2011年1月31日
Lost in Translation
Thanks for all your comments. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to do my "teaching through correction" idea as a business, but if I do, I'll let you know.
A couple of months ago, I went to a presentation where the presenter was talking about translating from English into Japanese. He asked the audience how we would translate the sentence "I like your shoes." Of course, somebody suggested 私はあなたの靴が好きです. As the presenter pointed out, however, this is incorrect.
One of the biggest differences between English and Japanese is that English includes a subject in every sentence, whereas Japanese only includes the subject for emphasis. In other words, if you say 私はあなたの靴が好きです, it implies something like 彼と違って、私は…
Many native speakers of English make mistakes with this when we are learning Japanese. In other words, we add emphasis by mistake simply because our language always includes a subject in every sentence. For example, if we want to say "You look pretty today," we say 今日はあなたが奇麗ですね. Of course, this is quite rude, and we are surprised when the person we have complimented says, "What do you mean, 今日は？ Don't you mean 今日も？"
The normal, neutral translation of "I like your shoes" would therefore be あなたの靴が好きです. As the presenter pointed out, however, even this would not be correct. No professional translator (and I hope Lily will back me up if she is reading this!) would translate "I like your shoes" in this way. The question a translator has to ask is not "How do I say these words in Japanese/English," but "How can I express the same meaning in a way that would sound natural in the other language?" The presenter suggested that the best translation of "I like your shoes" would probably be something like 靴可愛いね, and I think he was probably correct.
One of the biggest problems for Japanese learners of English is the way you are taught in school. I often hear the word "translation" used to talk about the Japanese teaching style, but in fact, it is closer to what is called "transliteration," which means changing the words of a Japanese sentence into English words using English grammar. This is a very different thing from translation.
Transliteration: I like your shoes = 私はあなたの靴が好きです
Translation: I like your shoes = 靴可愛いね
When I stayed with Cameron down in Kyushu, he lent me a really good book about Japanese grammar called "Gone Fishin'" by Jay Rubin, an American teacher of Japanese. The book talks about the same kind of problem. The author points out that the correct translation of "This is a pen" is not これはペンです, but simply ペンです. これはペンです actually means "This is a pen" with an emphasis on "this." In other words, almost the first thing that Japanese students learn about English in junior high school is actually incorrect!
In the book, the writer also describes the differences between the Japanese passive and the English passive. I laughed when I read this part because it is almost a mirror-image of the explanation I wrote in my own book. He even uses the same example about getting a bag stolen. (Actually, since his book was written in 1992, I suppose I should say that I used his example, but I had never heard of the book until last week, so it's just a coincidence.)
Anyway, here is what he wrote. It is quite a funny explanation, but it's very easy to understand for native speakers of English who are trying to learn Japanese.
Kaban o nusumareta is an example of the Japanese "suffering" passive, a form that can be used with both transitive and intransitive verbs, and thus one that is very different from the English passive.... Marked by o, the suitcase is labeled as an object, and this means it cannot be rareru'ed: only a subject can be rareru'ed, and kaban cannot be a subject when followed by o. For this reason, the sentence [kaban o nusumareta] cannot mean "The suitcase was stolen."
The subject remains you, so you get rareru'ed by somebody, but you don't get stolen.
"Pardon me officer, but I've just been rareru'ed," you say to the policeman.
"Oh, sorry to hear that, sir, but what were you rareru'ed?"
"I was rareru'ed somebody's having stolen my suitcase?"
"How's that again?"
"I was stolen my suitcase!"
"What an odd way to put it!"
"Of course it's odd. I'm Japanese, and that's how we phrase these things when our English is a little shaky."
One of the biggest problems for translators is that English uses different words to explain things that are explained using the same word in Japanese (and vice versa). One example that I have written about many times is "make" and "let." These mean completely different things in English, but they are both translated as saseru in Japanese.
As a learner of English, you will find many pairs and sets of words that you cannot understand because they have the same Japanese translation. For example, somebody recently asked me about the difference between "convince" and "persuade." She said that in Japanese, these are both 説得する, so she couldn't understand how they were different in English.
