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Old 02-06-2006, 05:13 AM   #9
Josh Reyer
 
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Location: Aichi-ken, Nagoya-shi
Join Date: Nov 2005
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Re: 日本語で合気道を語りましょう…

Quote:
Koren Ko Jen Foo wrote:
今年もよろしくお願いします!
Let us have a pleasant year ahead too!
Actually, this is a set phrase used during the New Year. As I mentioned above よろしくお願いします is really tough to translate, but one common way 今年もよろしくお願いします is translated is "Please give me your consideration this year, too."

The whole sequence, seen on 年賀状, Japanese New Years cards, goes as follows:

新年明けましておめでとうございます。
Happy New Year! (Literally, Congratulations on the opening of the New Year!)

去年はお世話になりました。
Thank you for last year! (Literally, I was obligated to you for last year.)

今年もよろしくお願いします。
Please give me your consideration this year, too.

In Japan, when you see a friend or acquaintance for the first time in January, you should say, 明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。

Quote:
決まり言葉だけど、知らなくてはいけないフレーズですね。
Although I am fluent with daily/common speech, there are still phrases I don't know.
"It's a set phrase, but one you should know."

Quote:
** いけない=Phrase Connector
A. Oh my god!
B.Hopeless/Useless
C. Has problem/feel bad
D. Use with[ 。。。ては~], Refuse/Don't Want
E. Use with[。。。と~から], Be Prepared/So that
F. I don't drink (Sake)!!!
Which one is your definition?
First, let's look at 知る. If you connect いけない to the て form, you get 知ってはいけない, which means "bad/wrong to know", or more colloquially, "must not know". If you turn 知って into its negative 知らなくて, you get "bad/wrong to not know", or colloquially "must know". This is how you get the "must" construction.

Examples:
行かなくてはいけない - I have to go.
しなくてはいけない - I have to do.

In English, we modify nouns with clauses after the noun, with an optional "that".

a phrase
a phrase (that) you have to know

In Japanese, the modifying clause comes before the noun.

フレーズ
知らなくてはいけないフレーズ

Quote:
**決まり言葉, is it you are saying "the daily/common phrases/speech"???
"set phrase", like greetings and phrases like "Thanks for coming," or "Make yourself at home."

Quote:
ちゃんと覚えて、毎年の今頃に使いましょう!
Just reliasized that, I use them every year this time!
(Err...Did not comprehend fully...)

**ちゃんと覚えて=Just reliasized?
ちゃんと - properly, correctly

使いましょう is not "I use" but "let's use". So the full sentence is, "Let's properly remember (learn) it, and use it every year!"

Quote:
It seems when 謙譲語 pop-up, it will become somehow awkward to translate the whole phrase. Do we go using plain English, or puff it with elegant, bombastic word just to show how respectful it is???
I'm a believer in translating into a natural idiom. So if the sense of the Japanese is stiff and formal, then it should be translated into stiff and formal English. If the Japanese is polite but relaxed, so should be the English. Unfortunately, you have to accept a certain loss of nuance.

Quote:
see I can`t even get that right. これわなんですか?I have so much to learn, but I am really enjoying the path, tell me something will it get easier? Sorry about the english.
わたしの名前輪 まとです Australia 殻来ました 2005ねん 3がつ 18にち Australia かららいにち
いま ちばとぎんざで えいごをおしえています とてもたのしです いじょうです どぞゆろしくおにがいします
Tats as good as it gets.
Mat, actually what you want is " これはなんですか?" When "wa" is used as a particle, it's written with the kana for "ha". So, "Konnichi wa" is こんにちは.

Your sentence written in kana would look like this:

わたしの なまえは マトです。オーストラリアから きました。 2005ねん 3がつ 18にちに オーストラリアから らいにち(しました)。
いま ちばと ぎんざで えいごを おしえています。 とても たのしいです。  いじょうです。 どうぞ よろしく おねがいします。

In natural Japanese it would look like this:

私の名前はマトです。オーストラリアから来ました。2005年3月18日にオーストラリアから来日しました。
今、千葉と銀座で英語を教えています。とても楽しいです。以上です。どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Incidently, in a recent post you made some comments about "san", which, I'm fear, are a bit incorrect (although I see where you're coming from). PM or email me if you'd like to talk about it!

Josh Reyer

The lyf so short, the crafte so longe to lerne,
Th'assay so harde, so sharpe the conquerynge...
- Chaucer
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