That Word - Faithfulness 忠実

'That Word - Faithfulness 忠実'

Scene:  We’re sitting at a table in the corner. We’ve found a London pub in the middle of Hamamatsu and are taking advantage of the availability of cider. It’s a Sunday night so the bar is quiet. Sometimes, we’re the only customers there. After I take a sip, I put my glass on the scarred plastic table covering. Behind us, the bartender is finding something else to wipe down.

B.D: You know how you’ll have that moment where you’re like – wow. So that’s how you say it in Japanese?

Ashley: Yeah?

Ashley puts her glass down next to her tiny pink purse. She waits. I elaborate.

B.D: You know. Like, you’re just reading along and then you come across this word and it’s like – if this was in English, I know exactly like it would sound? Or even like a whole paragraph or something. And it’s just the biggest epiphany?

Ashley turns a little in her seat. 

Ashley: Oh my god, yes! I totally know what you’re saying. That just happened to me the other day.

I turn both my palms up to the ceiling, and nod my head.

B.D: Right?!

Ashley prepares to take another sip.

Ashley: So, what word did you find then?

I adjust myself in the seat and sit up straighter. I look over at Ashley.

B.D: Well, I’ve found quite a few, so, get ready.

Ashley takes her sip.

Ashley: Oh, I’m ready.

--- 

Ok, so, you know how I went to see that movie the other day? Well, I was reading some reviews online. Apparently, this movie was based on a book. And, the one reviewer said something like ‘I haven't read the book so I don't know how faithful it is'. ‘Faithful’, as in, to the source material.

Obviously.

Yeah. So, I know the exact sentence. I wrote it down. Just a sec.

You wrote it down?

Well, I bookmarked the page and now I’m bringing it up.

That doesn’t sound like ‘writing down’.

‘Writing down’, ‘bookmarking’ – whatever! Ok, here it is, ‘私は原作の小説を読んでいないので原作にどれだけ忠実かはわからない’

So, the ‘faithful’ part is 忠実?

Yep. I looked it up and that’s what it said but, I donno, I feel like it’s one of those word usages where if I was to look up English ‘faithful’ that’s not the word that would come up.

Well, did you try looking it up?

No…

Haha! Well, let’s look and see.

Ok, ok. Look up ‘faithful’ and see what happens.

That’s what I’m doing. Umm, ok..so, legit, the first thing that comes up on Jisho.org is 忠実 meaning ‘faithfulness; devotion; loyalty…’ and the example sentence is あの翻訳は原文に忠実だそうだ。So…

Oh...Well. I guess that’s the end of that one xD

But, I know what you mean about those kinds of words. Like, sometimes you try to find just the right one and it simply won’t appear anywhere.

Haha! Yeah.  I guess this one will but I never thought to look?

Well, now you know.

The question remains though.

Hmm?

Does this faithfulness mean just to source material of movies? Or does it also have to do with marital faithfulness or religious faithfulness, too?

That, I do not know. 

To be continued...

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私は原作の小説を読んでいないので原作にどれだけ忠実かはわからない

Watashi ha gensaku no syousetu wo yondeinai no de gensaku ni dore dake tyuujitu ka wakaranai。

‘I haven’t read the book so I don’t know how faithful it is’.

あの翻訳は原文に忠実だそうだ

Ano honyaku ha genbun ni tyuujitu da sou da。

That translation is supposed to be true to the original.

忠実

Tyuujitu

Faithfulness; devotion; loyalty (etc.)

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もしこの話が日本語でだとしたら。。

あのね、先日あの映画を観に行ったでしょ。行く前、映画評をみててあの映画の原作が本だと知った。ある評者が「私は原作の小説を読んでいないので原作にどれだけ忠実かはわからない」と告げた。その「忠実」は原作に。

だろ。

でも、原文書いといたから、待ってて。

書いたの？

まっ、「ブックマーク」して今取り返すんだ。

「ブックマーク」は「書く」じゃないんだけど。。

書いたのかブックマークしたのか代わりないだろ？あっ、出た。「I haven't read the book so I don't know how faithful it is」だって。

それで「faithful」に当たる部分は「忠実」だよね？

そ。調べてみたら定義が「faithful」だったけど。なんか。普通「faithful」から検査したら「忠実」が出なそうな訳だと感じる。

検査したの？

いやっ、それは。。

へー、変なの。探してみよよ。

うん、「faithful」探して。

探すって言ったでしょ？じゃ。。あっ、一番最初に出るのが「忠実」だよ。そして、例文が「That translation is supposed to be true to the original」なんですけども。。

そうなんですか。。勉強になったなー

でも、気持ちわかるよ。一回知って後でなかなか思い浮かべない言葉を探すと出てこないことの大変さ。

ハハ、あるある！「Faithful」は出るらしいけど評価を読む前探そうとした言葉じゃなかったので。

うん。でも、今なら知ってるね。

そう。でも。。

なに？

「Faithful」という意味は映画の原作などにの忠実に限るのか。それか、結婚相手にの忠実とか信仰などの意味も表わす言葉なのか。

わかんないねー