Voici mon secret. Il est très simple, |
Voici mon secret. Il est très simple -- 'And now here is my secret, a very simple secret'. This is how the fox starts telling his secret. Here we look at variations in expression. For the sentence structures used, see "Bones".
1. Voici
Japanese doesn't have an exact equivalent of voici or 'here is'. That's why the translators find different ways for the fox to bring up the secret.
(1) The fox says that he is about to 'tell his secret' or 'give his secret'
This involves two verbs meaning 'tell' or 'say' (教える oshieru 'tell' and 言う yū 'say'), as well as one use of the verb プレゼントする purezento suru 'to present, give as a present'.
ANNOUNCING THE INTENTION TO TELL THE SECRET |
||
| I'll tell you the secret | 10 |
|
| を教えるよ | o oshieru yo | 1 |
| を教えてあげるよ | o oshiete ageru yo | 2 |
| を教えようか | o oshieyō ka | 1 |
| を教えよう | o oshieyō | 2 |
| を教えてあげよう | o oshiete ageyō | 2 |
| を言うよ | o yū yo | 1 |
| をいおうかね | o iō ka ne | 1 |
| I'll give you the secret | 1 |
|
| をプレゼントするよ | o purezento suru yo | 1 |
What is more interesting are the verbal endings and sentence-final particles, what I call the 'modal' content.
1. Plain form (declaration of intent) ~よ ~ yo ~てあげるよ ~ te ageru yo 2. Making an offer (using ~よう ~ yō) ~よう ~ yō ~てあげよう ~ te ageyō ~ようか ~ yō ka ~おうかね ~ ō ka ne Total 1) First, there are four translators who use a form with 〜てあげる -te ageru. The verb あげる ageru literally means 'to give (respectfully)'. 〜てあげる -te ageru is used when an action is being performed for the benefit of someone else. In this case, the fox is telling the secret for the little prince's benefit, thus its use in this sentence. The use of 〜てあげる -te ageru is more polite than not using it.
2) Looking at the verb ending and sentence-final particles, five translators use the plain form of the verb (教える oshieru, 言う yū, あげる ageru), which indicates future intent. This is followed by よ yo, a particle used in making an assertion. What this means is, 'I'm going to tell you!'
3) Another six translators use 教えよう oshieyō or いおう iō (or 教えてあげよう oshiete ageyō, etc.) representing an offer to the little prince, i.e., 'Let me tell you' or 'Shall I tell you?' In most of these there is no sentence-final particle because none is really needed. However, one translator uses か ka, which asks a question and strengthens the sense of 'Shall I tell you?' Similarly, another translator uses かね ka ne. The final particle ね ne adds a light sense of seeking confirmation to the question, as though the fox is saying 'Shall I tell you, eh?'.
This use of verb forms and sentence-final particles is par for the course in Japanese conversation. What is interesting is the variety of endings and the subtle differences in tone that each translator tries to convey.
Note that the fox doesn't use the polite 〜ます -masu form. If you look at the original French you will notice that the little prince speaks very politely to the fox while the fox speaks in normal tones. To have the fox speak in polite tones would be unfaithful to the original French and also out of character for the fox.
(2) It's like this:
The three translations that use this structure are as follows:
'that which is (the secret)' like this / this 'is' (declaration) ってのは
tte no waこういうこと
kō yū kotoさ
saというのは
to yū no waこういうこと
kō yū kotoなんだよ
nan'da yoっていうのは
tte yū no waこれ
koreなんだ
nan'daTotal There are minor variations:
というのは to yū no wa is the standard form. っていうのは ~tte yū no wa and ってのは ~tte no wa are both colloquial forms.
One uses これ kore 'this' instead of こういうこと kō yū koto 'a thing like this'.
One uses the jauntily assertive final particle さ sa, which attaches directly to the noun. The two others use なんだ nan'da, the shortened form of なのだ na no da. This is also used in making assertive statements. One reinforces this with the assertive particle よ yo.
(3) A straightforward 'this is':
This is the ... これが ... なんだ kore ga ... nan'da The subject is これ kore 'this'. Notice the subject particle が ga, which in this case emphasises that this is the secret. Topicalising これ kore as これは kore wa would be incorrect.
As in the above cases, the assertive なんだ nan'da form is used.
2. Words for bringing up the secret:
More than half of translators have the fox launch straight into his announcement that he is going to tell the secret. However, almost half prefix the announcement with a short interjection. These are shown in the following table:
WELL, NOW... |
|
| ~ | 8 |
| じゃ ja | 1 |
| じゃあ jā | 2 |
| さあ sā | 2 |
| ほら hora | 1 |
| これから kore kara | 1 |
| Total | 15 |
じゃ ja and じゃあ jā have a meaning like 'now' or 'well'. さあ sā is similar. ほら hora is used to draw attention to something. これから kore kara '(starting) now' is used in a sentence 'Now I'm going to tell you....'
These interjections have been inserted to make the transition to the fox's speech smoother and more natural (although one wonders whether a few translators might not have been influenced by a peek at the English translation!)
3. Mon: the 'definiteness' of the secret and the concept of 'possession':
Mon secret in this case means: 'that particular secret -- the one that I mentioned earlier -- that belongs to me'.
Japanese is interesting for the lack of unanimity in the way that mon is translated.
(1) Null:
Five translators do not translate mon at all. 秘密 himitsu could mean 'the secret' or 'a secret', but given that a secret has been referred to already, here we can assume that the little prince knows what secret the fox is referring to.
(2) Direct translation of mon:
Somewhat less than half of translators translate mon directly.
