ばか！バカ！　馬鹿ー月！

雨じゃなくて良かった、と埒もないことを考えながら、三人掛けのベンチに腰を落ち着け、携帯端末を開いてお気に入りの書籍サイトにアクセスする。
A good thing it's not raining, a frivolous thought entered his mind as he sat down on the three-man bench, opened his mobile terminal, and started accessing a book portal which he likes.
この中庭は準備棟から講堂へ通じる近道のようだ。
This courtyard seems to be a shortcut from the preparation building to the auditorium.
式の運営に駆り出されているのだろうか。
??????


I cannot transcribe everything, especially when the web version is somewhat different from the bunko version. For the context, I've already updated whatever comes before: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index ... _Chapter_1

What comes after is roughly the same scene as the web version (http://ncode.syosetu.com/n2569f/1/), but described somewhat differently.

My main question here is the meaning of "駆り出されている". Btw, 式 here refers to the 入学式. It seems to me that the courtyard (中庭) is used as a shortcut for administering/managing the ceremony (式).
I'm not sure whether I'm wrong, but I'm reading it as:
中庭は式の運営に駆り出されている......
After going through the web on several examples of 駆り出されている usage, I still don't quite get how it fits here and precisely what is being described through the use of 駆り出されている, or whether it's used figuratively/contracted here, or I have a poor understanding of the entire sentence as a whole ( highly likely )......

Thanks in advance.

The subject of "式の運営に駆り出されている" is in the succeeding line instead of the preceding line.

　式の運営に駆り出されているのだろうか。
　ぽつぽつと、校舎から出てきて、中庭を横切る、左胸にエンブレムを戴く在校生。

Basically the narrator speculated that the students who went past him were roped in by the ceremony committee to help with the preparation work.

Koujien as always:

かり‐だ・す【駆り出す】
〔他五〕
（1）（「狩り出す」とも書く）獲物などをかりたてて追い出す。
（2）きつくうながして、ひっぱり出す。「応援に―・された」

I guess it is probably a typo, but the title is 魔法科高校の劣等生 instead of 魔法科高校の劣等性. The latter sounds more like a social critique against Harry Potter by moral crusaders instead of a light novel.

Doraneko wrote:The subject of "式の運営に駆り出されている" is in the succeeding line instead of the preceding line.

I see, I thought it could be so, while I know that subjects can come behind in a sentence, I'm not familiar with subjects appearing after a 'period' in a new post sentence (as opposed to a pre sentence). Thanks,

Doraneko wrote:I guess it is probably a typo, but the title is 魔法科高校の劣等生 instead of 魔法科高校の劣等性. The latter sounds more like a social critique against Harry Potter by moral crusaders instead of a light novel.

I don't know why my IME suddenly gave me 性 by default (it was giving 生 some days ago) and I didn't check LOL.

What's the best way to translate 魔方陣?

Anyone has any good ideas?

Er, Magic Square?

YoakeNoHikari wrote:Er, Magic Square?

No, it has nothing to do with math. It's more like "magic circle", "magic formation", you know, those circles that appear in the air when someone starts casting magic. Like fairy tail. But "magic circle" sounds funny, while "magic formation" is pretty ambiguous. So, I was wondering whether someone has a better word for it.

I doubt it's coincidence that they take the exact same name. I'm inclined to believe that the author kept the magic square in mind when he used the name. You may not want to use it, but I don't think you should discount it entirely.

And it's not purely regarded as math:

しかし神秘的な力があるとされ、魔法の護符にも用いられている。

YoakeNoHikari wrote:I doubt it's coincidence that they take the exact same name. I'm inclined to believe that the author kept the magic square in mind when he used the name. You may not want to use it, but I don't think you should discount it entirely.

Mahoujin has always been used in manga and novels to describe the pretty circles you see in anime like Fairy Tail or Itsuten or Denyuuden. And the inscriptions in Rental Magica.

They might indeed have originated from "Magic Square", since they are essentially constructs which conventionally require great precision and great intellect in inscribing them for the magic to properly activate, but none of the works I've read actively describe or relate the actual mathematical origins and principles to the term.

These days, to the general audience, a "mahoujin" has become a "用語" that pretty much equates to "something" that needs to be drawn out or made before magic can be invoked, or at least that's what I believe. I believe, the term should bring to mind in most people, the aforementioned pretty circles, which should be the authors' intent, rather than the principles behind "magic squares". While Mahouka may be a little different from other conventional magic-related stories, I have also yet to see any principles of "magic squares" in operation or any particular focus given to the term, "mahoujin". It's pretty much a passing term, at least for now, since the focus in magic activation and battles are on other things, again, at least for now.

My concern as always, is not on the actual definition or origins of a word (unless it's aligned with the author's intent), but by what people interpret it as. Will the word, "Magic Square" bring to mind in readers the same thing the author wants them to see, or will it confuse them or make things ambiguous; that's my real consideration. But if all this while, people have translated "mahoujin" as "magic squares" to the point that people know exactly what they mean, then all is well. But to date, I'm not too familiar with what subbers translate it as except maybe "magic circle" (I guess?) which should be generally understood :/ (maybe I should just use it and be done with it ( -_-) )

YoakeNoHikari wrote:And it's not purely regarded as math:

しかし神秘的な力があるとされ、魔法の護符にも用いられている。

Hm, that may be true for 魔方陣, but not necessarily true for "Magic Square". That is to say, a word which can be used as a translation for a word in another language may not be exact and have different scope. Again, back to how a general reader interprets a word.

I've always seen it written as 魔法陣 in the context you speak of. Or in Horizon, 魔術陣.

larethian wrote:

しかし神秘的な力があるとされ、魔法の護符にも用いられている。

Hm, that may be true for 魔方陣, but not necessarily true for "Magic Square". That is to say, a word which can be used as a translation for a word in another language may not be exact and have different scope. Again, back to how a general reader interprets a word.

What I'm trying to say is that the definition of 魔方陣 is magic square, (according to the dictionaries I consulted.) If I said 魔方陣 in any other context other than anime/manga/light novels etc., I'm quite sure it'd be taken that way. And that line is taken from the wiki entry '魔方陣', which is about magic squares.

Nevermind, I just realised what I was advocating. I think a liberal translation/personal interpretation would suit this best. Sorry, I was too caught up in 中二病.

How does a magic pentacle sound?

I've been using magic array all this time...

I personally don't see anything wrong with magic circle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_circle

YoakeNoHikari wrote:Nevermind, I just realised what I was advocating. I think a liberal translation/personal interpretation would suit this best. Sorry, I was too caught up in 中二病.

No worries.

Teh_ping wrote:I've been using magic array all this time...

Oh heh. Never knew that one. I guess it's a better word than "formation" and not as ambiguous.

jonathanasdf wrote:I personally don't see anything wrong with magic circle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_circle

*facepalm self* for never thinking that such an entry might exist. I always thought it sounded weird, but linking it to that would work for me.