Please translate: nan no tameni ikiterun desu ka?

O

osiris187

後輩

7 May 2004

4

0

• 7 May 2004

• #1

Hi everyone,

can anybody translate this to me? "nan no tameni ikiterun desu ka?"

Thanks a lot,
Os

 

Last edited: 7 May 2004

orochi

便利屋

1 May 2004

692

25

• 7 May 2004

• #2

To put it in simple terms, it translates to "Why are you alive?" You could make it sound a little more literate and fancy by sprucing it up to something like "For what purpose are you alive?"

Btw, I translated your statement in the subject line. The sentence in the body of your text is not correct.

 

O

osiris187

後輩

7 May 2004

4

0

• 7 May 2004

• Thread starter
• #3

Thanks. Yes, I missed a word but it's corrected now..
Can I ask you one more favor? How do you say this in Japanese? I'm alive to be able to think about why I'm alive.

Thanks again,
Os

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

9,839

135

• 7 May 2004

• #4

Maybe something like "Naze ikiteiru no ka kanageru tame ni ikiteimasu."

 

Golgo_13

先輩

27 Nov 2003

2,001

37

• 8 May 2004

• #5

Mada shinde nai kara ikite imasu!

:sorry:

 

O

osiris187

後輩

7 May 2004

4

0

• 9 May 2004

• Thread starter
• #6

Thank you Elizabeth and Golgo, but now I'm a bit confused. Which one of the 2 is now correct?

Thanks for your help,
Os

 

P

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

22 Jan 2004

2,265

59

• 9 May 2004

• #7

osiris187 said:

Thank you Elizabeth and Golgo, but now I'm a bit confused. Whichone of the 2 is now correct?

Click to expand...

Golgo's was a joke. (Doesn't really cover the 'tame ni' bit that well either).

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

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• 9 May 2004

• #8

Golgo_13 said:

Mada shinde nai kara ikite imasu!

:sorry:

Click to expand...

Soshite tatoe sore ga jijitsu to shite tokoro de, dou da to iu no deshouka?
Ikiteiru ijou wa nani ka shinakereba naranai desune ?

 

Golgo_13

先輩

27 Nov 2003

2,001

37

• 11 May 2004

• #9

"kanageru" should've been kangaroo, I mean, kangaeru

 

Ewok85

先輩

14 Nov 2003

2,401

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• 11 May 2004

• #10

Reminds me of when my teacher asked 'whats your purpose in life?'
....
"to die, eventually" hehe

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

9,839

135

• 11 May 2004

• #11

死ぬために生きています。 死ぬのに生きています。 Does no ni make sense at all in a case like this ? It would have to be a situation of moving towards something with a sole purpose, wouldn't it ?

 

P

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

22 Jan 2004

2,265

59

• 11 May 2004

• #12

Elizabeth said:

死ぬのに生きています。 Does no ni make sense at all in a case like this ?

Click to expand...

Looks like "Although I'm going to die I'm living." to me - but I'm not sure it's good Japanese.

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

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135

• 11 May 2004

• #13

The Japanese appears OK, just opposite in meaning of what I was going for.

How about 死ぬように生きてる as an alternative to tame ni ?

And here's a middle of the road tough translation for anyone, esp advanced beginners, who feels up to it. A winner gets the 2 allowable rep points per post .

あなたは１年後に死ぬとしたら、だれのことを考えなが ら死ぬと思いますか？

 

P

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

22 Jan 2004

2,265

59

• 11 May 2004

• #14

Elizabeth said:

How about 死ぬように生きてる

Click to expand...

Looks like "Live as if you're going to die." to me, I'm not placing any bets on that though.

What was the meaning in English being aimed for? I've lost track.

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

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• 11 May 2004

• #15

It was a take off of Ewok85's original post, I was trying to say
I'm living or alive in order to die. In order to die I must live? Although I will die I must live? 死ぬのに生きなければなりません。

 

P

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

22 Jan 2004

2,265

59

• 11 May 2004

• #16

Elizabeth said:

Although I will die I must live? 死ぬのに生きなければなりません。

Click to expand...

Well that bit looks good to me. However the fact that I get zero Google hits for the (relatively short) 死ぬのに生 section makes me wonder whether it would be unnatural to a native speaker.

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

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• 11 May 2004

• #17

Yeah, I was just thinking of living in terms of the process (as opposed to the goal) of dying, which, as I understand it, often would take no ni.

Rush hour ni wa densha ni noru no ni taihen desu.

Hanami wo suru no ni wa Japan made ikanakerebanarimasen. (This could also be tame ni?)

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

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• 11 May 2004

• #18

PaulTB said:

Well that bit looks good to me. However the fact that I get zero Google hits for the (relatively short) 死ぬのに生 section makes me wonder whether it would be unnatural to a native speaker.

Click to expand...

Try the longer string of a conjugated form.

 

P

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

22 Jan 2004

2,265

59

• 11 May 2004

• #19

Elizabeth said:

Try the longer string of a conjugated form.

Click to expand...

Hmm, that used to only apply to the &hl=ja version. I'm not impressed with the recent(ish) Google changes.

 

Golgo_13

先輩

27 Nov 2003

2,001

37

• 12 May 2004

• #20

I was on the sbuway once when a guy sat next to me and asked "Do you know the meaning of life?" I smiled and said "Sure, it's the time between when you're born and when you die," and got up and got off the train.

 

O

osiris187

後輩

7 May 2004

4

0

• 12 May 2004

• Thread starter
• #21

wow! great to see that my simple (at least that's what I thought) question starts an ever growing forum like this

the original question was: "I'm alive to be able to think about why I'm alive"
actually no thoughts of death included, but some solutions above are pretty nice though..

OS

 

soe

17sai no jousei

16 May 2004

12

0

• 16 May 2004

• #22

nan no tameni ikiterun desu ka ->doesn't it means "what do you live for"?

 

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

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• 16 May 2004

• #23

soe said:

nan no tameni ikiterun desu ka ->doesn't it means "what do you live for"?

Click to expand...

I wondered that as well and have seen translations as both 'purpose/meaning in life' and 'living for.' Not that these are very distinct distinctions for a lot of people, of course.

 

Golgo_13

先輩

27 Nov 2003

2,001

37

• 18 May 2004

• #24

"Hataraku tame ni ikiruna!
Ikiru tame ni hatarake!"

- Golgo 13