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natlangs

Language learning from a CS nerd's perspective.

Japanese

Fun fact: I got the anime association mainly through that game, and osmosis. At the time of writing I’ve never properly watched any—I think the sum total is the first episode of Kill la Kill and the first few of Evangelion, but I never got into them for whatever reason. If we’re not limited to series, we can add Your Name and Howl’s Moving Castle, but that’s it. They’re all great, I agree, but — 知ってらない.

Resources

I am indebted to:

LUCKY MONKEY MEDIA ラキーモンキーメディア

First of all, let’s get this chldhood earworm out of the way.

In the more joyful and innocent Web of the 2000s, there was an awesome Shockwave game by Lego called Spybotics: The Nightfall Incident. And one of the most memorable sounds of the whole game was a piece of Japanese that you can hear at the beginning of this video.

Ever since I started learning, it’s been difficult for me to even parse the sounds into Japanese that I know. My best attempt is this:

警告: 現在アクセス[chu?]の[goingu? go-iku? ???]は、ラキーモンキーメディアの[chuu?]用地がある。無許可でのアクセスは、禁止されています。

keikoku: genzai akusesu [chu?] no [go-iku?] wa, rakkī monkī mīdia no [chuu?] yōchi ga aru. mukyoka de no akusesu wa, kinshi sarete imasu.

Warning: regarding the current access [go-iku?], there is the site of Lucky Monkey Media. Unauthorised (de?) access is prohibited.

(Just for the hell of it, when I was a kid I always heard this: “…New York shyaa! Shook, I dunno, access wah; keen Saturday Mass!”)

There were other messages, with warnings in other languages. The English one reads as follows, so at least we have a known target:

Warning: the node you are attempting to access is the property of [company]. Unauthorized access beyond this point is strictly prohibited.

Update: domo arigatou to Yosito Yamasa who commented the actual transcription under my upload:

警告！現在アクセス中のポイントはラッキー・モンキー・メディアの私有領域である。無許可でのアクセスは禁止されています

keikoku: genzai akusesu chū no pointo wa, rakkī monkī mīdia no shiyū ryōiki de aru. mukyoka de no akusesu wa, kinshi sarete imasu.

Brass Eye: Drugs, “Cannabliss” segment

(Source)

The end, I’m pretty sure, is this:

僕はカナブリッス　愛用してます　とうに　ｄｏｇ　パファ
カナブリッス：　何でも有効　タバコ、ヘロイン、そしてクラック！

I’ve been using Canabliss for a long time [through?] the dog puffer.
CANABLISS: Anything is effective - tobacco, heroin, or crack!

Dissidia Super Happy 012 Rocket Ship Duodecim Electric Boogaloo Final Fantasy

Awesome PSP game, and source of my Japanese love. I thank the YouTube channel EOTWPodcast for the Japanese footage I have relied on so much.

Example: Dissidia [012] Duodecim Playthrough: Final Ch. 8-2. I’ll be doing dialogue.

ライトニング：記憶が強くなってきている。近くまで来ているはずだ　気を抜くなよ
(LIGHTNING: (my) memories are starting to become strong(er). (They? We?) must be getting nearer. Don’t lose focus!)
ティファ：カイン　何かアドバイスある？
(TIFA: Kain, do you have any advice?)
カイン：そうだな…　相手のアシストを攻撃する。今さらかもしれんが　覚えておいて損はないはずだ
(KAIN: I do … (they? we?) attack (our? their?) companions’ assists. It may be too late to know, but … something something memorise something such that there will be no losses(?))
ティファ：相手のアシストを攻撃　ー　そうね！ちょっと頑張ってみる
(TIFA: attacking companions’ assists - precisely(?), we’ll try to have a little good luck (yeah I’m not great at this))
…
カイン：気を抜くな。敵は近い
(KAIN: Don’t lose focus. The enemy is near.)

Words: 記憶 (ki.oku, memory), 強い (tsuyo.i, strong), 近い (chika.i, near), はず (expectation), 気を抜く (ki wo nu.ku, to lose focus), 相手 (ai.te, companion), 攻撃 (kou.geki, military-scale attack), 今更 (ima.sara, at this point / this late (we can’t know?)), 覚える (obo.eru, to memorise), 損 (son, harm / loss (grammar word?)), 頑張って (gam.ba.tte, good luck!), 敵 (teki, enemy)

