抑或 毋宁 In Japanese

[roddy]

I'm reading the Chinese translation of Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (当我谈跑步时我谈些什么). I'm finding the translation a little intrusive, one reason for which is there's constant use of 抑或 and 毋宁, which strike me as rare words to use anyway, and more so with the chatty style of the book. Are these likely to be leaking through from the original Japanese somehow, or is it perhaps a quirk of the translator? Or a quirk of me?

I've read another Murakami book in Chinese (can't remember which one. Japanese lady visits the beach where her surfer son met a shark) which was done by a different translator and don't recall anything standing out like that.

[Glenn]

Well, it's hard to know without seeing the original text, but words for "or" in Japanese are か (ka), 又は (mata wa), それとも (soretomo), 或いは (arui wa), and 若しくは (moshiku wa), and "rather" is 寧ろ (mushiro), although there is the 方がいい (hô ga ii) pattern for "it would be better". I think they're all fairly commonly used, perhaps with the exception of 若しくは, so the Chinese translation seems a bit stiff to me, just judging from what you've said about the book (and the Chinese) and what I know of Murakami from the little bit of his stuff I've read. There are differences in usage and formality amongst the "or"s, but like I said, they're still all fairly common. It's hard for me to say for sure, though, because aside from not knowing the original text, I'm also because not sure just how rarely used 抑或 and 毋宁 are. That aside, though, I'd guess it's the translator.

[skylee]

Japanese lady visits the beach where her surfer son met a shark

That's a very good story.

[roddy]

Which book is it in then

[skylee]

Which book is it in then

Wait till I have opened my book boxes. hmm...

PS - It is 《哈那雷灣》in 東京奇譚集.

[roddy]

Don't trouble yourself dear, just Google it.

Oh, ok.

Hanalei Bay seems to be the story. Not sure which collection I read it in, in English it's appeared in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, but that doesn't ring any bells. Might have been in some pirate edition. I lent it to someone.

PS. Ho, beating by Skylee's ninja editing.That was the collection, I remember now.

PPS. Can you check which story is the one where he mentions a displacement gesture? I remember not understanding what he meant at first, and then having a clear and distinct perception of what a displacement gesture is. Bless you.