Japanese translation • One is stubborn, the other is obstinate?

Leticia Laiben: I don't have a brilliant idea, but I have come up with方やつむじ曲がり、方やへそ曲がり。kata ya tsumujimagari, kata ya hesomagari.This is not an exact translation but I think it has a nice ring.へそ曲がり = つむじ曲がり in Japanese are considered synonyms of é '固-----My translation would not sound funny to native Japanese but just sound a little nicer with rhyme. We have similar idioms like äº"十歩百歩, 似たり寄ったり etc to say there is really no difference. These expressions also contain rhyme and are easily understood.There are also expressions like 樽ぬき渋柿ã‚'ç¬'う, 目糞鼻糞 etc which we find humorous, but not as a wordplay.I am very Japanese so maybe I don't understand the English expressions the same way you do.-----I got your message, but I wasn't sure if you could receive emails now so I'll post the reply here.The last two idioms I gave you are more equivalent to "the pot calling the kettle blac! k" so these are a little different from the other ones.樽ぬき渋柿ã‚'ç¬'う literally translates to "tarunuki laughs at shibugaki". 渋柿 (shibugaki) are persimmons which taste sour and bitter and you can't eat them . One of the ways to get rid of the astringent taste and make them eatable is to put a small amount of strong alconol like brandy on them and store them for a few weeks in a sealed container (empty barrel 樽 of alcohol was traditionally used), so the high amount of soluble tannins they contain become insoluble. This process of getting rid of the astringent taste, or the resulting sweet persimmon is called 樽ぬき (tarunuki). So tarunuki is laughing at shibgaki for its bad taste but they are basically the same thing....Show more

Shaunta Paap: Hitori wa ganko, mou hitori wa goujyou.NOTE:1- No, I have not used it. I simply asked my wife how to translate it. 2- Basically I got a 'huh' in response. She just failed to see the play on words and the i! ntended humor. And I expect, though cannot confirm, that most! Japanese people would respond in the same way. This is not meant as a negative comment, just a reality. Tell you what, I'll share this with a few of my adult students and see if they "get it". It will be interesting.3- You don't have to call me Mr. Priest. 3Day will work just fine since I am one of your contacts, as you are mine. ;-)...Show more

Sammie Bocanegra: • Gulda様、thank you for your consideration. Do you think native Japanese would understand the wordplay that you've created? Is this sort of pun common?For example, in English we have an expression:"Six on one hand, half a dozen on the other."Since half a dozen equals six, it describes a situation in which there is truly little or no difference. Are there expressions like these in Japanese?• Mr. Priest, have you used your expression and been understood by native Japanese?...Show more

Oren Eskelsen: Cheers, 3Day it is. Would you do me a favour and also try Guldaさã‚"'s translation on your s! tudents, as it looks promising. I was pretty sure a direct transliteration wouldn't work.P.S. I thought you'd been there, gotten the T-shirt, then lost it. I'm guessing you decided it was better not to go bare-chested?I look forward to some news!...Show more