On 1997-08-31 happosai@jps.net said:

   >I'm curious to hear some thoughts by other authors on using Japanese
   >language in fanfics, and what the best way to let the reader know
   >what the words mean, if (s)he doesn't know them already.

   I don't see why you shouldn't use them.  I understand that if you do
   this, you come off as a "typical gaijin", but from what I've seen, it
   works pretty well.  It seems that some things can't be conveyed in
   english as well as japanese - or for that matter, a lot of non latin
   based languages.

   As for the translation offering, I recommend the use of footnotes.

   >And is it generally OK to use some of the really common
   >ones, such as "tadaima" or "gomen nasai" or "itadakimasu", and just
   >assume the average fan knows what they mean?

   Well, using "itadakimasu" beats the hell out of using "bon appetit",
   ne?


Dennis Allen Carr
ke6isf@streamtech.com

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