If you have a question like this, there is a very important word that you need to know. The word is "versus," and it is normally shortened to "vs." If you have a question about English, you can be fairly sure that someone else has also wondered the same thing, and in this age of the Internet, you can often find the answers online.
If you want to know the difference between two similar English words, type, for example, "convince vs. persuade" into Google. (Make sure that you have it set to search the world wide web, not just Japanese pages.) Actually, that is what I did when I was asked the question, and I found a very good answer:
"Convince" is used when you appeal to someone's sense of logic. In other words, you give them evidence and logical reasons for something. "Persuade" is normally used when you appeal to someone's emotions and basically just say, "Oh pleeeaaase!"
If you had done the same Google search I did, you could have found the same answer very quickly. Of course, the answers are all written in English, but there are usually example sentences given with them, so it's not too difficult to understand.
Phew! This has turned into a long entry. Your challenge this week is to think of some words that confuse you, and try to find the difference between them by doing a Google search. Please share any answers you find.
Bye for now.
PS Anne - I've been thinking about your explanation, and I think the translation given in my kanji book is wrong. Would this be correct?
〜向き = suitable for ~
〜向け = aimed at ~
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Comments
Hi amo
Thank you for your explaining. Your explanation is easy to understand. Now I understand it clearly. Thanks!
Hi David
This week's topic is very interesting. I remembered that I translated "This is a pen" to "これはペンです" at English class when I was junior high school student. That made me laugh :-)
It is always difficult to know the usage of languages for non-native speaker. The searching method you introduced is very helpful for us!
I tried to search the difference between "efficient" and "effective". I found the answer.
*efficient - performing in the best way. No wasting time. It focuses on the manner.
*effective - producing intended or expected result. It focuses on the output.
Suddenly I wondered whether "-1" is singular or plural. I searched it. It may be singular, but I couldn't find a solid answer. It's a bit different from this topic. Does anyone know about it?
By the way, I'm very interested in the database of corrections. If you collect enough data, you can find many interesting relations and tendency, (e.g., a relation between generation and tendency of error, or carrier and tendency). There will be new business chance.
Sweet dreams
trmr
- trmr
- 2011年2月 1日 01:26
David, I totally back you up ;-)
- Lily
- 2011年2月 1日 08:43
Hi David,
This week's topic is interesting, and it's very confusing to understand this concept as well.
I'll try to think of some words that confuse me later.
By the way, as for your question, as amo mentioned, "向け” have several meanings such as 方向、行き先、and 対象.
Concerning ”子供向け。。＝..for", I think it's correct.
It means "..a book (MEANT) for .."
In the case of 向け（対象）, it implies"aim at","meant for" and"intended for."
＞This dish is a bit lightly seasoned (meant) for senior citizens.（この食事はお年寄り向けに少し薄味で作られている。）
I guess there isn't a big difference between "向き"and "向け" in most cases, but if you want to focus on "対象", you should use "向け."
Actually, you would use"～用" to imply "向き"and "向け."
"子供向きの本”=a book (suitable)for children
"子供向けの本”=a book aimed at /(intended /written )for children＝＝＝＝→ 子供用の本
It's just my understanding. Hope it helps.
See you soon,
Anne
- Anne
- 2011年2月 1日 08:46
Hi David,
OK, I understand the trouble with confidentiality.
