Encounter of Hindu Ganesh & Buddhism Mask in Japan ガネーシャと酔胡従の出会い

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Who do you think it would be, Ganesh in the first photo plus the head in the second picture? That's my husband! His belly looks like six month pregnant. And he always makes a face like the mask when trying to be funny.

Seated Ganesh ガネーシャ座像

Japanese Phrases You Should Remember 記憶にございません。

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

As a professional translator, I keep it in mind to understand what a speaker/writer really means before translating because literal translation doesn't necessarily convey their real intent. I wrote about this in the post, "Simultaneous Interpreting, Skiing and Yakuza," using an example of "killing by praising," a technique once used by yakuza against a politician.

Jinglish: Japanese Women "Mounting" マウンティングする大和撫子達

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Have you ever heard of the Japanese term "マウンティング (mounting)"? Male monkeys are known to "mount" each other to assert their authority over the other male monkeys, but Japanese women also do the "mounting" in a more subtle and elegant way.

Chinese Sculpture - Agate Pomegranate 瑪瑙石榴

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It seems so fresh and so real, doesn't it? I've eaten pomegranates only a few times and don't remember how they tasted like, but when I set my eyes on this red stone craft, I wanted to take a bite of it!

Pomegranate made of agate and ruby

Cambodian Statue With Thumb Up イエーイ！な仏像

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"I have a lot of money. Money follows me like chicks do! I'm cool and have everything! YAY!!," said this 10cm tall statue.... Or was it my hallucination...?

Standing Uma

Japanese Saying: Iron Fist In Velvet Globe or Velvet Fist in Iron Globe? 外柔内剛？内柔外剛？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"An iron fist in a velvet glove." A CEO often told me before important meetings. He was from Europe. I remember this because it well described himself. He appeared gentle, but was sometimes very ruthless.

Japan has a similar (not the same) saying "外柔内剛," meaning "soft on the outside, but hard on the inside." My father always wanted to have "an iron fist in a velvet globe," but couldn't. He was hard on the outside, but soft on the inside.

Chinese Antiques Give Us Power 中国美術にパワーもらいました！

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I was so exhausted mentally that I needed something to recharge me so went to the Toyo Kan (Asian Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum and found this! 

What's this?

Japanese Saying: "My Butt is Ticklish!" 今日の英単語: Utility Player

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Am I a utility player? My mentor, who is American, said I am. I didn't know what it meant so googled it, finding that "a utility player is one who can play several positions competently." Can I? As a modest Japanese person, no.... My butt got ticklish... Of course, it wasn't ticklish literally, but figuratively it was. His praise made me feel at unease...

"(Someone's) butt is ticklish (shiri ga kosobayui [尻がこそばゆい])" means that "(they) feel at unease because they feel overpraised." This is how a Japanese mindset usually works as they don't want to stick out by being praised. "Harmony" is still one of the values that drive their behaviors. But as an individual working closely with English native speakers, I should be able to confidently say, "Yes, I'm a utility player. I can do anything!," shouldn't I?

The thing is that Japan has no such concept. Japanese see someone who can play several positions competently as a "nandemo ya," i.e., someone who can play several positions competently, but not completely..." From the Japanese perspective, I'm not a translator, interpreter, English teacher or anything. Does this sound like the well-known half empty or half full glass saying, doesn't it?

Either way, I've "decided" to go for a utility player when being with English speakers. I like this new definition of me. Of course, with Japanese people, I need to wear a cat (another Japanese saying), i.e., modestly acting a competent, but incomplete player.

What I like most about being a utility player is that it stretches myself beyond my limits, i.e., not only translating or interpreting, but also helping and even leading others through checking their writings, teaching English, coordinating Japanese and non-Japanese speakers. It's fun to feel I can change not only myself but also others!

先日、米国人の同僚と話していたら「You are a utility player.」と言われました。意味が分からないのでググってみたら「何でもできる人」とありました。「尻がこそばゆく」なりました。米国人らしい発想ですね。コップの水が半分「しか」ないのか、半分「も」入ってるのか、という話に似ています。

日本だと、全部中途半端な「何でも屋」とみられます｡｡。でもいいんです、「utility player」で行こうと決めました♪ 最近、翻訳、通訳、英文ライティング・チェック、日本人と外国人の仲介、英語の先生等と「何でも」やってます。楽しいです！ 成長してる気が（？）します。

It's Ring Finger's Fault 薬指が悪いんです｡｡｡

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Anyone must've made at least one (or more than hundreds!) spelling errors in life. I'm not an exception. I misspelled "mouth" as "month" in the post about netsuke sculpture and was unaware of it until it was pointed out by a kind reader. I always perform a spell check before publishing posts or submitting documents to clients at work, but as writing "month" instead of "mouth" isn't a misspelling, but the misuse of words, it went through a spell check without being detected....

One day about ten years ago, I was translating several provisions of Japanese tax law about donations. Japan, as other countries, exempts certain donations to non-profit organizations serving the public interest from tax. Since the translated document was for a big client, meaning it was urgent, as soon as finishing translation, I emailed the document to a British proofreader and went to the ladies' room.

Coming back, I saw him smirking, pointing to the screen of his computer to indicate a misspelling of "public" as "pubic."(OMG!) Since then, my right ring finger has always twitched when I intend to type "public."...

