Trial (line 1-4)

[richvh]

Txkun wrote:
I would like to know that's exact meaning of 向かって走っていた. I thnk I did understand the meaning but I don't get exactly what grammar is going on.

"was facing [north] and running" Space ALC translates similar phrases as "running toward" or "running to".

Also I think 行きたくなった is short for 行きたくなかった but I'm not sure.

No, it's the past of 行きたくなる, not 行きたくない.

[ss]

Zengargoyle san & Justin san, thank you very much for your suggestions.
Yeess !! Exactly what we are thinking : key points →

* maybe next time around we can keep a more ordered appearance to the thread ;

* ..... I think it would really help out to keep things from getting too long and confusing, and at the same time, do a nice job of well...keeping things hidden.

[coco]

Separating some topics from translation might be easily comprehensible, so I created a new threadto discuss how to use this trial effectively.

みなさまのご協力、お骨折りに感謝いたします。:)

[Harisenbon]

I just want to make a note that 走る, in this case is not running in the literal sense, but rather driving in a car. You can't really go running on the highway in Japan without being flattened by a semi.

[richvh]

Harisenbon wrote:
I just want to make a note that 走る, in this case is not running in the literal sense, but rather driving in a car. You can't really go running on the highway in Japan without being flattened by a semi.

Yes, that's why I used "heading" in my non-literal translation. "Traveling" would also work.

[natemb]

I think richvh's literal translation is very good for understanding all the grammar, and there are already several in natural English, but I'll add my version below:

Driving north on the highway, I stopped off at a service area because I had to go to the bathroom.

Edit: Minor note: Many people have translated サービスエリア as "rest area". Just wanted to note that at least where I'm from in the northeastern US, we have both rest areas and service areas off our highways. Rest areas usually have a toilet and a few vending machines, while service areas generally have a gas station, a few fast food restaurants, and a convenience store. The "service area's" I've been to in Japan so far are more like what I think of as a service area than a rest area, with a gas station, places to eat, and of course places to buy おみやげ.

[richvh]

It looks like Coco-san is suggesting a time limit of 1 day for group B, so I'm passing this sentence on to group A for any final comments.

I don't see a lot of disagreement on the translation so far. Whether the サービスエリア is equivalent to a toll-road service area (with gas pumps, a food court and gift shops in addition to the rest rooms) or a simple freeway rest stop (with only vending machines to complement the rest rooms) is, I think, irrelevant unless the protagonist is going to do something in addition to relieving himself during his stop.

[AJBryant]

Whether the サービスエリア is equivalent to a toll-road service area (with gas pumps, a food court and gift shops in addition to the rest rooms) or a simple freeway rest stop (with only vending machines to complement the rest rooms) is, I think, irrelevant unless the protagonist is going to do something in addition to relieving himself during his stop.

Actually, no. It is not irrelevant at all. That is the sort of cultural information that makes a translation ACCURATE and PRECISE. It was a brilliant piece of observation on Natemb's partand an excellent point.


Tony

[zengargoyle]

cool, i sorta pictured more of a service-station type area than just the rest-area blandness. can somebody give me a clear picture of 高速道路? is it like a US Interstate (limited on/off ramps, high speed, no pedestrian/bicycles/etc)?

[AJBryant]

Zengargoyle: in general, bingo.

As a former resident of Tokyo, I tend to think of them as always elevated highways (which they tend to be in the City) but it's safe to think of them as the equivalent to State and Federal highways and the Interstate.

Here's kind of my standard mental image:

But this counts:


Oh, and here's a funky サービスエリア on a 高速道路.



Tony

Tony

[coco]

Shibakoen wrote:
I'm usually on EST, but for the next week I'll be on Tokyo time!!!! (Thus I probably won't post much this week, no classes so no library visits needed). Anyway, I'll try to contribute when B needs to contribute.
Posted on 09-03-2006 17:40

余裕があればAグループの方は
・「トイレ」と同じものを指す他の言葉を複数挙げ、その使い分けは何によるものか、(どのような人がどの言葉を選ぶと考えられるか)考えてみましょう。
・「走る」を含む諺を出して説明してみましょう。
・「高速道路〜」の一文を常体阜ｻに変えてください。そして常体と敬体の違いについて説明してください。

[Justin]

Sorry for being a little slow to get back with everyone, been away from home for a few days here (using my cell phone and laptop now to access the site right now), and I hadn't noticed it was already our turn here.

Like richvh had said there, it really seems like most everyone has a good general understanding of what's going on here with this sentence, it's really just a matter of making a better more natural sounding English version, which I feel group B has done a fine job with.

For my own personal translation, I would probably go with something like this...

While heading north on the highway, I stopped at a service area as I needed to use the bathroom.

coco wrote:
余裕があればAグループの方は
・「トイレ」と同じものを指す他の言葉を複数挙げ、その使い分けは何によるものか、(どのような人がどの言葉を選ぶと考えられるか)考えてみましょう。
・「走る」を含む諺を出して説明してみましょう。
・「高速道路〜」の一文を常体阜ｻに変えてください。そして常体と敬体の違いについて説明してください。

了解しました、cocoさん。明日までに出来ると思います。　;)

[Tessen]

私の不在すいません。
私のインタネット利用はお母さんに限られてなりました。それのに、私は参加をしたいと思っているが、返事投稿は確かにできません。私の迫ﾍはB段ぐらいでしょう？　
次の文書に始まる。

ココさんへ
すごい考案だ;)　とっても便利になると思うね。　

[Harisenbon]

Ok. I think that everyone has a good grasp of the sentence in question. A couple of points that coco asked to be pointed out. I think most of them are あたりまえ, but I'll point them out anyways.

向かって走る This is two phrases made up of "to face" and "to run" (or in this case to drive.
Because in English, we don't use multiple verbs in rapid succession like in Japanese, "heading" is I think the best translation as it gives both a direction and a sense of movement, without having to spell out that the subject is driving (although that would be assumed as they are on the highway).

Next, the word 高速道路
There are a number of translations for this like
freeway, highway, interstate, speedway, and expressway.
I think that highway is the most universally understood, as freeway indicates that there are no tolls (Japanese highways are not free), and interstate suggests that you are traveling between states (no states in Japan, only prefectures).

Lastly トイレ. Depending on what country you're from, you're going to call it something diffierent. Loo, toilet, bathroom, restroom, lavatory,john, etc. However, I think that in this case toilet (or restroom) is the best translation, as it is devoid of colloquialism (john, loo) and does not have the connotation of a connecting bath (bathroom). Lavatory sounds too formal, and "I have to go to the lavatory" just doesn't strike me as natural.

Any other comments?
If not, お疲れ様でした。次の文にも頑張りましょう！
Good work, and let's do our best on the next sentence!

[cybermat]

I am not sure if I can participate, but consider me a class C student. I could get the meaning of the sentence. However, I am not sure about the grammatical structure specifically with the なったので part. Is なった = なる (past tense)=became? の makes the action a noun? で = from? Literally does the second part translate to this:

"From becoming want to go to the toilet, I stopped at the service area."

If someone can point me out the grammatical structure that the sentence uses, so I can look it up on my grammar book, that would be appreciated.

Thanks