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What does ～わけ mean? (2)

What does wake mean?

The same post in much higher quality is here -> Link Click

In this #Japanese with anime post, we will take a closer look at a mind-bending structure belonging to the realm of modality and, unfortunately, is usually omitted in translation. It's not that it has to be omitted; it happens that English just sounds better or makes sense without it (in most cases).

Examples in this post are from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and Season 2.

Extra grammar: 

というわけ vs. わけ  

わけ vs. から/ので

Before we dive in                         

わけ is truly a mind-bending structure, and knowing just the dictionary definition is not usually enough. The examples provided in textbooks seem to be okay at first glance, but when you start analyzing and comparing わけ to other structures and grammar points, you quickly realize that you haven't fully grasped the concept it actually represents.  

Long story short, though. In a lot of cases, わけ can be translated to 'so' or 'then' (: as a necessary consequence; Merriam-Webster).

However, in many cases, English translations don't need to include 'so' or 'then' because things can be simply understood from the context. As readers, we don't need extra lexical help to understand that something is a consequence of something else. The brain fills in that information naturally on its own. Japanese, though, decided that having extra lexical help could be useful. 

Note: This article doesn't explain the meaning of structures like わけにはいかない or わけではない. They do have their English equivalents.

I also managed to compile a short list of things that literally enlightened me while struggling to understand what わけ really means and why we need it to sound natural.

In many contexts, わけ indicates that the partners in the conversation share some knowledge.

You really need context to be able to use it. If you were to just enter a room and say a sentence containing わけ, it wouldn't make much sense. 

It is used as a reaction/to react to someone else's statement (dialog) or to your surroundings. It shows that you have realized/understood something. Could be paired with だから, それで、なるほど, which are placed at the beginning and わけ at the end, for example:

だから、五条先生強いわけだ。 Ah, so that's why Gojo-sensei is so strong. 

Context: We were wondering why Gojo is so strong, and we just found out (someone told us) that Gojo is a six-eye user, and that made us realize why he is so strong.

It is used when the speaker performs a monologue. In this case, we can distinguish two possible situations:

emphasizing inevitable consequences of some actions, i.e. You eat a lot of sugar, so naturally you will gain weight.  If you don't add わけ to such a statement, it will be fine as well, but it will sound like a dry fact. However, during a lecture or a conversation about eating habits and their consequences adding わけ will give your sentence the nuance of  "And as you know...".

the speaker wants to restate/sum up their own words because their first explanation was unclear. It's like saying "I mean..."; "In other words..."

It is used to restate/paraphrase someone else's words (or your own words). Could be paired with つまり. For example, someone described something to you, but it was complicated. You want to make sure you understand the statement correctly, so you paraphrase it using easier words. You will end that 'easier' sentence with わけ or というわけ.

Used to give the reason for what the conversation partner has said or to state the logical conclusion. Remember that both parties in the conversation need to have the same knowledge. For example:

「田中さんが亡くなったそうだ。」" I have heard that Tanaka-san has died recently." 「本当？心臓発作だったというわけだな。」 "Really? That must have been a heart attack." (source) Context: Both of the speakers knew that Tanaka-san had some heart problems, and one of them drew a logical conclusion.

わけではない is used for correcting false impressions 

In English, the tone of your voice and intonation will change the meaning of your sentence. In Japanese, though, such changes can be expressed through particle/verb ending choice. A good example can also be ～てしまう.

Consider this sentence: 

I didn't invite him to the party because I didn't like him. 

It could mean either: 1. I don't want to party with people I don't like. (から) 2. I had other reasons not to invite him, and not liking him wasn't one of them (わけではない)

Even though there are ways to translate わけ into English, it's often omitted in translations. 

'Because ' in English is used to provide reasons, but it doesn't really matter if your conversation partner shares knowledge with you. 'Because' can convey completely new information or information already known to everyone for clarity's sake. わけ, on the other hand, speakers must have some prior, common knowledge.

In the following parts of the article, you will find more information related to the above points. 

Definition of ～わけ                         

According to Jisho, it is a noun, and because it is a noun you negate it as a noun, and it conveys the meaning of:

conclusion from reasoning, 

judgment or calculation based on something read or heard; 

or it just translates to (as a standalone word)

reason; cause; meaning; circumstances; situation​. 

Stefan Kaiser in his book Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar defines わけ as

a structural noun [...] used when the speaker realizes that there is an explanation or reason for some occurrence or phenomenon. Or [...] used when the speaker realizes that some fact or occurrence is the result of some other fact or occurrence. 

The author mentions that it can be translated to 'so' or 'then'.   Following this definition, let's analyze our first example from Jujutsu Kaisen. 

JJK; S01 episode 02 or 03; Yuuji just moved into the school dorms

君の中の宿儺が力を取り戻すために指の在り処を教えてくれる. 君は器である同時に探知機、レーダーでもあるわけだ. 

In order to regain its power, the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers. You are a vessel as well as a radar. 

To better understand this sentence, let's look at more context.

Yuuji has already eaten two of Sukuna's fingers. Since the fingers resonate with each other, he can kind of guess where they are or at least sense their presence (to some degree). Given those facts, we can surmise that Yuuji works like a radar, and that is what Gojo implies by using わけ.

In essence, わけ marks a logical conclusion or result based on some known facts.

Some known facts: Yuuji ate the fingers, they resonate with each other, and he's a vessel...

The conclusion from reasoning/realization: ...you’re a radar. 

Notice that the English translation did not include any phrase that would introduce 'conclusion'. It is implied. You could include, for example, 'And that's why...' or something along those lines, but the whole line sounds better without it.  

Let's elaborate on it, though. For those of you who don't overthink life or grammar rules, such short dictionary entries might be enough, but I'm a professional overthinker and I just need to know.  

～わけ as a modal structure                         

This section is full of proper linguistic discourse, but don't shy away from it. It might actually help you deepen your understanding of this structure. Japanese grammar books for teachers, and grammar books written in Japanese, list わけ as a modal structure.

