Translation is an art, especially when its between two languages that are as disparately different as English and Japanese are. These translations are intended to not only help me gain more fluency in the language, but to help others who are interested in the language and culture of Japan, as well as its music.
TRANSLATION NOTES:
I have provided the original text, the romaji reading, English translations, and translation annotations. This is done so everyone, no matter what their Japanese language ability is, can enjoy in MONGOL800 lyrics as fully as possible.
However, I must admit that I’m still learning how to speak Japanese, so the translations will not always be 100% correct. The nuances of Japanese grammar is very hard to grasp, especially for a second language learner. As such, mistakes are not entirely out of the realm of possibility (read: likely). That being said, a lot of the lyrics are translated in consultation with my Japanese friends, who, although they don’t speak English, suffer through explaining the lyrics to me.
I have placed translation annotations for all my lyrics because the beauty in the phrasing is often (read: always) hard to translate properly. Also, there are a lot of literary and cultural references that may not be understood by someone who is not Japanese, so I thought it would be best to explain those as best I could. I also thought it prudent to confess in these annotations when I was not sure of a translation.
TRANSLITERATION NOTES:
I write Romaji (Roman Characters, or the alphabet as we know it) exactly how I type it in to the computer. Consequently, there are some things that person without a background in Japanese may be confused about, so I find it necessary to provide a guide on how to read the lyrics.
In layman’s terms, the Japanese language uses particles to denote whether a word is subject, object, direct object, etc… and they sometimes even function as prepositions. These particles are written with letters from the Japanese Alphabet (hiragana). In the romanji readings of the lyrics, I have separated them from the words they are connected to for an easier read. However, these particles are read different if by themselves as opposed to when they are in a word.
For example:
Ha – when by itself, this is read as "wa". However, all other times in my transliteration, ha is read like you would if you’re laughing. As a particle, it denotes a subject.
Wo- this is spelled this way to differentiate itself from the Japanese letter "O". The pronunciation is the same, but the character is different. There is no "w" sound. This particle denotes a direct object.
He – This, in a word, is always pronounced like the "he" in "head". However, by itself, it is pronounced as an e, as in elephant. This particle denotes a place that one is going to.
The Japanese has a fixed alphabet. All vowel sounds are the same (ka, ga, ta, ha, ba, pa, sa, sha, ya, ra, ma, na), with only the consonant sound changing. As much as I would love to explain the Japanese alphabet, it would take a whole lot more time than I actually have. I believe this should help you well on your way to reading, and then (hopefully!) singing along with Monpachi!
