The Japanese language and the thing called ‘love’

*Sighs* just three more posts and I’d have been able to hold on to my resolution to post more regularly. Ah well…here’s a little interlude. I’d intended to publish it after another post, since it was relevant to the series in question…but I’ll get back to that one in another two weeks.

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In the quaint district of Montmartre in Paris lies that which is known as the ‘Wall of Love’. It’s a wall covered with words meaning ‘I love you’ in well over a hundred languages. Some languages are even represented twice – Japanese being one of them.

…though I only just noticed: where’s the て??

The way people use the world ‘love’, in whatever language, is actually quite interesting. Most of us probably say it quite often…but it’s not always about real emotional investment. For example, I can say that I love Sakku, and You-kyan, even though I don’t even know them in person. Similarly, I love anime, photography and travel, even though they’re things that can never love me back.

But even when we’re talking love for other living beings close to you, people have long recognised that there are several forms of love. The Ancient Greeks alone defined no less than four: agápē, érōs, philía and storgē. As that wiki article shows, the distinctions between them can be expressed in English through the use of adjectives such as ‘unconditional’, ‘erotic/romantic’ and ‘familial’, or with slightly more unwieldy descriptions.

I first learned that the Japanese language also had more than one word for ‘love’ a few years ago. It all started with me trying to find out the difference in the uses of 「(dai) suki」 and 「aishiteru」 as ways of saying “I love you”, which involved reading a fair number of analyses by English speakers, with contributions by some Japanese people. The consensus seemed to be that you could use either expression for all kinds of love, including the ‘romantic’ and ‘familial’ kinds. However, 「aishiteru」 is hardly ever used. As an illustration, if you could rate the extent to which you love someone on a scale of 1 (least) to 10 (most), in Japanese, you’d only ever use 「aishiteru」 for the 10, whilst you might use it from 7 upwards in the case of the English “I love you”.

In the course of that research, however, I also realised that Japanese had a specific word for ‘erotic/romantic love’: 「koi」(恋). You can also use 「ai」(愛) in the context of a romantic relationship, but if you ask a Japanese person to explain how they are different, the most widely made response seems to be that 「koi」 is a selfish kind of love that one seeks from others, whereas 「ai」 is about accepting the other for who he/she is, and doing everything you can to make him/her happy. To put it another way, 「koi」 is about receiving, whilst 「ai」 is about giving. However, it is also important to note that 「ai」 is used not just for romantic love, but for the platonic, filial, familial etc forms of love too.

Of course, not knowing this difference probably wouldn’t have much of an impact in most cases. Most relationships in Japanese shows, novels, manga etc are straightforward enough that it’s clear as crystal which kind of ‘love’ exists between any two characters, even without either term being explicitly used. However, you do get the occasional series where knowing the difference can be important, Macross Frontier being one of the best examples.

The clue in this case lies in the way Klan talks about love. When talking to Michel about where his heart lies, Klan uses 「koi」. But guess which term she uses at the end of episode 23, when talking to Alto about his ‘love’…

In my humble opinion, I think that little difference speaks volumes. Wish I’d realised it even one year ago.

p.s. There is also another term used for the early stage in a romantic relationship, the time when the two people involved are still giddy for each other, so-to-speak: 「ren’ai」(恋愛). It’s meaning is very similar to that of 「koi」, and the astute (or Japanese-literate) observer will notice that 「ren’ai」 is in fact made by combining the characters for 「koi」 and 「ai」…

Translation headaches

Putting aside the oft recurring honourifics debate for the time being, just a few thoughts based on what I’ve encountered or worked on personally over the last few years.

I’ve written about “was dumped” vs. “was turned down” issue before, but at least, in this case, there are appropriate translations even though you’d have to base it on the context in the story.

But there are many areas which don’t have direct or even appropriate translations, especially in the realm of linguistic routines. Linguistic routines are recurrent phrases or exchanges that are typically used functionally rather than to convey meaning through themselves. Greetings are a typical example, and the best one in English is the “How are you?” / “Not bad. Yourself?” / “Good thanks” exchange. Answering a “how are you?” literally is a major faux pas in most situations, but most native speakers probably don’t understand why it often puzzles the second language learner so much. The answer is simple really: linguistic routines are very different from culture to culture. A German-born lecturer I had at university once illustrated how the lack of similar routines in German can make conversation with e.g. Americans a frustrating experience for both parties (see Lana Rings’s article, linked below). And unlike what most people assume, the casual greeting in Chinese (and most if not all of its various dialects) isn’t “Ni hao“, which is typically taught as the equivalent of “How are you?”, but rather something along the lines of “Ni chi le ma?”, or “Have you eaten?”.