For a complete guide to modality, go here ⇒ Link Click

Modality is about a speaker’s or a writer’s attitude towards the world. A speaker or writer can express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity and ability by using modal words and expressions. Speakers often have different opinions about the same thing. (Cambridge online dictionary)

Simply put, modal structures help you convey a variety of subjective nuances, for example, instead of saying, I'm wrong, you can say, I might be wrong (might is a modal verb). Let's see what subjective feelings わけ helps us convey: 

Certainty or Conviction: わけ is often used when the speaker is confident or certain about the reason they are presenting. It signals that the speaker believes something is true based on their understanding or recognition of a situation.

Explanatory or Justificatory: It is commonly used to explain or justify a statement or action. It adds a sense of "it makes sense that..." or "therefore..." to the statement, showing that the speaker is not just stating a reason but also expressing their conviction or perspective on that reason. 

 Subjective Interpretation: わけ reflects the speaker's subjective interpretation or understanding of a situation, making it a modal structure because it conveys the speaker's attitude and belief. 

An interesting observation has been made in an article titled 「わけだ」文と「からだ」文の意味の違いについて by 牟世鍾 and 宋洙珍 (I'm sorry, I can't decipher their names).

「わけだ」文が表す理由は、対象から納得し、それを理由として位置づけたもの、つまり、話し手が何か認識の過程を経て位置づけたまさにモダリティの形式であり、そのような認識․納得の過程のない直接的な理由を表す「からだ」文とは異なっている。

 Which roughly translates to: 

The reason expressed by the sentence わけだ is that the speaker is convinced by the object and positions it as the reason, that is, it is the very form of modality that the speaker positions through some recognition process, which is different from the sentence からだ, which expresses direct reasons without such a recognition/convincing process. (translation: mine)

In summary, the passage explains that わけだ places emphasis on the speaker's mental activity by which they become aware of, identify, and understand something (recognition). It involves perceiving, acknowledging, and comprehending information or stimuli in a way that leads to an understanding or recognition of a particular fact, concept, or situation. からだ, on the other hand, is more direct and simply states the reason without highlighting the speaker's internal thought process. 

The article also states that

納得の形で提示した理由の文、つまり「わけだ」文は「からだ」文に置き換えられるが、その「からだ」文は「わけだ」文が持っているモダリティ的な意味はなく、単なる理由を表す文になってしまう。

Which translates to: 

The statement of reason presented as a form of belief, i.e., the わけだ statement, can be replaced by the からだ statement, but this からだ statement does not have the modality meaning of the わけだ statement and becomes a mere statement of reason. 

"A mere statement of reason" refers to a straightforward and explicit connection between the cause and reason; there's no room for confusion or subjective interpretations. Modality, though, is all about subjective interpretations. For example, in the sentence "I'm late because of traffic," "because of traffic" directly links the cause (traffic) to the effect (being late), making it clear that traffic is the reason for being late. There is a straightforward connection between the two elements. 

Okay, let's leave modality and that linguistic talk and move on to something lighter. However, continue reading this article to find out what is the best possible interpretation of Gojo's  わけ.

A learner-friendly definition of わけ            

After many talks with my Japanese teacher, we managed to pinpoint some reasons for using this structure and what speakers want to convey by using it. Our main goal was to determine why in some cases わけ is a much better option than から.  

Let's go back to our Jujutsu Kaisen example:

君の中の宿儺が力を取り戻すために指の在り処を教えてくれる. 君は器である同時に探知機、レーダーでもあるわけだ.   

In order to regain its power, the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers. You are a vessel as well as a radar. (official translation) 

In this case, and as you will see in other examples, わけ most likely conveys: 

general/obvious statement. It means that all parties involved in the conversation share the same knowledge and the speaker just confirms everyone's understanding.

the speaker indirectly (through わけ ) asks "You understand, right?" / "You know what that means, right?"

Gojo realizes that Yuuji has enough information to understand his situation, but may or may not know the implications. Yuuji may not know/be sure what all of this means. 

Gojo first provided Yuuji with a result and then he stated the reason why achieving this result will be possible. This can also give わけ the meaning of "So no wonder why you work like a radar."

In essence, わけ is used when there is shared knowledge about the situation and the speaker reinforces/confirms everyone's understanding, even when not prompted to do so.  If we replace わけ with から, we will end up with a sentence conveying completely new information to Yuuji. The context of this sentence would have to be different as well.  

The original context involves Gojo walking Yuuji around the school and talking to him about the jujutsu world and Yuuji's position in all of this. Yuuji did not ask any questions during their walk, as some things had been explained to him before. 

However, if Yuuji was oblivious to his situation and what having eaten the fingers meant for him and the jujutsu world, Gojo would have to provide him with some dry explanations/facts.   The important factor here is 'being oblivious/not knowing enough'.

Let's replace わけ with から then. 

[...] 君は器である同時に探知機、レーダーでもあるから。

In order to regain its power the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers. Because you are a vessel, a locator as well as a radar. 

In English, it still might make sense, but as I mentioned at the very beginning, わけ is often omitted in translation. In translation, we call such cases 'problems with equivalence', which means that one language has something that the other doesn't have or doesn't use it as often as the first one. If Gojo used から, it would imply that Yuuji didn't know that he was a vessel, that the fingers resonate with each other, and therefore he could be of help to everyone.  The exchange between them could look like this:  Gojo: In order to regain its power the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers.   Yuuji:Why? / How come? Gojo: Because you are a vessel, a locator as well as a radar.  Let's analyze another example from Jujutsu Kaisen.  Nobara just joined the team; S01; Ep03

でかい霊園があってさ、廃ビルとのダブルパンチで呪いが発生したってわけ There is a big cemetery, and the double whammy with the abandoned building caused the curse. 

(again, no English equivalent of  わけ)

というわけだ / ってわけだ are just more elaborate ways to express logical conclusions. It's often used with な-adj and nouns. There's a separate section on that, too.

In this case, Gojo gave our main trio two reasons why the curse might have shown up in the abandoned building. The building and the nearby graveyard are those reasons.  

If we were to explain the use of わけ here in linguistic terms, we could say that わけ is used to emphasize that the occurrence of the curse is the logical result of the combination of two factors: the large cemetery and the abandoned building. It suggests that there's a logical connection between these two elements that led to the curse. It also adds a sense of logical inevitability.

However, explaining it through our 'learner-friendly definition' we could say that Gojo used it because: 

all of them share the same knowledge, namely they all know why curses are born and what the combo of an abandoned building and a graveyard means (general/obvious statement). 

