Translation Help Thread

[mewarmo990]

BLers - but especially translators - don't know what something in Japanese means? Need help with your homework? Post your questions here.

Well, back then it was mostly me, but hey.

Useful tools I've found:
Google
Yahoo! 知恵袋 - Yahoo! Answers Japan. Generally good for "what does ___ mean?" A lot of helpful people here. They are not always correct.
Rikaichan - instant and intuitive lookup in Mozilla Firefox. Now with names!
*Rikaikun is now available for Google Chrome! It doesn't have the dictionary updates and additional databases of Rikaichan, however.
Tae Kim's Grammar Guide - rather basic, but a solid reference with good explanations
Kotobank - Dictionary good for idiomatic/figurative language or otherwise phrases that aren't found in standard dictionaries. *has become somewhat more difficult to navigate since integrating with Yahoo!.
JGram JLPT level 1 page - Most elementary grammar can be found all over the web, but this does a good job of explaining some of the more difficult Japanese grammar, in English. Much of the content here can only be found elsewhere in Japanese-language textbooks.
姫語録@Wiki - Japanese onomatopoeia.

Try to rely on Japanese-English dictionaries as little as possible.

At work, I also found some useful documents which should help anybody in editing work.

Military Ranks and Groups - contains easy-to-understand explanations and approximations of divisions in military rank and organization. Not so useful for Type-Moon, admittedly.
Archaic English How-To - A handy primer to getting your King James on. You'd be surprised how bad many writers are at this.
English Grammar 1 - well-written, comprehensive reference
English Grammar 2 - handy, quick reference

[Canon]

Just sharing some of the sites I like to use:

http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/ (JP-JP, JP-EN, EN-JP)
http://www.weblio.jp/ (JP-JP, JP-EN, EN-JP)
http://www.alc.co.jp/index.html (JP-EN, EN-JP)
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/c...wwwjdic.cgi?1C (JP-EN, EN-JP)

http://www.kanjijiten.net/index.html (kanji)
http://www.sanabo.com/kotowaza/ (proverbs)
http://zokugo-dict.com/ (colloquial)
http://gogen-allguide.com/ (etymology)

[Fatuous One]

Two sites not already listed that I've found quite useful:

http://jpdic.naver.com/
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/

The first is a Japanese to Korean site, but it has a tablet that lets you draw a kanji with your mouse. It's far more accurate than you might expect, and I've found it very helpful for finding kanji that simply don't pop up in some other dictionaries. The second, Nico Nico Pedia, is helpful in explaining a bunch of internet slang.

[mewarmo990]

Two sites not already listed that I've found quite useful:

http://jpdic.naver.com/
http://dic.nicovideo.jp/

The first is a Japanese to Korean site, but it has a tablet that lets you draw a kanji with your mouse. It's far more accurate than you might expect, and I've found it very helpful for finding kanji that simply don't pop up in some other dictionaries. The second, Nico Nico Pedia, is helpful in explaining a bunch of internet slang.

Regarding the handwriting tablet - Windows' standard Japanese IME has an "IME Pad" feature that you can use to write kanji with your mouse. It works well, but you absolutely, positively have to get stroke order correct, which could be a problem for some, I suppose.

[mewarmo990]

First question, help!

　レシプロ機のような旋回性能である。

Source: http://vps.k-link.net/entrans/transl...ge=2&sid=12016
(click the Back tab to see the whole page)

Can someone figure out a good way to do this metaphor in English? I understand it, but I feel like it doesn't translate well.

[deadfish]

What's the problem exactly? It goes with the "自動車の運転で、一方に回したハンドルをすばやく反対方向に回す。" definition of the 切り返す right before that.

[mewarmo990]

Yeah, but.... engine. Wut

What am I missing here? Is it something very obvious? Is she driving something? If so it might be a case where I can't figure out what's going on just from the text, as I don't have the game installed on this computer.

[Kotonoha]

Unrelated, a few lines later

「シロウと[ruby text=おんな]同じって言ったの
I'm saying she's like you[ruby text= and girls], Shirou.

pfffffffffffffff

[mewarmo990]

Huh? Oh. Not sure what I thought there. I must be getting sleepy again.

I guess this means it's time to call it a night.

[deadfish]

Yeah, but.... engine. Wut

What am I missing here? Is it something very obvious? Is she driving something? If so it might be a case where I can't figure out what's going on just from the text, as I don't have the game installed on this computer.

I thought you knew this was a metaphor.

[mewarmo990]

I do. I just want to know if there's a better way to say this in English than the literal translation "she swiveled back and forth like a reciprocating engine" or something.

It's just weird.

[deadfish]

He first uses a verb 切り返し that in this context is describing her making a sudden turn in the other direction and is used for vehicles (though it's not like she's actually in one).
Then he's describing describing the manner of the turn as being the "swivel performance of a (vehicle with a ) reciprocating engine".

[mewarmo990]

He first uses a verb 切り返し that in this context is describing her making a sudden turn in the other direction and is used for vehicles (though it's not like she's actually in one).
Then he's describing describing the manner of the turn as being the "swivel performance of a (vehicle with a ) reciprocating engine".

No, I get it. Just... never mind, I'll just go for literal and let an editor sort it out.

[deadfish]

By literal, I hope you're not saying that's going to be "she swiveled back and forth like a reciprocating engine".

[Mcjon01]

the "swivel performance of a (vehicle with a ) reciprocating engine".

I'd think it would have to be referencing something going on inside the engine, like how the pistons turn the crankshaft or something. Because the "swivel performance of a (vehicle with a ) reciprocating engine" would basically be the "swivel performance of every vehicle with an engine", right? Which seems... less than useful.

[deadfish]

We're talking about reciprocating motion right, as in, going back and forth. Pistons swivel?

[Mcjon01]

We're talking about reciprocating motion right, as in, going back and forth. Pistons swivel?

I assume so, that's where the reciprocating engine gets its name.



Skip to about 3:30.

[deadfish]

Like I'm saying, we're talking about the swivel performance made possible by an engine. We're not talking about the engine itself swiveling. Some other word would have been used if we're talking about the rotating motion caused by the piston, namely 回転.

[Mcjon01]

Yeah, I see what you're saying, and I realize I'm probably wrong.

It's just that the metaphor is falling flat for me, since it makes exactly zero sense when I try to think about it. Probably because I don't understand how the engine relates to turning performance, and trying to think of it in terms of turning performance like a vehicle with a reciprocating engine seems pointless, since that would be nearly every vehicle, from cars to motorcycles to trains to boats.

[deadfish]

Well think of it this way. She isn't a vehicle.