Thoughts on the War in Ukraine （6/29投稿記事「ウクライナ戦争に思うこと」の英訳）

Progress in the Ukraine war has the entire world`s attention. Russia devised the war to reclaim Ukraine, formerly a part of the Soviet Union. They have taken control over the eastern regions while their nuclear capabilities loom in the background and seem to be vigorously working to make that territory their own. Western countries, as well as Japan, have formed a pact supporting Ukraine. If the precedent is set that having nuclear weapons means taking over territory and claiming borders as you please, other nuclear-capable countries will follow suit. If things go that way, I fear that my own country may face the same situation Ukraine did, as a nuclear-capable country does as they please with it.

However, my own country has in the past worked to expand its sphere of influence over East Asia in the past. Old Japan, Russia, China, and North Korea share points in common regarding regulating information and expression. Using these two means, you can freely `gain` the ability to manipulate your citizens and the citizens of other countries under your influence. In Russia, media not under government control has become a thing of the past. The majority of Russian citizens have been led, through propaganda, to believe that Russia is only attacking Ukrainian military installations and that the ones attacking Ukrainian civilians are Ukrainian militants. Russian Citizens who take in the Western media perspective through the internet are said to represent only ten percent of the population. Due to this, most Russians support the war in Ukraine. However, Western information is reaching some people, particularly the youth. Also, soldiers returning from the field are telling the reality of what is happening. Taking all this in, just how long will information and speech regulation be able to persist?

In China, government scrutiny has led to extensive regulation of speech and information. However, the majority of the children of the Chinese Communist party are receiving overseas education. After finishing their studies overseas and returning to China, surely those children must have doubts about China`s way of doing things? On the other hand, in Taiwan, government scrutiny over the media is fundamentally non-existent. China claims Taiwan to be part of its territory. It is thought that in order to achieve compliance, you must first regulate information and speech. However, I do not think that can ever go well. If they keep trying to force regulation of information and speech, the movement for Taiwanese independence will undoubtedly intensify.

So, in summary, in this age where information can spread across the entire planet in an instant once posted on the internet, are the ways of previous generations, where information and speech are regulated, and the oft-related territorial expansions of countries not having the tables turned on them and being regulated out of existence? I pray that this war will end as soon as possible.

The Paris Subway (6/28投稿記事「パリの地下鉄」の英訳）

On the one hand, the subway in Paris is very convenient because it is extensive and you can avoid getting stuck in traffic. However, on the other hand, the frequency of pickpocketing presents a risk. When I was young, I encountered the following incident on a business trip to Paris from the United States, where I was dispatched for a long time. Once, while on the subway, at a certain station, a group of girls came running into the train right as the doors shut. An older couple came running after them, shrieking and banging on the train doors until they opened them again. The older couple grabbed one of the girls, and that girl flung all of the change out of a wallet onto the floor of the train. While reclaiming the wallet, the old couple said something like, “You good for nothing brats!” as the girls fled.

A few days later, just by chance, I ran into that old couple again at the de Gaulle airport waiting area. I sparked a conversation by saying, “I saw you take your wallet back from those pickpockets on the subway. That was quite something, wasn`t it?”. Startled, the couple replied: “Oh, you were there!? Those girls were minors, so even if they make trouble, the punishment is just a slap on the wrist for them, isn`t it? We own several shoe stores in L.A., so we were not too worried about the money; we were more concerned about the green card in the wallet; without that, we would be in trouble!” Indeed, in this world, there are really people who aren`t hurting for money, I thought to myself while feeling impressed. The wife was draped in a mink coat, with several precious gemstones adorning many rings on her fingers.

Days later, I opined to a friend that if you have no problems with money, isn`t calling a cab better than riding the train? He replied, “Amongst rich people, there are those that still have the customs and lifestyle engrained in them from their humble beginnings. Therefore, they still might see taking a cab as a luxury and ride the train out of a lingering frugality”. I myself have no experience wearing luxury goods and having to worry about attracting the attention of pickpockets. However, just to be safe, I want to remain vigilant when riding the subway overseas. Everyone out there as well, please take care.

