RepublicofTexas comments

Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

I doubt a computer could "understand" the subtleties required in translating a language, but every translator injects some of their own opinions/bias when translating a literary text for example. So with works that don't need to be translated quickly I think they should use multiple people and when a discrepancy arrises they should "discuss" until they reach a consensus. But for quick little things it doesn't really matter.

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Posted in: Obama visits troops, officials in Afghanistan See in context

A little off topics, but I think the most important step to peace would be to help Afghan farmers replace their opium crops with some other profitable crop. That would allow the farmers more prosperity (prosperity brings stability) as well as cutting off the Taliban's main supply of money.

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

Japanese culture itself is vague. It is ingrained into Japanese society that one avoids being blunt. Chinese on the other hand values telling it how it is, they don't mince words. The Japanese value the other extreme, that it is polite to be circumspect. Wetern languages tend to fall somewhere in between, As the saying goes, there are 15 ways to say maybe in Japanese and no ways to say no. That is of course hyperbole, but it explains the Japanese mentality well. Like many other languages, tone and mood is important to convey multiple meanings of the same phrase. Subtleties like that are important in Japanese. Also while some phrases literally translate into things they do not mean, in Japanese that phrase is used to mean a certain thing all the time, so there is no confusion. Like any society there are those socially awkward people who cannot pick up on certain subtleties, but they are in the minority ad exist everywhere. Even normal people miscommunicate on occasion, but that is not a uniquely Japanese phenomena. I do not believe the Japanese language is perfect or even that it is the best language, however the purpose of a language is to fulfill the needs of the culture that speaks it. In that sense Japanese does a pretty good job. Just be/c Japanese doesn't fulfill the needs of a Frenchman or a Spaniard does not mean it's a failure. Different cultures prize different things. Besides English is already the international tongue as a result of the efforts of the British Empire and American industrialists, so Japanese is not necessary for communication between foreign groups.

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Posted in: McCain TV ad accuses Obama of shifting views on Iraq for political gain See in context

And why is your man McCain still preaching that he'll revive Detroit when even Detroit knows full well Detroit can't be revived???

Actually, with the exception of the fuel problem that's affecting most car companies, the Detroit companies are doing okay. They've increased quality and fuel economy, though there is still a lot of room for improvement.

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

Yeah, take a bloke from Hokkaido, make him speak to a bloke from Okinawa. Enjoy the misunderstandings.

Yes and Americans/French/Brits from different regions don't have trouble communicating with each other?

You're confusing differences in regional dialect with the issue at hand. Also the people of Okinawa speak a sub-language of the Japonica family. So wrong again, I would like to know where you get your info.

Also to answer your last two questions, I'm fluent in Japanese as I am half Japanese myself. I doubt your shallow understanding of Japanese is worth anything.

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

*didn't mean...

Sorry, typo :)

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

Azrael,

I agree with what you said. I did mean at all times, sorry to be vague.

Each culture has its own way of communicating and the Japanese language fits the Japanese culture well.

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

Yes, but you do admit that they are able to communicate with each other.

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

Or just admit that the first purpose of a language is making efficient communication possible.

The problem with your theory is that the Japanese have no problem communicating with each other, can easily learn their own language, and have produced some of the world's greatest pieces of literature/movies/ other language related media.

Your case for western language superiority is merely cultural imperialism and snobbery.

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Posted in: No substitute for human touch in translating See in context

Just b/c the Japanese language is too complicated for you to easily understand is irrelevant. Japanese is a beautiful language that flows and has deeper meaning (through kanji). As for stealing from the Chinese, the Japanese adapted Chinese to suit their tastes. The Koreans and others did the same. "60% of the Korean vocabulary consists of Sino-Korean words." The Japanese merely simplified Chinese.

As for French being a superior language, French for all its claims of purity utilizes a lot of English in everyday speech as well as bizarre slang. The French language written makes little sense. English is a hybrid of many languages ranging from Greek, and Roman to Arabic and French.

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Posted in: McCain TV ad accuses Obama of shifting views on Iraq for political gain See in context

Only people seeking to discredit Obama agree with your interpretation. I'm not really an Obama supporter myself, but the people who claim he was somehow trying to occupy Pakistan are taking cheap shots by misinterpreting his words for political gain. He only wants to stop the terrorists who hide out along the border.

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Posted in: McCain TV ad accuses Obama of shifting views on Iraq for political gain See in context

Invade implies that one seeks to take over the country or treat the country with hostility, it's poorly worded. Obama simply wants to bomb and neutralize terrorist bases along the border. He has no intention of harming the Pakistani people/gov't.

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Posted in: McCain TV ad accuses Obama of shifting views on Iraq for political gain See in context

Obama never said he wanted to invade Pakistan, but he did say he was willing to unilaterally bomb insurgent bases in Pakistan, which is technically a violation of a nation's sovereignty.

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Posted in: Bush agrees to time 'horizon' on Iraq troop cuts See in context

Westurn,

The US's record isn't exactly spotless either, what with torture, wire-tapping, etc. Japan is a democracy, there is no connection to the other nations you listed.

