Talk:Spice & Wolf:Volume1 Chapter 02

Here it is, the start of Spice and Wolf: Chapter 02

Personally, I think I realize now why being only an editor is almost useless in a translation effort. I pride myself on having good English skills, and as such, I know how sentences should sound. But when translating a work, you cannot edit if you cannot help diagnose what the problems are in the transition from the Japanese text to English. Anybody can realine and add words to make sense of a sentance, but only a hard-worker or good translator (not me yet...) can accurately relay the information from one language into another, in a well written way.

土砂降り、という言葉が見事に当てはまるほどの雨だった。

Calling the rain a torrential downpour was amazingly accurate.

昼過ぎ頃に後ろから迫ってきた雨についに追いつかれたロレンス達は、雨で煙る視界の中、教会を見つけてこれ幸いと飛び込んだ。

Pressuring them since noon, the rain had finally overtaken them, when from its blurry view, a church was seen into which Lawrence and Horo quickly entered with relief.

修道院と違い、ロレンス達のような行商人や旅人、それに巡礼者などを泊めたり道中の無事を神に祈ったりしてその寄付で運営をしているところだから、ロレンス達の突然の訪問にも歓迎こそしたものの嫌な顔一つしなかった。

It was different from a Monestary, as the church provides shelter to peddlers and travelers such as Lawrence, as well as others on similar Pilgrimages. They provide shelter because they depend on donations to get by from the people who are grateful to God that they are safe so far on their journey, and choose to pray and stay there. For this reason they were happy to welcome Lawrence and Horo inside, even if they turned up unexpectedly.

ただ、いくらなんでも教会の中で狼の耳と尻尾を持った娘を大手振らして歩かせるわけにもいかない。

However, inside the church the young girl who possessed the ears and tail of a wolf gave a large gesture of being unable to walk.

とっさに妻と称し、顔にやけどを負っているためにフードを外したがらない、と嘘をついて薄手の外套をかぶせておいた。

Quickly calling her his wife, Lawrence said she couldn't remove the hood because her face bore burns, thus lying about what it was the cloak concealed.

ホロが外套の下でニヤニヤ笑っていたのがわかったが、ホロも自分と教会との関係がわかっているようで演技もそれなりだった。

Horo smirked with comprehension from underneath the cloak, understanding the connection between hers' and the church's acting.

何度か教会からひどい目にあったというのも嘘ではないのだろう。

How often had the church cruelly lied about its philanthropic viewpoint.

それに、例えホロが悪魔憑きではなく狼の化身であったとしても、それは教会にとって問題にならない。教会にとっては教会の崇める神以外すべてが異教の神であり、悪魔の手先なのだから。

Besides, even if Horo was possessed by a demon wolf's incarnation, the church wouldn't be able to handle the problem.

教会にとっては教会の崇める神以外すべてが異教の神であり、悪魔の手先なのだから。

The church holds worshipping God with the exception of the fingers of the demon god is why.