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Thread: Can you help me translate this?

  1. #1
    Junior Member Male
    Join Date May 18, 2011
    Location Georgia
    Posts 20
    USA - Georgia

    Can you help me translate this?


    国際交流パーティー - Tokyo International Party

    I found a children story online. This is just a script from it.

    むかしむかし、あるところに、おじいさんとおばあさんが住んでいました。
    二人は子どもがいなかったので、シロというイヌをとてもかわいがっていました。
    ある日、シロが畑でほえました。
    「ここほれワンワン、ここほれワンワン」

    "Once upon a time, somewhere, an old man and an old women lived. Two people have no kids because they love their dog named shiro. One day shrio was barking at their garden.
    "Dig here ruff ruff! Dig here ruff ruff""


    I don't know any of these words so I used an online dictionary to help me, but I do know the basic grammar. I just want to check if I got the story right, if not I'm going to learn more about grammar and sentence structures so I get to the point where I just have to look up words one by one to translate simple stories like this.



    Some troubles and questions that I have:
    I don't know what "arutokoro ni" or "aru tokoro ni" means (it wasn't in the dictionary), so when I googled it, it said it means "far, far away" so I just put "somewhere" instead.

    I know oji and obaa means grandfather and grandmother, but since I interpreted that they have no kids, I just put an old man and women, is that right?

    Why is 'inu' in katakana? I thought there was two names at first then I realized that inu means dog.
  2. #2
    松葉解禁 Male
    Join Date Feb 22, 2008
    Location under the new green leaves
    Posts 5,294
    Japan
    I don't know any of these words so I used an online dictionary to help me, but I do know the basic grammar. I just want to check if I got the story right, if not I'm going to learn more about grammar and sentence structures so I get to the point where I just have to look up words one by one to translate simple stories like this.
    Just one correction to your translation.

    Two people have no kids because they love their dog named shiro. --> Because the two had no kids, they loved their dog named shiro.

    I don't know what "arutokoro ni" or "aru tokoro ni" means (it wasn't in the dictionary), so when I googled it, it said it means "far, far away" so I just put "somewhere" instead.
    Your translation is correct.

    ある(certain)ところ(place)に(the particle for location): at/in a certain place = somewhere

    I know oji and obaa means grandfather and grandmother, but since I interpreted that they have no kids, I just put an old man and women, is that right?
    Yes.

    Why is 'inu' in katakana? I thought there was two names at first then I realized that inu means dog.
    Plants and animals are often written in katakana.
  3. #3
    Junior Member Male
    Join Date May 18, 2011
    Location Georgia
    Posts 20
    USA - Georgia
    Just one correction to your translation.

    Two people have no kids because they love their dog named shiro. --> Because the two had no kids, they loved their dog named shiro.
    Oh I see! I forgot in Japanese 'node' is at the end of the thought and it's placed first in English. So if it was "二人は子どもがいなかった、シロというイヌをとてもかわいがっていましたので" then it would really be "Two people have no kids because they love their dog named shiro" right?
  4. #4
    松葉解禁 Male
    Join Date Feb 22, 2008
    Location under the new green leaves
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    Japan
    Yes, except the tense.

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