I asked my friend whether the direct and indirect quote (that I wrote above) had the same meaning, and whether I’d need the quotation marks in the direct quote.
Here is her answer:
You need to put quotation marks, like「勉強しなさい」と言われた。勉強するように言われた is, someone told you to study, but you don’t know how he or she said it, so it’s an indirect expression. Maybe very strict, or maybe very soft, so it’s almost the same as “「勉強しなさい」と言われた”, but not exactly the same, I think.
So you were right about the quotation marks, thanks for pointing that out!
数週間後、マーニャは、ブローニャよりも上手に本を読めるようになっていました。
A few weeks later, Manya became better at reading books than Bronya.
「すごい……、マーニャ。」ブローニャも、お父さんも、目を丸くしました。
“Great …, Manya.” Both Bronya and their father were amazed.
この マニャこそが、のちに 女せいで はじめて、しかも 二回、ノーベル賞を もらう ことに なる マリー・キュリーです。
It is this Manya that later on will be the first woman to be given the nobel prize two times as Marie Curie.
マーニャは、本が 大好きに なりました。
Mary grew to love books.
本を 読むと、今まで 知らなかった ことが わかります。
By reading books, you can understand things you didn’t understand before.
すると、もっと 次の ことが 知りたくない。
So therefore she did not want to know many other things
もっと もっと 本は 読みたくなるのです。
She just wanted to read more and more books.
小学校へ 入った マーニャは、図書室の 本を 次から 読んでいました。
When she went to elementary school, Mary would read the library’s books one after another.
ある日、なかの よい 友達が、本を 読んでいる マーニャに いたずらを しました。
One time while a good friend was reading a book, Manya played a prank.
Couple of question, the こそが in the first line confuses me a little, what exactly does that do to her name?
I also wonder if I got the 4th line wrong and inerpreted the たくない in an odd way…
And last thing, the なかのよい友達 on the last line… what does the なかの do?
Cheers guys, looking forward to reading the more experienced peoples translations.
こそ just emphasizes what comes before. > exactly this Manya (and nobody else)
It says たくなり and not たくない, so it describes the process of wanting to know more.
仲の良い is an expression for „intimate“ or „close“.
Maybe take another look at the last sentence. The friend is marked with が and therefore the subject. The action of reading a book on the other hand is a phrase that modifies Manya. You can see this because of the use of the plain form.
my translation
And exactly this Manya is Marie Curie, who later turned out to receive the Nobel Prize as the first woman and furthermore two times. Manya turned out to really like books. Whenever she reads a book, she understands things she didn’t know until now. And then she wants to know more things and wants to read more and more books. When Manya was in elementary school, she went to the library to read one book after the other. One day close friends played a trick on Manya, who was reading a book.
このマーニャこそが、後に女性で初めて、しかも二回、ノーベル賞をもらうことになるマリー・キュリーです。
This Manya is Marie Curie, who later will be the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize, even twice.
マーニャは、本が大好きになりました。
Manya came to love books.
本を読むと、今まで知らなかったことがわかります。
By reading books, she understands things she didn’t know before.
すると、もっと次のことが知りたくなり、もっともっと本が読みたくなるのです。
Then, she wants to know more about the next thing and wants to read more and more books.
小学校へ入ったマーニャは、図書室の本を次から次へと読んでいきました。
When she entered the elementary school, she read the books in the library one after another.
ある日、仲の良い友達が、本を読んでいるマーニャにいたずらをしました。
One day, while she was reading a book, a close friend of hers played a trick on her.
I think „to pile up“ here makes totally sense, I guess いす is more than one chair.
my translation 31
They piled up chairs high around Manya. The chairs fell down and made a loud noise but Manya didn’t notice anything. She was that much immersed in the book.
マーニャの周りに、椅子を高く積み上げたのです。
Near Manya, there was a high pile of chairs.
椅子は崩れ落ちて、大きな音を立てましたが、マーニャは何も気づきませんでした。
The chairs tumbled down, making a loud noise, but Manya didn’t notice anything.
それほど、本に夢中だったのです。
So absorbed was she in her book.
I think you are right that this is „they piled up“, but it has nothing to with です used at the end. This is just part of the explanatory phrase のです. What’s more important is 積み上げた, which is a transitive plain style past verb.
せいせきの よい マーニャは、同じ クラスの 友だちよりも、少なくとも 二学年は、上の 勉強を していました。
Manyas good grades were at least 2 grades ahead of her classmates.
勉強は、天に つづく 長い かいだんに いています。
Studying is like being on a long staircase that continues to the sky
一だん一だん 上る ごとに、今まで 見えなかった けしきが、少しずつ 遠くまで 見えてくるのです。
Little by little for each step you climb, you can see more than what you could not see so far.
（もっと 知りたい！ もっと 見たい！ ）
I want to learn more! I want to see more!
マーニャは、大学に 行きたいと 思いました。
Manya dreamt of going to university.
(I have conformed the translation on line 3, I just couldn’t get a literal translation to work in english with the metaphor… so please anyone who did let me know )
Relative clause alert This is talking about Manya who is qualified by the sentence せいせきが よい ,
so altogether Manya, who had good grades, was at least…
I think you skipped this in your translation… The second half of the sentence goes like this:
今まで 見えなかった けしきが、- the landscape that was not visible until now
少しずつ 遠くまで 見えてくるのです。- little by little one can see into the far distance
In English maybe: the landscape that was not visible until now becomes more and more visible / can be seen farther and farther ?
I think of this more as “want to know” than “want to learn”, but this is of course not far from each other.
Manya, who had good marks, in comparison to friends from the same class learned things that were at least from two grades above. Learning was like a long stairway leading to heaven. While climbing higher step by step landscapes that were not visible until now started to become visible bit by bit in the distance. (I want to know more! I want to see more!) Manya intended going to university.
Check the first sentence again, the grades are not the subject, having them is just modifiyng the real subject, Manya.
I think these are rather complex sentences and it’s easy to get lost. And then building somewhat decent English sentences … I had really trouble this time, especially with the first sentence.
)
This is talking about Manya who is qualified by the sentence せいせきが よい ,