Secret Christmas Gift Favour

keywiz · 3 Dec 2015

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if someone with a grasp of the Japanese language could help me with a small Christmas gift I am preparing for a friend. It is not a big favour at all - Just a translation of the one sentence from English to Japanese.

It might sound like a random sentence, a bit (or even quite) weird to some but maybe you'll be up for the challenge?

The sentence is: "Milk them while they are still young"

Greatly appreciate it !!

Mike Cash · 3 Dec 2015

Who are "they"?

Grandpa Frank · 3 Dec 2015

"MILK" might be confusing also to translate. Many meanings -fleece/exact/take/exploit/extort/drain/empty/exhaust/pump/wring/bleed. The way you use the term 'milk' may make a difference on the translation you want to get across.

keywiz · 3 Dec 2015

Thanks for the replies. I want to keep it ambiguous on purpose but for translation purposes 'they' is aimed to address people.

And 'milking' I want to use in the sense of extracting the most out of a situation/person, not necessarily in a positive sense so draining, exploiting and exhausting are close to what I am trying to say.

I hope that makes sense.

Thanks

Toritoribe · 4 Dec 2015

若いうちにしぼり取れ
Wakai uchi ni shiboritore

Note that this can mean "Milk them while you are still young" because of leaving who "they/them" refers to ambiguous.

keywiz · 4 Dec 2015

That is awesome! Just to make it as accurate as possible, could you stick the word 'others' or 'people' in? So 'milk others'. As that is roughly what I am aiming for?

Forever in your debt

Toritoribe said:
若いうちにしぼり取れ
Wakai uchi ni shiboritore

Note that this can mean "Milk them while you are still young" because of leaving who "they/them" refers to ambiguous.

Mike Cash · 4 Dec 2015

keywiz said:
That is awesome! Just to make it as accurate as possible, could you stick the word 'others' or 'people' in? So 'milk others'. As that is roughly what I am aiming for?

Forever in your debt

That's why I asked you to begin with who "they" are. It would be nice if you had been cooperative instead of coy.

人が若いうちにしぼり取れ
Hito ga wakai uchi ni shiboritore

keywiz · 8 Dec 2015

Apologies! I underestimated how such subtle differences might affect the meaning of the whole sentence. A truly rich language indeed! Thanks for your input

Mike Cash said:
That's why I asked you to begin with who "they" are. It would be nice if you had been cooperative instead of coy.

人が若いうちにしぼり取れ
Hito ga wakai uchi ni shiboritore

Secret Christmas Gift Favour

keywiz

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Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Grandpa Frank

Sempai

keywiz

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Toritoribe

松葉解禁

keywiz

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Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

keywiz

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