Regular questions

[Konsotra]

First of all, I'm deeply sorry if I've made a wrong decision choosing a place for the topic.

Here is a plot: reading NHK (or whatever) I always have some sentences I don't clearly (or absolutely) understand. Sometimes it is about grammar, but mostly I can't get at least what exactly I don't understand. May be the order and usage of particles…

So I need somebody to ask sometimes to translate few sentences.

May be anybody can help with finding, for example, japanese websites for searching in there sociable native speakers (with some reciprocally benefits)...

 

[Toritoribe]

I need somebody to ask sometimes to translate few sentences.

I believe this forum is exactly the place for that purpose.

 

[nekojita]

To help us to help you, it is always better if you can explain what you think it might mean, and which bits you're not sure of. Just a translation into English doesn't always make clear what is going on with the Japanese grammar.

 

[Kraise]

There are lots of good entries regarding grammar in here, but I suggest following nekojita's words by posting the texts here followed by whatever you think they mean(right or wrong doesnt matter) so that people have a solid grasp on how much you know.

 

[Konsotra]

I just don't sure if it is correct to post every single silly question I have...

 

[nekojita]

If you've made an effort to figure something out, but aren't sure you're understanding it right or can't find some word/pattern in your dictionary/textbook, this is exactly where to post. You can start a new thread for each time or just keep a thread like this one for all your questions.

For translation requests, there are some rules listed here

 

[Konsotra]

All right, some questions I've had recently:
"レーダーで調べたデータをこのように利用するのは日本で初めてです" - Why "ように"? If it would be な, I'd translate like "The kind of use... starts in Japan".

"町の中は霧が出たように白くなりました". Will it be the same meaning as "出た霧が白くなり" or there is some nicety about ように here?

"感じたことがないスピードを楽しんでいました". Reading the text from which this sentence was taken, it was obvious - people enjoyed the speed. But I can't get if from the sentence... Is it like "people enjoed the speed they did not feel"?

Does "できるだけ" has some special meaning?

"２４回で約２４００人が乗ることになっていますが、平均で１２５倍の人が申し込んでいました" - Within 24 times 2400 people have a ride,.. on average it is one 125th from those who applied?

 

[lanthas]

このように means "in this way", i.e.: "Using [data that was found by radar] in this way is a first in Japan". このな would not be grammatically valid, and 初めて means "for the first time", not "starts" or "begins" (that would be 始まる, note the different kanji).

The second sentence should be read as "町の中は [霧が出たように] 白くなりました", that is, the middle of the city became white, not the fog. In this case よう is used to make a conjecture: "as though fog had appeared".

<past verb>ことがない is a pattern that means "have never done X before". So it's not that the people weren't feeling the speed - on the contrary, it was speed like they had never felt before.

できるだけ means "do X as much as you can". E.g.: できるだけ早く: as fast/early as possible.

For the last sentence, I assume you're confused about the が before the comma. It means "but".

 

[Konsotra]

Great!
For the last sentence I mostly worried about "平均で１２５倍の人が申し込む"...

 

[nekojita]

~倍 here is "times" as in a multiple of. 2400 people are expected to ride in total (over the 24 times this thing runs), but 125 times as many have applied (on average - I guess people applied for which day during the event).

 

[Konsotra]

Thank you.

"早ければ日本時間の２６日夜にも" - 早ければ means "if everything go smoothly"? にも and "as early as"?

ユネスコは、地域の歴史や風習に根ざした世界各地の伝統文化や芸能を保護していこうというもので、ことしの登録審議はパリのユネスコ本部で日本時間の２６日午後５時半から始まります。
What is "根ざした"?
"保護していこうというもので" - the 5th form of verb means inducement, is not it? Let's protect… What about もので? Because of? As soon as UNESCO call upon to guard...根ざした... the consideration will start in…

What is いずれも?

I aslo wonder, how to tell "Noise distract me from working" using some verb for "distract" or "interrupt". So "音は私に仕事させません" or "音で仕事することができません" (does everything okay with particles?) are not suit.

 

[lanthas]

Something like that yes. "If (it) goes fast, then (it can start/complete) as soon as the evening of the 26th".

根ざす
というもので indicates the topic of the conference (presumably the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage).

いずれも (not to be confused with いずれ)

音は仕事に邪魔します maybe?

 

[undrentide]

I aslo wonder, how to tell "Noise distract me from working" using some verb for "distract" or "interrupt". So "音は私に仕事させません" or "音で仕事することができません" (does everything okay with particles?) are not suit.

