Lost in translation (Part 13)

I know I’ve already wrapped up the series in Lost in translation (Part 12), but it’s worth adding another post for our friends Myra and Sarah. 🤗 My original plan was to publish the first chapter of my new fanfic together with my illustration of one of the scenes (the drawing shown in my previous post was part of that), but I’m not ready yet. I will hopefully publish them next time. 😉

Before answering the questions, I’d like to repeat my answer to Myra’s question about on-jin (恩人) first. There’s no equivalent word in English; it’s commonly translated to “benefactor” or “patron”, but it has other meanings too. When Candy wrote to Miss Eleanor Baker that she had gone to Rockstown to look for her on-jin (恩人), we know that Candy had traveled to that small town hoping to find Albert (as a friend who had helped her in the past) but ran into Terry instead. From Candy’s perspectives, Albert was her on-jin not merely because he was her benefactor (as William A. Ardlay), but also because she felt indebted to him (as a friend).

I found an example in the manga. Many thanks to my friend Mariela 💕 for sending me a list of beautiful images from Nakayoshi Magazines, and I found this particular page (near the middle) that showed Candy referred to Albert as someone who had once saved her life (命の恩人). Literally, the term is a combination of “life” and on-jin (恩人), which can be translated to lifesaver (the meaning from the dictionary is “one that is at once timely and effective in time of distress or need”). Similarly, Susanna was Terry’s on-jin (命の恩人) because she had saved his life, and that explains why Terry did not have the heart to leave Susanna.

So let’s talk about the waterfall rescue episode next. Candy regained her consciousness and somewhat relaxed after hearing Albert’s mellow (まろやか) voice, and she addressed him as おじさん (o-ji-san); he instantly complained. Why? Even though おじさん (o-ji-san) can be translated to “sir” or “uncle”, it has the nuance of “middle-aged man” or a man who’s old enough to be Candy’s father. In some cases one can even use this term to refer to an older man (for example, a 60-year-old o-ji-san).

That’s why Albert said calling him an おじさん (o-ji-san) is terrible or cruel (ひどい). He emphasized that he was still young even though he didn’t look like that. In Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) Albert was roughly eleven years older than Candy, so he was around twenty-four years old then? To show his youthful face, he took off his sunglasses after that. When Candy saw his clear / bright / shining eyes (澄んだ目), she exclaimed he looked much more charming (attractive) すてき (su-te-ki)! She used the same adjective to describe her prince right after he had vanished and when she first talked to Anthony about her prince. As you can see, Albert’s blue eyes changed Candy’s perception entirely, and she kept mentioning his eyes throughout the novel. 😉

Note that the adjective su-te-ki has many meanings, and Candy in her unsent letter to Terry also said Susanna was すてき (su-te-ki) and so was Terry (who had chosen Susanna). In this context however, it makes more sense to translate this adjective to “wonderful” or “nice”.

Back to おじさん (o-ji-san), it’s almost the same as おじさま (o-ji-sama) except that the latter is more formal (respectful). After Candy discovered Albert’s real identity, she often called him ウィリアム大おじさま (literally, William Great o-ji-sama), treating him like an elderly man, so one can understand why Albert was upset. Hence, in her letter to Albert (addressed as William A. Ardlay aka Little Bert), she promised him that this would be the last time she would call him Prince on the Hill and Granduncle William. I wonder if the official translations show that she apologized right after Prince on the Hill (go-men-na-sai ごめんなさい).

My own translation will be:

… now I’m with Prince on the Hill (I’m sorry. This is the last time)
And with Granduncle William (This is also the last time!) —

If I’m not mistaken, in the old CC novel Candy didn’t tease him as an old man? Nor did Albert ask her to stop calling him Prince on the Hill? If any of you find out I’m wrong please kindly let me know.

Note that there is another way to say sorry: su-mi-ma-sen (すみません), but the fact Candy said “go-men-na-sai” implied she admitted it was her mistake. For your interest you can read the differences between the two ways to say sorry. In the manga, remember the episode where Candy came home and thought Albert had disappeared? While searching for him she ran into Neal and some gangsters? Anyway, when Candy later got home and found Albert, he explained to her that he was looking for a job. When she told him she was worried, he immediately apologized, using the very casual form of go-men-na-sai (he said “go-men” to her twice in a row).

I figure Candy apologized for both titles (by the way, in Japanese “prince” and “granduncle” sounded very much alike), so Albert must have finally convinced Candy to stop using those “titles” but willingly let her call him “Little Bert”. To me, something had undoubtedly changed in their relationship. I don’t think he will give his permission to anyone else. I also see this part as an improvement from the old CC novel, where Albert brought up his nickname much more casually. The same applied to Candy in the old novel; she didn’t seem to see it as her privilege as in CCFS.

At any rate, this reminds me of one of the latest sensitive topics about Queen Elizabeth’s childhood name “Lilibet”, which she used to sign her final note to her late husband Prince Philip. Whether the late Prince Philip actually called her “Lilibet” is none of our business, but it doesn’t necessarily mean her family members can use the nickname without her permission. That’s why it stirred up controversies when there were rumours about her grandchild, Prince Harry, naming his newborn daughter with that special nickname without asking the queen.

