Mental health
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Posted on imgur:
Considering all the consternation over the meaning of "like a bitch" lately, I can understand why this poor soul's attention would be drawn to #41. To tell the truth, though, I wouldn't know how to respond to any of these "questions".
[h.t. Tim Leonard]
Jim Breen said,
October 14, 2016 @ 8:29 pm
Can anyone find the original Japanese questionnaire? I'd love to know what was the source of "reluctant;ly standing belly to casual word" too.
JS said,
October 14, 2016 @ 9:18 pm
"Standing belly" must be 腹を立てる? Um, "You easily get upset over casual remarks? Or sth…
Mara K said,
October 14, 2016 @ 9:30 pm
Why is "forty" written out, when all the other numbers are numerals?
David Morris said,
October 14, 2016 @ 11:12 pm
"Which may result in unexpected chaos" covers just about everything!
phspaelti said,
October 14, 2016 @ 11:38 pm
> Why is "forty" written out?
Presumably this was run through some "grammar" checker that suggests that numbers that can be written as simple words be written out at the beginning of a sentence.
phspaelti said,
October 14, 2016 @ 11:46 pm
"Say bitches" might be intended for "to bitch about (something)", i.e., excessive complaining. Obviously in this context the translation would be overly casual, but this strikes me as a plausible error if the translator has had some exposure to spoken English.
Jim Breen said,
October 15, 2016 @ 4:21 am
@JS. 腹を立てるって. Well done. I never thought of linking that idiomatic expression to "standing belly".
There are masses of XXを立てる expressions that would lead to hilarious literal translations.
Jerry Friedman said,
October 15, 2016 @ 9:08 am
phspaelti:"Say bitches" might be intended for "to bitch about (something)", i.e., excessive complaining.
My first thought was that the original meant something like "Sometimes you want to call people bitches," but I think you're probably right.
Mark Meckes said,
October 16, 2016 @ 9:10 pm
Would anyone care to explain JS's suggestion and Jim Breen's follow-up comment for the benefit of those of us who don't read Japanese?
Jim Breen said,
October 17, 2016 @ 6:06 am
@Mark – I'll try.
腹を立てる means "to take offence; to get angry; to lose one's temper". The structure is 腹 (hara – noun), を (wo – object marker), 立てる (tateru – verb).
– 腹 (hara) has stomach/abdomen/belly as its core meaning (it's the hara of harakiri), but it's a very polysemous word and the full meaning set is something like: "(1) (n) abdomen; belly; stomach; (2) womb; (3) one's mind; one's real intentions; one's true motive; (4) courage; nerve; willpower; (5) generosity; magnanimity; (6) feelings; emotions; (7) wide middle part; bulging part; (8) inside; interior; inner part; (9) (physics) anti-node; (10) counter for hard roe; (11) counter for containers with bulging middles (pots, vases, etc.)".
– 立てる is equally polysemous, with a full set of meanings like: "(1) to stand up; to put up; to set up; to erect; to raise; (2) to thrust into; to bury into; to dig into; (3) to make (a noise); to start (a rumour); to raise (a cloud of dust, etc.); to cause; (4) to make; to establish; to set up; to develop; to formulate; (5) to put up (a political candidate); to make (one's leader); (6) to treat with respect; to give (someone) their due; to make (someone) look good; to avoid embarrassing (someone); (7) to sharpen; to make clear; (8) to shut; to close; (9) to make tea (matcha); to perform the tea ceremony; (10) to divide by; (11) (suf) to do … vigorously".
As you can see, the the original automatic translation went for the first senses of each term, but the actual meaning is rather more complex than that.
There are many expressions using 立てる , for example 顔を立てる. 顔 (kao) means "face" but it also means "look", "expression", "honour", "influence", etc. The expression actually means to save somebody's honour.
Antariksh Bothale said,
October 17, 2016 @ 4:48 pm
@ Jim Breen
I am guessing 顔を立てる (kao wo tateru) would have a direct English analog in 'saving face'. The Japanese one is probably closer to 'upholding face', but the symbolism would be fairly transparent to someone familiar with the English idiom.
Jim Breen said,
October 17, 2016 @ 9:46 pm
@Antariksh Bothale. Re: "the symbolism would be fairly transparent to someone familiar with the English idiom."
Probably, but the point I was trying to make was that if someone opened a dictionary and used the first sense of 立てる they may well get something as silly as "standing belly".
Mark Meckes said,
October 18, 2016 @ 1:42 pm
@Jim Breen: Thanks!