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Posted in: Manga, anime and cosplay are exports Japan can take pride in. These are things that draw good feelings about Japan from the people of the world. See in context

Some of it is worth taking pride in (Hayao Miyazaki's works, etc), but I find a lot of it is an embarrassment to Japan. As many people see some of the stranger things and assume that all of Japan is that weird. I think that there a other parts of Japanese culture that are more worthy of pride.

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Posted in: Fuji Heavy, Mitsubishi Fuso, Honda recalling vehicles See in context

westurn,

calm down, poor quality is of course unacceptable, but instead of going on an anti-Japan rant, you should understand that every country produces some poor-quality cars, and most, if not all companies are guilty of late recalls.

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Posted in: Do you think the International Criminal Court should be able to charge world leaders with crimes? See in context

Bush might have had an aggressive foreign policy and been a warmonger even, but it's ridiculous that so many people here consider him the most evil world leader. Perhaps you have all forgotten the Abkhaz War, Mugabe, Putin, Syria, the CCP, etc. The fact that you would equate George W. Bush (a democrat w/ a small d, not the party) with the world's worst dictators is appalling.

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Posted in: House Speaker Pelosi calls Bush 'a total failure' See in context

Sushisake#

A lot of those issues you stated above were not solely Bush's fault, but also that of Congress. Furthermore some of those problems were partially out of American control. High oil prices are not all Bush's fault. It is a combination of ineffective American gov't, American culture, the rise of China/India, and a lack of willingness among certain oil-producing states to expad production. Furthermore that Bush is responsible for terrorism is ridiculous. The terrorists themselves are responsible for their fundamentalist interpretations and killings of the innocent. Bush might have handled the issue poorly, but terrorism is the fault of it perpetrators and the previous American gov'ts that allowed people like the Taliban to come to power. Many of problems faced by the Bush administration are left overs from previous presidents. Others are problems sown years ago that have not surfaced until now.

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Posted in: House Speaker Pelosi calls Bush 'a total failure' See in context

I think Bush has been an overall failure, but I don't think he is as bad as many people say. Not every problem faced by his administration and the gov't was his fault.

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Posted in: IMAX signs joint venture deal with Tokyu chain See in context

deadhippo,

Shobu is in Saitama

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Posted in: House Speaker Pelosi calls Bush 'a total failure' See in context

Bush and the GOP gov't may have been an utter failure, but so has Congress and the Dems

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Posted in: Do you think the International Criminal Court should be able to charge world leaders with crimes? See in context

Cleo,

Mugabe is guilty of genocide against the Ndebele tribe. If that doesn't warrant an appearance before an international court, I don't know what does. Sure Bush and others are guilty of waging war, but I think genocide is a much worse crime to have on one's rap sheet.

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Posted in: Do you think the International Criminal Court should be able to charge world leaders with crimes? See in context

I think they should be able to, but there is no way to enforce it. Too many leaders are either too powerful or too popular in their home countries to be extradited. Plus there's the whole belief that having one's leader prosecuted like a common criminal is an insult to one's national pride.

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Posted in: Helping women get back into the workplace See in context

Finally, addressing one of Japan's biggest economic/social problems. This will not only help empower women, but I think this will eventually lead to a larger birth rate once women feel that they can return to their jobs even if they have a family.

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Posted in: Crown prince See in context

Where is his respectful bow?

From his slightly bent back my guess is that he is either about to bow, or has just done so.

[B]owing is still natural for them. Xentrix, I am gonna go out on a limb and say you have never been to Japan.

Everyone always bows (usually multiple times) when meeting people, etc.

As for them not kissing, so the royal family doesn't want pda, leave them alone. I know lots of couples who don't like kissing in public. I'm sure they kissed and hugged before going outside. This is after all the Imperial family, they are going to act with decorum.

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Posted in: Canadian teenager cries in Gitmo interrogation video See in context

Was he as brave as the brave soldier who shot a blind and bleeding teenager twice, in the back?

I wasn't there or anything obviously, but I doubt that the soldier knew he was a "child", after all it was a chaotic war-zone.

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Posted in: 5,400 residents in western Japan evacuated as WWII bomb defused See in context

Osaka is NOT in Western Japan. It is in CENTRAL Japan!

In Japan, Osaka is considered Western Japan. The Kansai region is the west while the Kanto region is the East. For instance JR in Osaka is JR Nishi Nihon. The Nagoya region is considered central Japan.

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Posted in: Jackson used N-word in off-air remarks: Fox News See in context

According to ???

According to any reliable text on etymology. It's not even debated amongst English language scholars.

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Posted in: Jackson used N-word in off-air remarks: Fox News See in context

The original N-word is of Latin origin and was used to denote a dark-skinned person (not necessarily derogatory at the time) The word meaning petty and cheap is of Norwegian origin and is completely unrelated.

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Posted in: Canadian teenager cries in Gitmo interrogation video See in context

I don't disagree with the facts that questionable forms of interrogation are being used at Gitmo, but I really don't think you can compare it to a gulag. That's just hyperbole.

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