Next, let me answer Myra’s question about Candy’s words of love and gratitude to her three loves in the novel. In her unsent letter to Terry, she talked a lot about Albert. 😀 She wrote “thanks to Albert” (おかげて) she had been saved. Soon after that she explained most of her letters to Terry had not been delivered, but Terry had written a lot of letters to her (all addressed to Freckled Tarzan), despite being busy (忙しい). Though she had wanted more romantic letters from him, his letters were only (or almost all) about teasing her (or making fun of her) — からかう. Its kanji equivalent is 揶揄う 😦 (those who understand Chinese know that it’s an unpleasant word). To be honest, I was surprised when I first read this, but one of its possible translations into English is “to tease”, which is less negative.

Anyway, Candy accepted those letters (perhaps she was used to that already!?) and said she was convinced she understood Terry’s heart — that even though he was teasing her, his letters were overflowed with kindness and thoughtfulness. 🤨 Candy thanked him by simply saying, “Thank you, Terry…” (a-ri-ga-tou, ありがとう) and wrote that she had carefully kept them even now, etc.

How about Candy’s mental letter to Anthony? Near the end of that letter she thanked him (saying a-ri-ga-tou, ありがとう) after asking him for forgiveness (a very serious word) for everything and added that she was happy (fortunate) to have met him, as shown below.

アンソニー、ありがとう……。
あなたに出合えて幸せでした。

About Albert, we have to backtrack a bit to his long letter to her from Brazil. He mentioned the tough period when he had been amnesiac and despised by others. He said he had only rescued Candy once… In the original text he could not finish this sentence (too emotional?). Then right after that he said “no matter how I thank you it’s not enough” (using the verb 感謝 to express his gratitude or appreciation). IMHO, it’s a sincere and heartfelt way to tell Candy that he would forever be grateful. For your interest, this article compares various ways to say thanks in Japanese.

Before Albert signed this lengthy letter as “Bert”, he promised Candy that he wanted to investigate (get to the bottom of…) 見極めたい where her happiness was and also planned to take a holiday to see her. Her subsequent reply was very brief; she repeated the verb he had used (感謝), saying that “if you want to thank me then I want you to come earlier”. 😉 🙂

I guess Albert did not reply to Candy. He paid her a surprise visit instead. Before she ended her last letter to him, she used the same verb (感謝) to express her gratitude to her parents for abandoning her at the Pony’s Home. Thanks to them (おかげて) she was able to meet Albert-san. Then she said she was the one who could not thank him enough (感謝). There are different ways to express such depth of gratitude but Candy almost repeated Albert’s words to her in his letter. Here comes the famous lines in CCFS, that Candy said, answering his question in his previous letter, “So, Albert-san, now is my happiness.” For more details, please read my post Did Candy find her happiness? (Part 2).

Anyway, don’t you think it makes sense that Candy signed her letter to Albert “with love and gratitude” (感謝)? The feelings were mutual; he felt indebted to her as well, so they are both (命の恩人) to each other.

I suppose Candy thanked her parents and alluded to her first encounter with Albert on Pony’s Hill, so let me address Sarah’s question next. When Albert (the teenager) first talked to little Candy (saying that she looked prettier when she smiled than when she cried), she heard a soft (velvety) voice やわらかい声 come from above. When she looked up in surprise (びっくり), she saw a strangely dressed boy (不思議な格好をした少年), his back facing the blue sky, smilingly looking down at her (見下ろして). In the original text, it didn’t specify his height but that the backdrop of his first appearance was the blue sky, just like this picture 青空を背に (the word 背 as a noun does mean the back or height / stature though).

When little Candy asked him if he was an alien, he laughed with a clear / pleasant / refreshing voice (さわやか). Later, to little Candy, the teenager’s smiling face was so bright that it was brimming with light or light was spilling out (overflowing) — 光がこぼれる. I wonder if she meant he had a beaming smile? 🙂

Then she continued to describe his blond hair that fell loose over his forehead (はらりと額にかかった金髪), which was also shining (輝いている). Next, about his blue eyes, which were as clear as the sky today, appeared kind / tender to her (今日の澄んだ空のような青い瞳がやさしそうで).

In the epilogue, Candy in her letter to her prince admired Albert had used a wonderful / nice (su-te-ki, すてき) way to disclose his secret on Pony’s Hill, where they had first met　(初めて会った). She wrote that the blue sky was clear (澄んだ青空) and the grass smelled great, just like the moment back then (あのとき).

Before I end this post, I’d like to thank Michelle for sharing a video of Chris Hemsworth! 🥰 I totally agree with Irana93, who said in her comment that Chris Hemsworth “got all those personality and physical traits ascribed to Albert: classy and not nasty sense of humour, calm voice, impressive physique, sandy-blonde hair, sky-blue eyes and brilliant smile… Who could blame her (Candy) for falling head-over-heals in love with Albert?😊”

Need I say more? 😉 Anyway, I hope I have answered your questions, Myra and Sarah. If not, please feel free to let me know. I can update the post accordingly.

In addition, thank you so much to Sarah for providing the details about Anohito’s smile and voice in CCFS from the official translations: 😍

1. Italian translation:
   Sento quella voce gentile… (I hear that gentle voice..)
   …rivolgendomi quel sorriso che tando adoro…(…giving me that smile that I love…);
2. French translation:
   Cette voix douce…(That soft voice..)
   …Il sourit en me regardant sur le seuil.
   Ce sourire que j’adore. (He smiles, looking at me on the doorstep. That smile that I love.);
3. Spanish translation:
   Su voz es dulce… (His voice is sweet…)
   … esa sonrisa que tanto adoro … (… that smile that I adore so much …).