It's not like they pulled up to the building oblivious to the world around them, and Gojo had to teach them the basics. Even though they did not ask any questions, he was confirming their understanding of the situation through わけ.

Gojo through わけ also implies something along the lines of  "And as you can see..." or "As you probably already realized..." 

It could also be the case that they immediately realized that the curse was there, but they didn't know why/weren't sure why. Gojo did not waste time, and instead of waiting for their questions, he supplied the missing information himself.

If we modified the sentence with から, it would still indicate that the curse occurred because of the combination of the large cemetery and the abandoned building. However, it would imply that the main trio didn't know that the connection between the curse being there and the vicinity of the graveyard and abandoned building mattered.

The conversation could go like this:  Gojo: There's a curse in this building.  Them: Why?  Gojo: There is a big cemetery, and the double whammy with the abandoned building caused the curse.  One more example from Season 1, Episode 2. 

さすがに特級呪物が行方不明となると―上がうるさくてねえ   観光がてら はせ参じたってわけ 

As one would expect when a special-grade cursed object goes missing, the higher-ups won't shut up, so I stopped by while I was out for some sightseeing.

In this case, 'so' perfectly captures the meaning of わけ, as Stefan Kaiser pointed out in his book. 

A missing special grade cursed object is a big deal and sorcerers shouldn't take such cases lightly, which Gojo points out to Fushiguro, namely "[...] the higher-ups won't shut up."  

Both Gojo and Fushiguro know about it as they belong to this community, which means they share knowledge. 

While Gojo is telling Fushiguro why he came, he isn't providing him with new information. In this case, わけ has the nuance of "So you probably realize why I am here." 

Because they belong to the same community, Fishuguro understands that ignoring special-grade cursed objects isn't the best of actions, and Gojo just reinforces/confirms his understanding.

One example from Season 2, Episode 8 

準備ばっちりってわけだ。

The presence of わけ in this example might not be so clear at first glance. However, the English translations official and unofficial alike somehow manage to capture the meaning of わけ through "I see," which by many learners is instinctively translated to なるほど, though.

As always, we need more context.  

Gojo since entering the Shibuya station began to collect information about the situation. He noticed some things that helped him understand/realize what was going on, namely his opponents (Jogo, Hanami, and Choso) prepared for the fight with him.  

Through わけ, Gojo shows his realization. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that わけ can be used as a reaction to someone else's statement. In this case, Gojo is not reacting to someone else's words, but to his surroundings. 

In an alternate situation, Jogo or Hanami could also tell him: "Hey! We did this and that!" And Gojo could reply with: "Is that so? It means that you prepared yourself then" (drawing a logical conclusion/natural consequence).

So let's summarize what we have learned about わけ so far.                   

わけ is a modal structure, which means that the statements marked by it aren't facts but opinions/beliefs/thoughts.

It can be used interchangeably with から, but the nuance changes, and in some cases the meaning.

It marks logical conclusions, which by nature aren't hard facts.

It can also be used to give advice or make general statements based on a logical conclusion.

というわけだ is a more formal and elaborate way to provide a conclusion because there are more reasons stated and this helps us summarize everything.  

わけ is used to explain the reason or cause behind something. It helps clarify why a certain situation occurred or why someone did something.

It is often used to provide an explanation or justification.

All parties involved in the conversation share some knowledge / have the same information. 

You can't really use it without context, as opposed to から, which can be used without any context.  

It conveys the nuance of "As you probably already realized..."  or indirectly asks, "You understand, don't you?" 

というわけだ / ってわけだ for restating some facts       

Apart from というわけだ / ってわけだ being a "more elaborate way to mark logical conclusions", it can also be defined as a structure that paraphrases someone else's or your own words. 

わけだ and というわけだ don't really change the meaning of the sentence, but というわけだ is used when the speaker provides more than one reason for something. It is often used with な-adjectives and nouns as opposed to わけだ, which is often seen after verbs. It's not a hard rule, though. 

What does paraphrasing mean and why do we do that?  

Paraphrasing means that you're trying to use your own words to show how you understand someone's statement. You have analyzed someone's statement and you drew a conclusion.

We do it because we are not sure of our understanding; in a way, we're asking our speaker to confirm our understanding. Modal meaning applies here as well.

In the previous examples, Gojo wasn't restating someone else's words. He was the one to introduce the information. 

However, in the example below, Principal Yaga is restating Yuuji's reasons for joining the jujutsu world.  

The interview with Yaga; S01; Ep02

それが呪いの被害となると看過できないというわけか

Yaga just asked Yuuji why he wanted to join the jujutsu high school. Yuuji told him that leaving Sukuna's fingers as they are (unprotected/unsupervised) is dangerous. Yaga drew a conclusion from that, namely: 

JJK; Chapter 3; Viz Media

In this case, we actually have something that is considered the equivalent of というわけだ namely, "So you're telling me that [...]". However, remember that not every "so you're telling me that..." needs to be translated to というわけだ.  

In the very first chapter, the very first thing Fushiguro says to Gojo is, "You're telling me that someone is keeping a special-grade cursed object in a place like this?!" Fushiguro wasn't restating/paraphrasing Gojo's words.

We can assume that before this panel Gojo told Fushiguro: "There's a special-grade cursed object in the outdoor thermometer box." Fushiguro saw it and just repeated Gojo's words in disbelief, it was sort of a quotation.

Translation problems                         

In the above examples, わけ could be translated to 'so' or 'then,' but the aim of translation is to make sentences in the target language sound as natural as possible. We could rephrase all of them and include 'so' or 'then' or even any other synonyms, but if the context is clear enough, then including extra lexical help is simply redundant.  

Here, we're also dealing with audiovisual translation, where the number of characters in a single line of subtitles matters a lot. Too many words in a single line may hinder the understanding or slow it down and lower the overall experience. And yes, even such short words as 'so' can do it.

Sources                         

https://briefjapanese.fun/how-to-use-wake/

my Japanese teacher and his native Japanese teacher 

Stefan Kaiser, Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar (p.285)

#わけ #modality #japanese with anime #featured

[languagestudymaterials]

Past assumptions with はず

Full post is available here ⇒ Link Click

What do we negate? The verb in front of はず or です？ Well, we can negate both, but as always, the meaning will change. Let's analyze these sentences: 

彼女は来るはずだ - She is supposed to come (should come).

