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Sentence translation help

eeky

先輩
8 Jun 2010
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Hi, could anyone check these translations please?

1. えっ、子どもでも知っているんですか。ゆうめいなんですねえ。

"Doesn't even a child know that? It's famous, right?"

2. わかいうちに、いろいろなことを、経験しておきたいと思っています。

"I think that when people are young they want to experience lots of different things."

Is the subject of 思っています the young people or the speaker?

3. 心配したとおりですね。田中さんは、やっぱり来ませんでした。

Something about worrying, but I don't really understand とおり or the overall sense of the first sentence. I assume the second sentence means something like "Of course, Mr Tanaka didn't come."

4. おもしろい話をして、みんなをわらわせる。

"(He) told an amusing story and made everyone laugh."

5. おそくなってので、友達に、車で、送ってもらった。

"It was getting late, so I was taken (somewhere) in a car by a friend."

Does "late" mean late in the day, or late according to the speaker's schedule?

6. では、報告させていただきます。

This is said at the beginning of a business report. What does させていただきます mean? (I guess at させて (する, causative ) + いただきます ("receive") but I don't grasp the overall meaning).
 
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1. えっ、子どもでも知っているんですか。ゆうめいなんで すねえ。
"Doesn't even a child know that? It's famous, right?"
"Does even a child know that?"
That's an affirmative interrogative sentence.

2. わかいうちに、いろいろなことを、経験しておきたいと 思っています。
"(I think that) I want to experience lots of different things while young."

The subject is the speaker.

3. 心配したとおりですね。田中さんは、やっぱり来ません でした。
Something about worrying, but I don't really understand とおり or the overall sense of the first sentence. I assume the second sentence means something like "Of course, Mr Tanaka didn't come."
"As I/we had worried about, "

「とおり」の検索結果 - Yahoo!辞書

4. おもしろい話をして、みんなをわらわせる。
"(He) told an amusing story and made everyone laugh."
That's not past tense.

5. おそくなってので、友達に、車で、送ってもらった。
"It was getting late, so I was taken (somewhere) in a car by a friend."
Does "late" mean late in the day, or late according to the speaker's schedule?
typo: おそくなったので
Both are possible. But generally the former would be more common.

6. では、報告させていただきます。
This is said at the beginning of a business report. What does させていただきます mean? (I guess at させて (する, causative ) + いただきます ("receive") but I don't grasp the overall meaning).
That's same to 報告します. させていただく is a humble expression of する.[/quote]
 
"(I think that) I want to experience lots of different things while young."
Thanks T. Is it impossible for this sentence to be referring to what the speaker thinks other people want to do, or is it just less likely?

When there are no pronouns and little context, I often have problems knowing who are the subjects and objects in a sentence.
 
5. おそくなってので、友達に、車で、送ってもらった。
"It was getting late, so I was taken (somewhere) in a car by a friend."

I think "it was getting late, so I had my friend take me home" is a bit closer. You're getting them to "send" you somewhere that you need to or want to be.
 
Thanks T. Is it impossible for this sentence to be referring to what the speaker thinks other people want to do, or is it just less likely?

When there are no pronouns and little context, I often have problems knowing who are the subjects and objects in a sentence.

I think ~たいと思う is by default for stating something you want to do. If you were to be talking about someone else, you'd have to mark them as the subject.

妹が早く帰りたいと思いますんで、これで失礼します。

I think that works. 😅

In general, anything that states volition is going to be the speaker talking about themselves, because in Japanese you have to mark a comment on volition of someone else with hearsay or conjecture markers. 今晩寿司を食べようと思う is definitely the speaker talking about their own actions. 明日も来るだろう could be about someone else.
 
In general, anything that states volition is going to be the speaker talking about themselves, because in Japanese you have to mark a comment on volition of someone else with hearsay or conjecture markers.
Thanks Glenn, this is ringing a bell with me now. I think it has been mentioned in my textbook, but obviously didn't sink in too thoroughly. I remember now that there is also a verb suffix, たがる, that I think one can use in such situations.
 
Is it impossible for this sentence to be referring to what the speaker thinks other people want to do, or is it just less likely?
When there are no pronouns and little context, I often have problems knowing who are the subjects and objects in a sentence.
When the subject is stated, e.g. 多くの人は若い内にいろいろな ことを経験しておきたいと思ってい ます, ~たいと思っています can mean other people's thought just like your interpretation with connoting "generally speaking."

line breaks mysteriously lost
This happens on all of us in this forum. :cry:

Formatting during "preview post". | Japan Forum
 
That's another point. ~と思う is used for your thoughts; ~と思っている can be used for yours and other people's.
 
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