音のせいで仕事をすることができません。
〜のせい means "due to", "because of" usually with negative connotation.
If the sound distracts you, than means you cannot concentrate on the work, so you can say
音のせいで仕事に集中できません。
（音 is purely "sound", if it is noise, you can say 雑音 or 騒音 depending on the context.)

 

[Toritoribe]

Another expression I can think of is 雑音 / 騒音で気が散って仕事に集中できません。

"保護していこうというもので" - the 5th form of verb means inducement, is not it? Let's protect…

The volitional form can express the subject's intention.
Japanese verb conjugation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Konsotra]

Few questions about formulation.
What is a best way to express 'to the extend' or "enough for" (For example: "to what extend do you manage Japanese?" and "my Japanese level is enough for reading with dictionary)? I heard about だけの but doubt if it suitable.
Does "level" could be express just by 級? 日本語級は基本, for example.

 

[Mike Cash]

You can express "level" by レベル

For your other question, check the usages of:

どれだけ
どのくらい
ほど
ていど
じゅうぶん

 

[Toritoribe]

What is a best way to express 'to the extend' or "enough for" (For example: "to what extend do you manage Japanese?" and "my Japanese level is enough for reading with dictionary)?

The best translation differs depending on the context. As Mike-san wrote, どの程度/どのくらい and 十分 are the most appropriate for your examples respectively, for instance.

to the extentの意味 - 英和辞典 Weblio辞書
enough forの意味 - 英和辞典 Weblio辞書

 

[Konsotra]

できる程度は普段生活の階段について話すとデパートに行くなどほどできます。
Is it ok? Looks weird...

What verb would be better in this case: "manage grammar enough for..."

Does the word 多用 suits for "employment"? (I also can't be sure if I use right word in English) For example, "huge employment at the work" (in other words "to be very busy"). What adjective should be used in Japanese?

 

[Toritoribe]

できる程度は普段生活の階段について話すとデパートに行くなどほどできます。
Is it ok?

It doesn't make sense at all. What do you want to say?

What verb would be better in this case: "manage grammar enough for..."

I would use 使える.

Does the word 多用 suits for "employment"? (I also can't be sure if I use right word in English) For example, "huge employment at the work" (in other words "to be very busy"). What adjective should be used in Japanese?

Not really. What is the full sentence?

 

[Konsotra]

The first sentence was presumed to be "My Japanese allow me to speak on the daily themes and go to the shop" or "I manage Japanese to the extend of speaking on the daily themes and..."

For the third case let it be "I was very busy at university". Is there any nouns in English that could be analog of adjective "busy". I want to make another emphasis: "(the noun from "busy") in university was high\huge\heavy".

 

[Toritoribe]

できる程度は普段生活の階段について話すとデパートに行くなどほどできます。

Why did you use は here? Do you think できる程度 is the topic of the sentence? If so, what is the relation between できる程度 and the main verb できます?
What is the function of と here?
(階段 means "stairs", by the way. (I know now you meant 会談, though.))

For the third case let it be "I was very busy at university".

What is your translation of "I was very busy at university"?

Is there any nouns in English that could be analog of adjective "busy".

busyness - Wiktionary

 

[Konsotra]

In Japanese I pretend the theme will be "the extend of manage the language..." or "language manage level is enough for...". If "the extend of" or "enough for" are expressed through grammar "language manage" is a theme.
The function of と is "and".

I can not translate, because can find the words I need. Found 多忙, but I do not want to express busy condition in one word. 大学でとても忙しかった - this is what I able to translate and I need completely another sense.

Busyness - great, thank you. Is it normal in English to say "We have much busyness in university by Quantum mechanics"?

 

[Toritoribe]

In Japanese I pretend the theme will be "the extend of manage the language..." or "language manage level is enough for...". If "the extend of" or "enough for" are expressed through grammar "language manage" is a theme.

If you want to say "the extent of manage the language" as the topic, you mischose the main verb.
程度 is not the topic for "language manage level is enough for..."

I can not translate, because can find the words I need. Found 多忙, but I do not want to express busy condition in one word. 大学でとても忙しかった - this is what I able to translate and I need completely another sense.

If you are not satisfied with とても忙しい(it's quite quite common and natural, though), 多忙 is a na-adjective. Is there any reason you want to say it in a single word?

 

[Mike Cash]

"Extent"....not "extend"

 

[Toritoribe]

Ah, right. I forgot I myself once humbly pointed it out.

to the extentの意味 - 英和辞典 Weblio辞書