As for the idea of "teaching through correction" on a blog, I think it would be interesting. Maybe you could set monthly fee too. I think people would be more interested in the idea if you give them some choices. 回数券 would be a good way for busy people, but 月謝 would be a good way for people who want to study more or for people who can't write a long comment but can write more often. You need to set a limit of the number of comments, but if it was more お得 than 回数券, it would attract people and you would be able to make a certain amount of money every month. 例えば…
・ロングコメント回数券
（文章の長さは最大500語・5回。 回数券の使用期限なし）
・ショートコメント回数券
（文章の長さは最大250語・10回。《長さを半分にして回数を2倍にする》 回数券の使用期限なし）
・定額ショートコメントパック
（文章の長さは最大250語。 月に12回まで書き放題でfeedbackに対する質問もできる。 12回に満たなくても回数の翌月繰り越しはなし）
・定額ロングコメントパック
（文章の長さは最大500語。月に8回まで書き放題でfeedbackに対する質問もできる。 8回に満たなくても回数の翌月繰り越しはなし）
*金額設定は難しいのでしていません。 回数の持ち越しをなしにするのは、お金を無駄にしないようにその分頑張る！というモチベーションアップの為。
なんだか携帯の料金パックみたいですが（笑）、いろいろ選べるプランがあると魅力的かな～と思いました。
I have a meeting at my children's school today, so I'll write about the topic later.
See you soon,
Tomo
- Tomo
- 2011年2月 1日 12:12
Hi David and everyone,
As for David’s question on “~向きvs. ~向け”, it is one of the most difficult questions to explain for me. Other members have already explained very well, so I’d like to just back them up. I’ve made a quiz for your further understanding. Here you go:
1)このDVDは成人（用・向け・向き）だから、子どもには不向きです。
2)すみません、ここには男性（用・向け・向き)トイレがありませんので、あちらをどうぞ。
3)これは中年男性（用・向け・向き）ファッション雑誌ですが、若者にも人気があります。
4)左利き（用・向け・向き）のはさみをください。
5)この本は英語圏の子ども（用・向け・向き）ですが、ちょうど私（用・向け・向き）です。
6)フィギュアスケート（用・向け・向き）の靴を買いたいです。
7)東南アジア（用・向け・向き）のピアノが船に積み込まれています。
8)わあ、かわいい靴。あなた（用・向け・向き）よ。
9)このブログは英語学習者（用・向け・向き）ですが、日本語学習者にもいいかも…?!?
10）北（用・向け・向き）の部屋はちょっと寒いです。
- tsuneko
- 2011年2月 1日 14:52
Sorry, I forgot to write the question. Also, the sentence of 1) should be as follows.
適当なことばを１つ選んでください。必要なら２つどうぞ。
1)このDVDは成人（用・向け・向き）だから、子どもはダメです。
- tsuneko
- 2011年2月 1日 15:07
Hi tsuneko,
I think I know the answer No.1 because I tried to write this sentence as an example sentence but I didn't,haha!
Each question is very confusing,isn't it?
Anne
- Anne
- 2011年2月 1日 15:30
Hi David,
I wonder how many ideas you’ve got in your mind! Your business ideas all seem interesting and feasible. I’m quite interested in the idea of setting up a blog that we need to be a member to join, the “read only” membership sounds suitable for lazy people like me (怠け者向き＾＾) who don’t write a lot but still want to learn from other people’s writing and your feedback. Of course, it will depend on the cost. As Toko-mon said, ‘The cheaper the fee, the better’, exactly!
Hi Anne, Tomo, Amo,
Thank you so much for the detailed explanations on “～向き” &“～向け”, it’s a good opportunity for me to think about Japanese! I use these words but I’ve never been aware of the difference between them.
Hi Tsuneko,
Since I am not a native Japanese speaker, I’d like to try your quizzes as well, here are my answers:
1)このDVDは成人（向け）だから、子どもには不向きです。
2)すみません、ここには男性（用)トイレがありませんので、あちらをどうぞ。
3)これは中年男性（向け）ファッション雑誌ですが、若者にも人気があります。
4)左利き（用）のはさみをください。
5)この本は英語圏の子ども（向け）ですが、ちょうど私（向き）です。
6)フィギュアスケート（用）の靴を買いたいです。
7)東南アジア（向け）のピアノが船に積み込まれています。
8)わあ、かわいい靴。あなた（向き）よ。
9)このブログは英語学習者（向け）ですが、日本語学習者にもいいかも…?!?(Yes, it is!)
