{"id":99,"date":"2017-01-31T01:03:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T06:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp\/2017\/01\/31\/words-and-%e8%a8%80%e8%91%89-by-jim-davis\/"},"modified":"2017-01-31T01:03:00","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T06:03:00","slug":"words-and-%e8%a8%80%e8%91%89-by-jim-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/2017\/01\/31\/words-and-%e8%a8%80%e8%91%89-by-jim-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Words and \u8a00\u8449 by Jim Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo Roads Diverged …\u201d:<\/span><\/b>Making Good Choices in Japanese-into-English Translation<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>(Part 4)<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
This is part four of a paper based on the standing-room-only presentation Jim gave at the 2015 ATA Conference in Miami entitled “Two Roads Diverged …”: Making Good Choices in Japanese-into-English Translation. <\/span>

<\/span>You can find all blog posts in the Words and \u8a00\u8449 series here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>Example 9<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

This is the final sentence in the same paragraph that contained Example 7 and Example 8<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u4eca\u56de\u306e\u6c7a\u65ad\u306f\u6210\u9577\u304c\u898b\u8fbc\u3081\u308b<\/u>\u4e8b\u696d\u69cb\u9020\u306b\u67d4\u8edf\u306b\u5909\u5316\u3059\u308b\u85e4\u7530\u6d41\u306e<\/u>\u300c\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0\u7d4c\u55b6\u300d<\/span>\u3068\u3044\u3048\u305d\u3046\u3060\u3002<\/span>                                                                <\/span>                                                            <\/span>(9)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The topic of this sentence is <\/span>\u6c7a\u65ad<\/span> (\u201cdecision\u201d). In this context <\/span>\u6c7a\u65ad<\/span> must refer to Fujita\u2019s decision to carry out a restructuring\/reorganization within Ameba. Through the use of the word <\/span>\u3044\u3048\u305d\u3046<\/span> the writer indicates that this decision appears to be an example of <\/span>\u85e4\u7530\u6d41\u306e<\/span><\/u>\u300c\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0\u7d4c\u55b6\u300d<\/span>. <\/span>The writer did not use <\/span>\u3044\u3048\u308b<\/span> (\u201ccan call\u201d). Rather, the writer used <\/span>\u3044\u3048\u305d\u3046\u3060<\/span> (\u201ccould be called\u201d or \u201cappears to be\u201d). This suggests that the writer is being a bit cautious in his\/her characterization of Fujita\u2019s action. <\/span>The term <\/span>\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0\u7d4c\u55b6<\/span> is surrounded by quotation marks because this term, which means \u201camoeba management,\u201d is a term that is widely recognized in management circles with a specific application. A later sentence in this same article indicates that \u201camoeba management\u201d is a management philosophy created by Inamori Kazuo, the founder of Kyocera. It is worth noting that the spelling of the first word in this term is \u201camoeba.\u201d When he named his management philosophy, Inamori invoked the image of the single-celled organism that can move in various directions by reorienting portions of its own cytoplasm. In this sentence the noun <\/span>\u85e4\u7530\u6d41<\/span> modifies the noun <\/span>\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0\u7d4c\u55b6<\/span>. By using the term <\/span>\u85e4\u7530\u6d41<\/span> the writer indicates that this is Fujita\u2019s \u201cbrand,\u201d or Fujita\u2019s \u201cstyle\u201d of \u201camoeba management.\u201d If so, Fujita must practice \u201camoeba management\u201d somewhat differently from the way in which Inamori originally proposed it. <\/span>T<\/span>he clause <\/span>\u4e8b\u696d\u69cb\u9020\u306b\u67d4\u8edf\u306b\u5909\u5316\u3059\u308b<\/span> modifies the noun <\/span>\u85e4\u7530\u6d41<\/span>, and the clause <\/span>\u6210\u9577\u304c\u898b\u8fbc\u3081\u308b<\/span> modifies the noun <\/span>\u4e8b\u696d\u69cb\u9020<\/span>. These two clauses explain the unique feature of Fujita\u2019s brand\/style of \u201camoeba management.\u201d The verb <\/span>\u898b\u8fbc\u3081\u308b<\/span> indicates that there is a \u201cprospect\u201d or \u201coutlook\u201d of whatever noun appears as the direct object. In this sentence the direct object is <\/span>\u6210\u9577<\/span> (\u201cgrowth\u201d). Based on this understanding of sentence structure and this understanding of the key words, this sentence could be translated as follows:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This decision could be called an example of Fujita\u2019s brand\/style of<\/u> \u201camoeba management,\u201d<\/b> in which the existing business structure morphs\/is reconfigured in a flexible manner into one<\/span><\/div>\n
            <\/span>from which growth can be expected<\/u>.                                                   <\/span>                        <\/span>(9a)<\/span><\/div>\n
            <\/span>with better prospects for growth<\/u>.                                                                                 <\/span>(9b)<\/span><\/div>\n
            <\/span>with an outlook for growth<\/u>.                                                                                         <\/span>(9c)<\/span><\/div>\n
      <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Example 10<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