彼女は来たはずだ - I suppose she came (should have come).

彼女は来るはずだった - She was supposed to come (she should have come).

彼女は来たはずだった - She was supposed to have come (she should have come). 

Sentence number 1 conveys a present assumption about an event in the future.  

Sentence number 2 is still a present assumption about an event from the past. The event being "come." 'Coming' happened (or it didn't) in the past, and now, at the moment of speaking. I'm forming an assumption.  

Sentence number 3 is a past assumption; it has no relation to the present. However, the sentence tells us the event didn't happen. She didn't come.  Longman dictionary defines the past form of 'be supposed to' as:

used to say what was or is expected or intended to happen, especially when it did not happen

Sentence number 4 is a double past. 'Coming' and my assumption happened in the past (no relation to the present). 'To have come' conveys the same nuance as the Past Perfect tense does in English. 'Coming' is the first action that either happened or it didn't happen, and then I formed my assumption.  

Sentences 1,2, and 4 are assumptions, our theories. Only sentence 3 tells us that something didn't happen, and we can be sure of our statement. 

#shorts #はず #modality

[languagestudymaterials]

Different particles + 思う (に、と、を ＋ 思う)

～と思う = expressing your opinion, wishes, desires. 

彼女は美しいと思う。I think (opinion) she is nice.

来年、日本に行きたいと思う。I would like to (desire) go to Japan next year.

～を思う = showing the object of our thoughts. 

You're not expressing an opinion. It’s pointing to a thing (abstract or concrete) or a person we have in mind.

恋人を思う。I think about my significant other. (I'm actively thinking about him - what they are doing, etc.)

～に思う = expressing your emotions.

Since it is expressing emotions, it is paired with words denoting emotions like 残念 (ざんねん).

疑問に思う。 I have doubts. I feel doubtful about something.

疑問 (ぎもん) - doubts

彼が言ったことを疑問に思う。I have doubts about what he has said.

#shorts #思う #particles in japanese

[languagestudymaterials]

～はず vs should

How to express assumptions in Japanese

For more phrases related to assumptions, go here. For べき go here. For the same post in much better quality, go to my blogger website

Textbook knowledge

はず in English is usually defined as, be supposed to, ought to, should, must, be expected to (I believe). Great, lots of possibilities. However, the more options you have, the warier you need to be of the context.

You can indeed translate はず to should or be supposed to, but you can also translate should to べき or even ないと. And these are not as interchangeable in Japanese as they are in English. At least, that’s my impression. Correct me if I’m wrong.

For example:

I should go home.

can be translated to:

そろそろ帰らないと。

You can also say:

そろそろ帰るはずだ,

but the meaning changes to, They should be on their way home by now.

The first sentence suggests (in an appropriate context) that you have to go home because if you don’t go, you might get into trouble.

The second one, though, suggests an assumption. You don’t know the truth, and you might get surprised by the final result.

But let’s focus on はず only.

Japanese definition of はず 

Let’s take a look at the Japanese definition of that phrase first.

「はずです」は基本的に、「理屈上こうなる」という推論の結果としてのことがらを表わします。

The phrase “はずです” basically expresses something that is the result of an inference that “this is the way it should be in theory.”

“In theory” guys! Theory means an idea that you believe is true, although you have no proof, or it is a formal idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain something.

For example:

木村さんは英語教師ですから、英語が話せるはずです。

Mr. Kimura is an English teacher, so he should be able to speak English.

In theory, all English teachers should be able to speak English, but the reality might be different. Mr. Kimura’s ability to speak English is explained by the fact that he is an English teacher (if that makes any sense to you)

この問題はＮ２の問題ですから、難しいはずです。

This problem is an N2 problem, so it should be difficult. However, not all N2 problems are difficult.

Note #1: はず often implies the element of surprise. While べき or other phrases, not really.

彼女は今、海外出張なので、今日は来ないはずです.

She is on a business trip abroad now, so she shouldn’t be coming today.

To express a negative assumption about the future in English, you can also use will, for example, I doubt she will be coming; It’s unlikely she will come; She won’t come today.

Note #2: Will for future assumptions can also be used in affirmative sentences. She isn’t on a business trip, so she will come. Will sounds like you’re more sure of what you’re saying. Should - you’re less sure.

Note #3: In English, when we talk about assumptions that displease the speaker, we are more likely to use will instead of should. Let’s not go shopping now. The shops will be overcrowded.

In English, things might get a little bit tricky with assumptions about present situations. For instance,

Tom shouldn’t know the address - I don’t think he knows it unless the context suggests ‘no one should tell him.’

トムは住所を知ってはいけない - no one should tell him, he is not allowed to know it

トムはアドレスを知らないはずだ - an assumption

Some examples from the manga Attack on Titan

。。。先にあるはずだけど。。。

Context: They’re heading to the place where they’re keeping Zeke. She heard an explosion that sounded much like the one caused by the Thunder Spear. They haven’t reached the forest yet. So why the heck can she hear it now? _

Hange is theorizing in this case - she’s developing an idea to explain the situation.

The first theory is that the forest is somewhere further in the distance. The place where they’re keeping Zeke should be further ahead. (implicitly - if the Thunder Spear should be heard/used, it should be used there in the forest, not where Hange is).

The second theory is that “Something must have happened there” (in the place where the explosion was heard) or more literally “In the direction of that sound there must/should be something.”

You wouldn’t really use べき here because that would suggest an obligation, a rule, as in “I ordered the forest to be further ahead.”

If you tried to translate must to ないと or なければならない or any other “must form,” you would end up expressing a duty of some sort.

 [...] １５ｍのはず・・・！

In this example, I believe baby boy Armin said it, they’re recalling a theory related to the height of the titans. At most, they should be 15 meters tall. Their knowledge about the titans assumed that the tallest of them are 15 meters. That’s the theory they formed, but who would have thought that there is a titan taller than the wall?

I hope this helps! And again, I’m learning just like you guys. If you have any comments, feel free to comment or repost it with your explanations! :)

#はず #modality #should in japanese

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～べき vs. ～たほうがいい

How to say should in Japanese

part I don’t even know which one because Japanese is so nuanced, I can’t honestly… 

We should tell him the truth.  