Similarly, there are many linguistic routines in Japanese that aren’t always used in English. To examine the challenges translators face, as well as solutions we might use, let’s look at three of them.

(1) いってきます (ittekimasu) and いってらっしゃい (itterasshai)

Literally, these mean “I’m off” and “Go and come back safely”. The first makes sense in English, and the second can easily be replaced by variations of “Have a good day”..

(2) お先に失礼します (osaki ni shitsurei shimasu) and お疲れさまです (otsukaresama desu – or deshita)

This one’s a a bit trickier. The literal meaning is something along the lines of “Excuse me for leaving before you” and “You worked hard today”. Workplaces in the English-speaking world probably don’t have a set routine, but you might hear something like “(Alright, I’m off!) See you all tomorrow/next week!” and “(Good work today!) See you!”, or perhaps “(I’m off!) Have a good night/weekend!” and “Thanks, you too!”. But it’s doable.

(3) and the worst is probably 宜しくお願いします

“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu”. This may be the hardest phrase to translate, ever! Or the easiest, depending on how you look at it. Basically, it’s used in so many situations that there are lots of different ways you can localise it to an English-speaking setting.

For example: when you use it at the end of an introduction speech – “I look forward to working with you”; in a message to a seller on some auction site – “I look forward to hearing back from you”. This pattern is pretty useful in a lot of situations, so you might think it’s the best one.

But then we have: after asking a friend to do something for you – “Thank you” or “I’m counting on you”. And for the final chapter of Seven Days though, I might have gone with “Thank you for everything, ’til now, and from here on too” rather than “Please look after me from now on too” or something to that effect. Though I suppose it might sound weird coming from a guy.

And that’s what I mean by headache. Though it’s much more enjoyable than a real one.

Further reading:

Beyond Grammar and Vocabulary, by Lana Rings
The Ethnography of Speaking 1 and 2, by Dell H. Hymes

10 observations about schools in Japan

Started this because of the Bakemonogatari CD (see point no. 2), and also partially because of some misperceptions I keep seeing on other blogs and on AS.

Admittedly, these were on the road leading up to the school, rather than at the front of the school itself...

(1) Most schools have a sakura tree at the front of their school, because it’s beautiful and perhaps inspiring for students to walk through the floating petals at the start of the school year (April). The only places that might not are Hokkaido and Okinawa, whose flowering seasons are completely off. In fact, my school in Okinawa doesn’t have a sakura tree at the front – though it has a few in a small rear garden.

“Good morning”? But it’s 5pm!

Polite as ever

“Ohayou gozaimasu” = “Good morning”

Simple to translate, yes?

Well, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was quite amused to hear Jiro use it in the middle of the night during the first episode of Black Blood Brothers. Sadly, that was primarily because I didn’t actually understand what it meant.

During my second year as an ALT however, I once heard a student greet his homeroom teacher with “Ohayou gozaimasu”…at about 1.30pm. I jokingly asked him…shouldn’t it be “Konnichiwa”? To which the teacher grinned, but noted “Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen him today – he slept in.” Not exactly an explanation, but it finally clicked when episode 11 of WORKING!! came around.

This thread on the “Bag of Wisdom” on Yahoo Japan lists two uses for “ohayou gozaimasu”.

(1) the morning greeting, and
(2) the greeting used when you start work on any particular day

The BBB case may be interpreted either way (protecting Kotarou is Jiro’s “job”, so-to-speak, but it was also ‘morning’ for him), but WORKING!! clearly had Takanashi using this phrase in its second capacity.

……

"Good morning"?

Now, the all-important question is: how should a translator represent this? In my opinion, “good morning” would be ridiculous, because we simply use the appropriate greeting for the time of day (or, in the case of Australians, perhaps even a “g’day mate!”). But changing it to the appropriate greeting for the target culture would probably raise eyebrows amongst everyone who knows at least a smattering of Japanese, as the incongruity of what is heard and what is read sinks in.