…
ティファ：もう　近いのよね
(TIFA: Already it seems like we’re close, doesn’t it?)
ユーナ：重く　まがまがしい気を感じる
(YUNA: heavily … I feel an ominous presence…)
ヴァーン：イミテーションのアジトか。どんな形してんだろうな
(VAAN: The manikins’ hideout? I wonder what kind of form it will take.)
ティファ：何だか　気楽ね
(TIFA: It’s somewhat … relaxed, isn’t it.)
ヴァーン：別にそういうわけじゃないけどさ　初めて行くんだ　楽しみだろ？
(VAAN: That’s no excuse(??!) We’ve gone for the first time ever. Are you looking forward to it? (?!?))
ティファ：ん　ー　そうかもね？（ユーナ：そうかな、ヴァーン：そうだって）そのくらいに思ってれば　少し気が軽くなるよ。ね　ユーナ？
(TIFA: mm … you could say that, right? (I think so; yup) If I thought that way, it would lift my spirits a little. Right, Yuna?)
ユーナ：そう… かもしれないね。私も楽しみだって思うことにするよ
(YUNA: Yes … maybe. I choose to think I too will enjoy it.)

Words: 重い (omo.i, heavy), 禍々しい (magamaga.shii, ominous), 感じる (kan.jiru, to feel), アジト ajito, hideout < агитпу́нкт, 形 (kata(chi/ji?), form/body/shape), 何だか (nan.daka, somewhat), 気楽 (ki.raku, at ease), 別に (betsu ni, not really), 訳 (wake, reason/conclusion), 初めて (haji.mete, for the first time), 楽しみ (tano.shimi, enjoyment / looking forward to), そうかもしれない (sou kamo shirenai, you could say that…), くらい (kurai, just…/approx…) 思う (omo.u, to think that…), 少し (suko.shi, a little (amount)), 軽い (karu.i, lightweight)

…
ラグナ：ああ、イミテーションの数のことかー
(LAGUNA: Ah, are you thinking about the [sheer] numbers of manikins–)
エクスデス：(Exdeath laugh) BWAAAAAAH, HWOAAAH, HWOAAH, HWOAAAH! 探し物か？ この先へ進めば二度と戻っては来れんぞ
(EXDEATH: DEARCHING FOR DOMETING?? Should you advance any further, you’ll just come back a second time/two times?(forgotten grammar))
ティファ：ご忠告　どうもありがとう。十分　気をつけるわ
(TIFA: Thanks for the warning. Ten minutes - I think we’ll be careful.)
エクスデス：(shorter Exdeath laugh) HWOAAAH, HWAAH! 進めれば　ー　の話だかな
(EXDEATH: all this talk of “If you advance…” ???)
ゴルベーザ：おまえたちはここでゆっくり私たちの相手するといい。気付く頃にはすべてが終わっている
(GOLBEZ: As for you lot - here - slowly - our comrades - would be good to do???? By the time you realise, all will be ending.)
カイン：何？NANI??!!??!!
(KAIN: WHAAAAAAA?)
ゴルベーザ：おまえたちも感じていたであろう、この地のイミテーションの少なさを
(GOLBEZ: You too must have been feeling, the scarcity of manikins in this place)
ライトニング：なにが起きている？
(LIGHTNING: What’s going on?!)
ゴルベーザ：イミテーションの大軍本体は　そろそろ目的地に到達する頃だ。（ユーナ：目的地？）（ヴァーン：どこだ？）
(GOLBEZ: The manikins’ [large, military] attack is fast approaching its destination. (YUNA: destination?) (VAAN: Where’s that?))
カイン：そういうことか。（ヴァーン：どういうこと？）
(KAIN: Now I see. (VAAN: What is it?))
ゴルベーザ：たとえ神であろうと　その数を前にしてなすすべもなかろう。調和の神　コスモスの玉座　イミテーションの狙いはコスモスだ。
(GOLBEZ: Even if (she is?) a god - those numbers ??? ??? ??? will not be there. The throne of the goddess of Harmony, Cosmos - the manikins’ aim is HER.)

Words: 数 (kazu, number), 探 (saga.su, to search for), 先 (saki, the (other) end), 進 (susu.mu, to advance), 二度 (nido, twice), 戻どる (modo.ru, to return / go back to a place), 忠告 (chuu.koku, warning), 十 (juu, 10), 分 (fun, minute (of time)), 気を付ける (ki wo tsu.keru, to be careful (to stick to one’s ki)), 話 (hanashi, conversation), ゆっくり (yukkuri, slowly), 気付く (ki dzu.ku, to notice / realise), 頃 (koro, around that time), 全 (sube.te, entirely / the whole), (が)終わる ((ga) o.waru, to end (intrans.)), 地 (chi, place / ground), 少ない (suku.nai, seldom / few), 起きる (o.kiru, to occur), 大軍本体 (tai.gun.hon.tai, military-scale attack), そろそろ (sorosoro, steadily / before long), 目的地 (moku.teki.chi, destination), 到達 (tou.tatsu, arrival), そういうことか (sou iu koto ka! Now I see!), 仮令 (tatoe, even if / although), 神 (kami, god), 調和 (chou.wa, harmony), 玉座 (gyoku.za(i), throne), 狙い (nera.i, aim)

