Translation Needed

[jsherwood]

Sorry I've been away, Been very sick the last couple of weeks.
Coco, forgive my lack of knowledge - I put the sentence 器用な日本兵は、パラシュートに富士山の絵を描いて、アメリカ兵の煙草と交換した。 in the wwwjdic translator. Not sure what I am suppose to see.

Joe

[AJBryant]

"Skillful Japanese soldiers would paint/draw Mt. Fuji on parachutes and trade them to American soldiers for cigarettes."

Tony

[coco]

Dear Administrators
Does Sherwood-san need to change subject title to move to History category? Or any reason? If so, please let us know. Thanks in advance.

clay wrote:
I wonder if we should create a history category and move this there for posterity?

coco wrote:
Shewood-san. Would you mind telling whether to oppose moving this thread to History /Literature category? I think this thread should be in the History/Literature, if you don't mind category hopping.

addition
To moderator.
No opposit to move to History/Literature category.

jsherwood wrote:

Whatever you think is best coco. As long as I can find it .

[coco]

Sherwood-san. I tried to translate. I know my English makes you confuse, so please let us know (with simple English for me ) which parts make no sence so that we can ask　for someone's help.

以下の英文で全然通じない所があれば、どなたかご指摘くだると非常に助かります。
(全文意味不明であれば、日本語を書きますのでどなたか翻訳してくださると尚ありがたい)
-----(読谷村史より Form "The History of Yomitan village" )-----------
Living in Sobe POW camp
(a round-table talk)
They are talking about the lives in Sobe Camp.

Udagawa : Since I had knowledge about instruments technique, I was placed in weapons/arms barrack(A place where they manage arms, weapons ). There was a man called Edward who was a engineer. I remember I engraved a word "OKINAWA" with Japanese letters on a license plate of his(their(?)) car. You know, Japanese are skillful with our fingers, when we got one file ( fife → http://www.msd.k12.mo.us/vocational/woo ... 20file.jpg ), we could make anything with it. I made bracelets from stainless steel tableware of US soldiers' which I had cut off with gravers ( graver → http://times.ansl.ntt.co.jp/gijyutu/200 ... pho_20.gif), then I carved such as Mt.Fuji , Sakura, etc. in reliefs.
Other times, I made picture frames from two glass plates which can hold a picture. I was used to selling those stuff to US soldiers. I mean, "sell" is not get money but trade them to US soldiers for cigarettes like the "Lucky Strike".
(snip)
Udagawa ： I went to their weapons/arms barrack(s) everyday, I could take ( make off with (?)) many stuff from there. The rings made from them especially became quite nice deal.
Sato(u) ： Did they bring them back to US as gifts for their girlfriends, didn't they ? Thus, right before they were heading back to America it is when those craftworks sold very well.
Uehara ： After they had returned to America, they gilded ( plated with gold(?)) on it.
Udagawa ： Remember? They asked me to steal parachutes ( to swipe parachutes ? )( in this Japanese context, I can not figure out if "They" mean prisoners or Americans, also "whose" parachutes, either), since parachutes are not small stuff, it was not so easy to swipe it. I had cut parachutes and kept it then we (I ) painted such as Mt. Fuji or Geisha on it. Those were made from silk, so nice to paint. And those pictures sold very much too.
Tanigaki : When I was placed in Sobe camp, I was used to painting Mt.Fuji that was why I was called " Fujiyama" instead of "Tanigaki".
(snip)
Tanigaki ：I never forget a US soldier who showed me his wife's picture and asked me to draw/paint her. I borrowed colored pencils ( in this Japanese text, I can not find that borrowed colored pencils from "who "), and drew her. Although it was not alike as (with?) his wife even for my eyes, he was very pleased with my drawing. He gave me appreciative words. Even after he went back to US, he kindly sent me pairs of shoes, clothes, etc. Unfortunately all gifts from him was taken away ( by American soldier) because of that incident....　 　
　
------------
トニーさん。
訳してくださってありがとう。 阜ｻを拝借させていただいております。
「借りてこれかよ」と思わないよーに＾＾;

ところでトニーさんの訳文って過去形なのですか？

[Daisuke]

coco wrote:
Dear Administrators
Does Sherwood-san need to change subject title to move to History category? Or any reason? If so, please let us know. Thanks in advance.

No of course not. Sorry for being late, I moved it now.

[ss]

Just managed to do a rough translation for only a superficial understanding.

一言を wanted to confess a word
打明多さの一言を but couldnt do it again today
打明かねて今日も又 thinking back and forth
行つ戻りつ思案橋 and crying while at some bridge
濡れて泣いてた都鳥 everytime i see

逢度に
人の花じゃと思へども whenever i see other's flower, would be thinking
諦られぬが　恋の情 cannot forget because its love
隅じやよそうと in a corner of my heart, i think i shouldn't
思へども
○うて見いと
神當 pray to God to be together
乃み
○＝さんずい＋泰

[coco]

Thank you for your translation, Shirley-san.

逢うたびに〜〜
In this　part I hesitated to challenge translating because of 神頼み.
The idea of 神 is very difficult to explain, at least for me ( cause of my engRish). Japan is a country of polytheism, and I'm not sure how monotheism country people take " pray to god".

