Paraphrasing Japanese Expressions That Are Difficult to Translate
This lesson explains how to handle Japanese expressions such as “〜te shimau,” “〜gachi,” and “〜dake ni,” which have no direct English equivalents, by using established English patterns.
Basic Rules
① “〜te shimau” (completion, regret, or an unintended result)：
- “I bought it without meaning to.”→“I ended up buying it.”/“I couldn't help buying it.”
- “I accidentally said it.”→“I let it slip.”
② “〜gachi” (a tendency)：
- “He is often late.”→“He tends to be late.”/“He is apt to be late.”
③ “〜dake ni” (precisely because 〜 is true, sometimes with a contrasting result)：
- “Precisely because he was such a serious student, I was surprised.”→“Precisely because he is such a serious student, I was surprised.”
④ “〜kara koso” (an emphatic reason)：
- “Precisely because it is difficult, it is worth making the effort.”→“It is precisely because it's hard that it's worth trying.” (the emphatic It is ~ that construction)
⑤ “No matter what” (strong determination or impossibility)：
- “I simply cannot solve it.”→“No matter how hard I try, I just can't solve it.”
- “I absolutely want to go.”→“I really must go.”/“Nothing will stop me from going.”
Japanese：She tends to forget things, but she is more careful in her work than anyone else.
English：She tends to forget things, but no one is more careful in her work.
Japanese：Precisely because I had high expectations, I was disappointed by the result.
English：Precisely because I had expected so much, I was disappointed by the result.
Points to Note
① For “〜te shimau,” use the context to determine whether it expresses regret or merely completion. If the sense of regret is strong, you may add regrettably / unfortunately.
② tend to / be apt to / be prone to all have meanings similar to “〜gachi,” but be prone to is often used for an undesirable tendency (be prone to illness).
③ The emphatic It is precisely because ~ that construction for “〜dake ni” is a pattern that often receives favorable evaluation in formal writing. However, using it too often becomes wordy, so limit it to 1〜2 times.
④ The context determines whether “no matter what” should be translated as strong determination or an emphasis on impossibility. “no matter what＋negative”＝an emphasis on impossibility (no matter how hard), while “no matter what＋affirmative intention”＝strong determination (really must / insist on -ing).
- 〜te shimau → end up -ing / can't help -ing
- 〜gachi → tend to / be apt to / be prone to
- 〜dake ni → precisely because (combine it with the emphatic It is ~ that construction)
- no matter what → no matter how hard (emphasis on impossibility)/ really must (strong determination)
Practice
- Translate the following into English using the pattern for “〜te shimau”：“He accidentally revealed the secret.”
- Translate the following into English using the emphatic construction for “〜dake ni”：“Precisely because I had practiced so hard, the shock of losing was great.”
- Translate the following into English using the pattern for “no matter what”：“I absolutely want to see her.”