おれの ore no ぼくの boku no オイラの oira no Total Japanese pronouns are an issue in themselves, because there is such a choice. Three translators use おれ ore, a rough male pronoun. This presents the fox as something of a rough diamond with slightly macho qualities. The similar オイラ oira is a countrified usage that gives the fox a simpler, slightly hick-like image.
ぼく boku, on the other hand, is fairly standard young male usage that avoids the rough connotaions of おれ ore or the rustic sound of オイラ oira.
(3) Other definite :
おれからの ore kara no ぼくの知っている boku no shitte iru きみにプレゼントしたい kimi ni purezento shitai Three translators use expressions identifying the secret in various ways.
One refers to きみにプレゼントしたい秘密 kimi ni purezento shitai himitsu 'the secret that I want to give you as a present'. This both identifies the secret that the fox mentioned earlier, but also indicates that the fox is about to 'give' the secret to the little prince.
One uses おれからの秘密 ore kara no himitsu 'the secret from me'. This indicates that it is about to be given to the little prince.
One refers to ぼくの知っている秘密 boku no shitte iru himitsu 'the secret that I know'.
This is functionally equivalent to 'my secret', in the sense that 'the secret that I know' explains more clearly the concept of possession represented by mon secret ('knowing' a secret is equivalent to 'possessing' it).
(4) That (before)
さっきの sakki no One translator (none other than Naitō) uses the term さっきの sakki no 'that before'. This makes it quite clear that the fox is referring to the secret he promised to tell the little prince before.
4. Secret:
The word secret ('secret') is translated by the same word in all Japanese translations. The word is 秘密 himitsu 'secret'.
5. The translation of il est:
As we noted above, Japanese normally doesn't use a pronoun corresponding to il in a situation like this. It is most normal to say: とても簡単なこと totemo kantan na koto 'a very simple thing'.
One translator does, however, use an equivalent to il: the demonstrative それ sore 'that'.
6. Très
Très ('very' in English) is meant to emphasise how simple the secret is. Most use とても totemo. Only one uses the colloquial すごく sugoku; two use nothing at all.
TRANSLATING TRÈS |
|
| とても totemo | 10 |
| とっても tottemo | 1 |
| すごく sugoku | 1 |
| ~ | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
7. Simple
In looking at the word simple, we need to consider not merely the word simple itself, but what the fox meant when he said this.
In the French, the sentence Il est très simple is a straightforward declaration. However, least three possible implications spring to mind:
- it's a way of reassuring the little prince that the content of the secret is not difficult.
- it's meant as a way of downplaying the momentousness or pomposity of the advice, a kind of modesty. This might be expressed as, "Well, actually, it's nothing at all".
- it's designed to emphasise the gravity, or no-nonsense clear-cut nature of the secret. This is the tone conveyed in a sentence like: "I'll give you some simple advice, my friend...", which could even sound ominous.
In fact, all of these nuances could be present at once.
TRANSLATING SIMPLE |
|
| 簡単 kantan | 7 |
| かんたん kantan | 4 |
| 単純 tanjun | 3 |
| なに、なんでもない nani, nan de mo nai | 1 |
| Total | 15 |
The original translation by Naitō is notable for using the expression なに、なんでもない nani, nan de mo nai, a deprecating expression meaning that it is 'nothing at all'. This downplays the secret.
Most later translations use 簡単 kantan 'simple'. This indicates that the secret is 'not difficult'.
Similarly for the translations that use 単純 tanjun 'simple', which indicates that the secret is 'not complicated'.
Most of the translators use expressions meaning 'a very simple thing', almost unanimously こと koto, the word for an abstract thing or situation. One uses もの mono, a word for a concrete thing. Three say it is 'very simple'.
こと これは ...もの ~ Total
8. Modal ending (second sentence)
The modal ending (indicates the way that the statement is being 'declared') shows a number of variations and combinations.
MODAL ENDINGS FOR 'IT IS VERY SIMPLE' |
||
| 簡単〜 kantan ~ (2) | ||
| だ da | だよ da yo | 1 |
| なんだ nan'da | なんだ nan'da | 1 |
| 簡単なこと (もの)〜 kantan na koto (mono) ~ (13) | ||
| だ da (6) | だ da | 3 |
| だよ da yo | 2 |
|
| だけど da kedo | 1 |
|
| なんだ nan'da (4) | なんだ nan'da | 2 |
| なんだよ nan'da yo | 1 |
|
| なんだけどね nan'da kedo ne | 1 |
|
| さ sa | さ sa | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
|
One third of the 15 translations use なんだ nan'da, which has both an explanatory ('you, see, this is how it is') and assertive function. The rest use just だ da by itself, except where the particle さ sa is used. さ sa can be added directly and doesn't require だ da.
Taking just the final particle, we find the following patterns:
FINAL PARTICLES |
|
| No particle | 6 |
| よ yo | 4 |
| けど kedo | 1 |
| けどね kedo ne | 1 |
| さ sa | 3 |
Each conveys a subtly different tone.
- Use of no particle is abrupt and assertive, especially given that the verb is the plain form.
- The particle よ yo is also assertive, but adding the particle actually softens the tone in comparison with using no particle.
- The particle けど kedo (including けどね kedo ne) has a much softer impact. It has a concessive force -- the meaning is literally 'but', and thus contains the notion of leaving something unsaid.
- さ sa is also assertive, but in a breezier manner. It has a jauntier feel about it that could be taken as more friendly and reassuring.
In fact, the difference is related to the fox's attitude to the fact that the secret is 'simple'. While in most translations the fox is assuring the little prince in no uncertain terms that the secret is simple, in those that use けど kedo the fox is almost apologising that the secret is such a simple little thing. In those little final particles lies a world of difference in meaning.
