Translation assistance please

[Angel Valis]

I feel awful for not getting this right away since I know all of it's constituent parts, but I need to make sure of the meaning.

「私が教える１２２のS.I.になりたいそうですが、いい ですよ。」

122 = JPNE 122 Beginning Japanese II
S.I. = supplemental instruction/instructor

I believe this to mean "I understand that you want to be the supplemental instructor for my class, and that will be fine."

Please tell me I'm right lol (unless of course I'm wrong...then let me down gently lol).

Once again, the が in the beginning threw me...I wanted to think 私 was the subject of the entire sentence at first, but the more I read it, I believe it goes with 教える to mean "the class I will teach."

Also, the が after そうです seems to be functioning more like "and" than "but" here. Is this an acceptable translation in this case?

I only know the version of そうです used here (I'm more familiar with the そうです used to describe that something seems like something) vaguely as meaning "I hear", I already told 先生 that I wanted to be the S.I. for this class, so "I hear" seems odd, but I figure it just sort of means "I've heard what you said and understand".

...I actually used Google Translate to try and get the basic meaning of this sentence...as usual it's not that great...but I need to get so much better than needing to rely on that near-useless thing.

よろしくおねがいします。

 

[micahcowan]

That all sounds right to me.

The "I hear" seeming out of context probably illustrates that the translation of ____そうです as "I hear that..." is a very rough approximation at best, one that often works, but not always.

 

[Toritoribe]

I only know the version of そうです used here (I'm more familiar with the そうです used to describe that something seems like something) vaguely as meaning "I hear", I already told 先生 that I wanted to be the S.I. for this class, so "I hear" seems odd, but I figure it just sort of means "I've heard what you said and understand".

Hmm, if you said directly to the teacher so, the hearsay そうだ is indeed odd. I would say 私が教える１２２のS.I.になりたいと（前に）言っていましたが/前に言っていた１２２のS.I.の件 instead.

 

[Angel Valis]

Hmm, if you said directly to the teacher so, the hearsay そうだ is indeed odd. I would say 私が教える１２２のS.I.になりたいと（前に）言っていましたが/前に言っていた１２２のS.I.の件 instead.

I had originally emailed 先生 and said:

「。。。最近、大学のサイトによると先生がJPNE122を教えるそうです。よかったら、私は先生の授業のS.I.になりたいです。。。S.I.になったら、私はかんしょうしてがんばりますよ。。。」

I just want to make 100 percent (why isn't the percent sign displaying properly?) sure that she's accepting me as her S.I. so I don't reply with something stupid and make myself look like a fool. The rest of her email supports that she's accepted me as her S.I. (asking me to speak Japanese in sessions as much as possible etc), but when I'm even slightly confused about something, I need to make sure lol.

 

[Toritoribe]

Ah, I see. You e-mailed it. Then, そうだ works perfectly fine. This "hearsay" can be used also for letters.(It's treated as an "indirect speech".) So "I read that you want to be~" might be more appropriate for the translation. Anyway, your offer is no doubt accepted.

 

[Glenn]

Pretty close to らしい in this usage, it seems.

Also, this そうだ can be used in conversations as sort of a wrap-up, I guess you could call it, where someone gives some explanation for something and then someone who perhaps asked them to provide it or whom it helps will say だそうだ/だそうです. For instance, in one of my speaking classes I gave a presentation on 東京都 and afterwards some of my classmates asked some questions, and when I was finished answering the teacher would say だそうです. Unfortunately I can't give any specific examples right now, though...

 

[Angel Valis]

Ah, I see. You e-mailed it. Then, そうだ works perfectly fine. This "hearsay" can be used also for letters.(It's treated as an "indirect speech".) So "I read that you want to be~" might be more appropriate for the translation. Anyway, your offer is no doubt accepted.

Yes, after I made my last reply I was thinking it might be because it was an email.

ありがとうございます。
Thank you all for your help.

今とてもうれしいですよ。

 

[Elizabeth]

Hmm, if you said directly to the teacher so, the hearsay そうだ is indeed odd. I would say 私が教える１２２のS.I.になりたいと（前に）言っていましたが/前に言っていた１２２のS.I.の件 instead.

Oh, you can use in Email ? I just thought it was a general rule when directed towards the source 自分ことを言っているのに「～そう」とか「～らしい」という言い方はしません。

 

[Toritoribe]

Oh, you can use in Email ? I just thought it was a general rule when directed towards the source 自分ことを言っているのに「～そう」とか「～らしい」 という言い方はしません。

Of course, yes. Thus, it means you misunderstood the meaning.

（あなたは）私が教える１２２のS.I.になりたいと（前 に）言っていましたが/（あなたが）前に言っていた１２２のS.I.の件

Plus, I didn't know it's e-mail when I wrote it. So I used 言う. I think you need to reread the whole thread.

 

[Elizabeth]

Of course, yes. Thus, it means you misunderstood the meaning.

（あなたは）私が教える１２２のS.I.になりたいと（前 に）言っていましたが/（あなたが）前に言っていた１２２のS.I.の件

Plus, I didn't know it's e-mail when I wrote it. So I used 言う. I think you need to reread the whole thread.

Oh, that's just my way when I'm at work. What there wasn't time to mention, the below were being referred to as what I wasn't aware being acceptable in writing.

「私が教え(S.I.)インストラクターになりたいそうですが、いい ですよ。」

私が教える (S.I.)インストラクターになりたいらしいですが、いい ですよ。」

 

[Toritoribe]

Oh, that's just my way when I'm at work. :arghh: What there wasn't time to mention, the below were being referred to as what I wasn't aware being acceptable in writing.

「私が教え(S.I.)インストラクターになりたいそうですが、いい ですよ。」

私が教える (S.I.)インストラクターになりたいらしいですが、いい ですよ。」

みたいだ/ようだ might be acceptable for this case. (Although みたい sounds colloquial, and よう often has a negative connotation, something like "S.I.になりたいようですが、残念ながら。。。")

 

[Glenn]

自分ことを言っているのに「～そう」とか「～らしい」 という言い方はしません。

自分のことについて「らしい」は使えますよ。元彼女が よく使ってました。「私、アイスクリームが好きらしい」とか「あたし疲れてるみたいだ」とか で。ただ、「～ようだ」は絶対に自分に対して言えませ んね。推理の「～そうだ」はたぶん使えないと思います が、知りません。聞いたことがないと思うんで使えない かなと思います。

 

[Toritoribe]

「あたし～みたい」もかなりよく使われますね。