This means not releasing any information to 'the outside'.
Furthermore, beautiful clothing that is not worn every day is referred to as yoso yuki no fuku ('going out clothing'), and the act of interacting with a close friend but behaving in a way that puts distance between the two parties is referred to as yosoyososhii ('distant, formal'). Both words literally mean clothes for going 'outside' and the attitude one takes when with a person from 'the outside'.
Example 5: 'We've known one another for a long time, so don't talk in that distant manner forever, use more formal speech.'

Keigo is a way of speaking that sounds polite when used with one's superiors or people who are not close, but basically, it is 'going out/formal' speech. Therefore, if one uses keigo with people one has already become close with, for the other party, it will appear as though one does not wish to become close. However, being 'over-familiar' with a person one is not close to will probably be disliked.
For Japanese people, from the viewpoint of determining one's own expressions and attidudes and behaviour, saying uchi and soto ('inside and outside') is extremely important criteria.
 
You did quite well!! Just a few minor corrections.

子どもの頃は、友だちの家庭をうらやましいと思うことがよくあります
During childhood, situations where one is jealous of a friend's household often occur, but
が is not for adversative conjunction here. It just shows that the preceding clause/phrase is an introduction of the main clause.

自分と同じプロジェクトチームの人は「うちのチームの人」、ほかのプロジェクトチームは「よそのチームの人」となります。
the people in the same project team to oneself are referred to as uchi no purojekuto chi-mu ('the people from my own project team'), while people from another project team are referred to as yoso no purojekuto chi-mu ('people from the other/outside project team')
This is a trivial thing, but the original is "uchi no chi-mu no hito" and "yoso no chi-mu no hito", not "uchi no purojekuto chi-mu" and "yoso no purojekuto chi-mu".

例4 そっちの部長優しくていいなあ。
Example 4:
They are lucky that their department head is nice.
そっち refers to second person. "Their department head" is っちの部長.

「内と外」というのは、
saying uchi and soto
いう in という doesn't mean "to say". The structure ~というのは…です is used for explanation or definition.
 
You did quite well!! Just a few minor corrections.


が is not for adversative conjunction here. It just shows that the preceding clause/phrase is an introduction of the main clause.


This is a trivial thing, but the original is "uchi no chi-mu no hito" and "yoso no chi-mu no hito", not "uchi no purojekuto chi-mu" and "yoso no purojekuto chi-mu".


そっち refers to second person. "Their department head" is っちの部長.


いう in という doesn't mean "to say". The structure ~というのは…です is used for explanation or definition.

These are exactly the kind of corrections I was looking for. Thank you so much for your help!
 
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