先日、根付について書いたところ、読者の方からスペルミスをご指摘いただきました。（「mouth」が「month」になっておりました。ご指摘、ありがとうございました！）。ブログでも仕事でも、スペルチェックはいつもかけているのですが、こういうのはすり抜けてしまいます。そこで似た事例をもう一つ。

以前、日本の公益法人の寄附金税制について訳していた時のことです。日本に限らず、公益法人は寄附金について税制優遇を受けられる場合があります。急ぎの仕事だったのでガーっと訳し、ネイティブチェッカーにチェックをお願いし、トイレに行って戻ってきたら、そのチェッカー氏、ニヤニヤと画面を指差しているではありませんか。見ると何と「public interest（公益）」が「pubic interest (言えません｡｡｡)」に（恥）｡｡｡

以来、「public」と書くときは薬指がピクピクするようになりました。

Beef Jerky at Midnight 真夜中のビーフジャーキー

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

 

On a weekday afternoon, I was in the office, talking with a colleague of mine. He loves steak, in particular, grilled beef steak.

As always, he was passionately telling me about his favorite steak restaurants. It was nearly 1 p.m. I had many things to do in the afternoon, but he kept talking. I glanced at my phone pretending to check the time and, when looking up, found surprisingly a slice of raw beef on his right palm. He said with a broad grin, "This is the best beef I've ever had. You should try this!!"

The meat just appeared literally out of nowhere. Where was he holding it? Then, he disappeared. After that, I only recall him coming back shortly, holding something in his right hand, and saying with a grin again, "Eat this."

It was grilled medium-rare, which made me wonder again how he could cook it in such a short time and where?? But I wasn't given time to think because he told me again to eat it. He was persistent. I couldn't say anything, just grabbing and put it into my mouth.

What am I chewing? It's like tasteless beef jerky! I felt his eagerness to hear something good about "what he was calling the best steak," but couldn't speak because no matter how many times I chewed it, it didn't get soft. I couldn't swallow it. It was still in my mouth with no taste... I had to keep chewing it over and over again........ until I woke up, realizing that I'd been dreaming and chewing my silicone mouth guard for anti teeth grinding.....

ある日の午後、ステーキ好きな同僚のK氏が職場で肉を差し出してきました。そして「絶対に食べるべきだ」と言って聞かない｡｡。断ることもできず一切れ口にしたまではいいのですが噛めない！ というか、ビーフジャーキーを固くしたみたいで噛み切れない、飲み込めない、しかも味がない｡｡。仕方なくずっとくちゃくちゃしながら「これ何？ ステーキじゃないじゃん、味のないジャーキーじゃん！！」と叫んたところで目が覚めました。歯ぎしり用のマウスピースを噛んでいました。ウソのような本当の話です。

Japanese Saying: "Wear a Cat" in Aye-Aye and British Guy Examples 「猫を被る」アイアイ

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Aye-aye "wearing a cat"

Today, I would like to explain the meaning of "猫を被る ("neko wo kaburu") using examples of an aye-aye and a British guy. For those who've never heard of this Japanese saying, it means literally "wear a cat," but figuratively "feign innocence."

So first, look at the above picture showing a typical aye-aye in Japan. According to Wikipedia, the aye-aye is "a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger ....... and considered evil." But here in Japan, aye-ayes are known as cute animals because of a cheerful song for kids composed by someone who'd never seen aye-ayes. (How could this happen?) The lyrics says, "Aye-aye♪ aye-aye♪ They are monkeys♪ Aye-aye, aye-aye♪　They are monkeys in a southern island　Aye-aye♪ aye-aye♪ They are monkeys with long tails♪"

Then, take a look at the picture below of an aye-aye after "taking off the cat."

Aye-aye not "wearing a cat"

Aye-ayes eat fruits, but they also eat insects using their long middle fingers. Their munching insects with eyes glaring in the dark is so gross and horrifying!! Of course this is a real aye-aye...

Here is another sad example... A former friend of mine was so quiet and gentle. He is British, teaching English and translating for a big Japanese firm for over ten years. But one day I saw him shouting, "I hate Japanese! They don't learn!!!" Sometime later, he was found to have cheated on his wife and divorced. He must have been sick of "wearing a cat" at home and work for such a long time.....

以前から不思議でしょうがないのがアイアイの歌。アイアイを見たことがない人が作ったらしいのですが、そんなことってあるのでしょうか｡｡。怖い、気持ち悪い｡｡。それであの歌｡｡。

「猫を被る」は、猫は「うわべは優しいけど本当は獰猛」だかららしいのですが、アイアイの方がよっぽど猫を被っている（ご本人にそのつもりはないでしょうが）と思います。口で虫を引きちぎっている映像を見て以来、アイアイ♪を歌う気にはどうしてもなれません｡｡｡

ちなみに昔お友達だった英国人男性。英語の先生と翻訳をしておられ、紳士だとばかり思っていたのですが、ある日「日本人なんてでえ嫌いだ。学習しねえ！」と叫んでおられました。その後浮気が発覚し、離婚されました。家と職場の両方で「猫を被る」のに疲れてしまったんでしょうね｡｡。