Conclusion: the oft-despised translation note still has its uses, don’t you think? It’d be interesting to see what the translator working on WAGNARIA!! will do (though if they choose to use a TN, I hope they place it at the end – or in the materials – rather than in the episode itself!).

p.s. According to the 2nd poster at the “Bag of Wisdom”, the use of “ohayou gozaimasu” as a greeting at the beginning of one’s work/school day is dying out, but isn’t it an interesting piece of Japanese culture?

信賞必罰？ Or the difficulty of giving praise and censure where its due.

Ignorance is bliss. That’s what the last year or two of watching fansubs has taught me.

I used to be the average happy viewer, grateful for the effort subbers put in to bring us all shows I would never have understood otherwise. I also got the occassional good laugh out (or *facepalm*) of the few ridiculous lines that I could understand with my low level of Japanese. And if you knew which groups to trust, you were always assured of decent translations for difficult shows or even just archives.

But nowadays, spotting a small mistake from an otherwise decent sub can drive me up the wall. It’s happened with almost all series I’m following this season. And whilst I just take it in stride for series I have no intention of keeping, I’m getting depressed at the thought that there are no perfect releases I can archive for the series that I’m buying (R2 DVDs for the win!).

I know – it’s not like I really need subs for those series anyway, right? But how in the world am I going to share my love for these shows with people who don’t understand them! *sighs*

I suppose it’s not all doom and gloom. Learning more and more Japanese every day, and having the patience and resources to look things up, I’ve learned to appreciate some excellent work that other people have raised eyebrows at. A good example would be gg’s translation of Bakemonogatari in episode 2: the sub read “STDs from hookers are contagious” despite there being no such reference to STDs in the original Japanese. But what Hitagi actually said was「素人童貞がうつるわ」. 「素人童貞」 would literally be “amateur virgin”…but what does this actually mean? Try this post by a Japanese fan dedicated to helping us understand the many terms in this fandom. In summary:

An “amateur virgin” is someone whose only sexual experiences have been paid for, i.e. they’ve only been with prostitutes.

And we all know what prostitutes probably have….so…

“STDs from hookers are contagious.”

Let me know if you can think of a better translation of that line that retains its bite. Until then, kudos to the gg translator (and editor, if applicable) for Bakemonogatari.

DISCLAIMER: I am heavily critical of my own translations – it’s embarrassing when I get the meaning completely wrong, after all – but I try not to be defensive about them. I once doubted gg’s translation to the above line myself, having heard only the term「童貞」when I first watched Bakemonogatari. Suffice it to say that I’ve learnt my lesson.

On the current state of Otakuism

Akira over at Behind the Nihon Review last year wrote a rather pointed article on what Otakus are like, taking an interesting interview with Yamamoto Yutaka, where the director of Kannagi critiques the state of the anime industry and several of its most illustrious celebrities, as the point of focus.

Several of Yamamoto-sensei’s critiques are spot on. Anime is an elitist hobby where most products are catered to a relatively small group of otaku. And most of these otaku typically watch a narrow range of these shows (mecha, slice-of-life, parady, action fantasy etc), taking pride in their choices as a way of distinguishing themselves from the rest of the drabble. I can’t say that I haven’t done that from time to time, whether unconsciously – I honestly forgot recently that drama CDs really only appeal to people who can understand a decent amount Japanese (exception: fujoshi) – or otherwise. Sitting down with my brother to watch an episode over dinner recently, I realised quite belatedly that one reason I enjoy some of the series I do is because I don’t really need to rely on subs anymore. There are also plenty of nuances that are often lost in translation, such as feminine speech and degrees of familiarity, the latter being especially important for character relationships.

Yamamoto-sensei also notes that there is a huge lack of originality within the industry, as most series that succeed are franchises or based on already successful original material. But each series typically appeals to a particular niche, rarely allowing so-called outsiders any enjoyment or benefit from them. He picks out – rather accurately, IMHO – the relatively transparency of the industry, the closeness between fans and creators that results in series being catered for specific audiences, for this exclusiveness. And this tendency can only feed into itself to further isolate otaku from the rest of the world.

We should, however, note that this tendency applies to most TV shows around the world. CSI, Lost, Prison Break and South Park all cater to particular audiences. Even the Simpsons can be considered exclusive in that it contains many jokes that only long-time followers will pick up, though it still provides varying degrees of entertainment for the rest of us. But comparing Western industries with Eastern ones can be dangerous, because there are many differences between them, not least of all in terms of revenue. The Japanese anime industry is probably more similar to the Western film industry, in that revenue comes not on the back of advertising but rather through product sales, be it box-office receipts, DVDs or figures.

