しろくまカフェ: Week 4 Discussion (Chapters 7 and 8)

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Chapters 7 and 8

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Start date: April 3rd
Previous Chapter: Chapters 5 and 6
Next chapter: Chapters 9 and 10

Page numbers

d341e81048b3e028df1874578c88cace5aa3ee86

Vocabulary list

You can also check the page numbers for new and old versions here. If you have an old version, chapters 24-28 are in the second volume!

Translations/Grammar Breakdown

Expand for a nested list of links covering each panel
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44

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0 voters
7 Likes

Also, we had a poll about the schedule.

The chapter 7 is a bit longer, so I decided to make it two for now. But, will we speed up?

  • Yes, 3 chapters a week
  • Yes, 4 chapters a week
  • Yes, some mix of 3-4 chapters depending on the length?
  • No, leave it as 2 chapters
  • I don’t know
0 voters

The number of pages in every chapter can be seen in the Google doc

3 Likes

Thanks for making the thread once again, @FlamySerpent!

Thanks to @Wiggle’s warning last week, I went ahead and got started on these chapters over the weekend, since chapter seven alone is actually as long as three of the chapters we’ve had so far!

I also got started earlier on the translations, since in total there are twice as many pages to do this week.

Page 29, bis version

  • Panel 1

    • Mom(?): またゴロゴロして!

      • また - still
      • ゴロゴロ - idleness
      • して - doing (て-form of する, but I think it’s actually a shortened/exasperated version of している)
    • Mom(?): You’re still lying around!

    • Panda: あれっ

    • Panda: Eh

    • Newspaper: 日刊クマササ

      • 日刊 - daily edition
      • クマ - bear
      • ササ - bamboo grass
    • Newspaper: Daily Bear Bamboo

  • Panel 2

    • Panda: 近くの動物園でバイト募集してる

      • 近く - nearby, neighborhood (as an adjective, as in “the neighborhood store”)
      • の - (possessive/modifying particle)
      • 動物園 - zoo
      • で - (context particle)
      • バイト - part-time job
      • 募集 - recruitment, invitation, taking applications, etc.
      • してる - going (shortned ている-form of する)
    • Panda: They’re taking applications for part-timers at the neighborhood zoo

    • Newspaper: 動物とふれあえるお仕事

      • 動物 - animal
      • と - (with particle)
      • ふれあえる - to come into contact with, to touch (each other), to have a brush with​
      • お仕事 - work, job, occupation, etc. (with the honorific お)
    • Newspaper: A job where you can interact with animals

    • Newspaper: 曜日相談に応じます

      • 曜日 - day of the week
      • 相談 - discussion, consultation, etc.
      • に - (target/indirect object particle)
      • 応じます - to respond, to apply for
    • Newspaper: Days can be discussed (As in, “Days of work can be negotiated.” That’s what I think is meant here, though I’m not fully understanding 相談に応じます.)

    • Newspaper: 経験不問・面接随時

      • 経験 - experience
      • 不問 - not asking, ignoring, etc.
      • 面接 - interview
      • 随時 - at any time
    • Newspaper: No experience needed - Interview anytime

    • Newspaper: まずはお電話ください

      • まず - first
      • は - (topic marker)
      • お電話 - telephone (with honorific お)
      • ください - please
    • Newspaper: Please call first

    • Newspaper: 近くの動物園

      • 近く - nearby, neighborhood (as as an adjective, as in “the neighborhood store”)
      • の - (possessive/modifying particle)
      • 動物園 - zoo
    • Newspaper: Neighborhood zoo (This sort of makes it seem like 近くの動物園 is the actual name of the zoo)

  • Panel 3

    • Panda: やってみようかナ~

      • やって - to do (て-form of やる)
      • み - try (stem form of 見る, but when attached to the て-form of a verb, means “try and ”)
      • よう - looks like, appears like (attached to the stem form of やってみる)
      • みよう - let’s try (volitional form of 見る, but when attached to the て-form of a verb, means “try and <verb>”)
      • かナ - I wonder, should I?, I guess, is it?, etc. (with な in katakana for style, ect.)
    • Panda: I guess it looks like I’m going to try and do it

    • Panda: Guess I’ll give it a try (Thanks @Uchihaha and @NicoleIsEnough!)

