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Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Manga | | Japanese term or phrase: ミーン ミーン | | This is the sound that cicadas make. The frame in the manga just shows some scenery with buildings and trees. You can't see the cicadas at all. At first I thought of "BUZZ BUZZ," but that's more like a bee or fly's wings. Then I considered "CHIRP CHIRP" like a cricket, but that sound is pretty different, too, and the reader would probably assume they were birds, not crickets. So I decided to go with "MEEN MEEN," but I'm not totally satisfied with that. Anyone have a better idea? |
|  Alex FarrellKudoZ activityQuestions: 10 (none open) Answers: 8
Japan
| | Local time: 13:26
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| | zing-zing-zing | Explanation:
--- Here’s a cicada website giving the onomatopoeia version in English of “zing-zing-zing.” It's the way I hear it in English, too. (Please read below)
http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/alma-ga...
Of cicadas, Bob Yapp and Answer Book
For those of you coming to this story late, cicadas are insects whose chorus begins late in the afternoon with the ascending zing-zing-zing sound coming from the trees. The sound is made by vibrating membranes on the sides of the male's abdomen. The song has been likened to someone pressing scissors against a grinding wheel.
Here’s a great cicada website. It has great visuals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
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Note added at 41 mins (2010-10-29 14:30:09 GMT)
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I agree with your buzz buzz (bees, flies) and chirp-chirp (crickets)...Mosquitos buzz, too. Very annoying. Japanese is loaded with onomatopoeic expressions but it's amazing how many there are in English, too!
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Note added at 54 mins (2010-10-29 14:43:11 GMT)
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--- Here are two other websites on the subject of cicadas using "zing-zing-zing" to describe the sounds that the male cicadas make:
http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090827/articles/90827502...
Male cicadas produce the zing-zing-zing sound by vibrating membranes, known as timbals, on the sides of their abdomen. It's sweet music to the females.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2008/aug/060801.htm
The annual cicadas start the insect chorus in late afternoon with the ascending zing-zing-zing sound coming from the trees. The common annual cicada in Iowa is the species known as the scissor-grinder, a name that describes the sound made by the vibrating membranes on the sides of the abdomen of the males.
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| Selected response from:
Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 11:26
| Grading comment Thanks! Since the cicadas are not visible in the frame, I wonder whether people will understand that it's the sound of cicadas? I might just change it to a bird sound like "CHIRP CHIRP" or "TWEET TWEET."
1 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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37 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +4 zing-zing-zing
Explanation:
--- Here’s a cicada website giving the onomatopoeia version in English of “zing-zing-zing.” It's the way I hear it in English, too. (Please read below)
http://qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/alma-ga...
Of cicadas, Bob Yapp and Answer Book
For those of you coming to this story late, cicadas are insects whose chorus begins late in the afternoon with the ascending zing-zing-zing sound coming from the trees. The sound is made by vibrating membranes on the sides of the male's abdomen. The song has been likened to someone pressing scissors against a grinding wheel.
Here’s a great cicada website. It has great visuals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2010-10-29 14:30:09 GMT)
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I agree with your buzz buzz (bees, flies) and chirp-chirp (crickets)...Mosquitos buzz, too. Very annoying. Japanese is loaded with onomatopoeic expressions but it's amazing how many there are in English, too!
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 54 mins (2010-10-29 14:43:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
--- Here are two other websites on the subject of cicadas using "zing-zing-zing" to describe the sounds that the male cicadas make:
http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090827/articles/90827502...
Male cicadas produce the zing-zing-zing sound by vibrating membranes, known as timbals, on the sides of their abdomen. It's sweet music to the females.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2008/aug/060801.htm
The annual cicadas start the insect chorus in late afternoon with the ascending zing-zing-zing sound coming from the trees. The common annual cicada in Iowa is the species known as the scissor-grinder, a name that describes the sound made by the vibrating membranes on the sides of the abdomen of the males.
| Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 11:26
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 37
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| | Grading comment | Thanks! Since the cicadas are not visible in the frame, I wonder whether people will understand that it's the sound of cicadas? I might just change it to a bird sound like "CHIRP CHIRP" or "TWEET TWEET." |
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The translation workplace 