This sentence can be translated to: 

彼に真実を言うべきだ。

彼に真実を言った方がいい。

べき is very strong, broadly speaking. It sounds bossy and commanding. 

た方がいい, on the other hand, sounds softer like a suggestion. 

Which translation to chose also depends on the action itself. In some cases, it’s better to give people suggestions because no one knows what the right thing to do is. But there are situations when we all instinctively know what to do, be it societal unspoken agreements or just pure morality. 

If you truly believe that revealing the truth to your friend is the right thing to do because keeping him in the dark will do more harm than good, then go for べき. After all, everyone deserves to know the truth.

In some other cases, べき can make you sound like you’re the ‘wise one.’ You know what to do, and your words should be obeyed. You’re strongly convinced that whatever you’re saying is the right thing to do. It could also sound like it is your obligation to perform the action. As always, everything depends on the context. 

However, if you have an idea, a suggestion, but you’re not really sure what to do in the end, and you don’t want to sound extra bossy, then た方がいい would be your choice. In this example, た方がいい can suggest “we better do it because if he doesn’t learn the truth, shit will go down real fast” - depending on the context of course.

べき is usually explained as たほうがいい in some dictionaries, but then in some cases you can’t use them interchangeably. 

Your friend is in doubt about her work. Her work is mentally draining. She needs some advice. She asks: 

どうしたらいい? - what should I do? (or more literally, what’s the best thing to do? Btw, yet another phrase that can be translated to should in English… ugh. Also, you don’t ask yourself with たほうがいい)

You say: You should quit your work. 

You could also say: It’d be best, if you just quit your work. Well, quitting your work, doesn’t sound like the worst idea.  Why don’t you quit your work? 

Should is used to give advice, or at least that’s what ESL textbooks teach us.  However, there are other phrases to advise people. Which one you’ll use in English depends on your conviction, relation with that person, and some other factors. 

Should, according to Macmillan dictionary, is used to say:

used for talking about what is right, sensible, or correct

used for saying or asking about the right or sensible thing to do or the right way to behave

If your friend’s work is mentally draining, then the sensible thing to do is to quit it. Seems just fine in English. Does it make you sound bossy in English? I’m not the one to decide because I’m not a native speaker, but I’ve heard such pieces of advice from my friends, and it didn’t sound bossy at all, just the voice of reason. 

In Japanese, though, well… since it is a nuanced language, some people will definitely see you as a bossy person if you use べき on them. (confirmed with some native speakers)

べき in some grammar books is primarily listed with other phrases conveying ‘obligation’ ぎむ

So translating ‘you should quit your work’ to 仕事は辞めるべきだ isn’t the best idea. 

仕事は辞めた方がいい, though, sounds like you’re giving a piece of (friendly) advice without trying to command your friend. 

My Japanese teacher’s Japanese teacher, who is a native, says that べき may sound like “don’t tell me how to live my life!” But if you see someone struggling with some situation, and they don’t know what to do, and you want to give them a little push, using べき wouldn’t be so bad. It could be interpreted as a genuine try to help someone, but the context must be just right. 

I’m discussing affirmative sentences, but the same logic applies to negatives as well. 

Side note: In my business writing classes, our teacher told us to limit the use of should to an absolute minimum because it’s too vague in a lot of situations. If I told my little brother, “you should clean your room”, he would understand it as a very weak suggestion that he doesn’t even have to consider. But if told him, “Well, I think I should buy this new game for you”, he would understand it as “I’m getting a new game!” 

He told us to be precise as much as possible. If by should we mean ‘do it now’, use a phrase that conveys an order. 

So I think the best way to accurately translate should into Japanese is knowing what we really want to say.

#modality #べき #たほうがいい #should in Japanese

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How to connect parts of speech in Japanese

Complete guide is here -> Link Click

An update to these posts (rules I learned in class):

post 1 - How to connect nouns (and other parts of speech) in Japanese

post 2 - とか vs. たり

や works similarly to たり～たりする which means you don’t limit the list to the items on your list - they are just examples “things like [examples]” Implicitly you’re stating there are other things as well; you just don’t want to list them. Used with nouns only.

と limits your list to the items you mention. I bought an apple and a banana - バナナとリンゴを買った - you bought just these two items and nothing else. Used with nouns only. 

とか is used with nouns and verbs. とか is considered 話し言葉 (はなしことば) which means spoken language. When you use it with nouns, you loosely list items, but implicitly you say there are more items. It works just like や (や is 書き言葉 (かきことば) written language, but it’s used in speech too.)

とか with verbs is used when you want to give advice - what about cooking; what about doing things like cooking or singing? You need some context to use it in a sentence. If you want to list your hobbies, then たり～たりする is a better option. 

If you say: During the holidays, I go to such places as markets, churches, parks … (stupid examples, I know) you don’t limit the list of places to just these three examples; you implicitly say there are other places as well. You’d use や or とか here.

If you say: During the holidays, I go to markets, churches, and parks. - you limit the list to these three places only. You’d use と here.

し can be used with all parts of speech. You also need some context to be able to use it. It works similarly to から. It is also considered 話し言葉. It kind of answers the question ‘why?’ We’re doing this because… or it is like that because … (that’s not the literal translation)

We have to do it. (why? because) he’s our client - それをしなければならない。お客様さまだし。

You could also make a nice sentence with ですから 彼は私たちのクライアントだから、やらなければならない。

#とか #や #し #から #たり～たりする #と #connecting parts of speech in japanese #japanese conectors

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CELTA certificate — review of the course

Was it worth the effort and money?

“If you are looking for an internationally recognized teaching qualification, we have the course that is right for you,” reads the first sentence on British Council’s website for the CELTA course. Internationally recognized?!?! I repeated the words out loud in amazement. I felt like I had just found the passage to a thrilling lifestyle and promising career.

“Travel and teach English online wherever you want. CELTA makes that possible!” someone wrote on a teaching forum. 99% of the reviews drew such beautiful pictures of what life after CELTA is that I couldn’t help but buy into that exciting narrative.

