Bit boggled by this sentence

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Reply #1 - 2009 October 09, 2:11 am
kazelee Rater Mode
From: ohlrite Registered: 2008-06-18 Posts: 2132 Website

彼は課長に昇進しました。

For some reason I'm expecting this sentence to be in passive form. Google tends to disagree with me. Is 昇進 just passive in and of itself, or am I missing something?

Looking at in now, making it passive would make it mean he was promoted by the chief rather than promoted to chief... Now I'm even more boggled.

Reply #2 - 2009 October 09, 2:23 am
mezbup Member
From: sausage lip Registered: 2008-09-18 Posts: 1681 Website

It's fairly simple to understand IMO.

彼は課長に昇進しました。

昇進 is a noun and used here as a する verb as far as I can see, に - target particle, 課長 section chief, 彼 - he.

He was promoted to section chief.

Last edited by mezbup (2009 October 09, 2:51 am)

Reply #3 - 2009 October 09, 4:36 am
cjon256 Member
From: USA Registered: 2006-01-22 Posts: 78

I what boggling you is that the Japanese is clearly an active sentence, but the English is passive.

Perhaps instead of 'be promoted' an active verb like 'advanced' or 'rose' would capture this fact better?  But I think "He rose to section chief" sounds a bit odd.  "He rose to the position of section chief" sounds better but has some extra words.

Perhaps this is just one of those sentences where an exact, natural sounding translation is not possible?

C.J.

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Reply #4 - 2009 October 09, 5:53 am
Jarvik7 Member
From: 名古屋 Registered: 2007-03-05 Posts: 3946

"He was promoted to section chief" is perfectly natural AND exact. Good translations never match the sentence structure of the source text.

Reply #5 - 2009 October 09, 6:23 am
QuackingShoe Member
From: USA Registered: 2008-04-19 Posts: 721

If that frazzles you, don't take a look at かぶる.

Reply #6 - 2009 October 09, 7:11 am
kazelee Rater Mode
From: ohlrite Registered: 2008-06-18 Posts: 2132 Website

cjon256 wrote:

I what boggling you is that the Japanese is clearly an active sentence, but the English is passive.

Perhaps instead of 'be promoted' an active verb like 'advanced' or 'rose' would capture this fact better?  But I think "He rose to section chief" sounds a bit odd.  "He rose to the position of section chief" sounds better but has some extra words.

Yeah, that might be it.

J7 wrote:

"He was promoted to section chief" is perfectly natural AND exact. Good translations never match the sentence structure of the source text.

"He made section chief" or something like it would have made things less boggling, though.


QuackyShu wrote:

If that frazzles you, don't take a look at かぶる.

What's wrong with かぶる?

Reply #7 - 2009 October 09, 7:26 am
yudantaiteki Member
Registered: 2009-10-03 Posts: 3619

kazelee wrote:

QuackyShu wrote:

If that frazzles you, don't take a look at かぶる.

What's wrong with かぶる?

Probably referring to sentences like ほこりをかぶった机 (A desk covered with dust).

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