Q-Eng

日本語と英語で書きました。どうぞ私のつたない英語にアドバイスをお願いします。
I’m very glad if you will help me with English.

これは私の恩師のお話。かなり昔のお話ですが。
This is a true story of a professor at my university. It’s an old story.

　　　
在る分野で活躍されていらっしゃる方で、ヨーロッパ出身の大学教授。
アメリカでも教授をなさっていらしたとても優秀なこの教授が、日本にいらして間もないころの事。
まだ、日本語はあまりお出来にならない頃。

An professor from europe was an authority in his field.
He had also studied as a professor at a famous university in America before.
It had passed only a short time after he came to Japan.
He had learned Japanese, but was not a good speaker in Japanese yet.

　　　
ある物を買おうと思って、その日本語を何度も繰り返し口ずさんで覚えました。
「うーん。これで完璧。ちゃんと覚えた。」
さあ、いざデパートへ。

One day he wanted to buy something and learned to pronounce the word again and again.
“Um, perfect. I correctly memorize it!”
Then he went out for shopping the thing to an department store.
　　　
お目当てのものが並んでいる売り場へ行き、さきほど完璧に覚えた日本語を言いました。
教授　「すみません。未亡人を下さい。」
店員　「・・・・え・・・・」
教授　（あれ、発音がおかしかったのかな。）「未亡人を下さい。」
店員さん、顔を赤くして、困った様子。
教授、ますます自分の発音がおかしいと思い、はっきりと大きな声でもう一度。
教授　「未亡人を下さい。」
店員　「・・・・申し訳ありません。少々お待ち下さい。」

Getting to the department of the things he wanted, he said the word he had memorized perfectly to the young sales woman there.
Prof. “Excuse me. Can you help me? Do you have a ‘miboujin’?”
s.w. ”....I beg your pardon?”
Prof (Um….my…..,I wonder if my pronunciation was bad?) “Do you have a ‘miboujin’?”
She looked very confused with a red face as a beat.
He was sure that his pronunciation must had had something strange, and said the word again more clearly and more loudly to her.
Prof. “Do you have a ‘miboujin’?”
S.w. ”......I’m sorry, Sir. Would you stay here and give me some time?”

店員さん、奥へ行き、年配の女性を連れてきました。どうやらこの売り場の責任者らしい。
教授、この人ならわかるだろうと思い、もう一度。
「未亡人を下さい。」

The young sales woman went to an elder sales woman, her boss, and they came back soon together.
He thought the elder sales woman could understand him, so he said it again.
Prof. ” Do you have a ‘miboujin’?”

すると、その年輩の店員さん、あわてず騒がず丁寧に頭を下げ、こう言いました。
「お客様、まことに申し訳ございませんが、あいにくここではそれは扱っておりません。」
教授、（変だな、なぜないんだろう。）と、思いながら、家に帰りました。
そうしてもう一度辞書を見て言葉を確認しました。

Then the elder sales woman politely bowed him without being upset and being surprised, and replied to him in a calm voice, “I’m quite sorry, Sir, but I don’t have what you want.”
He wondered if it was true that they didn’t have them, and went back home.
And then he looked up the word in his dictionary to confirm his pronunciation of it.


教授、唖然としました。
自分が言った言葉、「未亡人」
自分が言いたかった言葉　「魔法瓶」
だから、デパートでは買えなかったのです。

The professor was dumbfounded at watching at the pronunciation of the word.
The word he actually said was “miboujin” in Japanese( “a widow” in English).
The word he really wanted to say was “mahoubin” ( a thermos bottle in English).
Therefore he couldn’t buy it.

この教授、現在は日本語の本もたくさん出版され、日本語でたくさん講演をしていらっしゃいます。
どんな達人も最初は初心者。
エジソンは天才は99％の努力からつくられると言った。
そう、達人も99％の努力からつくられる。
たくさんの間違いがたくさんの正解を連れてくるのだ。
恐れるな、間違いを。
そうすれば、貴方もいつか大学教授？

Now the professor has written many books in Japanese, and given many lectures in Japanese here and there.
Any expert was a beginner when he started it.
Thomas Edison said, “Genius is 99% perspiration.”
Yes, I agree with him, an expert is 99% perspiration.
Making many mistakes gives getting correct answers.
Don’t afraid of making many mistakes!
And then you’ll be a professor as an authority in your field some day?