    • Panda: おもしろそう

      • おもしろ - interesting (stem form of 面白い)
      • そう - seems like, appears like, looks like, etc.
    • Panda: Looks like it might be interesting

  • Panel 4

    • Panda: もしもし

    • Panda: Hello

    • Panda: パンダと申しますが

      • パンダ - Panda
      • と - (quoting particle)
      • 申します - to say, to be called
      • が - but (in spoken Japanese, ending sentences with が is sort of like trailing off, letting the other person know they should respond, etc., or just softening the sentence a bit, as far as I understand it)
    • Panda: My name is Panda

9 Likes

Oh wow, so fast!:3 Good job and thanks for the translations! And also let me know about the amount of pages, will people be comfortable with that amount?

1 Like

I personally think increasing the pace so we’re doing to 3-4 chapters is fine. Longer chapters in the future might need some adjusting. Like, if two 12-page chapters are back-to-back or something, doing that on top of 1-2 more chapters might be too much of an increase, but I’m not completely set on that either way.

2 Likes

Second page I worked on ahead of time:

Page 30, bis version

  • Panel 1

    • Panda: バイトに応募したいんですが

      • バイト - part-time job
      • に - (target/indirect object marker)
      • 応募 - application
      • したい - want to do (たい-form of する)
      • ん - (explanatory)
      • です - (copula)
      • が - but (in spoken Japanese, ending sentences with が is sort of like trailing off, letting the other person know they should respond, etc., or just softening the sentence a bit, as far as I understand it)
    • Panda: I’d like to apply for the part-time job

    • Panda: ハイハイ明日ですね

      • ハイ - yes
      • 明日 - tomorrow
      • です - (copula)
      • ね - isn’t it?, right?, etc.
    • Panda: Okay, it’s tomorrow then

  • Panel 2

    • Panda: 面接へ行くことになりました
      • 面接 - interview
      • へ - (direction/goal marker)
      • 行く - to go
      • ことになりました - it’s been decided that (phrase that follows a plain, non-past verb)
        • こと - action, thing, matter, etc.
        • に - (target/indirect object marker)
        • なりました - became, got (past ます-form of なる)
    • Panda: It’s been decided that I’m going to the interview tomorrow
  • Panel 4

    • Panda: 失礼します

    • Panda: Excuse me

    • Zookeeper(?): どうぞ~

    • Zookeeper(?): Welcome

  • Panel 5

    • Zookeeper(?): 週2日程度の勤務希望ですか

      • 週 - week
      • 2日 - two days
      • 程度 - about, approximately
      • の (possessive/modifying particle)
      • 勤務 - service, duty
      • 希望 - hope, wish
      • です - (copula)
      • か - (question marker)
    • Zookeeper(?): You want to work about two days a week?

    • Panda: ハイ

    • Panda: Yes

  • Panel 6

    • Zookeeper(?): そうですねえ・・・では
      • そうですねえ - that’s so, isn’t it
        • そう - so, really, etc.
        • です - (copula)
        • ねえ - isn’t it?, right?, ect. (with elongated final vowel)
      • では - then, well, well then
    • Zookeeper(?): Okay… Well, then

    I decided to start breaking things down into phrases with particularly meanings, rather than just individual words, when I recognize them and when the meanings of the individual words alone maybe don’t convey their meanings correctly/clearly. Can’t promise I’ll do that all the time, but I thought in particular ことになりました was worth doing that for.

7 Likes

The chapter seven was looooong. The vocab list was huge in comparisson with the other chapters so far!

1 Like

All the business kanji was new to me so the first half of chapter 7 kicked my butt. I try to have the week’s reading done by the time the discussion thread is made, but this time I’m still going back over my chapter 7 translations. Especially if we end up with a week with two of these longer chapters at once, I’m gonna fall way behind.

Edit:

Yeah, this verb really stumped me. Respond and Apply feel like weird fits, but I guess this is just my lack of job interview vocab failing me? If there’s a more nuanced definition for this verb I’d appreciate it, but I’m guessing this is Just How It Is Said.