ウクライナ戦争に思うこと

世界中の注目がウクライナ戦争の動向に集まっている。ロシアは、旧ソ連領であったウクライナを取り戻そうとして戦争を仕掛けた。東部の地域を実効支配し、核爆弾を使うこともちらつかせ、自国領にするような勢いだ。欧米諸国、それから日本は、団結してウクライナを支援している。核を持っていれば、国境の現状変更は思いのまま、という前例を作れば、ほかの核保有国も真似をするようになる。そうすると、自分の国もウクライナと同じように、核保有国の思うがままになる、という恐れがあるからだ。

しかし、我が国も、かつて東アジアで勢力を伸ばそうとしていたことがある。かつての日本、ロシア、中国、北朝鮮に共通しているのは、情報統制と言論統制である。この二つの手段を使えば、自国民と、自国の影響下にある国民は、自由に操れてきた。ロシアでは、官製以外のメディアはなくなった。ロシア国民の多くは、「ロシアは、ウクライナの軍事施設しか攻撃していない。ウクライナ市民を攻撃しているのは、ウクライナ軍である」というようなプロパガンダを信じこまされている。西側の情報をインターネットで受け取っているのは、ロシア国民の約一割だという。そのため、ウクライナ戦争はロシア国民の多くから支持されている。しかし、特に若者の間で西側の情報が入手できている。また、戦場から戻ってきた兵士たちが真の戦況を伝えてきている。そういうことから考えて、情報統制、言論統制がいつまでも続くとは思えない。

中国でも、政府検閲による情報統制と言論統制が徹底している。しかし中国共産党員の子弟の多くは、欧米に留学している。それらの子弟が留学を終えて中国に戻ったあと、中国のやり方に疑問を抱かないだろうか。一方、台湾では、メディアに対する政府検閲は原則的に存在しない。中国は台湾の主権を主張している.。統一を進める際に、まず情報統制、言論統制を行うと考えられるが、上手くいくとは思えない。無理に情報統制、言論統制を進めようとすれば、台湾独立運動が活性化するであろう。

まとめると、インターネットをはじめとするメディアで情報が瞬時に世界に拡散しつつある現代で、一時代前の情報統制や言論統制、それに基づく領土拡大は息詰まるのではないか。一日も早く、この戦争が終わることを祈っている。

パリの地下鉄

パリの地下鉄は、縦横に張り巡らされているし、車の渋滞に巻き込まれることもないので便利な一方、スリが多いのが厄介だ。 若いころ、長期派遣先のアメリカからパリに出張した時、次のような事件に遭遇した。 パリの地下鉄に乗っていると、ある駅でバタバタと数人の少女たちが駆け込んできた直後に、ドアが閉まった。 老夫婦が追いかけてきて、なにか大声で叫びながらドアを何度も叩くと、ドアが開いた。 老夫婦が、少女の一人を捕まえると、その少女が、持っていた財布にあった小銭を床にぶちまけた。 老夫婦は、フランス語で「悪い奴らメ」などと言いながら、財布を取り戻した。 少女たちは、一目散に逃げた。

その数日後、パリのドゴール空港の待合室で、その老夫婦に偶然出会った。 「あなたがたが地下鉄でスリから財布を取り返すのを見ていました。 大変でしたね」と話しかけると、お二人は、ビックリして、「見ていたの！？ あの子たち、未成年だから悪さをしても罰が軽いのよね。 私たち、ロサンジェルスで、靴屋を数軒持っているの。 だから、お金は取られても全然痛くはないのよ。 でも、グリーンカードが無くなったら、とても面倒なことになるから、グリーンカードだけは取られたくなかったのよ。」うーん、世の中にはお金に困っていない人種もいるのだ、と感心した。 そのご婦人はミンクのコートをお召しで、指には大きい宝石をあしらった指輪がいくつも嵌めてあった。

後日友人にこの話をし、「お金に困っていないのならば、地下鉄ではなくタクシーを使えばいいのに」と思ったと言うと、「お金持ちのなかには、貧しかったころの習性が身についていて、タクシーは贅沢だから地下鉄に乗るなどして、倹約するひともいるらしい」と。高価なものを身につけているから、スリに狙われる、というお金持ちの悩みなど自分には縁のない話ではある。しかし念のため、外国で地下鉄に乗る時は用心したい。皆様もどうぞご用心を。

