[Translation Challenge] How Do You Translate “To Be Home Late”?

This is an archive of the JD Translation Challenge, which we do regularly on JD’s Twitter. Why don’t you take the challenge too?

We have also listed the answers from our followers and feedback from Japanese members, so check it out when you are done with your translation.

Table of Contents

Translation Challenge

โ€œMy boss asked me to do something by the end of the day and I’m going to be home late. Bummerโ€ฆโ€


Translate it into Japanese.
(See the tweet on Twitter.)

Click here for my example answers.

ใ€ŒไธŠๅธใซไปŠๆ—ฅไธญใง้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ“ใจใŒใ‚ใฃใฆใ€ไปŠๆ—ฅใฏๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚Šใใ†ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ‚„ใ ใชใโ€ฆใ€‚ใ€
*ใ€Œใ‚„ใ ใชใใ€‚ใ€is a self-talking and a casual style.

ใ€ŒไธŠๅธใซไปŠๆ—ฅไธญใง้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ“ใจใŒใ‚ใฃใฆใ€ไปŠๆ—ฅใฏๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚Šใใ†ใ€‚ใ‚„ใ ใชใใ€‚ใ€

ใ€ŒไธŠๅธใซไปŠๆ—ฅไธญใง้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ“ใจใ‚ใฃใฆใ€ๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎ้…ใใชใ‚Šใใ†ใ‚„ใ‚ใ€‚ๆœ€ๆ‚ช๏ผใ€

Key Phrase

ไปŠๆ—ฅไธญ(ใซ)

“by today”, “by the end of the day”

ใ€ŒไปŠๆ—ฅไธญใซใใฎๆ›ธ้กžใ‚’้€ใฃใฆใใ ใ•ใ„ใ€‚ใ€
โ€œPlease send me the document by the end of the day.โ€

(ๅฎถใซ)ๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚‹

“to be late home”
It means going home late compared to the time you usually get home because of something (such as job, trouble, appointment, etc.). Remember this as an idiom.

ใ€Œ้›ป่ปŠใŒๅ‹•ใ„ใฆใชใ„ใฟใŸใ„ใ ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€ๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚Šใใ†ใ ใ€‚ใ€
โ€œApparently, the train isn’t running, so I’m going to be home late.โ€

*When you say ใ€Œ้…ใๅธฐใ‚‹ใ€, it represents that you are voluntarily going home late. (For example, because you and your wife had a fight and things are awkward between you and your wife.)

Answers from our followers. Click to read the feedback.

ย 

Nice try! One thing, your sentence would be perfect if you unify the subject ofใ€Œ้ƒจ้•ทใŒไป•ไบ‹็ต‚ใ‚ใ‚‹ใพใงใซใ—ใŸใ„ไบ‹ใŒ้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ—ใ€ part๐Ÿ˜‰

If you’d like to make ้ƒจ้•ท subject: ใ€Œ้ƒจ้•ทใŒ๏ผˆ็งใซ๏ผ‰ไป•ไบ‹ใŒ็ต‚ใ‚ใ‚‹ใพใงใซใ—ใฆใปใ—ใ„ใ“ใจใ‚’้ ผใ‚“ใงใใŸใ—ใ€ “The boss asked me to do something that he wanted me to finish by the end of the business hour”
*Btw, ใ€Œ(้ ผใ‚“ใง)ใใŸใ€(~ใ—ใฆใใ‚‹) is used when the subject does something to the speaker (that the speaker did not ask for).

If you’d like to make yourself subject:ใ€Œ้ƒจ้•ทใซไป•ไบ‹ใŒ็ต‚ใ‚ใ‚‹ใพใงใซใ—ใฆใปใ—ใ„ใ“ใจใ‚’้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ—ใ€ “I was asked by the boss to do sth he wanted me to do by the end of the business hours.”

