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01:46 Dec 12, 2007
Japanese to English translations [PRO] Bus/Financial - Government / Politics / policy
Japanese term or phrase:三位一体の改革 "The Trinity Reform"
The obvious translation is "the trinity reform", but could this be considered blasphemous by some people?
Even if it was, would thinking of a different translation just cause more confusion than it's worth?
Rie - thanks for the link, very interesting site. I am leaning toward:
the 'Three-Part Reform' (aka 'The Trinity Reform')
The document I'm preparing is mainly for internal use at a J-gov org., so I think including 'The Trinity Reform' would increase the degree of recognition (and comfort) among Japanese users.
If you can get away with "three-part reform," I'd go with that. I don't like "trinity reform," either. Seika is right. It doesn't fit what it is actually describing.
To Maki Ahn - yes, it seems many prefectural sites (Tokyo, Fukui, Gunma, etc.) are using Trinity Reform.. but I hate to propagate literal translations if they're subpar. ;)
Explanation: Trinityは名詞で、形容詞を使った別の表現としてTriune God （三位一体の神）があります。
＊The Triune reform＊ is a local finance reform, and constitutes an important pillar in ... The opinions of the governors on this “triune reform” vary widely. ...
gscc-upp.jp/2004English/20040618.doc
The so-called *triune reform* of local government finances includes cuts in subsidies to local governments, transfer of tax-revenue sources to local ...
brothersjuddblog.com/archives/2005/11/one_off_1.html
... reduction in the bloated number of central and local government employees, and the so-called *triune reform* of local government finances. ... www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/HB15Dh01.html
HTH :)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2007-12-12 06:17:27 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Oh, to answer your question if it sounds blasphemous, I don't think most Christians take it that way (including myself) :)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2007-12-12 06:25:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
umm...when I answered your question I didn't search "trinity reform" online, but I found later that the Japanese government sites are actually using the term "trinity reform." Although I translated as "triune reform," probably it's better to stick with "trinity reform" if it's more widely used by the authorities :)
in June 2003, the Koizumi administration created the "Trinity Reform Package." In this context,. "trinity" means the decentralization reform process that ... www.mof.go.jp/jouhou/soken/kenkyu/ron088.pdf
“Trinity Reform Package”. Local Taxes, Local Allocation Tax Grants, ... “Trinity Reform Package”. The Reform of Three Major Items ... www.esri.go.jp/jp/workshop/ 050914/050914Doi_Hayashi-6.pdf
As part of *trinity reform*, three reforms have been carried out as a ... financial reform, including the start and purpose of trinity reform. ...
www3.grips.ac.jp/~coslog/pdf/Uptodate2eng.pdf
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 6 hrs (2007-12-12 08:05:36 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
tyusyo, I know what you mean...I actually like "three-part-reform" and maybe you could put that in brackets to explain the term. It also depends on your audience/readers. If they are familiar with the system, probably 'trinity/triune reform' makes sense to them. I'd try to keep the original as much as possible, unless it means something completely different in the target language. :) (Still, trinity reform sounds a bit theological :P)
Maki Ahn Specializes in field Native speaker of: English, Japanese
Explanation: I'm with those that don't like Trinity Reform for . . . aesthetic reasons? Using the same words, I might be inclined to say The Reform Trinity, since trinity reform implies a reform of the trinity, rather than a reform consisting of 3 parts. I hope the nuance distinction makes sense to someone besides me.
In any case, I put out tripartite reform as a possibility, in that it is clearly a reform that consists of three parts and takes the 'religious' element out of the equation. Comments?
Joe Greenholtz Canada Local time: 17:28 Works in field Native speaker of: English
The translation workplace 
