Collaborative translation: 偵探學園 Pages 1-4 (Join in the effort!)

[necroflux]

I've kind of decided to make a minor detour in our group translation effort which I think will make things a bit more interesting. As you know we started with 蜡笔小新, an Japanese comedy comic. I think so much humor gets lost in the translation from Japenese -> Chinese -> English, we would be better off in another genre. If there is significant demand to keep the translations of 小新　going, I'll be more than happy to keep going with them. But for now I think we should try another comic I've discovered called 偵探學園, or "Dan Detective Story" (not a direct translation of the title). From what I've read these are some pretty clever detective stories centered around a young genius who's new to the detective game. He just left his jealous friends at high school to join this prestigious detective school - so think Harry Potter with detectives instead of wizards.

Anyway I'm going to start with the first few pages, let me know what you all think. Maybe the constantly unfolding storyline will keep us all interested and motivated.

Pages 1 and 2 of 偵探學園, (click for image)

第6話 dì 6 huà "Chapter 6"

開膛島之慘劇 3 kāi tángdǎo zhī cǎnjù

Tragedy on Slaughter Island

膛島 tángdǎo: Island?

慘劇 cǎnjù: Tragedy

三...三郎丸... sān... sān láng wán (Pinyin not applicable here, characters are from Japanese name)...

It's Sa...Saburomaru... (Japanese name)

被劈成了兩半... bèi pī chéng le liǎng bàn...

He's been sliced in two...

兩半 liǎng bàn: Two halves

是開膛手捷克幹的.... shì kāitángshǒujiékè gàn de

It's Jack the Ripper who did it..

開膛手捷克 kāitángshǒujiékè: Jack the Ripper

Pages 3 and 4 of 偵探學園, (click for image)

團先生！　縱劈成兩半的殺人方式，　這不正好與五十幾年前...開膛手捷克當時所犯下的　"雙重密室殺人"　幾乎是同樣的情況． tuán xiān shēng! Zòng pī chéng liǎng bàn de shā rén fāng shì, zhè bú zhèng hǎo yǔ wǔ shí jǐ nián qián.. kāitángshǒujiékè dāngshí suǒ fàn xià de “shuāng zhòng mìshì shā ren” jī hū shì tóng yàng de qíngkuàng.

Mr. Tuan! This vertical splitting method of murder，as it turns out isn't it almost the same as the "double secret-room murder" that Jack the Ripper committed 50 years ago?

縱 zòng: Vertical

殺人 shā rén: Murder

方式 fāng shì: Method

正好 zhèng hǎo: as it turns out

當時 dāngshí: Then, at that time

犯下 fàn xià: committed

密室 mìshì: secret room, back room

密室 here means a room closed from inside so amyone outside can not get in without breaking the lock. Can it be translated to "a secret room"?

幾乎 jī hū: almost

同樣的 tóng yàng de: same

情況 qíngkuàng: situation, circumstances

與　"開膛手傑克" yǔ “Jack the Ripper”

(compared with) Jack the Ripper...

同樣的密室殺人tóngyàng de mìshì shā rén

The same secret room murder

完...完全一樣! wán.. wán quán yī yàng!

(lit.) It’s completely the same!

那昨天放在管理室不見的倉軍主鑰匙是怎麼回事? Nà zuótiān fàngzài guǎnlǐshì bú jiàn de cāngjūn zhǔ yàoshi shì zěnme huí shì?

Then what's the deal with yesterday, when the military storehouse's master key that was placed in the management room disappeared?

放在 fàng zài: placed (at)

管理室 guǎnlǐshì: control room

不見 bú jiàn: to disappear (i.e. when you can't find your wallet or keys)

倉軍 cāngjūn: Military storehouse

主鑰匙 zhǔ yàoshi: Master key (鑰匙=key)

要是利用那把鑰匙從外頭將兩扇門都鎖上，Yào shì lìyòng nà bǎ yàoshi cóng wàitóu jiāng liǎng shàn mén dōu suǒ shàng.

If that key was used to lock the two doors from the outside..

要是 Yào shì: if

利用 lìyòng: exploit, make use of

外頭 wàitóu: outside

兩扇門 liǎng shàn mén: two windows (扇 is measure word)

鎖 suǒ: lock

那這個現場根本就不算是密室了啊! Nà zhè ge xiànchǎng gēnběn jiù bu suàn shì mìshì le a!