As such, we could perhaps say that the anime industry could take a leaf out of the book of the American film industry. Many directors and popular actors often balance their pop-corn movies with independent projects, for the profits from the former often enable them to make the critically acclaimed pieces that appeal to fans and other niche markets. For the fans however, committing to a 13 DVD 26-episode series is far more demanding on one’s monetary resources than buying one movie DVD, especially since there are so many different studios churning out 20 or more series every cour. Furthermore, anime still has such a stigma that producers probably feel that they have to appeal first to that core group of buyers that will help keep them afloat. Anime series and films with broad appeal do exist, what with series like Naruto and Bleach, but they are not series that can break down the walls of people who still see animation as something for children. And despite what Yamamoto-sensei says about its more universal appeal, Kannagi’s art and story probably aren’t going to convert too many more people.

What would? Perhaps, as Yamamoto-sensei implies, Miyazaki Hayao could do so if he would only embrace the medium where his is the name on even the most casual viewers lips. However, even if you appeal to the general public, how does that translate to success, or even survival in a world driven by sales? The question actually becomes one of how to appeal to a society that has limited disposable income to spend on far too many distractions. If we think about this logically, in terms of supply and demand, the industry should decrease the number of series and raise the quality of those they actually produce. Whilst an influx of originality would be welcome, the industry priority should probably be to recognise the limitations of its potential consumers, and regulate itself accordingly by reducing production in the first place.

Review: Ketsuekigata betsu onna ga kekkon suru houhou

血液型別オンナが結婚する方法, or “How to get your fairytale marriage as a woman of blood-type (~)”

Over the past couple of years, Japan has gone crazy over a set of books by Jamais Jamais, which have become somewhat of a bible for the understanding people by their bloodtypes. The books have been on hold at the library every since I first spotted them, so I chose simply to buy my own set…though now I have no time in which to read them.

Well…I do, if I make the time, but that’s besides the point.

Anyway, I recently learned of this 4-part drama special from April of this year. Each episode depicts a woman representing one bloodtype, who is trying to attract (or find) the guy of her dreams. The four women are all named Sachie (幸恵) (which means “happy/fortunate blessings”), and their best friends are all played by Kondo Haruna. The stories are otherwise unconnected in any way. The stories were sometimes cheesy, and will probably rankle feminists, but Ketsuekigata betsu onna was, for me, a somewhat entertaining four nights.

Decision – well, sort of…

Given that the second Eden movie is due on January 9 next year, my 2009 year for anime is going to extend until at least midway through January. Both contenders for the major prizes SHOULD be finished by then (come on SHAFT, don’t let me down!), although I’m fairly certain about who is going to be awarded what.

Really, doing a season by season review (as well), like thenullset, makes more sense, especially considering that slots on Japanese TV are typically sold in クール (from the French “cours” for course), which consist of 13 episodes over a 3 month period, corresponding to Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. That’s why most anime typically have 13, 26 or 52 episodes. Those short by 1 or 2 episodes typically have one or two slots taken up by recaps or specials. With a season review, one can focus on the merits of each series during a particular timeframe, without having to wait forever to choose a favourite.

Of course, considering that most major series start in Spring and Autumn, the anime year really should end in April, just like the rest of Japan. (The year-long NHK dramas, which run from January to December are the only exceptions I can think of.) Two more months to decide on that.

Little things that can make a world of difference, part 2

Following on from this post…

A few months ago, I was caught by a meme that a friend wrote on the Japanese equivalent of Facebook. In it were a couple of questions that took me a while to figure out, involving the terms 「告る」 and 「振る／振られる」.

According to the 大辞林 dictionary, 「告る」is the way that young people say 「告白する」, which means “to confess”, usually in the context of confessing love for someone in the hope that they’ll agree to go out with you. 「振る」 means to reject or turn down such a confession, and 「振られる」 = “to be rejected”. These terms are widely used in Japanese society, where the normal way for relationships to proceed is for one or other party to confess, and the other to either accept or reject. Inviting someone out for a meal or movie is often seen as akin to a confession, largely because anyone seeing the two of you together will immediately assume that you are a couple.

