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Translator stumped. Help?

Janalisa

後輩
20 Sep 2013
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Hello,

I am a professional J>E translator, but once in a while I come across something that stumps me. I am stuck on this mysterious passage and am hoping someone here might be able to help. The passage is:

ラードをひいた鉄鍋に野菜を入れた瞬間、炎がたちあがる。昔ながらの「あおる」ひと手間が味わいに香ばしさを添え、「あび」の風味になりました。

The first sentence is no problem; I'm just including it for context. But I'm stumped by the second sentence, especially 「あおる」and 「あび」. I guess 「あおる」 here must mean "to fan a flame," but I have no idea about 「あび」. I know there is a type of bird called あび, but that doesn't seem to make sense here. I don't think people eat that bird anyway, do they? My best guess is that 「あび」 must be the name of a restaurant... But perhaps there's something I'm missing that a Japanese native speaker would get.

I'd really appreciate it if anyone could shed some light on this!

もちろん、日本語で答えていただいても大丈夫です。
 
So another words, the correct translation is that it "tastes just like Abbey Road." :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
 
鍋をあおる means "to swing the pan forward and backward or upward quickly for tossing the ingredients up into the air and catching them again in the pan".

 
鍋をあおる means "to swing the pan forward and backward or upward quickly for tossing the ingredients up into the air and catching them again in the pan".

Ah! Thank you. That's interesting, I wasn't aware of this usage of the word and couldn't find it in any dictionary. The sentence makes a lot more sense now!
 
Yeah, probably it's originally a technical term/dialect used among chefs, I think.

EDIT:
竿をあおる is also used for "to pull the fishing rod upward" in fishing, so it might be from a definition of あおる "風を起こすような動作をする。", just in my impression.
 
Last edited:
竿をあおる is also used for "to pull the fishing rod upward" in fishing, so it might be from a definition of あおる "風を起こすような動作をする。", just in my impression.

Okay, thank you again!

Here is how I've translated the passage now, in case anyone is curious:

Flames arise the moment vegetables are put into an iron pan with lard. The ingredients are then tossed using a traditional technique to add aroma and create the taste of "Abi."
 
The side and rear gates on trucks are also known as あおり, which I presume comes from あおる
 
Flames arise the moment vegetables are put into an iron pan with lard. The ingredients are then tossed using a traditional technique to add aroma and create the taste of "Abi."

ひく
3.薄く引き延ばす
口紅を引く。フライパンに油を引く


Minor points:

Maybe "an iron pan coated in lard", "an iron pan covered with lard", etc., would be slightly better.

And instead of 「create the taste of "Abi"」, I would go with something like 「create the signature "Abi" taste」, or something along those lines.
 
ひく
3.薄く引き延ばす
口紅を引く。フライパンに油を引く


Minor points:

Maybe "an iron pan coated in lard", "an iron pan covered with lard", etc., would be slightly better.

And instead of 「create the taste of "Abi"」, I would go with something like 「create the signature "Abi" taste」, or something along those lines.

Thanks for the suggestions! I am aware of what ひく means; just chose not to translate it specifically. I am sure the translation could have been refined more though, but I have already finished the whole thing and submitted it.
 
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