Making a Case Against Machine Translation (6/23投稿記事「脱・機械翻訳のすすめ」の英訳）

Machine translation was once something that produced humorously strange or inaccurate results. However, recently, it has made great bounds in accuracy and is much more widely used. The strong points of machine translation are speed and cost. There are completely free options available. However, from my perspective as a professional translator, the following issues still remain:

1. Security (As for free machine translation services, all information can be seen and used by others outside of your company)
2. Inconsistency (For a single word, several translations are used within the same document): (Very common)
3. Untranslated text (Words, phrases, or even entire sentences left untranslated) : (Somewhat common)
4. Mistranslations (The result ends up having a different or complete opposite meaning than the original text): (Somewhat common)
5. Unnatural vocabulary or grammar: (Somewhat common to very common)

Therefore, if you are working with documents the contents of which you are okay with being made accessible to those outsides of your company, need something cheap and quickly, simply want to translate something as a reference for yourself or your company, or the like, then machine translation should not be much of a problem. If you are dealing with confidential information, a project with no room for error, or for translating documents that will be sent outside your company, I recommend not using machine translation.

Ich Liebe Dich (6/22投稿記事の英訳）

During a long-term assignment to France, I was afforded the opportunity to practice classical with the accompaniment of a co-worker and some local friends. Volunteers from the workplace were holding a sort of mini-recital, and it was there that I decided to perform. For the accompaniment, a Canadian friend gave me his consent. The plan became to present one piece commonly known in Europe, and then another piece from Japan.  The first piece was Beethoven's Ich Liebe Dich, or “I Love You” (the proper name of which is actually Zärtliche Liebe, or “Tender Love”)[1,2]. For the second piece, I chose Narayama.  After the performance, a German female co-worker came up to me, still applauding, and told me that it was the first time she had ever heard Ich Liebe Dich, but that she enjoyed it and was moved by it! In the event of that woman calling up her father, who was still living in Germany, and telling him about that piece, he exclaimed to her all about how that was a famous Beethoven piece. To think that after 200 years people can still hear that work by the poet and lyricist Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee and Beethoven, and still be moved, I must take my hat off to their achievement. Music really does transcend generations and borders.

As for Narayama [3], while living in France I ended up performing it many times. Not just French people, but even amongst Japanese, there were many who told me it was their first time hearing it.  There were times when I also explained the lyrics as well as the background of the piece. This piece draws from the story of the Empress's lament over Emperor Nintoku's infidelity.  In order to intimately resemble a refined lifestyle the piece has a dazzling prelude and finale, however to represent the pain of the Empress, a melancholy tone is set, making it a famous, contrastive piece.  I went to lengths to try and properly explain everything, including a few anecdotes to get some laughs, but it was long and quite difficult. When my son heard this, he said “Dad, you should bring a script next time.” That makes a second time that he has felt the need to tell me that!

[1] Ich Liebe Dich YouTube

[2] Ich Liebe Dich, Wikipedia (English)

[3] Narayama YouTube

脱・機械翻訳のすすめ

機械翻訳といえば、一昔前は、珍妙な訳文が物笑いの対象でしたけれども、近年精度が向上し、広く使われるようになっています。機械翻訳の長所は、速度と価格です。無料のものもあります。しかしながら、翻訳者である私からみますと、次のような問題が残っています。

• セキュリティ（無料の機械翻訳では、情報が社外で利用される）
• 訳ブレ（一つの単語に対して、複数の訳語をあてる）：数十％
• 訳抜け（訳されていない単語、句や文章）：数％
• 誤訳（原文の反対の意味の訳文など）：数％
• 不自然な訳語や訳文：数％から数十％

したがって、社外に漏れても差し支えない資料を、安価に手っ取り早く、社内の参考程度に訳するためなら、機械翻訳でも問題ないのですが、機密情報や、誤りが許されない、社外に出す文書の翻訳には、機械翻訳は使用しないことをお勧めします。