From a book review in Amazon:

英語を教えている関係で、人はどうやって話せるようになるのか興味があって、手にとった一冊。
A book I picked, because I am concerned with teaching English and interested in how people learn / become able to speak.

Although DIJG defines N+の関係で as "because of", my gut tells me that 関係 means connection/concerning and で adds the "as/because/since".

I think it just means "and".

delta Wrote:From a book review in Amazon:

英語を教えている関係で、人はどうやって話せるようになるのか興味があって、手にとった一冊。
A book I picked, because I am concerned with teaching English and interested in how people learn / become able to speak.

Although DIJG defines N+の関係で as "because of", my gut tells me that 関係 means connection/concerning and で adds the "as/because/since".

I'm pretty sure it means that he is in the field of English teaching, rather than that he is 'concerned' with it. Often people talk about which field their work is in using the word 関係. For example, 出版関係の仕事 is "work in the field of publishing."

So, you're right that it means "I am connected with teaching English," but that really just means "my work is in the field of English teaching." That doesn't necessarily mean that he actually is an English teacher (he could be a person that makes policy for English teaching, or even a more loosely related field), but something like that.

And the で means what で usually means--something like 'and' or perhaps a weak 'because.'

But yeah, overall you're basically right.

@Tzadeck Thanks!

There's a vending machine next to my place with this written on it ￥100〜当たり付け, what does it mean?.

I image-googled it and from the results I am guessing it could be something like "chance included with ¥100" meaning that you have a chance of winning something with every ¥100 purchase.

しばらく can be used in a greeting, in the same manner as お久しぶり, meaning "It's been a *while* since I've seen you."

If used solely by itself, the context would be unclear, but once the topic has been established (i.e., we haven't seen each other lately), then this is a nice, short phrase. For example:

A: お久し振りです。
B: うん、しばらくでしたね。

A: Long time, no see.
B: Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it.

Zarxrax Wrote:Next word: しばらく
wwwjdic gives it a variety of definitions referring to a range of time. However, these definitions range from "instant" to " a short while" to "quite a while".

WTF is that supposed to mean? I know some words can sort of change meaning depending on the context, but there is no way to tell with something like that!
Anyone got a better definition for this?

delta Wrote:There's a vending machine next to my place with this written on it ￥100〜当たり付け, what does it mean?.

I image-googled it and from the results I am guessing it could be something like "chance included with ¥100" meaning that you have a chance of winning something with every ¥100 purchase.

Hmm, I wonder if this just means "Try one for 100 yen." 当たりを付ける usually means to estimate or guess at something, but it sometimes means to try something. So that might be what is going on here. Another thing is that 当たり can mean to hit it right on the head, so it might be emphasizing that the price is exactly 100 yen, a nice clean number. So that's another possibility. Anybody know for sure?

However, 当たり does mean to hit a win in a lottery or contest, and 付け means attachment, so I see where you're coming from.

How about:
￥100 〜当たり 付け
￥100 each/per (item) price

Like a "dollar store" vending machine?

The 当たり付け meaning delta had mentioned earlier (removed?) seems to be used for breaking in stuff like tires and brakes.

I asked a native and this is what it means basically: "chance (e.g., to win a free drink) with every ¥100 purchase (or more)".

Thanks, that makes sense.

Oh, so is it a set expression like "Chance to Win!"? Can anyone explain where the meaning comes from. (Multi-purpose 当たる　and 付く　are confusing enough on their own.)

So I guess the ~ before 当たり wasn't meant as a placeholder. But ￥100当たり doesn't seem to be the "for each ￥100 purchase" meaning if 当たる here means to win a prize (prize/lottery が/に当たる). Weird that both meanings work. Or, is that intentional?

What about 付け? Does it mean winning is possible (可能となる) here? I had wondered if it could mean that this contest "is included").

hmm, maybe it's better I just accept and not try to understand? haha Oh look, another one: 当て付け. (That' a word, though, so it's easier to just accept.)

btw, how does it work? Is there something attached to the purchased item (ie a specific product/brand promotion) indicating whether you've won? Or is it a separate coupon (ie a vending machine promotion)?