10）北（向き）の部屋はちょっと寒いです。
They are all confusing for me. How many I got right? ^^
- Ling
- 2011年2月 1日 16:36
Hi Ling,
You got perfect! That's cool! I made these quizes, but I don't have much confidence to give the reasons for the answers clearly. How did you master that? If you have some clues, will you share that with us?
- tsuneko
- 2011年2月 2日 00:12
I just checked the blog to answer Tsuneko's quiz, but now I can see that Ling has given me all the right answers. Thanks for helping me with my homework!
Actually, I just read through them, and I think I would have known them all except number 8. I have never heard that expression before.
- David
- 2011年2月 2日 01:09
By the way, I only knew the answers to the 向き and 向け questions because of Anne's explanation. If you had asked me last week, I wouldn't have had a clue!
- David
- 2011年2月 2日 01:13
Hi David,
Wow, you made it! As for number 8, sorry, I should have made the situation clear: two women were shopping in a shoes shop. A woman found a pair of nice shoes and recommended them to the other one because she knew her friend liked that kind of shoes.
By the way, this week's topic reminded me of that you asked Akiko(Sato) what 'I'll kill you' could be translated into Japanese. She answered that it was '死んでもらいます'. I liked her translation.
- tsuneko
- 2011年2月 2日 08:58
Hi Tsuneko,
I asked her that? I don't remember. I must be getting old.
By the way, it's "shoe shop," not "shoes shop." Lots of Japanese people get confused by that.
- David
- 2011年2月 2日 09:06
Hi Tsuneko,
Oh, really! I did it perfectly?! I’m so happy!!!!^^.
Before answering your quiz, I read Anne, Tomo and Amo’s explanation carefully and understood that except some special meanings (direction, destination, object, aspect, etc), “～向き” means “suitable for” and “～向け” means “aimed at”. If you want to limit the object(目的語を限定したい場合), you should choose “～向け”. I just did it following this rule. For those special meanings, I chose by experience and by intuition (勘で) (lol). I was quite confused about No.1, as I didn’t notice your correction, I thought both “～向き” and “～向け” would be ok there, but using the same words “～向き” twice in a sentence was kind of boring, so I chose “～向け” finally (lol).
Thank you for making the quiz, it’s really fun!
Hi David,
Sorry I didn’t mean to help you with your homework (-_-) I didn’t expect I would get all answers right!
Back to the topic, I sometimes translate English to Japanese and Japanese to English at work, so I have to pay a lot of attention to grammar and the difference of words. Because my English and Japanese are both limited, I think my work only can be called "transliteration", it’s true that many sentences are really unnatural and difficult to understand if you only change them to another language, so the best I can do is only to make those sentences at least understandable. Translation really requires high level of comprehension on both languages, I don’t think I can reach that level!
In Japanese, people like to say “確認する” in various situations, there are so many words in English like “look”, “check”, “confirm”, “verify”, ”identify”, etc. It’s not possible to pick the right one unless you understand what the person really wanted to say.
Another Japanese word that always confuses me is “実施する”, it’s easy to find some English words for it on英辞郎 or other dictionaries, but in many cases, you have to use other different words depending on the situation, for example, “run a test”, “hold a meeting”, “do a search” and so on.
Thank you for telling us how to check the difference between two similar English words, it’s very useful for me.
- Ling
- 2011年2月 2日 14:03
Hi David and everyone,
tsuneko,thanks for your example sentences. Even for native Japanese speakers, it is sometimes confusing to figure out which words to use,isn't it?
Ling, and David,well done!
By the way, when I was reading tsuneko's comment, "shoes shop" sounded natural for me. When you talk about shoes in Japanese, you say"シューズ" and never say"シュー." Furthermore,you don't buy one shoe in most cases. Is this because you use the singular form? Then, a stupid idea came to mind. I thought to myself,"Well...what about "めがねやさん"? Is it a glass shop? No! I was wrong. When you mean to say"めがね" , You say"glasses" not" glass." Shoe can be singular or plural,but glasses(in this meaning) can't be singular.