Then this scene fundamentally is not a secret rooom/back room!

現場 xiànchǎng: scene

不算 bu suàn: to not be considered as/not count as

根本 gēnběn: completely, utterly, fundamentally

喂! 各位! Wèi! gèwèi!

Hey! Everyone!

小 Q!　怎麼了嗎?　又有什麼事了? xiǎo Q! zěnme le mā? Yòuyǒu shénme shì le?

Xiao Q! What is it? Now what’s wrong?

你們看看這個! nǐmén kàn kàn zhè ge!

You guys, look at this!

鑰...鑰匙... yào... yàoshi...

A key...

這個... 難道是? Zhè ge.. nán dào shì?

This thing.. could it be?

小 Q,　你用那支鑰匙去合合看鑰匙孔吧! Xiǎo Q, nǐ yòng nà zhī yàoshi qù héhé kàn yàoshi kǒng bā!

Xiao Q, use that key and see if it fits the keyhole!

鑰匙孔 yàoshi kǒng: keyhole

好的! Hǎo de!

Okay!

Pages 5 and 6 of 偵探學園, (click for image)

Pages 7 and 8 of 偵探學園, (click for image)

[xiaocai]

I think this one should be "金田一少年の事件簿(Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo)", and I read this episode before. Can not help you much but "開膛手捷克" here refers to "Jack the Ripper".

[HashiriKata]

This is not my stuff but just a try:

開膛島之慘劇 3 kāi tángdǎo zhī cǎnjù

(Prelim.) Translation Unknown

Tragedy in Slaughter Island

是開膛手捷克幹的.... shì kāi táng shǒu jiékè gàn de

(Prelim.) Translation Unknown

I think xiaocai is right, so: It's Jack the Ripper who did it

[Mugi]

This looks as though it could be even more challenging - once again you have a Chinese translation of a Japanese comic, but this time it draws upon western (English) culture as well. Hope someone out there is familiar with Jack the Ripper stories.

As for your prelim translations:

I think HashiriKata meant to type "on" instead of "in" (Tragedy in Slaughter Island).

三...三郎丸... Sān... Sān láng wán... It's Sa...Saburomaru...

被劈成了兩半... bèi pī chéng le liǎng bàn... He's been sliced in two...

[necroflux]

Can someone comment further on 被劈成了兩半? In particular the first half - 被劈成. Does 劈成 translate to "sliced", if so what does the 成 do here grammatically? And 被 has given me quite a bit of trouble, I had been told it can mean "by" but that doesn't make a lot of sense here.

[Mugi]

劈 means to chop or cut: 劈木柴 pi1 mu4chai2 = to chop firewood.

被 is a passive marker, so 被劈 means "chopped (by someone)". The "someone" has been omitted. The sentence in question could be written 被某人/開膛手捷克劈成了兩半 -> (He has been) cut in two by some unknown person / Jack the Ripper.

成 as you probably know means "to become", so here it means that the once whole body has been cut "into" two halves.

I employed a tiny amount of poetic license in using "slice" - to me it sounds more emotive and fits better here than simply "cut" or even "chop". At the end of the day "He's been sliced in two" means practically the same as "He's been chopped into two halves (by someone)", but the former sounds more natural.

Hope this helped.

Edit: (JR)'s definition of pi1 is much more accurate that "chop" or "cut"

[(JR)]

被 is a passive marker. in this case the function of 被 is to tell us that something has been "劈成了兩半" (split into two halves). a simpler way to think about it is to know that when you see 被, you are being told something has happened to the subject (if there is a subject!)

somehow I don't feel that's a very good explanation.

as for 劈成, the first character is pi, meaning to split, the second is cheng, meaning to become. When they are together think of it as "split into".

[necroflux]

Okay guys, it all makes more sense now, thanks.

[necroflux]

Anyone have any ideas for what's posted?

[(JR)]

團先生！　縱劈成兩半的殺人方式，　這不正好與五十幾年前... tuán xiān shēng! Zòng pī chéng liǎng bàn de shā rén fāng shì, zhè bú zhèng hǎo yǔ wǔ shí jǐ nián qián...

縱 - vertical

殺人 - murder, to kill a person

正好 - as it turns out

開膛手捷克當時所犯下的　"雙重密室殺人"　幾平是同樣的情況．kāitángshǒujiékè dāngshí suǒ fàn xià de “shuāng zhòng mìshì shā ren” jǐ píng shì tóng yàng de qíngkuàng.

