May 19, 2015 13:51
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Japanese term
○○でよろしかったでしょうか
Japanese to English
Other
Poetry & Literature
An Exercise from a Texbook
文化庁の「国語にかんする世論調査 (実施は昨年)。コンビニなどでよく聞く「お会計のほう」、「千円からをお預かりします」の「ほう」「から」の用法に半数前後が「気になる｣と答えた。千九九六年の同じ調査では、「気にならない」方が多かった。おかしな日本語に慣らされるのを拒否する人が増えているのだ。
目下増殖中の気になる表現が「○○でよろしかったでしょうか」。たとえばウエートレスが注文を確認する時などに口にする。
目下増殖中の気になる表現が「○○でよろしかったでしょうか」。たとえばウエートレスが注文を確認する時などに口にする。
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+5
1 hr
Yuki Okada
Canada
Canada
Native in Japanese
Canada
Engineering translator
Native in: Japanese 
Works in: English to Japanese, Japanese to English
Related KudoZ points
:
28
Selected
Am I correct in understanding (that your order was xx)
This expression is obviously awkward, and that is the point. I don't know how much you can convey the argument in your document without using Japanese to non-Japanese speakers. Good luck!
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Takeshi MIYAHARA
9 hrs
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ありがとうございます。
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| agree |
Marc Brunet
: Good! idiomatically put...and foreign customer still can sense the serving lady's slight tension in having to elicit a definitive reply...
11 hrs
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ありがとうございます。
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| agree |
David Gibney
1 day 6 hrs
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ありがとうございます。
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| agree |
Michelle McBride
2 days 21 hrs
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ありがとうございます。
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| agree |
Chrisso (X)
3 days 10 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Yes, that would be the problem. Luckily, I don't have to translate this; it's just for my own understanding. Thank you very much."
+1
17 mins
Michelle McBride
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in Japanese
&
English
United Kingdom
Passion for stories, video subtitling.
Native in: English 
, Japanese
Works in: Japanese to English
Re-confirming an order
As the last sentence says, it is the waitress confirming your order, which is the phrase in question.
For example: 'One coffee with milk, the other black - is that correct?
Actually you would probably hear the waitress say 「コーヒーにミルクがおひとつ、コーヒーのブラックがおひとつ、以上でよろしいでしょうか」
In an English speaking environment, you might hear it as: 'Let me run through your order: one coffee with milk, the other with two sugars?' to which the customer can say yes or no.
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Note added at 20 mins (2015-05-19 14:11:22 GMT)
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Apologies - that should 'the other BLACK?'
In an English speaking environment, you might hear it as: 'Let me run through your order: one coffee with milk, the other BLACK?' to which the customer can say yes or no.
For example: 'One coffee with milk, the other black - is that correct?
Actually you would probably hear the waitress say 「コーヒーにミルクがおひとつ、コーヒーのブラックがおひとつ、以上でよろしいでしょうか」
In an English speaking environment, you might hear it as: 'Let me run through your order: one coffee with milk, the other with two sugars?' to which the customer can say yes or no.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2015-05-19 14:11:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Apologies - that should 'the other BLACK?'
In an English speaking environment, you might hear it as: 'Let me run through your order: one coffee with milk, the other BLACK?' to which the customer can say yes or no.
Example sentence:
「コーヒーにミルクがおひとつ、コーヒーのブラックがおひとつ、以上でよろしいでしょうか」
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
soitcause
: I think a more formal/polite variation that more directly uses 以上でよろしいでしょうか would be ending the sentence with "is that all?"
"Let me run through your order: one coffee with milk, another black. Is/was that all?"
203 days
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5 hrs
Is it good for me to take your order as
I tried to express it in an odd way and I've got the above.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Marc Brunet
: mmmh, aren't we trying too hard to sound awkward, this way?
6 hrs
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We have to sound awkward. When I first heard the expression in the question, I found it very strange indeed...
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5 days
common usage that I hear in Japan
I often heard this expression in Japan when I traveled in the past few years. It means "Would it be alright (with your order)? or Would it be everything (in your order)?" よろしかった in this case is used in the subjunctive mood so that's why it is the past tense instead of よろしいでしょうか。
Example sentence:
全部で五千円になります。これでよろしかったでしょうか。
Discussion
Sidetracking further for the fun of it: isn't it interesting to note that the same 'expression', said in the present tense results in a completely different take, which, as a gaijin, I would take on board as: "Anything else?" :-)
The author is lamenting weird expressions that are gaining popularity. Thus, it should be OK as long as the translation sounds awkward. It doesn't matter if it sounds polite or informal. (That's not the point here. )
Young people may not quite get what the author is writing about. As for me, I can totally relate. Although I've got used to 「でよろしかったでしょうか」being used to confirm orders, when I first heard it, I was like "What the !@#$^ is this expression??"
Putting ourselves in the shoes of a foreign customer,
- "Am I correct in understanding (that your order was xx)" is very good English, but perhaps not appropriate to promote a relaxed interaction with the potential buyer. Why? because it sounds so 'legalistic' that it tends to put the customer on the back foot (on the defensive) as if cross-examined by a lawyer in a court of law.
- "Is it good for me to take your order as..", on the other hand, maintains that desirable informal tone of interaction with the buyer. All it might need is a slight rewording like : "So, it is OK for me to..." or "So, shall I take your order as......