[ch 2] I know it isn't right to criticize, but these two sur

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Da~Mike
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[ch 2] I know it isn't right to criticize, but these two sur

Post by Da~Mike »

I know it isn't right to criticize, but these two sure have a lot of free time on their hands!

I wonder if this might be better (or more idiomatically) phrased:
I know I'm not one to criticize...


This has almost the same meaning, but I don't know if it's faithful enough to the original text. Any translator care to comment?

--BlckKnght 00:47, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

That's a messy part of the English language, when non-grammatical things acquire meaning through usage.
Literally,
EX.1a
I'm not one to criticize


means
EX.1b
I'm not one [of those people who you would normally expect] to criticize


but in usage, it's come to also mean
EX.1c
I'm in no position to criticize.


(actually, the "correct" term is "I shouldn't be one to criticize", but correctness is for the British.)
Usage aside, though, the meaning you're going for is what makes the most sense in context.

Actually, which of those two meanings did you mean? I had EX.1c in mind. (As I'm not a translator, I can only comment on the English/logical side of things.)

Great, now I'm confused. The way I see it, Kyon's wasting time in the clubroom too, so he's in no position to say that they have too much time on their hands. Which is the only meaning of the sentence that's in character. I mean, come on -- has he ever been afraid of letting loose with snarky comments before? When has he ever felt guilty about criticizing people?

--The naming game 13:12, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

Aren't idiom's fun? EX.1c is what I would say the idiom "I'm not one to criticize" means, and it seems very appropriate for the situation (Kyon has a lot of free time on his hands too). I think I'll go ahead and make the change, but if any translators think the idiom says too much more than the original Japanese, we can put it back.

--BlckKnght 16:01, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

It was kind of sitting in the back of my head, and suddenly I realized that both interpretations of the term make sense grammatically. EX.1d (e.g. EX.1b) is the only one I've seen in stuffy academic works, but then again, academics use much more elaborate means of undermining the credibility of others.
EX.1d
I'm not one [who is inclined] to criticize


EX.1e
I'm not one [who is qualified] to criticize


So maybe English isn't as messy as I thought it was. Still, there's always "I could care less" (should be "I couldn't") -- that one definitely bugs me.

--The naming game 19:02, 4 May 2006 (PDT)


Funny how this caught my attention:
(actually, the "correct" term is "I shouldn't be one to criticize", but correctness is for the British.)
Anyway, looking at the original translation stated as the title: I know it isn't right to criticize, but these two sure have a lot of free time on their hands!, you can see how it seems that all versions of the Ex.1 you've posted can be implied from it. However, the subtle difference is in this few key words strung together: know it isn't right. What these few words seem to suggest immediately (apart from all the versions of Ex.1, which would cross our mind first perhaps), is that it is wrong for him to criticize, but why? If we assume that it is because Kyon has a lot of free time himself (which is probably clear enough from reading the book), then Ex.1c fits best as well as the so-called "correct" term mentioned above.

If you wanted to choose between those two, all you need simply ask is how Kyon thinks of himself by also having lots of free time to boot. Thus, "I shouldn't be one to criticize" doesn't sound like something Kyon would think to himself whereas "I'm in no position to criticize" seems more like something he would say.

Basically, I support BlckKnght's decision.


--Da~Mike 21:48, 9 May 2006 (GMT)
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