雙重 shuang1chong2 - double

密室 mi4shi4 - secret room, back room

I'm going to put these two lines into one english line for readability,

Mr. Tuan! this vertical splitting method of murder， isn't it the same as the "double secret-room murder" that Jack the Ripper committed 50 years ago?

與　"開膛手傑克" yǔ “Jack the Ripper”

(compared with) Jack the Ripper..

同樣的密室殺人tóngyàng de mìshì shā rén

the same secret-room murder

那昨天放在管理室不見的倉軍主鑰匙是怎麼回事? Nà zuótiān fàngzài guǎnlǐ shì bú jiàn de cāng jūn zhǔ yàoshi shì zěnme huí shì?

管理室 guan3li3shi4 - management room/control room

不見 bu2jian4 - to disappear (i.e. when you can't find your wallet or keys)

倉軍 cang1jun1 - military storehouse (~70% sure)

怎麼回事 zen3me hui2shi4 - (here, hui2 is a measure word for shi4)

Then what's the deal with the military storehouse's master key that was placed in the management room and disappeared?

要是利用那把鑰匙從外頭將兩扇門都鎖上，Yào shì lìyòng nà bǎ yàoshi cóng wài tóu jiāng liǎng shàn mén dōu suǒ shàng.

把 ba3 - measure word for things with handles (keys)

If that key was used to lock the two doors from the outside..

那這個現場跟本就不算是密室了啊! Nà zhè ge xiànchǎng gēnběn jiù bu suàn shì mìshì le a!

根本(not 跟本) gen1ben3 - fundamentally

不算 bu2suan4 - to not be considered/not count as

then this scene fundamentally is not a secret rooom/back room!(???)

小 Q,　你用那支鑰匙去合合看鑰匙孔吧! Xiǎo Q, nǐ yòng nà zhī yàoshi qù héhé kàn yàoshi kǒng bā!

(Prelim.)Xiao Q, use that key and see if it fits (the lock)!

鑰匙孔 yao4shi5kong3 - keyhole

so you can say fits the keyhole in this case.

[xiaocai]

那昨天放在管理室不見的倉庫主鑰匙是怎麼回事?

倉庫:warehouse(?)

密室 here means a room closed from inside so amyone outside can not get in without breaking the lock. Can it be translated to "a secret room"?

[necroflux]

Thanks for the input JR/xiaocai, I have some questions:

膛島 tángdǎo: Does this translate to an "island"? Or some specific type of island perhaps?

五十幾年前: In terms of the 幾 here, would this be the same as saying "some 50 years ago" in English? If not what purpose does it hold?

(Jack the ripper) 當時所犯下的: Any comments on what 所 does here?

幾平是同樣的情況: What is 幾平?

那昨天放在管理室不見的倉軍主鑰匙是怎麼回事? Where does "yesterday" fit in? Is the following correct: Then what's the deal with the military storehouse's master key that was placed in the management room yesterday and disappeared?

(Apologies for lack of back story on items such as this, hopefully we don't have too many of these.)

要是利用那把鑰匙從外頭將兩扇門都鎖上: A few questions here.

鎖上: What does 上 do here?

扇門: This was translated as "window" in the dictionary, can it also be "door"?

將: Completely lost here, supposedly it means "will, in the future"?

[xiaocai]

幾乎是同樣的情況。

幾乎: almost(?)

鎖上: lock up

扇門: 扇 here is a measure word of 門

將: the same as "把"

[(JR)]

I really don't know about tang2dao3. it could be the name of an island, but thorax island sounds weird to me.

五十幾年前: yeah, it basically means 5X years ago, could be 50-59.

(Jack the ripper) 當時所犯下的: Any comments on what 所 does here?

suo3 in this case means: "that which" so it translates as "at that time the crime that was comitted"

幾平是同樣的情況: What is 幾平?

yes jihu means almost

那昨天放在管理室不見的倉軍主鑰匙是怎麼回事? Where does "yesterday" fit in? Is the following correct: Then what's the deal with the military storehouse's master key that was placed in the management room yesterday and disappeared?

yeah, it's either correct or very very close. "what's the deal" could be probably be translated better (from zenme hui shi). Perhaps something like "How do you explain..." would be better. zenme hui shi has the meaning of "what's going on?" or "what is this (shiqing)?"