April 29, 2023
“ When I Was 25” VS “When I Was 25 or 26”
I read a book about English and Japanese. The author cited an interesting story, in which the late Donald Keene who was a prominent Japanese literature scholar was corrected when he wrote, “25歳のとき”, “When I was 25”. A Japanese person changed it to “２５、６歳のとき”, “When I was 25 or 26”. The author said that Japanese people like to be ambiguous.
英悟と日本に関する本を読んだ。そのなかで、著者が面白い話を引用していた。著名な日本文学者である、故ドナルド・キーン氏が、「２５歳のとき」と書いたとき、日本人がそれを「２５，６歳のとき」に直したというのだ。著者は、日本人はあいまいなのが好きだと言っていた。
I’m sure it is wrong to make “25” to “25 or 26”, because the meaning is apparently different, but it is also understandable why the person changed. “When I was 25 or 26” may sound more natural than “when I was 25” in a sense even though it is incorrect. There must be many other similar examples like this in Japanese. I really hope that this won’t bring about problems among countries.
「2５歳」を「 ２５、６歳」に変えるのは、意味が違うのだから間違っている。しかし、なぜそうしたのかもわかる。「２５、６歳のとき」のほうが「２５歳のとき」より何だか知らないけど、自然な感じがするのだ。ほかにもこれと似たようなことが、日本語には多いのではないかと思う。
Anyway, I wonder who on earth corrected that Keene’s writing.
それにしても、いったい誰があのキーンさんの書いたものを訂正したのだろう。
“ When I Was 25” VS “When I Was 25 or 26”
I read a book about English and Japanese.
The author cited an interesting story, in which the late Donald Keene, who was a prominent Japanese literature scholar, was corrected when he wrote, “25歳のとき”, “When I was 25”.
Additional information is often stated in a clause separated by commas.
A Japanese person changed it to “２５、６歳のとき”, “When I was 25 or 26”.
The author said that Japanese people like to be ambiguous.
I’m sure it is wrong to make “25” to “25 or 26”, because the meaning is apparently different, but it is also understandable why the person changed it.
The object of the verb "change" needs to be stated, even if it's just a pronoun like "it" instead of a concrete noun like "the age."
“When I was 25 or 26” may sound more natural than “when I was 25” in a sense even though it is incorrect.
There must be many other similar examples like this in Japanese.
I really hope that this won’t bring about problems among countries.
Anyway, I wonder who on earth corrected that Keene’s writing.
"that Keene" is not natural in English in comparison to "あのキーンさん" in Japanese.
April 29, 2023
Thank you for your helpful corrections and detailed explanations.
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“ When I Was 25” VS “When I Was 25 or 26” 「２５歳のとき」と「２５，のとき |
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I read a book about English and Japanese. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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The author cited an interesting story, in which the late Donald Keene who was a prominent Japanese literature scholar was corrected when he wrote, “25歳のとき”, “When I was 25”. The author cited an interesting story, in which the late Donald Keene, who was a prominent Japanese literature scholar, was corrected when he wrote, “25歳のとき”, “When I was 25”. Additional information is often stated in a clause separated by commas. |
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A Japanese person changed it to “２５、６歳のとき”, “When I was 25 or 26”. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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The author said that Japanese people like to be ambiguous. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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英悟と日本に関する本を読んだ。そのなかで、著者が面白い話を引用していた。著名な日本文学者である、故ドナルド・キーン氏が、「２５歳のとき」と書いたとき、日本人がそれを「２５，６歳のとき」に直したというのだ。 |
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著者は、日本人はあいまいなのが好きだと言っていた。 |
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I’m sure it is wrong to make “25” to “25 or 26”, because the meaning is apparently different, but it is also understandable why the person changed. I’m sure it is wrong to make “25” to “25 or 26”, because the meaning is apparently different, but it is also understandable why the person changed it. The object of the verb "change" needs to be stated, even if it's just a pronoun like "it" instead of a concrete noun like "the age." |
|
“When I was 25 or 26” may sound more natural than “when I was 25” in a sense even though it is incorrect. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
There must be many other similar examples like this in Japanese. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I really hope that this won’t bring about problems among countries. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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「2５歳」を「 ２５、６歳」に変えるのは、意味が違うのだから間違っている。しかし、なぜそうしたのかもわかる。「２５、６歳のとき」のほうが「２５歳のとき」より何だか知らないけど、自然な感じがするのだ。ほかにもこれと似たようなことが、日本語には多いのではないかと思う。 |
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Anyway, I wonder who on earth corrected that Keene’s writing. Anyway, I wonder who on earth corrected "that Keene" is not natural in English in comparison to "あのキーンさん" in Japanese. |
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それにしても、いったい誰があのキーンさんの書いたものを訂正したのだろう。 |
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“ When I Was 25” VS “When I Was 25 or 26” This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
英悟と日本に関する本を読んだ。そのなかで、著者が面白い話を引用していた。著名な日本文学者である、故ドナルド・キーン氏が、「２５歳のとき」と書いたとき、日本人がそれを「２５，６歳のとき」に直したというのだ。著者は、日本人はあいまいなのが好きだと言っていた。 |
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