Talk:Suzumiya Haruhi:Volume1 Prologue

Not literal enough?

I read the prolouge and discovered that there are a lot of discrepancies between it and the Japanese version of the novel. Here are some that want to point out:

First paragraph

サンタクロースをいつまで信じていたかなんてことはたわいもない世間話にもならないくらいのどうでもいいような話だが、 それでも[...]

should be translated as, I think, "The fact about until when a person believes in Santa Claus is such an insignificant topic that it can't even become the subject of any useless gossips, but if you were to [...]."

Second paragraph

The novel doesn't say "every on of my classmates," but "周囲にいた園児たち" or "classmates around me." Also, the "teacher" is in fact "サンタのコスプレをした園長先生," which is "the principal cosplaying as Santa."

Third paragraph

[...]宇宙人や未来人や幽霊や妖怪や超能力や悪の組織やそれらと戦うアニメ的特撮的マンガ的ヒーローたち[...]

should rather be "[...] alines, people from the future, ghosts, demons, espers, evil organizations, and heroes in effect-filled anime and manga who fight them [...]"

Fourth paragraph

This paragraph is actually three paragraphs in the Japanese novel. The first paragraph is from "No, [...]" to "[...] to appear." The second paragraph is from "Compared to [...]" to "[...] desirable." And the last paragraph just contains a single sentence, "I want to live in that world too!"

About the discrepancy, you translated the second paragraph as "Compared to this boring, normal life of mine, [...]." However, the Japanese version is:

俺が朝目覚めて夜眠るまでのこのフツーな世界に比べて、アニメ的特撮的マンガ的物語の中に描かれる世界の、なんと魅力的なことだろう。

which is roughly "Comparing to this ordinary world that I live in from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I fall asleep at night, the world portrayed as in those effect-filled anime and manga is somewhat more charming, right?"

Also, the novel says "俺もこんな世界に生まれたかった!," which is "I wanted to be born in such a world!"

Fifth paragraph

The "bowl-like prison" is actually "透明なエンドウ豆のサヤ" or "transparent bean-shaped pod." Also, the Japanese novel does not mention any "mutants" or "evil organizations." It just says "秘密組織の超能力者とサイキックパトルを繰り広げたり,[...]" or "I want to engaged in psychic battles against espers from clandestine organizations."

Cardcaptor 22:58, 6 May 2006 (PDT)

Seventh paragraph

The current translation distorts the semantics of the novel counterpart. The novel says

そいつが実は宇宙人とか未来人とかまあそんな感じで得体の知れないカなんかを持ってたりして、でもって悪い奴らなんかと戦っていたりして、俺もその闘いに巻き込まれたりすることになればいいじゃん。

or "He's actually an alien or a person from the future or something like those, that has innate inexplicable power, and he's fighting some bad guys. Wouldn't it be great if I somehow get dragged into their battle as well?" While the novel says that Kyon's getting involved is not under his control and Kyon supposes that being dragged into such situation is not a bad idea, the current translation says that he should get himself involve according to his own will.

Moreover, the novel says "メインで戦うのはそいつ。俺はフォロー役。" or "The main fighter is him. I just play the follow-up role." It doesn't say that Kyon wants to be a sidekick.

Eighth paragraph

The novel mentions two kinds of powers, テレポーテーション (teleportation) and サイコキネシス (psychokinesis), in that order, not "telekinesis" and "a psychic ability."

According the novel, Kyon does not "discover" that there are other psychics. He just generally mention that "実は他にも超能力を持っている人聞はけっこういて、そういう連中ばかりが集められているような組織も当然あって" or "in fact, there are quite a number of people who possess psychic powers, and there are definitely organizations consisting of only such people."

It is not "some sort of paranomal society" that recruits Kyon, it's "善玉の方の組織" or "the origanation on the good side" that does. Moreover, Kyon does not "protect the world against evil mutants," but he "fights against evil espers who plan to take over the world (界征服を狙う悪い超能力者と戦う)."

Ninth paragraph

There are two phrases whose meanings, I think, are heavily mistranslated. The first is "世界の物理法則がよく出来ていることに感心しつつ自噺しつつ[...]" which should sound like "While admiring how well conceived the laws of physics were and deriding myself [of his own ignorance], [...]" Kyon definitely does not express any dissatisfaction with "how normal the law of physics [are]."

The next is: "いるワケねー!.....でもちょっとはいて欲しい、みたいな最大公約数的なことを考えるくらいにまで俺も成長したのさ。" which should be translated as "I, too, have reached the point to have such a greatest-common-divisor kind of thought like 'that kind of stuffs cannot possibly exist!...... but I still want them to.'" The novel does not mention any nostalgia whatsoever.

Tenth paragraph

A word play is lost in translation. Kyon says,

中学校を卒業する頃には、俺はもうそんなガキな夢を見ることからも卒業して、この世の普通さにも慣れていた。

or "When I graduated from junior high, I also graduated from those childish dreams, and become accustomed to the commonness of the world."

The novel doesn't say anything about "[returning] to the moon." It only says "[...]人類はまだ月から向こうに到達してねーし, [...]" or "mankind has not reached anywhere beyond the mooon."

The "2-way trip from Earth to Alpha Centauri" is actually "a daytrip to Alpha Centauri" (アルファケンタウリまで日帰りで往復出).

Eleventh paragraph

The novel says "そんなことを頭の片隅でぼんやり考えながら[...]," or "While entertaining such thoughts in a nook of my brain and losing myself in them [...]" Kyon becomes a "high school student without passion" (たいした感慨もなく高校生). Normalcy is not mentioned, and the novel does not imply that any quality is taken away from Kyon when he meets Haruhi. The novel simply says "涼宮ハルヒと出会った。" or "then I met Suzumiya Haruhi."

Cardcaptor 00:23, 7 May 2006 (PDT)