TRANSLATE THIS game

[MMM]

As some of you know I am a Jpn to Eng translator. Sometimes I come across sentences that could be translated several ways, so I thought it might be fun for those who feel they have some skills to use this thread to discuss possible translations for a sentence or phrase.

Of course, everyone can participate who is interested in English and Japanese, and questions are encouraged. It's not a "game" maybe so much as a a discussion with examples...

I came across this sentence tonight, and although it looks relatively simple, I struggled a little with an accurate translation...


(A person is outside at night...)

農家の窓にはあたたかい灯がとまっている。

[Nagoyankee]

Excuse me for interrupting but did this actually say 窓からには?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Nagoyankee

Excuse me for interrupting but did this actually say 窓からには?

ACK! My mistake!

農家の窓にはあたたかい灯がとまっている。

I'll fix it in the first post too.....

[DragonShade]

農家の窓にはあたたかい灯がとまっている

Oops,thought it was まっている、 its とまっている。。...

There's warm light inside the window of the farm house?

とまる here means ある in my opinion

[MMM]

That was one that was getting me...とまっている

Especially with no kanji clue.

[Cyclamen]

Uhm, that's an interesting sentence. I would say
"A warm light is waiting inside the window of the farm house"

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Cyclamen

Uhm, that's an interesting sentence. I would say
"A warm light is waiting inside the window of the farm house"

とまっている

I don't think it is　と待っている

[Cyclamen]

I know, but とまる (止まる?, 泊まる?, 留まる?) could mean "to stop", "to come to a halt", "to stay in a place", but also "to be docked" and "to abide".
Those meanings are different, but in my opinion they have a similar background concept: they refer to something that was moving before and now has stopped, or stays somewhere.
From the point of view of the person who is walking outside at night, the light is just... there! and seems to be "waiting" for him.
That's why I translated it using the verb "to wait", even if it's definitely not と待っている (the sentence would be then 農家の窓にはあたたかい灯が待っている, without と).

Now that I wrote this I realized that my translation isn't right...
a simple "There's a warm light inside the farm house's window" would probably be ok.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Cyclamen

I know, but とまる (止まる?, 泊まる?, 留まる?) could mean "to stop", "to come to a halt", "to stay in a place", but also "to be docked" and "to abide".
Those meanings are different, but in my opinion they have a similar background concept: they refer to something that was moving before and now has stopped, or stays somewhere.
From the point of view of the person who is walking outside at night, the light is just... there! and seems to be "waiting" for him.
That's why I translated it using the verb "to wait", even if it's definitely not と待っている (the sentence would be then 農家の窓にはあたたかい灯が待っている, without と).

Now that I wrote this I realized that my translation isn't right...
a simple "There's a warm light inside the farm house's window" would probably be ok.

I see what you mean now. And I agree.

[DragonShade]

These are the sentences taken from a dictionary

たくさんの鳥が枝にとまっている。 Many birds are on the branch.
ハエが天井にとまっている。 The fly is on the ceiling.

とまっている　in my opinion, is on/in/