Re: ? on the front of Japanese novels


"Louise Bremner" <trap_for_junk_mail@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1hc14hx.gdnw7j4htsamN%trap_for_junk_mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Ben K. Bullock <benkasminbullock@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On a mailing list called "Honyaku" recently, there was a message from one
person, who apparently has been a translator for twenty years, who didn't
know what "san wari biki" meant. (It means 30% discount BTW). I was really
surprised by that, even more surprised than by your not knowing about the
"upper" and "lower" thing.

Similarly, I was startled a while back to hear a translator who is a
(very) long-term resident of Japan admit that he had only recently got
the joke of "Edogawa Rampo".

Is it similar? I'm not that quick about "getting" jokes, and if I hadn't known I probably would not have "got" that joke about Edogawa Ranpo either, but even if I lived to 100 years of age it wouldn't have stopped me from functioning in Japanese in any way. If I didn't know what "zen shōhin san wari biki" meant, I would have a hard time working out why Kawachi only charged me 70 yen for a green tea ice cream which said "100 yen" on the packet, or why I could buy my Makita router (catalogue price 60000 yen) for only 42,000 yen from Joyful Honda. Then again, if I didn't know that, I would have a hard time functioning in Japan. Similarly with the kami/shimo thing, how is it possible not to notice that in all the study and reading it takes to get to the point of trying to read a novel?

The point being there is such a huge mass of data to assimilate when
learning Japanese, it's hardly surprising that individuals have gaps in
their knowledge.

The difference in this case is that not knowing that Edogawa Ranpo is a pun on Edgar Allen Poe is like not having furry dice in your car. Not knowing that "shita" kanji means "final part" is like not having tyres or a steering wheel.


.

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