In 2018, with 5 years of teaching experience, I signed up for the course and paid the course fee of £1000. After four weeks of intensive studying and practice, I received my CELTA certificate — the pass that was supposed to open doors to international classrooms.

CELTA’s reputation does open doors to international classrooms — the reviews have proven that many times — yet not everyone can cross the threshold. Wait, what?! But why? I asked one of my fellow CELTA trainees in disbelief when she broke that news to me with an apologetic look on her face. Because you’re a non-native English speaker, she said.

Surprisingly, teaching experience takes a secondary priority. What counts, though, is your nationality. Many countries don’t want to hire non-native English speakers as English teachers anymore. That was already true when I was taking the course. If they do want to give a chance to a non-native English teacher, the requirements, in many cases, are impossible to meet; 5 years of proven (very often continuous) stay in an English-speaking country or a university diploma — very often both of them are required. I have none of that. I lived in England for a year and studied in Poland.

But why didn’t tell us about it beforehand?! I kept pressing the matter. The disappointment raging in me didn’t let me come to terms with the harsh reality. Well, isn’t that obvious? It’s a business like any other. Your money is their salary, Kate said matter-of-factly. I felt betrayed.

Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that as a non-native English teacher, I won’t be on equal footing with native English teachers. No hard feelings, not anymore.

The ESL (English as a second language or foreign language) industry prioritizes teaching “real English” above anything else. “Real” refers to words, phrases, and grammar used in everyday life - language elements that fill up my personal non-native dictionary by, maybe, 30 up to 40%. I might know loads of words and understand grammar rules better than anyone else, but in many cases, I can only make “educated guesses” as to what sounds natural. I rarely find myself saying, “no one speaks like that.” I can’t be the judge in such cases.

Was it a waste of money in the end? Not necessarily.

If CELTA certification has anything to offer to non-native English teachers, it is credibility in the domestic market. In 9 out of 10 cases, recruiters get back to me.

On a personal level, I no longer feel intimidated by the coursebooks or the amount of material I have to teach. I can swiftly apply the tricks and techniques learned during the course. Lesson planning doesn’t take ages anymore, and the written assignments also proved to serve a purpose. I also learned a few things about myself and changed my perception of the profession itself. The tutors at British Council in Kraków did a splendid job.

It doesn’t matter whether I’ll have to teach adult learners or young learners, I’m ready!

The confidence I gained! Truly, an amazing feeling!

The doors to many international classrooms may be closed for me. Nevertheless, the skills I learned will undoubtedly benefit students in my homeland.

#SEOd #teaching #CELTA #creative writing #portfolio

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Opinion essay - matura 2023

Co to jest opinion essay? Matura 2023

Ten sam post w dużo lepszej jakości znajdziesz tutaj -> Link Click

Opinion essay to wypracowanie, w którym należy przekonać czytelnika do swojej opinii.

Aby to zrobić efektywnie, swoją opinię należy przedstawić już na początku wypracowania — w akapicie wprowadzającym.

W rozwinięciu wypracowania najczęściej podaje się trzy powody, które wspierają Twój pogląd. Warto zadać sobie pytanie, Dlaczego tak sądzę? Co mnie przekonało do tego, aby tak sądzić na ten temat?

Zakończenie to nic innego jak podsumowanie swoich argumentów i powtórzenie swojej opinii.

Różnice między opinion essay a argumentative essay

Opinion essay pokazuje Twoje osobiste przemyślenia lub doświadczenia. W takim wypracowaniu można pokazać swoje emocje i nie trzeba podpierać się twardymi danymi. 

Argumentative essay też w pewien sposób wyraża Twoją opinię, ale argumenty to fakty, dane i dowody. Nie powinieneś uwzględniać swoich osobistych uwag.  

W opinion essay możesz napisać, że nie podoba Ci się pomysł testowania kosmetyków na zwierzętach, bo jest to okrutne i zwyczajnie niemoralne. 

W argumentative essay napiszesz za to, co badania przeprowadzone przez naukowców mówią na ten temat, lub, co sądzi opinia publiczna. 

Z czego składa się opinion essay? 

Jak każde wypracowanie, opinion essay składa się z trzech części:

wprowadzenie

rozwinięcie (3 argumenty; każdy z nich powinien zacząć się od osobnego akapitu)

zakończenie 

Od czego zacząć pisanie? 

Profesjonalni pisarze i dziennikarze nigdy nie zaczynają pisać od razu. Proces pisania zaczyna się od czegoś, co nazywa się outline. Jeśli masz czas na egzaminie, to spróbuj w brudnopisie stworzyć podstawową wersję takiego outlinu. 

Podziel kartkę na trzy sekcje: introduction, body, conclusion. Następnie w każdej sekcji zanotuj kilka pomysłów. W kolejnych częściach tego artykułu dowiesz się, jakie pomysły można wrzucić do każdej sekcji. 

Jeśli zostało Ci sporo czasu, możesz spróbować zrobić bardziej rozbudowaną wersję. A wygląda ona tak:

Co powinno znaleźć się w introduction? 

Introduction składa się ze zdania przedstawiającego temat, czegoś, co nazywa się hook i zdania, które jasno wyraża Twoją opinię. 

Hook ma za zadanie przyciągnąć uwagę czytelnika do Twojego wypracowania. Możesz to zrobić za pomocą pytania lub kontrowersyjnego stwierdzenia, które wiąże się z tematem. 

Temat: Social media influencers earn too much. 

Przykład: Nowadays social media influencers earn a lot of money (przedstawienie tematu). Many people think it is unfair as they “do nothing special” (hook). Some even say they make idiots out of themselves online (hook). I strongly agree with this opinion (twoja opinia). I believe they should not be making money at all.

Częste błędy! 

Najczęstszy błąd to nie napisanie zdania wyrażającego Twoją opinię. W opinion essay jest ono konieczne już na początku wypracowania. 

W rozprawce za i przeciw nie piszemy swojej opinii w akapicie wprowadzającym. 

W arggumentative essay napiszesz swoją tezę, czyli założenie, które zamierzasz udowodnić. Na przykład: Testowanie na zwierzętach jest niezgodne z prawem.

Nie napiszesz za to: Uważam, że testowanie na zwierzętach jest niezgodne z prawem, ponieważ wtedy oznaczałby to, że piszesz opinion essay.

