Absolute heroes, thank you!
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Ah if it’s a common phrase then all the better. It wasn’t a common phrase that I knew or an expression that came up on Jisho or ichi.moe. To be honest when I read it in the book I understood what it was trying to say, it was only here trying to explain the grammar that I tried to break it down.
In fact お礼を言う meaning “to thank” doesn’t seem to be on Jisho either. So I was really working from first principles 
Here’s a Japanese site with some suggestions of how Japanese people can say this phrase in English.
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In this case you have to search for the expression omitting the honorific prefix. 
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Thanks for that. I usually find in phrases like this that ichi.moe will spot the set expression hiding in the words you typed, better than Jisho will.
I looked again at ichi.moe and realised that the phrase I had copied and pasted into Jisho from this thread had a small space between お礼を and 言ったら (like in the book). When I remove this space ichi.moe now spots the expression 礼を言う and tells me it means to thank.
Another lesson learned in using Jisho and ichi.moe successfully!
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Where is the link to the book ?
p. 17
my translation
トン、ツー。信号を、素早く打っていきます。
dot, dash. The signals get quickly tapped.
けれども、ただ信号を打つだけでは、満足できませんでした。
However, only tapping the usual signals was not satisfying.
エジソンは、考えていました。
Edison was thinking.
「この電信の仕組みを使えば、何か便利なものが発明できるんじゃないか……。」
“Using this mechanism of the telegraph, couldn’t I invent something useful…?”
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Just reading the first page and I already encountered new grammar points. Thanks for the breakdown of 知りたがりや, @2000kanji and @NicoleRauch. I also don’t recall ever using ころ but that seems like a useful point to know. Thought I’d mention this just to reinforce that it’s helpful to ask any questions.
I know I leaned heavily on using ichi.moe last time so I’m hoping my current knowledge can carry me through. I’ve already had to use jisho a few times though. The only embarrassing one was having to check あたためる since I didn’t recognize the reading. Kanji is a useful crutch but I really want to be able to recall words from their readings as much as possible. It seems necessary if there’s any hope to ever speak the language.
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My translation of p. 17
translation
Dot, dash. He is tapping the signals fast.
But only tapping signals couldn’t satisfy him.
Edison was thinking:
„If I use this telegraphy system wouldn’t it be possible to invent something convenient …“
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My translation of p. 17
トン、ツ。しんごうを、素早く打っていきます。
dot…dash . He tapped the signal quickly.
けれども、ただ 信号を 打つだけでは、まんぞくできませんでした。
However, just tapping a signal was not satisfying.
エジソンは、考えていました。
Edison thought about this.
「この 電信の 仕組みを つかえば 、何か べんりな ものが 発明できるんじゃないか………」
“If I use the construction of this telegraph, would I not be able to invent something more convenient?”
My question today is for line number 2 and 4, the verbs ending in a conjugated form of 出来る.
Could line two not have ended in 満足じゃなかったです?
As always, thank you!
Edit: I’ll start adding something I’ve learned in my posts as well, today it was the conditional form ～ば . Never encountered it before.
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I don’t think so (but prepared to be corrected!) - 満足 is a noun, here used as a suru verb meaning “to satisfy”. できる is the potential form of する, and so the phrase means “wasn’t able to satisfy”.
満足じゃなかったです would just mean - “wasn’t satisfaction”.
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I did not know this, thank you, will put this down in my notes.
p. 18
my translation
仕事の合間に、エジソンは実験を重ねました。
During his breaks at work, Edison made many experiments.
毎晩、毎晩、メモを取りながら六年間……、ノートは、ひらめきやアイデアのメモで一杯になりました。
Taking notes for six years, night after night, …, his notebook was filled with notes on insights and ideas.
「もっと時間がほしいな。よし、決めた！」
“I need more time. Alright, I decided!”
エジソンは、ニューヨークへ行こうと決めました。
Edison decided to go to New York.
二十二歳、お金も荷物も持たない、挑戦でした。
At the age of twenty-two, without money or baggage, it was a challenge.
ニューヨークについたエジソンは、電信の仕組みを使い、金や株の値段を、同時に多くの人に知らせる機械を発明しました。
After Edison arrived in New York, he invented an appliance that used the mechanism of the telegraph to inform many people at the same time of the price of gold and stocks.
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translation p. 18
In spare moments at work Edison repeated his experiments over and over again.
Night after night, while he took notes for six years … his notebooks filled with notes of insights and ideas.
„I need more time. Alright, it’s decided!“
Edison decided to go to New York.
He was twenty-two, had neither money nor baggage, it was a challenge.
When Edison had arrived in New York he used the telegraphy system and invented a machine that informed many people at the same time about the prices of gold and stock etc.
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My attempt at p. 18
しごとの 合間に、エジソンは じっけんを かさねました 。
During work breaks, he would do experiments over and over
毎ばん、毎ばん、メモを とりながら 六年間……、ノートは、ひらめきや アイヂアの メモで いっぱいに、なりました。
He took notes night after night for a period of six years. His notebook was full of insights and ideas.
「もっと 時間が はしいな。 よし、きめた ！」
“I need more time. Alright I have made up my mind”
エジソンは、ニューヨークへ 行こうと きめました。
Edison decided to go to New York
二十二さい、お金も にもつも もたない、ちょいせんでした。
At 22 years old, it was a challenge with not much money or luggage
ニューヨークに ついた エジソンは、電信の 仕組みを つかい、金や 株の ねだんを、同時に 多くの 人に 知らせる きかいを 発明しました。
After he arrived in New York, Edison invented a machine that used the telegraph mechanism to inform a lot of people at the same time of the price of gold and stocks.
This was a tough one, especially the last sentence. The japanese sentence structure still confuses me but I am getting the hang of it slowly haha.
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Question for you guys, for the first sentence on page 19:
これは、銀行や 会社で はたらく 人に とても よろこばれました。
I understand the word, but the sentence doesn’t make sense to me unless これは can mean “the”.
As in The bank and company workers were delighted!
Thanks guys!
Edit: Ah, just understood that it translate to “This was”, so This was greatly appreciated by bank and company workers.
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p. 19
my translation
これは、銀行や会社で働く人にとても喜ばれました。
This was very much appreciated by people working in banks and companies.
「みんなが欲しいものを、どんどん作るぞ。」
“I will continue making things wanted by everyone.”
発明家と言えば、一人で黙って机の上で計算をしているような人が多かったのですが、エジソンは違いました。
There were many inventors who did calculations alone and silently at their desk, but Edison was different.
picture:
株式相場表示機
stock quotation display device
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I had a bit trouble with this one and translated it like this:
Speaking of inventors, there were many who seem like they alone and in silence were making calculations at their desk, but Edison was different.
I wasn’t really sure how to translate ような.
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Would どんどん be translated into “continue”? Having a bit of an issue with that word to make the sentence come together…
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I translated it that way too, to me this makes most sense in this context.
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