I took this to be a jokey name given the tone of the book so far, like a Who’s on First thing.

I don’t understand why you’d use ていど instead of ぐらい here. Is there a distinction I’m missing?

I totally missed the きぼう the first time I read this and thought the zookeeper was stating that the job was two days a week. Seems weird that the applicant would lay out their terms like this immediately after starting the interview.

1 Like

I’m guessing it’s a formality thing, though I don’t know for sure. Based on the other words he used, I’m assuming he’s speaking more “business formal.”

edit: Also, this answer suggests 程度 is used when the amount is less than you expected. That might makes sense in this context. grammar - 程度, 程,ぐらい differences, nuances - Japanese Language Stack Exchange

2 Likes

That makes an awful lot of sense. Thank you!

So, someone posted this back in the Home Thread before we started, if memory serves. This is a readthrough of most of chapter 7 in Japanese, with English and Japanese subtitles, with some discussion on grammar points:

16 Likes

I’d translate this a bit more loosely like “Guess I’ll give it a try” ?

3 Likes

Small remark: I think みよう is the volitional form here, meaning “let’s”.
(I’m not sure but I don’t think that the よう you are thinking of can be attached to the verb stem.)

5 Likes

Yep, you’re right. I was confusing よう with そう. That makes it a much less weird statement, too.

1 Like

Oh, I thought you were thinking of ように and friends, hehe.

Let’s better stop this chain of confusions here.

To be clear, I thought it was the “appearance or manner” よう, but I was confusing how that was actually used/what it actually meant with the “guessing from observation” そう, to use the terminology from Appearances and hearsay – Learn Japanese.

1 Like

Page 31, bis version

  • Panel 1

    • Zookeeper: パンダの仕事はどうでしょう?

      • パンダ - panda
      • の - (possessive/modifier particle)
      • 仕事 - work, job
      • は - (topic marker)
      • どう - how, how about
      • でしょう - i wonder
    • Zookepper: How about a job as a panda?

    • Panda: えっ!?

    • Panda: Eh?!

  • Panel 2

    • Zookeeper: 常勤のパンダさんが1頭いるんですが

      • 常勤 - full time employment
      • の - (possessive/modifier particle)
      • パンダさん - panda
      • が - (subject marker)
      • 1頭 - one large animal
      • いる - exists
      • ん - (explanatory)
      • です - (copula)
      • が - but
    • Zookeeper: We have a full-time panda already, but

    • Zookeeper: 非常勤でもう1頭募集してるんです

      • 非常勤 - part-time employment
      • で - (context particle)
      • もう - more, another
      • 1頭 - one large animal
      • 募集してる - recruiting, taking applications for (shortened ている-form of 募集する)
      • ん - (explanatory)
      • です - (copula)
    • Zookeeper: We’re looking for another one as a part-timer.

  • Panel 3

    • Panda: はあ・・・

    • Panda: Well…

    • Panda: パンダ・・・

    • Panda: Panda…

  • Panel 4

    • Zookeeper: 気が進みませんか?ほかに

      • 気 - mind, motiviation, feelings
      • が - (subject marker)
      • 進みません - not advance, not make progress, to not do of one’s own free will (negative ます-form of 進む)
      • か - (question particle)
      • ほかに - in addition, besides
        • ほか - other, outside
        • に - (target/indirect object particle)
    • **Zookeeper: You don’t feel like doing that? Besides that, **

    • Zookeeper: ゴリラと月の輪熊も募集してますけど?

      • ゴリラ - gorilla
      • と - (exhaustive listing particle)
      • 月の輪熊 - Asian black bear (aka the moon bear)
      • も - also
      • 募集してます - recruting/taking applications for (shortened form of the ます-form of the ている-form of 募集する)
      • けど - but, however, although (similar to ending with が before, a way to hedge/soften a sentence or let the other person know to respond)
    • Zookeeper: We’re also looking for a gorilla or Asian black bear, but…

edit: My first time through, I thought Panda was shocked because, what other job would do other than being a panda, right?! But now going through this all more thoroughly, it seems more like, he didn’t expect the job to be ‘being an animal’ at all, but rather being part of the regular zoo staff.

