November 1, 2004
The perfect pick-up line
Why does this remind me of Monty Python's Funniest Joke? In any event, it only seems to work in Japanese:
A panel of Japanese experts has come up with eight simple words that could defuse the country’s infamous demographic time bomb.From the Times of London, which does not report on any actual testing by the Japanese committee. The Times did ask English women what they thought of the line, however, and they did not seem impressed. Lost in translation, I suppose.If their calculations are correct, the sentence "rainen no kono hi mo issho ni waratteiyoh" will spark a new era of unbridled romance in Japan: it is, according to hours of meticulous psychological and sociological research, the ultimate chat-up line.
Directly translated, the killer phrase is: "This time next year, let’s be laughing together."
Posted by David on November 1, 2004 12:47 PM
If the Times of London is taking stories from the comedy/variety show Trivia no Izumi, that's a very very sad state of affairs. That being the show that put together the psychology professors and set them to the question.
Posted by: mairi on November 2, 2004 1:25 AM
May I suggest a more psychological translation?
This means the same thing to a English speaker.
"I hope we'll be laughing together like this a year from now."
Unfortunately, this phrase loses some certainty with the word "hope." But the tender feelings come across pretty well if said with the right attitude.
For the best translation, use poetic English "I would that next year this day we laugh likewise."
This really is one of the sweetest Japanese phrases I've ever heard. I like it for a few reasons:
1. The idea that a Japanese man or woman would open up enough to say this is so endearing.
2. It implies a long term commitment.
3. Laughing together is such a heart-felt action.
4. "Waratteiyoh" implies not only laughing, but smiling, too. This phrase puts a picture in your head of two lovers smiling, enraptured by each other. How lovely.
Posted by: Bernhard J. Hamaker on November 15, 2005 6:07 PM
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