If/since 付け means "(included) with" then it makes sense.

当たり付け with chance (to win)
当て付け with aim/purpose (insinuating)

I'm not sure if I understood this sentence
本人がわからないものを俺が理解できるわけがない。
There is just no way I can comprehend the person himself that doesn't understand

loverkanji Wrote:I'm not sure if I understood this sentence
本人がわからないものを俺が理解できるわけがない。
There is just no way I can comprehend the person himself that doesn't understand

"There's no way I would be able to understand what he himself doesn't."

In other words, they're talking about a piece of information that the person they're talking about (本人) is in the best position to know, but he or she doesn't know it. If he or she doesn't understand, why would the speaker?

Would it be to ok translate just "本人がわからないもの" as "someone who himself can't understand" or "something who someone himself can't understand"?

In other words, does もの refer to the 'something' someone don't understand or to the 'someone'?.

I think the 'something' but just asking.

delta Wrote:Would it be to ok translate just "本人がわからないもの" as "someone who himself can't understand" or "something who someone himself can't understand"?

In other words, does もの refer to the 'something' someone don't understand or to the 'someone'?.

I think the 'something' but just asking.

The もの refers to the 'something.'

delta Wrote:Would it be to ok translate just "本人がわからないもの" as "someone who himself can't understand" or "something who someone himself can't understand"?

In other words, does もの refer to the 'something' someone don't understand or to the 'someone'?.

I think the 'something' but just asking.

Do you have any more context than that? Depending on that, it could be this:
http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/219...%E3%81%AE/

I didn't ask so I don't know the context of the sentence.

From Death Note anime:
本当に信頼しあってる人間なんて…ほんの僅かさ

What's the しあってる part? Is あってる a suffix?
EDIT: Maybe it comes from し合う？　I guess the 合う part is kind of a suffix in this case. し合う translates to 'doing together', so literally 'doing trusting together', more freely 'trusting in each other'. Am I right?

Yes, I think you're a complete Q&A. As you already noticed, 信頼 has shades of meaning, so it (edit: 信頼しあってる) might be 'mutual trust/dependence', 'confidence/faith in each other', etc. depending on the context.

I'd say 合う　has a sense of reciprocity/relationship, not just doing an action together. So you'll see it with verbs like love, discuss, fight, kiss, trust, communicate, etc. Sometimes it occurs with お互い (which seems redundant, but maybe it adds a bit of emphasis?). It doesn't require volitional agents, though:
これらの思想はゆるやかに関連しあっているだけだ.
These ideas are only loosely connected.

It also occurs with various verbs which already have a sense of 'complementary':
新聞とテレビは互いの機能を補完しあっている.
The newspapers and television play complementary roles. (from kenkyusha)

-あう is a suffix that attaches to the verb stem, and it basically means "~ each other."

助け合う - help each other


本当に信頼しあってる人間

People who actually trust each other

運命さえまだ知らない
to me it seems like it means 'unknown yet destiny' but the person who translated it wrote it as 'that you can't even see your fate yet' well if I take it out of the context of the song I guess it will be 'can't see your fate yet'

by the way these are from the lyrics to evangelion opening.

通訳者も拘束時間によって料金が違います。
The rate of an interpreter depends on how long the works time is.

I think I understand this sentence well enough except for the function of も. Can anyone help?

Well, given that も usually connotates "also," it's hard to say without seeing the text that came before that.

It's an example sentence to illustrate によって so there is no context. I know that も is "also, too", but I am asking because there seem to be no hint at that in the translation so I was wondering what other thing it could be.

delta Wrote:通訳者も拘束時間によって料金が違います。
The rate of an interpreter depends on how long the works time is.

I think I understand this sentence well enough except for the function of も. Can anyone help?

It sounds like interpreters are one among several occupations whose pay depends on time spent working.