Re: Questions about Japanese localization of SharpCapUserManual
Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 5:17 pm
I agree with Watanabe san, the "の" is awkward. There are two cases where "の" should be used: (1) when showing possession, and (2) when showing hierarchy. But in each case, "の" glues together nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases.
In the original document "run recently used sequence" was translated to "最近使用したのシーケンスを実行". The part to the left of "の" is "最近使用した". It means "recently used". And the part to the right is "シーケンスを実行". It means "run sequence". So, a Japanese person comprehends it as either "recently used's run sequence" or "run sequence of recently used". Both parts are noun phrases, so the translator (or translation software) did the proper thing by inserting "の". The problem is there is no action, just two noun phrases joined together.
The problem is the word "run". The Japanese language says that "run" can be a noun or a verb. What we need is a verb like "execute". Similar issues arise with the Japanese word for "study" which can be a noun or verb depending on its use, as in "What is your field of study?" or "Did you study last night?" There are other issues. In English, we say "She is here" but in Japanese we should say "She exists here". If you are in Japan, and you literally say "She is here" then don't be surprised by the reaction.
So the lesson with translation is, if you mean a verb then use a verb, not a word that has a dual meaning. If you mean a noun then choose one that isn't ambiguous.
Brian
EDIT: Another way to clarify the meaning is to add an article, for example "Run a recently used sequence" clearly makes "run" a verb. In all technical endeavors, in English at least, we have a bad habit of dropping articles, however those articles are very helpful to translators.
In the original document "run recently used sequence" was translated to "最近使用したのシーケンスを実行". The part to the left of "の" is "最近使用した". It means "recently used". And the part to the right is "シーケンスを実行". It means "run sequence". So, a Japanese person comprehends it as either "recently used's run sequence" or "run sequence of recently used". Both parts are noun phrases, so the translator (or translation software) did the proper thing by inserting "の". The problem is there is no action, just two noun phrases joined together.
The problem is the word "run". The Japanese language says that "run" can be a noun or a verb. What we need is a verb like "execute". Similar issues arise with the Japanese word for "study" which can be a noun or verb depending on its use, as in "What is your field of study?" or "Did you study last night?" There are other issues. In English, we say "She is here" but in Japanese we should say "She exists here". If you are in Japan, and you literally say "She is here" then don't be surprised by the reaction.
So the lesson with translation is, if you mean a verb then use a verb, not a word that has a dual meaning. If you mean a noun then choose one that isn't ambiguous.
Brian
EDIT: Another way to clarify the meaning is to add an article, for example "Run a recently used sequence" clearly makes "run" a verb. In all technical endeavors, in English at least, we have a bad habit of dropping articles, however those articles are very helpful to translators.