Author Topic: anyone able to translate japanese?  (Read 1416 times)

Offline rs2016

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anyone able to translate japanese?
« on: Sunday 22 September 19 18:51 BST (UK) »
Hi all, I have a document from the international red cross website relating to a relative who was a Japanese pow in ww2, would anybody be able to translate if I post a picture of it?

Thanks.

Offline maddys52

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #1 on: Monday 23 September 19 01:58 BST (UK) »
I have a son studying Japanese at Uni - he may be able to translate for you, or possibly his tutor. I understand there are a number of dialects, but assume it would be in the Tokyo dialect? Post an image here, or send me a pm.  :)

Offline Billyblue

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 23 September 19 04:12 BST (UK) »
If it's a POW card it is more likely to be in Japanese characters, not words as English speakers know them.

Your profile doesn't say what part of the world you are in.  Is there a Uni or school near you that teaches Japanese, if you have no luck here?

Dawn M
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Offline Ruskie

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 23 September 19 05:50 BST (UK) »
I think you can get apps which translate languages which use characters into English. You just need to take a photo of the document with your phone.

My children have done this to translate a recipe in Korean on the back of a sauce packet.  :)

Try a google search to find one for your phone.

Added: For example there is one for the iphone called iTranslate which supports Japanese. It gets good reviews but there is a cost. There will be free ones too (my children would not have paid for a translating app)  ;)


Offline rs2016

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #4 on: Monday 23 September 19 21:22 BST (UK) »
Thankyou all for your suggestions.

Offline rs2016

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #5 on: Monday 23 September 19 21:34 BST (UK) »
I have a son studying Japanese at Uni - he may be able to translate for you, or possibly his tutor. I understand there are a number of dialects, but assume it would be in the Tokyo dialect? Post an image here, or send me a pm.  :)

Hi, here is the document.

Offline UKgirl

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 24 September 19 03:09 BST (UK) »
Lines 1 & 2 – nothing important/ no information about the man.

Line 3 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) [no specified date], transferred to the No. 2 Branch Camp of Thai POW Camp

Line 4 (1st line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. Cause of death, malnutrition. Buried. Died at 4 o’clock

Line 5 (2nd line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. JA78 P4673

Line 6 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 3rd month (March) 7th, fell ill

Line 7 (blue & black writing):
Place of death, Thailand, Kanchanaburi gun (Kanchanaburi county), Wanyai

Line 8 (last line):
Buried at Wanyai Cemetery (JA181)

*****
Kanchanaburi Province is the location of the Thai-Burma Railway construction (Bridge over the River Kwai).

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a list of 27 men buried on that date in Thailand
e.g. Kanchanaburi Cemetery.

https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?country=Thailand&war=2&exactDate=26-09-1943&tab=wardead&pageSize=50&casualtypagenumber=1

*****
Here is a very similar card for a Dutch man which has already been translated.

https://www.openarch.nl/ghn:54dfd65a-b932-4ef1-a638-778192206def/en

UKgirl
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Offline rs2016

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 24 September 19 20:06 BST (UK) »
Lines 1 & 2 – nothing important/ no information about the man.

Line 3 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) [no specified date], transferred to the No. 2 Branch Camp of Thai POW Camp

Line 4 (1st line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. Cause of death, malnutrition. Buried. Died at 4 o’clock

Line 5 (2nd line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. JA78 P4673

Line 6 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 3rd month (March) 7th, fell ill

Line 7 (blue & black writing):
Place of death, Thailand, Kanchanaburi gun (Kanchanaburi county), Wanyai

Line 8 (last line):
Buried at Wanyai Cemetery (JA181)

*****
Kanchanaburi Province is the location of the Thai-Burma Railway construction (Bridge over the River Kwai).

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a list of 27 men buried on that date in Thailand
e.g. Kanchanaburi Cemetery.

https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?country=Thailand&war=2&exactDate=26-09-1943&tab=wardead&pageSize=50&casualtypagenumber=1

*****
Here is a very similar card for a Dutch man which has already been translated.

https://www.openarch.nl/ghn:54dfd65a-b932-4ef1-a638-778192206def/en

UKgirl

Hi, thankyou so much for that, it is very much appreciated.

Offline maddys52

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Re: anyone able to translate japanese?
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 26 September 19 08:52 BST (UK) »
Well done UKgirl,
My son had a look and couldn't quite make it all out, but agrees with your translation.  ;)