ライトニング：なんだと？
(LIGHTNING: What did you just say?!)
ゴルベーザ：忘れたか？　主を失った戦士は皆　闇に消える。それは復活も望めぬ　完全なる消滅だ。
(GOLBEZ: Have you forgotten…? The warriors who lost (lose) their leader, all of them - disappear into the darkness. And that is, for those who cannot hope for resurrection, total annihilation.)
カイン：おまえたち！　先に行け！（ユーナ：カイン！）
(KAIN: OI YOU LOT! / All of you! Go on!)
ヴァーン：コスモスはどうすんだよ
(VAAN: How is Cosmos alive (???))
カイン：どうにもならん。
(KAIN: It’s futile; we can’t do anything.)
ヴァーン：どうにも？！？！ (the way he says this cracks me up)
(VAAN: Nothing at all?!)
ラグナ：今から戻ったって間に合うはずねえ　ー　か。主を守る　ってあいつの言葉を信じるかねえな
(LAGUNA: From now, we must be in time to return, right? Right? I think I believe his words about protecting our leader)
カイン：あいつひとりで　持ちこたえるにも限界がある　こんな場所でぐずぐずしている暇はない。先へ進み　次元の扉を破壊しろ！　このままでは　それすらも叶わなくなる！
(KAIN: There is a limit to (how much I can?) hold off (against?) those two. We don’t have time to be sitting around in a place like this. Go and destroy the portal (dimension door)! At this rate, even that’ll become unfulfilled!)
ユーナ：カイン　あなたは
(YUNA: Kain – what about you? –)
カイン：心配するな。こいつらを始末して　すぐに後を追う！ (atO-O OOU!) (KAIN: Don’t worry (about me)! I’ll follow immediately after I deal with these guys!)
ライトニング：頼んだ、カイン。みんな行くぞ！
(LIGHTNING: We’re counting on you, Kain. Everyone - let’s go!)
エクスデス：やけに親切なことだな　ゴルベーザよ
(EXDEATH: What a terribly nice thing that is, Golbez.)
ゴルベーザ：今さら彼らが何を知ろうと　大してことができるわけでもあるまい
(GOLBEZ: “It matters little what they know now. They have no way of stopping that which is to come”
エクスデス：ほう？Hwuh hwuh hwuh…
(EXDEATH: TRUULYY? Hwuh hwuh hwuh…)

Words: 忘れる (wasu.reru, to forget), 主 (aruji, leader / head / master), 失う (ushina.u, to lose), 戦士 (sen.shi, warrior), 皆 (min(n)a, everyone), 闇 (yami, darkness), 消える (ki.eru, to be erased), 復活 (fuk.katsu, resurrection), 望む (nozo.mu, to desire), 完全 (kan.zen, complete / total), 消滅 (shou.metsu, annihilation), 住む (su.mu, to live), どうにもならない (dou ni mo naranai, it’s hopeless / no use / futile), どうにも (dou ni mo, in no way / at all), 間に合う (ma ni a.u, to be in time / good enough), 守る (mamo.ru, to protect), あいつ (aitsu, that guy), 言葉 (koto.ba, words), 信じる (shin.jiru, to believe), ひとり (hitori, two people), 持ち堪える (mo.chi kotaeru, to hold out / hang on), 限界 (gen.kai, limit), 場所 (ba.sho, place), ぐずぐず (guzuguzu, dawdling), 暇がない (hima ga nai, no (free) time), 次元 (ji.gen, dimension), 扉 (tobira, door / gate / opening), 破壊 (ha.kai, destruction), このまま (kono mama, as it is / at this rate…), それすら (sore sura, even that), 叶う (kana.u, to come true), 心配 (shim.pai, worry), こいつら (koitsura, these guys), 始末 (shi.matsu, deal with / disposal), すぐ (sugu, immediately), 後 (ato, after), 追う (o.u, to follow), 頼む (tano.mu, to rely on), やけに (yake ni, awfully (…nice, thoughtful, etc)), 親切 (shin.setsu, kind), 大して (tai.shite, (not) very), まい (mai, probably doesn’t / won’t)