Translating a story

[SeekerOfPeace]

Hello!

I`m translating a story into Neglish at the moment and I could use some help.

I didn't post in the translation sticky because the actual translation is more of a tool for me to understand the language.

ここが、ソラの港町か。。。
This is the port city of Sora.
大国ウエルトの海の玄関ロにしては
Uerto city's sea entry.
やけに静かなところだな
It's awfully quiet here.

Is my translation correct or not? If not, why?

Thanks.

 

[Charles Barkley]

More like:

This is the port city of Sora? For the gateway by sea into the land of Uerto, it sure is quiet...

There is a lot of surprise in this passage: the person is talking to himself (the か）, and then uses the particle phrase にしては which indicates that something is surprising and counter to expectations. Otherwise, the passage is pretty straight forward.

 

[ajmd20]

I'm reading the first line as closer to "So this is the port city of Sora."

 

[SeekerOfPeace]

Hmm... it's not so straightforward to me, I'm afraid.

I had some notions of Japanese but I've just recently really started to get into it.

So the particle か at the end of the first sentence, does it always mean that the speak is talking to himself?

Rep given, many thanks for your help.

 

[Elizabeth]

Hmm... it's not so straightforward to me, I'm afraid.

I had some notions of Japanese but I've just recently really started to get into it.

So the particle か at the end of the first sentence, does it always mean that the speak is talking to himself?

Not at all.

独り言をいうわけではありませんよ。

I'm reading the first line as closer to "So this is the port city of Sora."

The level of incredulity or genuine uncertainty with か depends on the voicing, intonation and situation etc.

What is important for SeekerOfPeace to realize is that が after これ in これが translates to an emphasis on everything before the particle.
This is the port city of Sora ?(!)

 

[SeekerOfPeace]

Ok. Thanks, this is exactly the kind of grammatical explanation I'm looking for.

But the thing is, the sentence is:

ここが、ソラの港町か

Not:

ここが、ソラの港町が

Now I understand what you're saying about the "これが" form, but that wasn't the sentence in the first place, or am I missing something? 0__o

Any clarifications?

 

[moofs]

I think Elizabeth thought it was これが instead of ここが at the time of typing. Nothing was mentioned about the second part of the sentence.

But either way, が places emphasis on the thing it's associated with. It's equivalent (not all cases) to how we use "the" to specify something or italicizing a word for emphasis.

ここが、ソラの港町か・・・ would be translated as "So this is the port city Sora..." (note the italicizing of "this"; and it's a rhetorical question)

This is my guess, but I think the port city Sora itself is the entrance to Uerto. Is this from One Piece or something? First thing that came to mind when I read it, haha.

The rest would be: "For the gateway to a large nation like Uerto, it sure is quiet..."

 

[SeekerOfPeace]

Ah I see. I understand better now.

が：Particle used for emphasis. Much like: "This is what you meant."

So ここ means this place, here it's used for a location wheras これ means "this" and is as a demonstrative as in:

This person, this thing etc...

I think this pretty much sums it up, yes?