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何を援けて

English translation: What to assist/help/save

18:09 Feb 12, 2023
Japanese to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama / 何を援けて
Japanese term or phrase: 何を援けて
Dear ProZ members,

a little doubt about a sentence taken from a cartoon. A girl is being taught how to use magic, and she describes some of the teachings she receives.

何を援けて、何を遠ざけるか 薬にもなり、毒にもなるもの
(What to help and what to keep away, what becomes both a medicine and a poison.)

I can't get what they mean for "What to help", so I'm wondering if I got the meaning right. Any chance it could mean "what helps you and what you have to keep away?".

Thank you so much!
Riccardo91
Italy
English translation:What to assist/help/save
Explanation:
The Kanji used is different from the usual 助, but the meaning and nuances remain unchanged. As for the magic context, since magic is something that empowers you to do many things that would be impossible, including more directly saving/assisting/helping people, animals, and objects, becomes possible. More context would be ideal, but the idea in this text is probably about the choice of saving/assisting/helping something, while keeping something away, and that doing so be both a blessing and a curse, a medicine and a poison, and so on.

Depending on the full context, it's also a good idea to keep in mind another meaning that 援ける can have, which is 見逃す, in the sense of 見咎めずに済ますこと。But with the amount of context I have at the moment, "What to assist/help/save" is more likely to be the most fitting translation.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2023-02-12 21:22:06 GMT)
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To build a little more on the first premise. The idea is also about choices. The choice to save or assist certain things, while keeping other things away and how such choices can become either a blessing or a curse, or it can become both, like you suggested, of course. But I think the key concept here is potential. It has the potential to become helpful just as much as it has the potential to become harmful, and it even has the potential to become both at the same time. Since the source text appears to be rather ambiguous, it may be a good idea to keep some of that ambiguity in your translation as well, but try to look at the full context, as it may help make your translation more clear and natural, while keeping it accurate.
Selected response from:

ZT-Translations
Brazil
Local time: 16:39
Grading comment
Thank you so much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4What to assist/help/save
ZT-Translations


  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
What to assist/help/save


Explanation:
The Kanji used is different from the usual 助, but the meaning and nuances remain unchanged. As for the magic context, since magic is something that empowers you to do many things that would be impossible, including more directly saving/assisting/helping people, animals, and objects, becomes possible. More context would be ideal, but the idea in this text is probably about the choice of saving/assisting/helping something, while keeping something away, and that doing so be both a blessing and a curse, a medicine and a poison, and so on.

Depending on the full context, it's also a good idea to keep in mind another meaning that 援ける can have, which is 見逃す, in the sense of 見咎めずに済ますこと。But with the amount of context I have at the moment, "What to assist/help/save" is more likely to be the most fitting translation.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2023-02-12 21:22:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

To build a little more on the first premise. The idea is also about choices. The choice to save or assist certain things, while keeping other things away and how such choices can become either a blessing or a curse, or it can become both, like you suggested, of course. But I think the key concept here is potential. It has the potential to become helpful just as much as it has the potential to become harmful, and it even has the potential to become both at the same time. Since the source text appears to be rather ambiguous, it may be a good idea to keep some of that ambiguity in your translation as well, but try to look at the full context, as it may help make your translation more clear and natural, while keeping it accurate.


    https://trilltrill.jp/articles/2029327
    https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E5%8A%A9%E3%81%91%E3%82%8B_%28%E3%81%9F%E3%81%99%E3%81%91%E3%82%8B%29/#jn-136593
ZT-Translations
Brazil
Local time: 16:39
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 14
Grading comment
Thank you so much!
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