KudoZ home » Japanese to English » Architecture

目をゆだねています

English translation: Our eyes are at the mercy (of the many temptations that a variety of goods offer).

03:39 Oct 31, 2009

Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Architecture

Japanese term or phrase: 目をゆだねています

わたしたちはなにかしら心にひっかかる物事との出会いを期待しながら、さまざまな商品のもつ多様な誘惑に目をゆだねています。

Vakil KudoZ activity Questions: 19 (1 open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 163 Japan
Local time: 23:06

English translation:Our eyes are at the mercy (of the many temptations that a variety of goods offer).

Explanation:
As Kanazawa-san and moru 531 point out, it is not a usual expression. However, here is my take on it:

ゆだねる in the Shogakukan Dictionary = entrust, trust to fate, be at the mercy of.

Our eyes are at the mercy of the many temptations that the variety of merchandise/goods offer us.

Selected response from:

Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 21:06

Grading comment

Thanks a lot to all for your valuable comments.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +1

Our eyes are at the mercy (of the many temptations that a variety of goods offer).

Joyce A

Typo of 身をゆだねる

moru531

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

53 mins confidence:

Typo of 身をゆだねる

Explanation:
目をゆだねる could only happen with your opthamologist!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2009-10-31 05:25:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think that:
1. 誘惑に目をゆだねる and 誘惑に目をまかせる　both sound odd, and
2. The chance to mis-type 身 for 目　would be higher than that of ゆだねる for まかせる

moru531
New Zealand
Native speaker of:

Japanese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

disagree

Yasutomo Kanazawa: 商品の誘惑は目から入り、その後誘惑に負けてしまい、購入する、という段どりだと思います。目がポイントだと思います。最初にTypoとは書かずに、使い方が間違っている、と書いた方が良かったかもしれません。

13 mins

-> 誘惑に目をまかせる is still a rather unusual expression, though.

neutral

Takako Shibuya: I have never heard "目をゆだねる" before.

7 hrs

agree

seika: I'm thinking it should be 目を奪われる

10 hrs

agree

ugee: やはり、文脈的に「目をゆだねる」という表現は間違っていると思います。この前提で翻訳をするのはナンセンスなのでは。Vakilさん、クライアントさんに確認されることをおすすめします。

12 hrs

neutral

humbird: Quite possibly a typo, but as I commented on Joyce's answer, we should not be too entangled by the word "eyes". In other words, with or without "eyes" idea is same. Most important word in this sentence is "temptation", not eyes.

13 hrs

disagree

Mika Jarmusz: すみません。身(body & soul, one's destiny)をゆだねる would be an overstatement here, so 身/目 switch has to be intentional. 表現に工夫を凝らした「目をゆだねる」のニュアンスをどう出すか、ですね。

14 hrs

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Our eyes are at the mercy (of the many temptations that a variety of goods offer).