Book; Tips for speaking in English

I’m trying to keep this diary in English to improve or not to deteriorate my English ability. I’m interested in books on English. I caught a glimpse of this book “Eigo de Hanasu Hinto” or “Tips for speaking in English” at a book store, and then I got it. It has a subtitle as “the way to improve English taught by the interpreter. The prominent interpreter is an author Tatsuya Komatsu.

He’s engaged in a simultaneous translator and a English teacher at a college for a long time. We can get a lot of tips. He says that it’s not good to use a word-for word translation when you try to translate from Japanese to English. He’s told his students not to adhere to an original sentence, but it’s vital to understand the meaning and to speak it with your own words. Anticipation is helpful to understand the meaning. However to anticipate something requires to learn a lot of related matters, and we have to keep reading or making an effort to learn.

There are peculiar syntaxes in languages over the world. English has Subject (S) + Verb (V) + Object (O) syntax. But Japanese has S + O +V. He explains we have more than 6,000 languages in the world and the most syntax is S + O + V type. I’ve never known. Nonetheless, Japanese need to get accustomed to the SVO syntax. If you repeat speaking with SVO, you will be able to do it automatically. He claims this automatization is important.

One language has unique expressions despite of easy words like “Amai” in Japanese. There are several meanings. They are untranslatable into other languages. In these cases, it needs a process to “create” but “translate.”He shows examples about “Amai.”

a. Jinsei ha sonnani amaku nai. – Life is not that easy.

b. Shusyo no handan ga amakatta to iwazaru oenai. – We have to say that Prime Minister was too optimistic / naïve in his judgement.

c. Mago niwa doushitemo amaku naru. – We tend to be overly soft / permissive / indulgent with our grandchildren.

d. Watashi wo amaku miruna. – Don’t underestimate me.

e. Kare wa amai tama wo homuran shita. – He hit a fat pitch and scored a homerun.

He says that motivation is important to keep learning English. To get to like English is the fastest way to improve your English skills. I’m not so good at English, but like it.

English or Japanese

I’m planning a training course program held in Japan for managers of our overseas affiliated companies. While most of major Japanese corporations have their own global programs, medium-sized companies like ours may be making such a plan at present.

As we are creating the plan, one of problems is which language we should use at the training. Trainees will come from all over the world including Southeast Asia, India, China and the US. On the other hand, most of Japanese employees are not able to speak English, so Japanese trainers will tell them in Japanese.

I’ve taken part in some seminars on a human resource development. This is one of the passes we have to overcome for the globalization. It’s called as the internal globalization. Although there are many overseas factories, managements aren’t caring about it. A top management goes to the length of saying that employees working at factories abroad should use Japanese because they are hired by Japanese corporation.

Actually, I think it’s hard or impossible to force them to speak Japanese as considering the difficulty of learning it and the minority of using it in the world. English is a common language in world. Besides countries that native English speakers live in, many countries use it as the second public language. Eventually, we can’t help but accept English even in facilities in Japan when we communicate with foreign colleagues..

I called a sales rep of a seminar provider to inquire training programs for them. He recommended two open seminars offered by English. And he suggested Japanese employees should take the program with them. It might be a good idea. I wondered how many Japanese object employees could attended to it.

Anyway, I can’t decide which language the training program should take until now.

A corrected translated sentence

I look forward to applying for a translation assignment on Asahi Weekly, a weekly newspaper, once a month. The assignment last month was as follows;

もし今、シャーロック・ホームズ(Sherlock Homes)が生きていたら、ハンチング帽をかぶり、パイプをくわえているだろうか。ノーだ。パソコンなどを駆使する、今風の男のはずだ。

My attempt was as below;

If Sherlock Homes were alive at present, I wonder he would wear a hunting cap and hold a pipe in his mouth. I suppose the answer is no. He must be an up-to-date man who makes full use of latest gadgets like a personal computer.

This translated sentence was taken up on the translation page as a posting following an honorable mention on this month. And the corrected sentence is as follows;

If Sherlock Homes were alive at present, I wonder if he would wear / be wearing a hunting cap and hold have a pipe in his mouth. I suppose the answer is no. He must would be an up-to-date man who makes full use of the latest gadgets like a personal computers, and the like.

I made mistakes in this short sentence. That means I don’t understand an English grammar. I was pointed out regarding how to use the subjunctive mood. Although it might be impossible to write a translation in accordance with a correct grammar, I’d like to keep submitting an assignment every month. It may improve my English skill even if only slightly.

CD: Further Explorations by Chick Corea

 I don’t remember when I listened to Bill Evans music first. It might be a high school boy. I remember I received a sense of poetic transparent from his tune.

 This CD is a live recording that Chick Corea played at the Blue Note Tokyo with Eddie Gomes and Paul Motian lat year. Some tunes at the beginning are a kind of difficult for me because their play was a bit awkward or unfitting, though the atmosphere like Bill Evans might be created. I think that Chick performed tunes with his characteristic in the later part.

 I realize it’s difficult to play other’s tunes even though he is a great pianist. The stronger was the impression of original tunes, the better performance players were required to play. However I’ve not listen to the album well yet. So I want to hear it more carefully.

 By the way, when I took a glance at Chick at a TV program this spring, he was thinner compared to his of a few years ago. I don’t think a fatty Chick was fit. His rapid losing weight makes us worried because he is enough old.

Musing just before the end of August

 After I gave up enduring sleep in a hot and humid room on August 10^th, I’ve used an air conditioner. Just after taking a bath, the cooled room by it makes me comfortable. But I’m sometimes woken up by the faint noise emitted from its fan. It might be nervous.

