Quote:
Originally Posted by KyleGoetz
I'm confused as to the function of 田中さん here. Are the husband and wife the Tanakas, or is the speaker saying something about a different husband and wife to someone named Tanaka?
Parsing the beginning is difficult for me. It can be rephrased as 田中さんご夫妻での結婚の話しは残念ながらうまくいか なかった。
I fully understand everything after は.
Is it maybe "Talking with Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka about a wedding [to, say, their daughter], I am sorry to say, did not go well." ??
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You got somewhat close at the very end but not quite. Understanding this sentence may require just as much knowledge of the Japanese culture as that of the language. The two are never separable anyway.
話し, in this context, does not mean a "story" or "talk". Rather, it means an "offer", "idea" or "suggestion" as in introducing someone as the possible spouse of another.
田中さんご夫妻を通して means "through the Tanakas". The Tanakas, the matchmakers, introduced someone looking for a spouse to another doing the same. The "offer" came by way of the said couple serving as go-betweens. This is the meaning of the phrase 田中さんご夫妻を通しての結婚の話し.
And since you clearly have got the last half of the sentence, voila! It did not materialize.
EDIT: Oops, I didn't get to see Nyrororin's post above!