4 Likes

Page 32, bis version

  • Panel 1

    • Panda: パンダでいいです・・・

      • パンダ - panda
      • で - (context particle)
      • いい - good
      • です - (copula)
    • Panda: A panda is fine

    • Zookeeper: そうですか

      • そうですか - I see
        • そう - really, so
        • です - (copula)
        • か - (question particle)
    • Zookeeper: I see

    • Zookeeper: では来週からきてください

      • では - Well, then
      • 来週 - next week
      • から - from
      • きて - come (て-form of 来る)
      • ください - please
    • Zookeeper: Well then, please come starting next week

  • Panel 3

    • Panda: ボクバイトすることにしたよ
      • ボク - I (僕 in katakana for style)
      • バイト - part-time job
      • する - do
      • ことにした - decided to
        • こと - action, matter, event
        • に - (target/indirect object marker)
        • した - did (past form of する)
      • よ - (informing emphasis)
    • Panda: Well, I decided to get a part-time job
  • Panel 4

    • Panda’s mom: あらそう

      • あら - oh, ah
      • そう - so, really
    • Panda’s mom: Oh, really

    • Panda’s mom: なんの?

    • Panda’s mom: What kind?

  • Panel 5

    • Panda: まだないしょ
      • まだ - still
      • ないしょ - secrecy, confidentiality, privacy, secret
    • Panda: That’s still private

(I know I’m posting in the thread twice in a row, but I thought keeping each page’s translation in its own post would be a good idea.)

4 Likes

Hmm. My impression was that he’s just surprised to get an offer so quickly, and then thinking really hard about whether he’s really qualified to work as a panda or whether one of the other jobs might suit him better.

Also, just one little typo in Page 31, panel 2… your transcription has か instead of が at the end of the first sentence. No big deal, but worth correcting to avoid confusion.

2 Likes

I actually did that basically every time he used が… That was the one I missed fixing :wink:

One final page today…

Page 33, bis version

  • Panel 1

    • Panda: 今日はバイトの日デス
      • 今日 - today
      • は - (topic marker)
      • バイト - part-time job
      • の - (possessive/modifier particle)
      • 日 - day
      • デス - (copula; in katakana for style)
    • Panda: Today is the day of my part-time job
  • Panel 2

    • Panda: オハヨーゴザイマス

      • オハヨーゴザイマス (おはようございます in katakana for style)
    • Panda: Good morning

    • Zookeeper: どうも~

    • Zookeeper: Hello

  • Panel 3

    • Panda: ボクは週2回パンダのバイトを始めました
      • ボク - I (僕 in katakana for style)
      • は - (topic marker)
      • 週 - week
      • 2回 - two times
      • パンダ - panda
      • の - (possessive/modifier particle)
      • バイト - part-time job
      • を - (direct object marker)
      • 始めました - started (past ます-form of 始める)
    • Panda: I started this two-times-a-week part-time job as a panda
  • Panel 4

    • Zookeeper: 今日の予定ですが

      • 今日 - today
      • の - (possesive/modifier particle)
      • 予定 - schedule
      • です - (copula)
      • が - (subject marker?, conjunction?)
    • Zookeeper: So, today’s schedule… (A little unclear here–ですが is a kind of conjunction, right? But this seems more like he’s saying “So, today’s schedule…” or “As for today’s schedule…”)

    • Zookeeper: 11時ごろに幼稚園から園児が散歩にきます

      • 11時 - 11 o’clock
      • ごろ - around, about
      • に - (target/indirect object marker)
      • 幼稚園 - kindergarten
      • から - from
      • 園児 - kindergartener
      • が - (subject marker)
      • 散歩 - walk, stroll
      • に - (target/indirect object marker)
      • きます - come (まうす-form of 来る)
    • Zookeeper: Around 11 o’clock, a kindergarten class will come by.

    • Sign: 今月の予定

      • 今月 - this month
      • の - (possessive/modifier particle)
      • 予定 - schedule
    • Sign: This month’s schedule (That’s as much as I can make out)

3 Likes