Re: Japanese vs English language

["toni" <AAFSCHWI@amber.indstate.edu>]

In a message datedt:        Fri, 12 Apr 1996 21:58:56 -0400
IMZen@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I can really appreciate what you are saying.  I am a Buddhist and deal with
> the same thing within the organization.  A Japanese/buddhist term will be
> used in the middle of a sentence and then I am lost as I do not speak
> Japanese.  I think that there is a general assumption that everyone
> understands terms used within a certain sport/religion/organization etc...
>  this is simply not the case and if you mix languages, you lose MANY readers.
> 
> Yes, where I can agree that there should be an attitude to learn I do not
> think  we should not forget that event the most ardent of sumo fans was once
> new to these terms and got lost when reading them.  I think that a bit of
> respect is due from both sides.  Is there a sumo FAQ for this list?
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
>      Zen
> 

I understand both sides, having learned most of the terms while 
living for 4 years in Japan, yet, as the argument was made before, 
would one translate "Quarterback" or "Touchdown" when talking about 
football in Japanese?  They don't, for they respect the terms as 
being sport-specific.  Thus, we should show respect to the 
sport of Ozumo by learning the Japanese terms.  Sumo World has gotten 
around this problem by putting the English equivilents alongside the 
Japanese in parathesis.  Maybe this is the solution?  Yes and no, for 
the guys who are posting (especially the daily results) put in a lot 
of their own free time for us, and to translate everything would be 
time consuming and thus wasteful.  Another point is that a lot of us 
don't even know the English equivilents of many Japanese terms, and 
why should we. Hopefully, those who don't know the Ozumo-specific 
terms will take the time and effort to learn the terms in one of 3 
ways:  
1) buy a book on Ozumo (there are many fine books out there 
published),  
2) find a FAQ of terms, or 
3)buy a Sumo World and peruse it.
Finally, this group is for those who love Ozumo, and are not in Japan 
to find out the details of the Basho. Please remember that if you're 
a newbie to Ozumo, it's your perogitive to become as knowlegble as 
possible (w/o living in Japan).

Ja matte ne!

Toni Schwindt
aafschwi@amber.indstate.edu  
  
  ssssssssssss
___________
shhhhh, don't wake the sleeping Buddhas.