It is considered 神頼み is not so serious in this context.
Seems like
-------- From ALC----------
苦しいときの神頼み ；《諺》
Man turns to God only in trouble. / Men turn to God only when they are in trouble.
-------------------

Next. :p

Let me try to explain about 思案橋.　思案橋 was a real bridge over the すみだ川.If you had passed over the 思案橋, you were able to go to 遊廓 that place called 吉原 ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiwara
思案 【しあん】 (n,vs) thought; consideration; meditation; ponder; (P ); EP 　from　WWWDJIC

Then, 思案橋 became having widly meaning as
・ to hesitate
・ also used original (?) meaning ( hesitate to go to 吉原 or just go to 吉原 )
・ waver between "go or return" (making big decision)
All of those were slangs. Now (modern time) those are not common idea, I mean 思案橋 hardly used as those meaning anymore.

Ummm it seems I failed to explain 思案橋.
Our language were re-formed after WW?． I will try to write the other time.
Sheirley-san, I'm sorry for late response.

[ss]

Ummm it seems I failed to explain 思案橋.
Our language were re-formed after WW?． I will try to write the other time.
Sheirley-san, I'm sorry for late response.

Hey, not at all, we are busy people, I understand . Thanks coco for your reply.

Don’t worry, in this case, I know what you are talking about. I know Kyushu 九州 is approximately 2000km away from Tokyo, but she is one of the tourist attraction. Fukuoka 福岡 is Kyushu's largest and one of Japan's ten most populated city. Second largest city 長崎 Nagasaki has her famous 思案橋.
Polytheism vs monotheism ?? B) I wonder this word 神頼み has some history background since after the era of isolation. In fact, this translation was done with the help of one of my Japanese friends here, as he pointed out, translation of poem to other languages is by no mean an easy job, haha…he had hard time translating that into “understandable” English too. But I appreciated his help. To us, pray to God here, is exactly what you mentioned --- not so serious in this context….. kinda like , each individual has his/her own God in heart, nothing to do with poly & mono …… ah ah, I have hard time expressing myself now…. …

Jsherwood san told us his dad just turned 78 and is not in good health, when he talked about the drawings and his time in Guam he ended up crying. I’m trying to find the link with all the songs or poems quoted from you. Perhaps it helps to give better understanding of his sorrow ?

[coco]

Perhaps it helps to give better understanding of his sorrow ?

How nice person you are!!
At least Sherwood san wants to know what Japanese soldiers drew, I want to be his help as possible as I can. Not only for himeself, but also for me. It is very interesting/ fasinating to know how did soldiers (both US and JP ) spent their hardest time.

I really appreciate your help.

I’m trying to find the link with all the songs or poems quoted from you.

Do you mean all lyrics of 7/7?

Shirley さん。I thank you again. m(_)m

[coco]

Although I'm not sure if Sherwood-san likes to know about 遊廓 or not.
First, 思案橋 on the すみだ川 was built in 1618( between 吉原), then 長崎 people began to called the 川口橋 as 思案橋. Because 川口橋 also connected 丸山(町)(that's was also 遊廓's name in 長崎)

Oldest bridge was wooden, it was burned out by fire, then made by stone in 明治 era.In 大正 era, it re-built with by concrete.
Finally 思案橋 was taken away for construction of expansion work of road in 1956.

Here is the 長崎 思案橋 which is the replica of the 大正 era, was built in 1973, only newel (?) and parapet(?). (欄干と親柱)

Hope you enjoy those photos and my perfect engRish.

add
遊女 in 丸山 is richest (than 吉原-東京/ 島原-京都) so they woar gorgeous kimonos, because there was a 出島(でじま).
長崎は本当に素敵な街ですよ。私のお気に入りの街のひとつです＾＾

[coco]

Okay, these are さくら pics. サンデーsan also loved it I guess.




It is duty of new employee to keep nice place for seeing cherry blossom.
This year(from 21th March til 6th April), 94 people were transferred to hospital by ambulance because of acute alcoholic poisoning.
お酒は二渚ﾎになってから。;)

The reason of why we love 桜　was alread written on the 「古今和歌集」.
「春ごとに 花のさかりは 有りなめど あひみむ事は いのちなりけり」 (詠み人知らず)
We are.......

[kanadajin]

This is a really nice thread. Everyone seems to be very interested in history (I know I am - what little I know).

Yeah, I study japanese and chinese history. I'm really interested in Japanese and chinese history for some reason..

[two_heads_talking]

ymlover wrote:
Here's a sloppy translation of it:

これはお父さんの部屋のクローゼットに見つかった写真です。
お父さんがこの写真を受け取ったのは第２世界大戦でした。
これが６０年ぐらいずっとクローゼットの中にあった。

I'm not sure if it's all correct but, I think I've kept the main parts in it. If you can't read it, tell me and I'll write it in all hiragana!

on thing to keep in mind (yes this is a bit off the path, but when you speak to others about your parents you would use, chichi or haha (father or mother) rather than okaasan or otousan..

[AJBryant]

If not actually say "ofukuro" and "oyaji."


Tony

[two_heads_talking]

AJBryant wrote:
If not actually say "ofukuro" and "oyaji."


Tony

i have to laugh to myself when i hear the term ofukuro.. i just keep seeing this image of a crumpled up brown paper bag.. it just doesn't seem fair.. lol