Harold C Hayes Wrote:

Zen wrote:

In the Miyu context, Shinma is also a compound... from MA, meaning demon or
evil spirit.  The Kanji used to spell it is different - so as long as you
use the same Kanji as from Ranma's name, then you are OK...

How are we supposed to do that?

You can't in romajii... unless you specify the root of the name, somewhere
in the text.  All you can do is be aware that for any given Romanized
pronunciation, there are likely to be several words that can be
represented, and the right ones have to be chosen from context, or by means
of the Kanji used to write them.  So, use a name, and if you feel the need
to justify it, you can have one of the characters explain the derivation.

Things brings me to a very important point that I've keep forgetting to
make... does anybody know anything about something called a "Japanese
Reader"?  Something that will emable my computer to read web pages in
Japanese?

Sure - there are several browsers out there that are Japanese enabled -
including a version of Netscape Navigator.  The trouble is that they often
(but not always) require some version of a Japanese enabled operating
system - For the mac, there is the Japanese Language Kit - available from
Apple, and for pc, there are several options - check out:

http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/gregsmit/winvhome.html

For more information on:

The Japanese Language Kit for Windows 3.1

Unlike TwinBridge, UnionWay or NJStar, Win/V adds true Japanese support to
your Windows environment. Not only can you use Japanese inside English
applications, Win/V also allows you to run native Japanese applications
such as Itchitaro and Japanese Word for Windows as well as use any
commercial Front-End-Processor like ATOK and Third-Party TrueType Kanji
Fonts.



Other Benefits of Using Win/V

          You don't need Japanese DOS.
          Takes up way less space than Japanese Windows
          Your Japan office can use the same Windows as your head office.
          Just about every major Japanese Windows application is supported.
          You don't have to worry about getting Japanese-specific drivers for
                your hardware.

This is one of the cheapest options, and works with windoze 3.1 and netscape 1.1

Hope that helps...

Zen-