The rest part is good! ใƒคใƒใ„ใชใ gives me an impression you don’t wanna miss sth live at home๐Ÿ˜

This is perfect flawless Japanese! ใใ†ใงใ™ใญใ€ใ“ใฎๅ ดๅˆใฏbossใฎ็ซ‹ๅ ดใŒใ‚ใ‹ใ‚‰ใชใ„ใฎใงใ€ใ€ŒไธŠๅธใ€ใจใ„ใ†่จ€่‘‰ใŒไธ€็•ชใ—ใฃใใ‚Šใใ‚‹ใจๆ€ใ„ใพใ™๐Ÿ˜‰

Nice! You can say ็ต‚ๆฅญ but we tend to use it with ๆ™‚้–“ or ๆ™‚ๅˆป more๐Ÿ˜Šย ใ€Œ็ต‚ๆฅญๆ™‚้–“ใพใงใซไธŠๅธใซไป•ไบ‹ใ‚’้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€or you could say ใ€ŒไธŠๅธใซ็ต‚ๆฅญๆ™‚้–“ใพใงใฎไป•ไบ‹ใ‚’้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€, I guess it sounds a little more natural๐Ÿ˜Š

When we say “to be home late”, we often useใ€Œ(ๅฎถใซ)ๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚‹ใ€as an idiom.
Your sentence already makes sense but it would sound more natural if you write ใ€ŒไธŠๅธใซ็ต‚ๆฅญๆ™‚้–“ใพใงใฎไป•ไบ‹ใ‚’้ ผใพใ‚ŒใŸใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€ๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚‹ใ€‚ใ—ใ‚‡ใ†ใŒใชใ„โ€ฆใ€๐Ÿค—

โ€œMy boss asked me to do something by the end of the day”

Cool that you chose the verbใ€Œๆฌฒใ—ใ„ใ€! I think ใ€Œ…ใ—ใฆใปใ—ใ„ใ€grammar would be useful for your sentence๐Ÿ˜‰ย ใ€Œ(AใŒ)(Bใซ)…ใ—ใฆใปใ—ใ„ใ€: A wants B to do …

something: ใ‚ใ‚‹ใ“ใจ
by the end of the day: ไปŠๆ—ฅไธญใซ

So it would be ใ€Œไผš้•ทใฏ็งใซไปŠๆ—ฅไธญใซใ‚ใ‚‹ใ“ใจใ‚’ใ—ใฆใปใ—ใ„ใงใ™ใ€๐Ÿค—

“I’m going to be home late.”

ๅฎถใซๆฅใ‚‹ is “to come home” so ๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ “to go back to your home” sounds better here๐Ÿ˜Š
ใ€Œใ ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€ๅฎถใซ้…ใๅธฐใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€ is better.
An additional expression you might want to learn isใ€Œๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚‹ใ€”to be home late”. As you are not on your way home yet, it sounds natural if you say ใ€Œๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚Šใใ†ใ€.
*ใ€Œ…ใใ†ใ€means “looks like something (someone) is going to do something.”

“Bummerโ€ฆโ€ You know ใ€Œโ€ฆใฃใŸใใ€ expression๐Ÿ˜‚It’s mainly used in verbal language (and rude๐Ÿคฃ) but I like the spirit! hahaha

ใ€Œใ‚‚ใ†๏ฝžใ€sounds super proper here and I like it๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ‘

For “something”, if the speaker knows what it is but avoids giving details, we use ใ€Œใ‚ใ‚‹ใ“ใจใ€(“a thing”)๐Ÿค—

For “the end of the day”, ไปŠๆ—ฅไธญ (ใใ‚‡ใ†ใ˜ใ‚…ใ†) is a good expression๐Ÿ˜Šย It’s true that adding ใ€Œๆœซใ€, as you used, is often used in Japanese business situations to indicate a deadline, but that’s mainly used after the month๏ผˆๆœˆๆœซ๏ผ‰or year๏ผˆๅนดๆœซ๏ผ‰.

When we say “to be home late”, we often useใ€Œๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚‹ใ€expression. So you can say ใ€Œๅฎถใซๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใฃใกใ‚ƒใ†ใ€๐Ÿ˜‰ย I really like that you used ใ€Œใกใ‚ƒใ†ใ€ for this translation! That suits this situation perfectly๐Ÿ’•

็ต‚ๆ—ฅ is an advanced word๐Ÿ‘ย but it means “all day” or “throughout day” (I guess it’s close to “durante todo el dรญa”) so ไปŠๆ—ฅไธญ (ใใ‚‡ใ†ใ˜ใ‚…ใ†) sounds better๐Ÿ˜‰

When we say “to be home late”, we often useใ€Œ(ๅฎถใซ)ๅธฐใ‚‹ใฎใŒ้…ใใชใ‚‹ใ€as an idiom.
Other than that, looks great๐Ÿค—

Special thanks to all who participated!