Does anyone have an idea how they naturally say this in Japanese? Or if there is a similar natural Japanese phrase that you’ve come across that covers this? The best I can come up with is a near literally translation that would be something like…
大規模にしてか帰りなさい。
大規模にしなかったら帰りなさい。
一生けん命にしてか帰りなさい。
凄いことをしなかったら、するな。
やるならやれ probably comes off similar and is more natural
Thoughts?
I found 中途半端にやってもしょうがない。On an eikaiwa blog.
Basically, there’s no use in doing it half-assed.
I’d say that’s similar but with a different feeling behind it. It could work too though.
That’s kind of the point of not literally translating it, though, right?
Yea for sure since direct translations aren’t necessarily natural.
I think I’d go as far as to say with English and Japanese, direct translation is at most a 50/50 shot at being natural (on a phrasal level).
That’s a generous 50/50. I basically think of it as a small miracle when any phrases happen to be anything close to 1:1.
Forgive me if I look stupid for a moment (it happens I know), but breaking down this sentence I see -
中途半端にやっても - even if you do it half-assed
しょうがない - it can’t be helped
Is there an advanced grammar nuance I’m missing?
てもしょうがない means “it’s no use ________”
ah, thanks.
I read the title as ‘go bi or go home’ and I was like, what kind of topic belongs with this title lol
I don’t disagree, I just used that as a rough ballpark and to leave room in case anyone decided to come in and point out how basic sentences like 「それは犬です」 and “That is a dog” are 1:1. I couldn’t give you an accurate estimate at how much of either language is actually made up of such basic grammar on a daily conversation level, so I just went with “at most” 50/50.
I’d probably go with どうせやるなら + whatever it is you need to “go big” on. Or even a general “全力で”.
Something like どうせやるなら全力で（やれ)！
It shifts the meaning a little bit: “If you gotta do it might as well go all in”. But it’d say it’s close enough. And probably more idiomatic than something closer to the English.
バイセクシャルにならないなら帰れ？
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