Co powinno znaleźć się w body? 

W body należy napisać argumenty, które motywują Cię do utrzymania swojej opinii. Na maturze piszę się dwa lub trzy takie argumenty, a każdy argument trzeba podeprzeć dwoma przykładami. 

Warto również pamiętać, aby każdy akapit zaczynał się od topic sentence. To takie zdanie, które informuje czytelnika, o czym jest akapit, który właśnie zaczyna czytać.

Następnie wyjaśnić, co ma się na myśli i podać przykład. 

Na przykład: 

Social media influencers create low-quality content (topic sentence). This can refer to technical aspects and the value of the message (co mam na myśli). Social media platforms are full of poorly recorded videos (przykład). Furthermore, many of the influencers follow the same trends and advertise the same products lowering the value of the message (przykład). 

Częste błędy! 

Często uczniowie nie zaczynają akapitów od topic sentence. Akapity, które zaczynają się od tego, co masz na myśli lub od przykładów, są niespójne i ciężko je zrozumieć.  

Co powinno znaleźć się w conclusion? 

Conclusion to podsumowanie całego wypracowania. Czytelnik mógł już zapomnieć, o czym czytał, więc powinieneś krótko streścić dla niego swoje wypracowanie.

Przytocz argumenty, czyli podsumuj topic sentences w jednym lub dwóch zdaniach, a na koniec powtórz swoją opinię, używając innych słów. 

Topic sentence: Social media influencers create low-quality content 

Topic sentence 2: Most of them create content for rich people.  

Topic sentence 3: Social media influencers often manipulate their followers to buy certain brands. 

Z powyższych zdań wynika, że social media influencers wyrządzają więcej szkody niż dobra swoim zachowaniem. 

Przykładowa konkluzja:

Social media platforms are full of influencers who do more harm than good. Manipulation, ostracising users who do not have much money, or even spreading meaningless information shouldn’t be allowed. I believe social media influencers shouldn’t be able to monetize their content.

#matura 2023 #matura #po polsku #featured

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CELTA certificate - was it worth it?

"If you are looking for an internationally recognized teaching qualification, we have the course that is right for you," reads the first sentence on British Council’s website for the CELTA course. Internationally recognized?!?! I repeated the words out loud in amazement. I felt like I had just found the passage to a thrilling lifestyle and promising career. 

“Travel and teach wherever you want. CELTA makes that possible!” someone wrote on a teaching forum. 99% of the reviews drew such beautiful pictures of what life after CELTA is that I couldn’t help but buy into that exciting narrative.

In 2018, I signed up for the course, and after four weeks of intensive studying, I received my certificate - the pass that was supposed to open doors to international classrooms.

CELTA’s reputation does open doors to international classrooms - the reviews have proven that many times - yet not everyone can cross the threshold. Wait, what?! But why? I asked one of my fellow CELTA trainees in disbelief when she broke that news to me with an apologetic look on her face. Because you’re a non-native English teacher, she said.

Many countries don't want to hire non-native English speakers as English teachers anymore. That was already true when I was taking the course. If they do want to give a chance to a non-native English teacher, the requirements, in many cases, are impossible to meet; 5 years of proven (very often continuous) stay in an English-speaking country or a university diploma - very often both of them are required. I have none of that. I lived in England for a year and studied in Poland. 

But why didn’t tell us about it beforehand?! I kept pressing the matter. The disappointment raging in my didn’t let me come to terms with the harsh reality. Well, isn’t that obvious? It’s a business like any other. Your money is their salary, Kate said matter-of-factly. I felt betrayed.

Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that as a non-native English teacher, I won’t be on equal footing with native English teachers. No hard feelings, not anymore.

The ESL industry prioritizes teaching “real English” above anything else. “Real” refers to words, phrases, and grammar used in everyday life - language elements that fill up my personal non-native dictionary by, maybe, 30 up to 40%. I might know loads of words and understand grammar rules better than anyone else, but in many cases, I can only make “educated guesses” as to what sounds natural. I rarely find myself saying, “no one speaks like that.” I can’t be the judge in such cases.

Was it a waste of money in the end? Not necessarily.

If CELTA has anything to offer to non-native English teachers, it is credibility in the domestic market. In 9 out of 10 cases, recruiters get back to me. 

On a personal level, I no longer feel intimidated by the coursebooks or the amount of material I have to teach. I can swiftly apply the tricks and techniques learned during the course. I also learned a few things about myself and changed my perception of the profession itself. 

The confidence I gained! Truly, an amazing feeling!

The doors to many international classrooms may be closed for me. Nevertheless, the skills I learned will surely benefit students in my homeland.

#teaching #creative writing #writing #CELTA certificate #not SEOd #portfolio

[languagestudymaterials]

Economical (“tight”) writing

Here's a fun exercise. 

You're standing in front of a fish shop, and you see this sign: 

Fresh Fish Sold Here

Let's try to remove redundant words. “Tight” in writing refers to removing redundancy. You know, things like “unexpected surprise.” Surprises are always unexpected - we can remove unexpected.

Here - we don't really need it because we know where the fish are sold. 

Fresh Fish Sold

Fresh - might also be unnecessary because that would suggest that the owner also sells stale ones. 

Fish Sold

Sold - obviously, the owner sells them. Nothing is free these days.  

Fish

Fish - if we are in front of the fish shop, what else can we expect to find there? Furniture? 

And we are left with nothing :)

It's just a humorous exercise to show you how much we can cut when we think deeply about every single word.

#copyediting #tight writing #simplicity in writing #shorts

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Fancy, Flowery & Official Language in Writing

It's ok to use pompous-looking phrasings, but always make sure there is a reason to do so. Such "bloated" words hide the meaning, and the listener/reader needs time to unmask it. 

Ask yourself these,

Why do I want to use sophisticated vocabulary? To come across as educated?

Does the context require it?

What will I achieve by choosing "facilitate" over "help"?

Who is the target audience?

Will they understand such words?

Will I get the message across?

Let's take a look at this example.

High-quality learning environments are a necessary precondition to facilitate the learning progress of any student. 

It takes a lot of effort to grasp the essence of the sentence just by looking at it, let alone doing it in real time.

How can we correct/rephrase the sentence, then? 

