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Puzzling Paragraph

01/25/05 | by Jamie | Categories: Deep Thoughts



It's the time of the year for university entrance exams, which also means that it's the time of the year for Jamie to be asked lots of very difficult English grammar questions. My normal teaching duties don't normally go too far beyond teaching basic English expressions such as "up" and "down", or the different colors of the rainbow. That's why it's always a shock to my system to be asked to help translate something like the passage above. I don't know which Noheji students are actually capable of passing an entrance exam with translation questions like that, but if they exist they certainly are keeping quiet in class. Anyway, you can see my best effort to correct the JTE's answer to the question in ugly red handwriting. I have no idea if it's right or ever close to the original Japanese. Perhaps one of my more bilingual readers would like to tackle this one. I welcome everyone else to discuss the sociological question it poses in the comments section, that is if anyone can figure out exactly what the question is.

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7 comments

Comment from: Luke Elliot [Visitor]
Luke ElliotHi Jamie, your JTE only attempted to translate the first sentence and therefore missed the full impact of the writer's perspective. This is what I came up with, although it's a little rough around the edges:

"In contrast to the United States with its diversity of races and languages, it may be that in Japan [the identity of] being Japanese is something thought of as a matter of course by many people. However, due to [this very fact of] being Japanese there is something missing. I have a hunch that there is this kind of a void being carried within [us/Japanese people].

One of the kanji compounds didn't show up very clearly in your photo, namely, 空洞 meaning "hollow" or "cavity," which in this case I translated as "void."
01/25/05 @ 15:12
Comment from: queen t [Visitor]
queen tYeah..I am really happy that I don't get asked these type of questions. There are two possible reasons: 1) My students are pretty swift with their English that they don't need help from me and 2) My JTEs are so on point that they just do all of the writing for the students. I think a smidge of both might hold true..but who knows. They tend to NOT include me in English-related activities...I'm not sure why though.
01/25/05 @ 16:47
Comment from: Jamie [Member]
JamieThanks Luke! I knew I could count on you for a translation. Sorry the text was so tiny. I guess it's up to us to fill those voids!

Queen t, it's weird sometimes how they choose which activities to include us gaijin in, and which to exclude us from. Just one of the many mysteries I will never solve.
01/26/05 @ 09:19
Comment from: Sachi [Visitor]
SachiI'm a native speaker of Japanese (or Tsugaru-ben) but I don't understand the second sentence... :(
01/26/05 @ 13:03
Comment from: Luke Elliot [Visitor]
Luke ElliotYes, Sachi, the 「は」in the second sentence is very confusing, isn't it. I asked my JTE about the phrase 「であるためには」but she didn't really know what to make of it either. So I just assumed that it basically meant: 「したばって、日本人だはんでっちゅうことがらなんが足りねんでねべがな」(wierd tsugaru-ben to match the wierd kyou-tsuu-go).
01/26/05 @ 14:46
Comment from: Ron [Visitor]
RonI am taking a wild guess here but its possible that they are saying to be Japanese and born in Japan they only have that to identify with, while in America or Canada people of varrying races are more common. So that to be Japanese is all that they have, and for a African-American or a Asian-American is something with more depth and is less likely to be taken for granted.

But im sure you get that already. I dont think they are really even asking anything. It seems more like they are just making a statement about being Japanese VS being of mixed heritage.

I get it, but at the same time I don't get it at all.
01/26/05 @ 15:26
Comment from: Jamie [Member]
JamieToday my JTE brought me another bunch of difficult questions from some University entrance exam. I was able to answer all of them confidently but one involving the word "rapidity". I hate not being able to answer questions that are intended for high school students learning English as a second language, even if they are insanely difficult.
01/26/05 @ 15:48
Avoiding life and teaching English in Noheji, Aomori, Japan

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