Hello. This may seem like a strange request, but there is some dialogue from a game that I am trying to understand. Someone provided a translation, but I’m unsure if they got it correct.
れを眠らせておいたところで、薬どころか毒にさえならぬ
Original Translation Given: Even if you let that sleep/leave it unused, far from a medicine it won’t even become a poison
The translator claimed that it’s a play on an idiom, which basically means “smoke them if you got them”. In other words, if something is just going to lay there, you might as well use them.
They said this about their translation:
The medicine/poison bit is a play on an idiom or saying or whatever that basically means “for good or ill nothing will come of this”. So she’s more or less saying “smoke em if you got em”
For context, here is more of the dialogue from the game:
Character 1: 墓荒らしの目的は一つだろ、炎帝さんよ。
あんたは聖墓に眠るお宝を暴きに来た、と。
Character 2: ふ、察しが良いな、道化師。
ここにある紋章石はすべて貰い受ける。
それを眠らせておいたところで、
薬どころか毒にさえならぬ
But I cannot find evidence of what play of an idiom it may be, or if their translation is fully accurate. Is their assessment of the line somewhat accurate or did it miss the mark? Thank you in advance.
Ok, so it is me and my limited knowledge (level 18), so do not take my answer for a fact. I’m just unsuming based on @acm2010’s help and the context.
Character 1: It’s about desecrating a tomb. You came to reveal the treasure sleeping in the sacred tomb.
Character 2: You’re sensible. Receive those heraldic stones. To let it sleep will bring harm rather than good.
Again, I’m no fluent Japanese speaker and not a translator but that’s how I’d understand the dialog.
My translation attempt (no clue what the game is about )
C1: Hey Entei [sun emperor?], didn’t we have only a single goal in our grave robbing? You were to dig out the treasure sleeping [lying] in the sacred tomb.
C2: Yeah, nice thinking you clown. [Whatever.] We will get all the seal stones (?) here. No one cares about them [in their dormant (abandoned?) state] anyway.
I think it’s just weird of him to translate the 毒にも薬にもならない part literally, because it doesn’t make sense to me in English. But I agree that the dialogue is referring to this idiom, and with the translator’s interpretation of “if something is just going to lay there, you might as well/take use it.” (nothing will change (won’t do harm nor good) whether I take it or not)
I don’t know the English expression “smoke em if you got em”, so I won’t try to comment on the accuracy of the translation of the idiom.
Kind of rough translation
Character 1: There’s only one one reason to rob a grave, isn’t there. Meaning, you came here to steal the treasure.
Character 2: You’re a smart one, aren’t you. I am gonna take the stones.
Nothing will come of just letting them sleep here in the tomb, so I might as well take them.
)