This paragraph appears later in the article, following a discussion of Ameba, its development as a business unit, and the announced reorganization:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u4eac\u30bb\u30e9\u5275\u696d\u8005\u306e\u7a32\u76db\u548c\u592b\u540d\u8a89\u4f1a\u9577\u304c\u63d0\u5531\u3059\u308b\u300c\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0\u7d4c\u55b6\u300d\u306f<\/span>\u5c0f\u898f\u6a21\u306a\u7d44\u7e54\u306b\u6a29\u9650\u3092\u4e0e\u3048<\/span>\u3001\u81ea\u5df1\u7ba1\u7406\u306e\u3082\u3068\u3067\u5168\u54e1\u53c2\u52a0\u3067\u7d4c\u55b6\u3092\u884c\u3063\u3066\u3044\u304f\u3068\u3044\u3046\u3082\u306e\u3002\u3053\u308c\u306b\u5bfe\u3057\u3001<\/span>\u85e4\u7530\u6d41<\/span><\/u>\u306f<\/span>\u30cd\u30c3\u30c8\u30d3\u30b8\u30cd\u30b9\u3092\u8ef8\u306b<\/span><\/u>\u3001\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0\u306e\u3088\u3046\u306b\u67d4\u8edf\u306b\u5f62\u3092\u5909\u3048\u306a\u304c\u3089\u6210\u9577\u3057\u3066\u3044\u304f<\/span>\u4f01\u696d\u50cf\u3092\u8868\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b<\/span><\/u>\u3002<\/span>                                                                                                                        <\/span>(10)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Throughout this article it is important to consider whether the Japanese word <\/span>\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0<\/span> refers to \u201camoeba\u201d (the single-celled organism) or \u201cAmeba\u201d (the business unit). The first sentence provides background information about \u201camoeba management.\u201d The information serves as a reference point for the second sentence, which describes Fujita\u2019s particular brand\/style of management. The first sentence could read<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cAmoeba management\u201d is a management system that was promoted\/espoused by Inamori Kazuo, founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera. This system<\/span><\/div>\n
                        <\/span>imparts authority to small units                                                                <\/span><\/b>(10a)<\/span><\/div>\n
                        <\/span>transfers power to small units                                                                    <\/span><\/b>(10b)<\/span><\/div>\n
                        <\/span>empowers small units                                                                                  <\/span><\/b>(10c)<\/span><\/div>\n
(within an organization)<\/span><\/b>, allowing those units to manage themselves in such a way that all members of a unit participate.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The original Japanese sentence is too long to express as a single sentence in English. For this reason it has been divided into two sentences. In many instances the term <\/span>\u540d\u8a89\u4f1a\u9577<\/span> is translated as \u201chonorary chairman.\u201d However, Inamori\u2019s own website lists his current title as \u201cchairman emeritus,\u201d so that is the translation used here. As we move from option 10a to option 10c the wording becomes less literal and more natural. <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The second sentence includes the word <\/span>\u8ef8<\/span>, which literally means \u201caxis (in a coordinate system)\u201d \u201caxle (for a vehicle),\u201d or \u201cshaft (for rotating machinery)\u201d However, in this instance the word <\/span>\u8ef8<\/span> is used figuratively to indicate that the Internet-based business is the \u201ccore\u201d around which the company will grow. This sentence could read<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In contrast, Fujita\u2019s brand\/style of management<\/u> evokes\/presents the image of a company<\/u> that continues to grow while changing its form\/shape in a flexible manner, just like an amoeba, around its core Internet business<\/u>.                                                                                               <\/span>(10d)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In this paragraph, in contrast to previous paragraphs, we can see that both occurrences of the word <\/span>\u30a2\u30e1\u30fc\u30d0<\/span> refer to the single-celled organism.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Conclusion<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/div>\n
In each of the above examples we used different sources of information to capture the intended meaning\u2014literal or figurative\u2014of individual words and phrases in the source text. Some of the information was found within the document in question; other information was drawn from background knowledge of the subject matter or from language-specific references. Context played in a key role in making good choices with respect to meaning. Once the intended meaning of these individual units was understood, we combined words and phrases in an attempt to reproduce the same meaning and the same impact in the target language. Some combinations were accepted; others were rejected. The process of revision frequently allowed us to move from a more literal rendering to a more idiomatic rendering of that meaning. Constraints, such as space and time, may limit the ability to revise, but the revision process is often just as important as the creation of the initial translation. In all cases we worked toward the translator\u2019s ultimate goal: clear understanding of the source text combined with effective writing in the target language. Making good choices is essential in order to achieve that goal.<\/span><\/div>\n
            <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Jim Davis is Professor and Director of the Technical Japanese Program in the Dept. of Engineering Professional Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTwo Roads Diverged …\u201d:Making Good Choices in Japanese-into-English Translation(Part 4) This is part four of a paper based on the standing-room-only presentation Jim gave at the 2015 ATA Conference in Miami entitled “Two Roads Diverged …”: Making Good Choices in Japanese-into-English Translation. You can find all blog posts in the Words and \u8a00\u8449 series here. Example 9 This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,29,21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/JLD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}