それでも、”shoes shop" でもいいのでは？と思ってしまいます。
Hi trmr,
Do you mean the number"!"? I think it's singular too,
Hi Ling,
Yes, you need to decide which words you should use depending on each situation.
See you soon,
Anne
- Anne
- 2011年2月 2日 23:34
teisei:
'which words to use' should be 'which word to use.'
- Anne
- 2011年2月 3日 05:50
Hi David and everyone,
Thanks for giving me the chance to think about the difference between 向き and 向け. I'd never thought of the difference like this.
I've been thinking of words that confuse me, but I can't come up with any at the moment. It's when you are not looking for something that you often find it, isn't it? Anyway, I'll let you know if I come up with some words.
Hi trmr,
I'm interested in your question. I looked on the Internet and found some explanations about it, so let me share them with you.
Have you heard of the book "ドーナツ半分は単数形？複数形？" I haven't read this book(Actually, I didn't know that.), but some people wrote about it on their blogs. According to the book, basically, only "1(one)" is singular, and the others are plural. For example:
1.2 donuts
1 donut
0.5 donuts
0 donuts
-3 donuts
It didn't mention "-1", so I did some more search and found this.
基本：１つのときは単数、１つでないときは複数 ところが…
*少数は複数形
0.1メートル → zero point one meters（複数）
0.5メートル → zero point five meters（複数）
1.0メートル → one point zero meters（複数）
1と1.0は数量としては同じなのに、少数表記されると複数扱いになる
*分数は単数形
1/10メートル → one tenth meter（単数）
1/2メートル → half a meter（単数）
*0（ゼロ）は複数形
０メートル → zero meters（複数）
*マイナス1は意味でわかれる
①数学的マイナス１は複数形（実際にはない数字だからゼロと同じ扱い）
→ No donuts minus one donut leaves minus one donuts.（複数形）０－１＝－１
②不足した１の意味では単数形（１個に焦点があっているため）
→ The pile is minus one donut..（単数形）
I didn't understand the explanation about "マイナス1" well, so I typed "-1 degree" and "-1 degrees" into Google. Apparently, there are some people using "-1 degrees", but there are a lot more people using "-1 degree".
So, my understanding at the moment is that "-1" can be both singular and plural, but it is usually used as singular.
See you soon,
Tomo
PS David, I like your explanation about "persuade". "Oh pleeeaaase!" is very easy to understand!
- Tomo
- 2011年2月 3日 10:30
Hi David,
About this week's assignment, I'm so interested in it and also it's a good chance to know that. I gave a lot of thoght.
I found some similar English words but it's seems just British people and American people call the same things differently. For example:
America Britain
baggage luggage
vacation holiday
garbage rubbish
There are several words describing people's movement from one place to another.
Travel: travel is movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations for any purpose and any duration.
Trip: a journey to a place and back again, especially a short one for pleasure.
Voyage: Voyage may refer to a long journey, especially by ship.
Journey: An act of travelling from one place to another, especially when they are far apart.
I'm always confused which words of these should I use. I understand the difference between travel and trip but are there any differnce between travel and journey?
See you soon!
Fumie
- 匿名
- 2011年2月 3日 14:53
Hi Tomo,
Thank you for the explanation of sigular and plural.
I didn't know that basically just one becomes singular and 小数 or minus becomes plural.
It's a good study!
Fumie
- Fumie
- 2011年2月 3日 15:05
Hi David and Anne,
Thanks for letting me know about 'shoe shop' that was new to me# What about 'sock shop'#くつしたや# and 'jean shop'#ジーンズショップ#? Anne, thanks for sharing your idea of 'glasses shop'#めがねや# which is totally different from 'glass shop'#ガラスや#, so your idea was not stupid at all!!
