Comments on: Poetic Japanese Mistranslation

Poetic Japanese Mistranslation

MiguelCardoso — Thu, 06 Feb 2003 22:55:45 -0800

The Powell is sent in order to carry the water: I find Japanese "Engrish" websites unfunny and stupidly patronizing but this blog is potential poetry - Surrealist poetry. Whether it was machine-translated or drafted using Breton's, Ionesco's or Burroughs' techniques, it's splendidly memorable: Rather than "I am sad" we need "mush truth". All it needs is some artful, e.e.cummings-like arranging on the page to be transformed into art. [Via Linkfilter].

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Thu, 06 Feb 2003 23:00:34 -0800

As we all do, He has aged Into A crisis. But what high god Above Makes it So?

By: Dick Paris

Dick Paris — Thu, 06 Feb 2003 23:20:58 -0800

"The blogging is large!"

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Thu, 06 Feb 2003 23:35:09 -0800

Among the links, A-List groupies and snipers might be interested to peruse the fearless exposé of Zeldman's, Kottke's and others' shameless nakedness: NAKED PICTURES OF WEBGODS MAY OR MAY NOT BE VERY HARD TO FIND, BUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THEM THEN YOU WOULD BE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE BY NOT CLICKING THESE LINKS, BECAUSE WE HAVE POLOROIDS OF Jason KOTTKE.com he is tiny and kute AND HAVEN'T YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE HIS ASS?

By: Dick Paris

Dick Paris — Thu, 06 Feb 2003 23:35:34 -0800

The poetic quality reminds me of book on Japanese carpentry I've been reading, translated from Japanese. I love the bit about the large box.

By: Slithy_Tove

Slithy_Tove — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 00:06:46 -0800

I find Japanese "Engrish" websites unfunny and stupidly patronizing but this blog is potential poetry [...] Oh, but that's what people find intriguing in 'Engrish': common words put together in uncommon ways. I really don't think it's "look at the silly foreigners who are murdering the language." A friend who taught English to schoolkids in Japan for a year was always fascinated by the ways the kids put English words together, and was almost reluctant to correct them (although she always did -- they were supposed to learn to speak standard English, after all). She found this, on a T-shirt for sale:

ATTACK POSTURE When it goes, there is no enemy. As for the position that one is unfavorable, you must set attack as a breakthrough plan.

I have no idea what it means, but I love it. 'Engrish' brings up thoughts of what creativity really is, and how much of creativity is simply randomness, throwing stuff at a wall until you have an interesting pattern.

By: dydecker

dydecker — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 00:23:00 -0800

That website is fake Japanese English written by a westerner.

By: H.B. Death

H.B. Death — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 03:28:26 -0800

Agreed. The "Engrish" is too stilted to be real.

By: sgt.serenity

sgt.serenity — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 05:08:50 -0800

the lisbon lion strikes again ! thanks miguel!

By: planetkyoto

planetkyoto — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 05:37:14 -0800

It's real, I can say with 90% confidence. The stiltedness (stiltage, stiltifaction) comes from from trying to translate Japanese into English, rather than thinking in English, which is usually the fault of the Confucian Japanese education system. Those who excel do so despite the system and its lip-service reforms, or because they went to schools with ENGLISH TEACHERS WHO COULD SPEAK ENGLISH, like Catholic or international schools. When I was a teacher, I had some students whose English writing was consistently poetic like this, so I know what you mean, Miguel-san. Japanese lends itself to a bewildering array of mistranslations. (I am not a translator, BTW, not even close.) I checked the first graf and two random grafs on the front page, and she checks out (my comments in parens): My name is the Natsuko Murakami! (Japanese doesn't have a/the equivalents, so mistakes are common). As for me there is from Japan.(As for me is the default, overused translation for watashi wa, and the rest of that sentence is an eye-rolling classic.) I could go on, but I'm tired. Gambatte, Natsuko. Asobisuginaide, ne.

By: thatweirdguy2

thatweirdguy2 — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 06:25:38 -0800

we know what is in zach's mind BUT WHAT'S IN HIS PANTS? hahahahaha

By: adamgreenfield

adamgreenfield — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 07:36:32 -0800

By: adamgreenfield

adamgreenfield — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 07:41:44 -0800

Or bookmark this? Set bullshit detectors to "on."

By: adamgreenfield

adamgreenfield — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 07:45:28 -0800

Sorry: above link very NSFW...

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 08:20:03 -0800

This is not the first time you've got me into trouble, adamgreenfield, you corrupting angel. :)

By: O9scar

O9scar — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 08:25:51 -0800

Wouldn't this be a "brog"? I'm sorry.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 08:40:12 -0800

In A.D. 2101 War was beginning. Captain: What happen ? Mechanic: Somebody set up us the bomb Sadaam: We get signal Sadaam: What ! Sadaam: Main screen turn on Sadaam: It's You !! Powell: How are you gentlemen !! Powell: All your base are belong to us Powell: You are on the way to destruction Captain: What you say !! Sadaam: You have no chance to survive make your time Powell: HA HA HA HA .... Sadaam: Take off every 'zig' Sadaam: You know what you doing Sadaam: Move 'zig' Sadaam: For great justice

By: adamgreenfield

adamgreenfield — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 09:24:43 -0800

It puts the lotion in the basket.

By: SweetJesus

SweetJesus — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 11:13:34 -0800

dydecker's spot on. That is *blatantly and obviously* a fake. Come on, now: would someone that godawful at English have the self-consciousness to title their blog "What a Cute!", or proclaim '"What a Cute!" is attached to just happiness and politics'? Kawaii (the Japanese word for cute) is used differently in Japanese than it is in English. I'm going to agree with Kyoto and say that this is real. It looks a lot like Japanese sentence structure, with english words. Japanese is a lot different than English. I've been studying it for 3 years, and I still have a hard time "thinking" in Japanese. Give this girl a break. Natsuko: Ego no shitsumon ga areba gojiyuu ni douzo.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 11:22:31 -0800

"It is connected to my place now from the great Metafilter where all someone is worst, to think that I do not drive here from Japan! Clean foolishness! So, this way when my document does not reach from Japan? I so do not think! " Well, people, I hope you're all satisified now.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 11:23:14 -0800

I-Radio is often Cute and Happy. Dig the Shibuya sound.

By: ubi

ubi — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 11:37:55 -0800

As for my presumption and to the English which means that she uses the Babel fish in order to translate the English to Japanese from English.

By: tranquileye

tranquileye — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 12:02:44 -0800

Everything which I can say is as follows: What a Cute! is good, being for the sake of being here, you become like me, but, the fact that I am loved must be learned! Hard! Indeed.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 13:03:16 -0800

the great Metafilter where all someone is worst Whether she's for real or not (and I agree with planetkyoto and SweetJesus that it seems authentic), she's certainly created the mother of all MeFi taglines!

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 13:53:59 -0800

Maybe it's not a good idea to learn English from warblogs? [here's the obligatory link to Jimmy James, Macho Business Donkey Wrestler]

By: planetkyoto

planetkyoto — Sat, 08 Feb 2003 05:02:23 -0800

Does Mefite tranquileye have anything more to say here, seeing as his site is linked from hers? Know anything?