Western culture has a markedly different approach to dating. I could certainly be generalising too much, but it seems to be far more common for people to go on casual dinner/movie etc dates as friends first, or simply to start snogging at a party or club somewhere. Dates with friends (same or opposite sex) are quite normal, and most people don’t assume anyone is dating until they see or hear about affectionate behaviour or evidence thereof, or until you actually tell them.

This particular difference between Western and Japanese culture only came to mind again recently, when I finally started reading light novels. I wouldn’t have noticed were it not that I’m using the English translations of the series to supplement my average (and slowly improving) reading ability, but in my first series, 「振られた」 has been translated as “dumped” several times. To me, “dumped” includes the nuance that there was once a close relationship between the two people in question. In other words, in the case of a romantic relationship, you can only be “dumped” if you were actually going out. This nuance isn’t mentioned in any online dictionaries I can find, but I have never seen or heard “was dumped” to mean “was rejected”, as the Japanese actually means in this case. But if it had been translated as “rejected”, would it make sense in Western cultures, where the first step is either becoming friends or making out on the dance floor? Edit (2010-02): see note below.

Of course, this particular meaning of the verb “to dump” could be changing. A friend of mine used it recently in a situation similar to those in the novels, because it has such a ring of finality to it. But even she acknowledged that she was using it quite freely, because the relationship wasn’t exactly official. But it’s these little things that really make me glad I’m in Japan, learning about the little details that help things in manga, anime and drama (etc) make just that much more sense.

p.s. I think “dumped by ~” can be expressed by「〜に捨てられた」 in Japanese. For “broke up with ~”, it’s 「〜と別れた」.

Note (2010-02): Now I’m even more confused. I’m just listening to a drama cd, in which 「振られた」 has indeed been used to mean “I was dumped”, whilst in the novel I’m referring to above, “dumped” still sounds wrong to me. I need to listen to more drama CDs…but I’m guessing that this is one of those instances where English and Japanese just don’t have exactly equivalent terms.

Little things that can make a world of difference, part 1

I never really thought about this until I ran across someone who mentioned that the Cross Game characters are now into their second year of high school (anime obviously, not manga). The truth? They’re only about 5 months into their first year!

Why the misconception? Well, the answer lies in a difference between the schools in Japan and those of certain other countries. Schools in the U.S., Britain and Australia all begin the school year after the long summer vacation. Students typically do not have any summer homework (because their teachers are changing anyway!), and they happily while away 2-3 months at the beach, shopping centres and movie theaters, or perhaps in a darkened home at room etc etc. Wonderful childhood, really, and of course it makes sense to have arrange the school year such that kids get a nice long rest after all their hard work, right?

Perhaps surprisingly, Japan doesn’t subscribe to that particular philosophy. Instead, the school (and working) year is designed around the seasons. Spring (April) marks the new beginning of the year for all layers of society, from kindergartens to companies. For the Japanese mind (and heart), it is fitting that this bright season, floating in sakura petals, marks the new beginning of just about every stage in a person’s life.

Quick summary: the Japanese school year is divided into three terms, with the corresponding “holidays”: Spring-Summer term – summer vacation (about 6 weeks from late July-early September) – Autumn term – Christmas/New Year break (about 2 weeks) – Winter-Spring term – Spring vacation (about 2 weeks in late March/early April). The exact timing of the breaks differs from region to region. In Okinawa, summer vac is unusually long, whilst the winter break is obviously longer in Hokkaido. edit: and in case there are people who don’t know – lots of subbers change the year level into the respective American grade, after all – the Japanese education system sends children through 6 years of elementary school (小学校), 3 of junior high (中学校) and 3 of senior high school (高校), with normal graduation at the age of 18. I might make another note on this at a later date.

The other thing that might confuse foreigners, especially those from Australia, is the fact that the 3rd year students stopped playing just 3 months into the year, when the preliminary tournaments are over. That’s because the rest of their year will be devoted to studying in order to get into their desired colleges or universities. Of course, those who win the prefectural/regional tournament will be representing their prefecture or region in the national tournament, which is held over the summer. The younger students will either be enjoying their one and only summer vacation (Haruhi and co.) or busting their asses to get to the respective national tournaments in their last two years. There should be another regional tournament towards the end of the Autumn term, where the teams will show the fruits of their summer labours, but the summer prelims around May will always take precedence.

Well, this particular difference probably wouldn’t affect your understanding of any show or manga with a school setting, but it might be interesting to know.