Hi Ling,
Thanks for sharing the clues# That was of big help# Next time I'm asked the same question, I'll surely be more confident in answering# By the way, I think judging by your experience and your intuition is deep and important#
> #####it’s true that many sentences are really unnatural and difficult to understand if you only change them to another language, so the best I can do is only to make those sentences at least understandable#
I'll keep your words in my mind, too# I think you can reach the level of 'translation'#
Hi trmr, Anne and Tomo,
Hohestly, I couldn't get what trmr's question was, but I understood what it was when I read Tomo's research now, and it was timely for me# I was reading a book this week where there was a quiz: A boomerang is $50# I have 2 blue notes#$10x2=$20#. How many boomerangs can I buy? The answer was 'o#zero# boomerangs'. I was puzzled why they used '~s' for nothing. Now, I got it. Thanks for asking, answering a question and sharing such detailed information.
- tsuneko
- 2011年2月 3日 16:21
Hi Fumie and Tsuneko,
My pleasure:) Actually, I didn't know that rule, either. I was taught at school that you have to use the plural from when you are talking about more than one thing(which is countable, of course), and I'd never thought of numbers like those. I was also surprised to know that "0(zero)" is plural. It didn't make sense and sounded strange to me, so I had to convince myself that it may be because they usually use the plural form when they are talking about "zero", like "I have no children" or "I have no brothers." There are a lot of exceptions, though.
Anyway, it was very good study for me too, so I also want to say thank you to trmr.
Tomo
- Tomo
- 2011年2月 3日 22:22
Hi Tomo,
It's funny, when I read your explanation of "zero" is Plural, "no children" came to mind. Because zero is none, so it's easy to understand.
Anyway, it was interesting. thanks for telling us about it.
Hi trmr,
You understand what I meant? Glad to hear that. As I said, I am not good at grammar. Anyway, thanks for thank me;-)
Bye for now,
amo
- amo
- 2011年2月 3日 23:07
Hi everyone,
If you have my red book, there is an explanation about Tomo's point. Check the key word "Plural Negatives."
- David
- 2011年2月 3日 23:45
As for your business idea, I happen to have a brochure of a proof-reading-service for businesses as well as academics. According to the brochure…,
Price
8 yen per word: If your document is well written and doesn’t need so much correction.
10 yen per word: If your document needs substantial rewriting.
12 yen per word: If your document needs extensive rewriting by reference to your original Japanese document.
I guess you should charge according to the length and also the quality of the document. And one more important thing I think is to make clear which academic areas you cover; financial statements, contract, quality management, politics and economics and so on.
FYI
- Jazmín
- 2011年2月 4日 11:12
Hi David and everyone,
Anne - Sorry, it seems like I missed your message to trmr. I hope the explanations I found on the Net are useful for you too.
amo - Glad to hear you found it interesting.
David -Of course I checked your red book yesterday, and that's how I convinced myself.
Hi Yuko,
I forgot to answer your question, sorry!
＞"He cracked them open with a doorknob."
I think that this meaning is 「彼はドアノブでそれを開けるために割った。」in Japanes.
But if it means that, I think the sentence is "He cracked them to open with a doorknob."
わたしの思っている意味が違っているのでしょうか？あっているなら、何故 to が入らないのでしょうか？
"to" がいらないのは、この文の open は動詞ではないからです。 open は形を変えずに違う品詞としても使われますよね。 例えば次の文を見てみて下さい。
Don't leave the door open.
（ドアを開けっ放しにしないで）
この文のopen は「開いている」という意味の形容詞で、“leave ... 形容詞”「...を形容詞の状態のままにしておく」という意味です。
Yukoが挙げた例は、この文とはちょっと違うので品詞を聞かれると困るのですが（でもたぶん形容詞だと思います）、crack a nut open だったら「クルミを割って開ける」という意味で、このopen は動詞ではないので to 不定詞の形にはならないのです。 疑問は解決したでしょうか・・？
Tomo
- Tomo
- 2011年2月 4日 13:50
Hi David and everyone,
I thought of some words that confused me and tried to find the difference between"sympathy" and "empathy."