Ask yourself this, What does [a fragment] really mean? Or, How would I translate it, so a 5-year-old can understand it? 

"High-quality learning environments" most likely refers to good schools.

"necessary precondition" can be replaced just by are necessary.

"facilitate" is a nice word, but we can replace it with something more commonly used - to improve, help, or support. 

"the learning process of any student" means students' learning. 

From this

High-quality learning environments are a necessary precondition to facilitate the learning progress of any student.

To this

Good schools are necessary to improve students' learning.

Source: Plain English Campaign & https://www.udemy.com/user/shaniraja2/

#copyediting #writing #fancy vocab #flowery vocab #simplicity in writing #shorts

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Purpose statement in business writing

First step – gathering data 

This step is for you. It will help you organize your thoughts and establish the purpose of your document. 

Audience – who is going to read your piece of writing? Employees? Managers? Software developers? Who is the intendant audience? Note: In academic setting, don’t think about your teacher only. Think of other people who might be the target audience in real life.

Action – what action will they take (do they need to take) after reading your text? Make other plans? Analyze the data?

Knowledge level – how much do they know? How much do they need to know? Do they need to know why something is going to happen? It’s always a good idea to ask how much they already know. If you can’t do it, then assume they know much. It’s always easier to fill in missing information, then wonder which bits to remove.

Credibility – will they believe you? Do they need proof?

Second step – creating an outline

Type of document – it’s good to let people know what they’re holding. Is it a letter? Is it a report? Each writing type conveys information differently. Such knowledge will activate readers’ background knowledge and help them process and absorb the information faster.

What the document does – here we need to pick an appropriate verb, for example, explain, inform, detail, warn, notify, etc.

Information the audience needs – what is the document about? Here, we need to come up with a topic or focus sentence(s) that sums up the main idea of the document.

Audience – who’s going to read it?

What audience does with the information – why are we telling them this? What is the desired outcome? Do we want them to take particular actions?

Practice

Context: The parking lot outside your company is going to be unavailable for three days, from April 17th until April 20th. You need to inform people about it. (For a more complicated context, we would need a lot more data such as what, when, why, how something happened, who was involved, etc.)

Step 1 – gathering data

Audience – all the employees

Action – make other plans (take a bus or walk to work)

Knowledge level – the context is simple, so we can safely assume they know “much” about it. They don’t need to be told where the parking lot is or who manages it. They already know it or it is simply irrelevant.

Credibility – it’s not rocket science. They don’t need proof.

Step 2 – Creating an outline

Type of document – notice (or memo)

What the document does – informs (or notifies)

Information the audience needs – about the parking closure; from April 17th until April 20th (They probably don’t need to know the “why.” It might be interesting, but unnecessary.)

Audience – all the employees

What audience does with the information – take other means of transportation (desired outcome)

Step 3 – Let’s put everything together!

This memo notifies all the employees of the parking closure. The parking lot will be unavailable from April 17th until April 20th. Please, take other means of transportation during that time.

There are a million other ways how to connect the information bits. That’s just an example. You can always omit some pieces of information depending on their usefulness, relevancy, or how you want to deliver the whole.

Spoken announcement or a notice on the commonly accessible notice board:

To all the employees! The parking lot will be unavailable from April 17th until April 20th. Please, take other means of transportation during that time.

Source: Starweaver Instructor Team

#writing #business writing #purpose statement #copyediting

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Commas and quotation marks

At the end of a quotation, the terminal punctuation mark is placed inside the closing quotation mark.

It was Thoreau who wrote, “One generation abandons the enterprises of another like stranded vessels.”

She replied, “I hope you aren’t referring to us.”

Jones asked, "Where is everyone?"

If a quotation is introduced by that, whether, or a similar conjunction, no comma is needed.

You are now wondering whether “to speak now or forever hold your peace.”

At the end of a quotation, the terminal punctuation mark is placed outside the closing quotation mark when it doesn’t belong to the quotation.

Was it your mother who used to say that “a penny saved is a penny earned”?

“a penny saved is a penny earned” is not a question, hence the question mark outside the closing quotation mark.

“Was it your...” indicates a question.

Jones, of all people, said, "The manufacturing schedule is entirely unrealistic"!

Was it Jones who concluded that "the manufacturing schedule is entirely unrealistic"?

Source: C.S.Lakin - Say what? The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage

Amy Einsohn - The Copyeditor’s Handbook; A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications; Second Edition

#copyediting #commas #punctuation #quotation #shorts

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Because and Since - punctuation

I didn’t go to the store because you were angry. Unrelated events.

I didn’t go to the store, because you were angry. Related events. Your anger kept me from going to the store.

I played football since I was nine. Time span. Now, I’m 30, so it has been 21 years.

I played football, since I was nine. Reason. In an appropriate context, the sentence might be implying that I was at a qualifiable age, and everyone at age 9 was supposed to play football. 

In fiction, there may be places where you want to fudge the comma rules to achieve a certain effect. For example, if you have a character speaking excitedly with run-on sentences, you may choose to leave the commas out to give her words a hurried, frenetic feel. With speech, you want the character’s personality and voice to come through, so comma accuracy should be weighed alongside these elements in your novel.

Source: C.S.Lakin - Say what? The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage

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Direct questions within a sentence - punctuation 

Direct questions are introduced by a comma. For example:

Suddenly he asked himself, where am I headed?  

(Revised to an indirect question: Suddenly, he asked himself where he was headed.)

The question on everyone’s mind was, how are we going to tell her?

A direct question may take an initial capital letter if it is relatively long or has internal punctuation.

Legislators had to be asking themselves, Can the fund be used for the current emergency, or must it remain dedicated to its original purpose?

Source: C.S.Lakin - Say what? The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage

#copyediting #direct questions in a sentence #punctuation #shorts

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Unusual plural forms and their correct spelling:

yesses and nos and maybes

dos and don’ts

ifs, ands, and buts

I sent thank-yous

coworker (used to be hyphenated)

How many “to be continueds” should we expect? (put the s inside the quotes if you are pluralizing a word or expression) 

Mind your p’s and q’s

Dot your i’s and cross your t’s

abc’s

He got all A’s on his report card, and she got two B’s.

Source: C.S.Lakin - Say what? The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage

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