 My summer holidays have already finished as well as most of workers. However students are still enjoying remaining summer vacation. The crowd of streets are half-backed. Temperatures are firmly lower than the peak of this summer. Now, I feel a kind of sense of ennui.

 Media are reporting about an election to choose the DPJ leader every day. It might be important for Japanese nation. However, I never feel like realities. It appears to be an event happening at far places.

 I sensed the reality when I woke up on a semiconscious state at the midnight more than these news. My sensitivity receiving the faint noise and the coolness by the air conditioner is normal. That’s a sign of life.

Kan’s resignation

 Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that he would resign as Prime Minister today in response that three legislations, which were his resignation premise, could pass the parliamentary today.

 A bunch of Democrats are announcing their candidacy for the leader of DPJ, who will be the next Japan’s Prime Minister. However the key person is Mr. Ozawa who has the biggest faction. It seems that he would support Mr. Kaieda, the present Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. So Kaieda is possible to be the next PM.

 Next year the Lower House election is planned. At the election, the DPJ could lose their seats. The Liberal Democratic Party will have a possibility to make up the majority of the Diet. So, Prime Minister might change next year, too. In Japan, PM is changing every year.

 Libya ex(?)-leader Qadhafi in the Green Book criticized democracy that Political struggle that results in the victory of a candidate with, for example, 51 percent of the votes leads to a dictatorial governing body in the guise of a false democracy, since 49 percent of the electorate is ruled by an instrument of government they did not vote for, but which has been imposed upon them. Besides, this political conflict may produce a governing body that represents only a minority. However, no one accept his dictatorship.

 Anyway, the parliamentary democracy is ruled by the majority logic. At the contemporary world, there are a lot of opinions and assertions. We can’t decide the integrated direction on our future. In that sense under the current system, I think any candidate can not fulfill the role as Prime Minister.

Deteriorated English speaking

 After the end of summer holiday, my English conversation class restarted yesterday for the first time in one month. I had looked forward to hearing talks of classmates. But what I noticed from their speaking by English is that their English speaking were deteriorated compared to those before the summer vacation. They might have not used or studied English during the holidays. I realize it’ difficult to keep our English skills up in the condition of living in Japan. We don’t need to use English on daily life.

 I don’t have any opportunity to speak English at work. However, when I look for articles or materials from the web, it is very useful to read those written by English. Compared with those by Japanese, the amount of English ones are overwhelmingly huge. I can get better information by using English.

 I sense that speaking English is more difficult than reading it. When we read something written by English, we adjust the reading speed and we could guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word. But in case speaking English, we need to know the meaning of the word and grammar. Unless we understand the word, we can’t use it.

 The absence for one month caused them to deteriorate their English capacity. It’s no wonder. On analysis, we should keep learning English if we wish to keep and improve English skills.

Targeting for Jazz

 My brother gave my mother his produced CD. The title is “Handsome boys Jazz -Sweet Jazz Selection-” in which Japanese popular songs in 80s fill up.

 When he came to my parents’ home last week, he told that it was released targeting women in thirties. Now Jazz is listened among aged people who used to listen to Jazz masters and single women who appear to typically sit on stool at a bar. That means there are few listeners but them. This album is expected to be bought by these women.

 I as well as he don’t know how many copies it will be issued. However there seem to be some thousands. Even a popular singer some ten thousands sales must be good. I don’t hear a story that a CD album sell a million these days.

 Therefore it may be crucial to set a target. Even though the sales figure is some thousands, a producer could gain a profit.

 We can get free music through the web. It has caused falling CD sales. A producer had better focus on a certain customer.

Tatsoro Yamashita, a famous singer, player, composer and producer born in 1953, said at an article in a newspaper that anyone is unable to keep creating songs for a long period just by passion for music. It needs research and targeting.

After all, what to sell something needs a strategy. That’s a business. I hope this CD could earn a profit in the niche market.

http://blackqp.blog.shinobi.jp/

Book; How to win friends and Influence people

The sales figure of this book is amazing. According to the afterword, it was printed over 15 million as of 1982. It must be issued more than 20-million at present.
 

I’ve seen it at every book store. Since I knew the first issue was published in 1936, I’ve been reluctant to buy it. However after I finished reading it, I realized the importance of courtesy and thoughtfulness. These things are unchanging principle.

When this book was published at first, Dale Carnegie didn’t expect it would be sold as many as 15 million. He developed human relationship and became a head of Dale Carnegie Research.

It is categorized in a classical business book. Most of contents are comprised by examples from the US Presidents to ordinary citizens. All of them convince us that it is crucial to act and speak with consideration for other people’s feelings. I slightly felt it redundant because of too many examples. And I was surprised that it came from the US. At presence, we live in a competing society, especially in the US. As I look at the US society from Japan, many of his precepts seem to be forgotten.

Anyway, as reading it, I felt comfortable because it emitted intelligence.

Yen appreciation

 The exchange rate of yen reached 75 yen per dollar today. It was the highest record following that on March this year.

 After the yen adopted the floating rate system and allowed the Plaza Accord in 1985, the value of yen has been rising. Following the deficit problem in the US and the sovereign bond problems in Europe, despite Japan has suffered with recession and the disaster of East Japan, the only yen has been soaring.

 It appears to be a nightmare where the world will head for an impossible end. The sole way dealing with the high yen seem to be to default on Japanese bond.

 Although travelers intending to go abroad are pleased with the strong yen, many of Japanese who are engaged in export business are on the verge of giving up. Unfortunately we don’t have any hope to the politics or the government. We have to come up with measures coping with the yen appreciation by ourselves.

 Today is the end of summer holidays. I was supposed to feel refreshed thanks to the holidays. But I feel uneasy about the Japanese future. It’s a shame.