There are several meanings in "sympathy." One of them is"共感," and empathy means "共感、感情移入。"
*Sympathy means "feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. It focuses on the feeling what someone else feels through YOU.
*Empathy means "the ability to understand and share the feeling of another. It focuses on the feeling what someone else's feeling through THEM.
It can be easy for you to feel sympathy ,but it may seem impossible for someone to feel empathetic to a person's feeling,right?
Hi Tomo,
Thanks for your detailed explanations about"単数形and 複数形." It helps a lot, but if I would be asked to explain about it again, I have to admit to say," Sorry, I can't! It's really complicated!" Haha....
I'm afraid I need time to understand each one.
Hi tsuneko,
I think you would say "jeans shop" not "jean shop" because the word 'jean' has a different meaning(ジーン布） when it is used in the singular. You would also say,"sock shop","clothes shop", "hat shop".....
I'm having a kitchen and a bathroom remodeled ,and the bath remodel has started yesterday. Rooms were dusty and messy , and it was noisy all day long. I went to "スーパー銭湯" instead of taking a bath at my house. This is the first time I have been to "スーパー銭湯”in ages.
See you soon,
Anne
- Anne
- 2011年2月 4日 15:04
Hi Tomo,
I’ve never thought of if a number is singular or plural, your research is very interesting and very useful. Some really surprised me, such as”少数は複数形”, “ゼロは複数形” …I should remember these rules, thank you very much!
Hi David,
I just checked "Plural Negatives" in your red book. It says “ The plural form of nouns is used in negative sentences and questions if the item is one that would likely be plural in an affirmative sentence”. Sibling and child are usually more than one, yes, it makes sense!
Hi Tsuneko,
Thank you for your kind words, yes, I wish… ;-)
Hi Fumie,
I searched “travel” and “journey” on Google using David’s method and found some explanations about them:
Explanation A:
”Travel” is often used to describe visiting different places/countries. It is the action of doing that and is often used in the plural as in: During his travels through the world he went to many isolated regions.
“Journey” is one particular movement from one place to another: Many people often read in the train on their daily journey to and from work.
Explanation B:
“Travel” is a good verb, but it can also be used as a noun. Examples:
1. This summer I will travel to India. It will be a great trip!
2. My new job will require a lot of travel. My boss said that there will be two or three business trips each month.
“Journey” has the meaning of a very long trip. We can also use it in a funny way if we're talking about an errand that took much longer than it should. Examples:
1. Many of my friends have always wanted to journey through South America, but I prefer journeying through Asia.
2. My boss will take a journey through America this summer.
3. Sorry I'm late! I had to journey all the way from Pudong to get here. The metro at People's Square was closed, so I had to travel by bus!
It’s difficult to understand their difference thoroughly, but I think we can get some hints from above.
Hi Anne,
“sympathy" and "empathy are tricky for me as well, I still don’t know how to use them naturally, I’ll try to find some examples if possible.
See you soon.
- Ling
- 2011年2月 4日 16:41
訂正；
＞it may seem impossible for someone →it may seem difficult for someone
>Ling, yes,it is! I'll try to find some example sentences too.
- 匿名
- 2011年2月 4日 17:21
Ｔｏｍｏ，Ｌｉｎｇ
少数ではなく”小数”です。
- 匿名
- 2011年2月 4日 18:14
↑
あら、ほんとだ！ 全然気が付きませんでした。。（汗） きっとLingも私の変換ミスにつられてしまったんだと思います。 Thank you!
Hi Anne and Ling,
I'm glad you found it useful. To tell the truth, it took me some time to figure it out, but it was worth doing:)
- Tomo
- 2011年2月 4日 19:25
Hi David,
This week’s topic is interesting. I really enjoyed reading it. You know, I like watching movies and TV dramas. When I watch them, I try to compare English and Japanese. I mean, how English translate into Japanese. It is really fun.
>〜向け = aimed at ~
I think this is correct. By the way, do you know that “向き” has some meanings, like “direction,” “way,” and “aspect.”
Good night and sweet dreams,
amo