December 01, 2023

Lost in Translation: A Journey of Misunderstandings and Friendship in Akihabara

12 minutes

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Lost in Translation: A Journey of Misunderstandings and Friendship in Akihabara
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.org/lost-in-translation-a-journey-of-misunderstandings-and-friendship-in-akihabara

Story Transcript:

Ja: 東京、その名も秋葉原。全方向に広がるネオンの洪水、電子機器の山、そしてアニメキャラクターが次々と飛び出るポスターに飲み込まれていく、それがここ「秋葉原」だ。
En: Tokyo, known as Akihabara. It is a place where a neon flood spreads in all directions, mountains of electronic devices, and posters with anime characters that come to life one after another. That is Akihabara.

Ja: 新しく都会の息吹を学びたかったソラは、この電子機器やアニメの街に足を踏み入れていた。各角に並ぶロボットが、僕の感心を奪う。しかし、それは間違いだった。なんと彼は、その機械式ロボットが本物の人間だと誤解したのだ。ソラは慌てふためいてそのロボットに話しかける。しかし、予想通り、ロボットはただただ無表情にソラを見つめるだけだった。
En: Sora, who wanted to learn the new atmosphere of the city, set foot in this city of electronic devices and anime. The robots lined up at every corner captivated me. However, that was a mistake. I misunderstood that those mechanical robots were real humans. Sora panicked and tried to talk to the robot. However, as expected, the robot just stared expressionlessly at Sora.

Ja: その変わり様に街の人々はひとりまたひとりと笑い始め、ソラの周りは一瞬で賑わいを見せた。ソラは困り果てた顔で周りを見渡した。「きっと他の人々も、彼らがロボットだと勘違いしたんだろう」とソラは早とちりし、恥ずかしさを隠すために頭を下げた。
En: In response to this strange scene, the people in the city began to laugh, one by one, and Sora's surroundings instantly became lively. Sora looked around with a bewildered face. "Surely, other people must have misunderstood them as robots too," Sora hastily concluded, and lowered their head to hide their embarrassment.

Ja: 街の人々は彼の勘違いに笑い、そして可能な限り親切に彼に説明した。「君、そのロボットは本物の人間じゃないよ」声をかけてくれたのはカフェの経営者で、彼は優しさに満ちた笑顔でソラを見つめた。
En: The people in the city laughed at Sora's misunderstanding and kindly explained to them as much as possible. The one who spoke to Sora was the owner of a café, and he looked at Sora with a smile full of kindness.

Ja: ソラはその笑顔に救われ、本当のことに気づいた。「す、すいません、私、間違えました。」詫びるソラに、人々は暖かい視線を向け、彼の誤解を理解し、受け入れた。
En: Sora was saved by that smile and realized the truth. "I, I'm sorry, I was mistaken." As Sora apologized, people directed warm gazes towards them, understanding and accepting their misunderstanding.

Ja: それからというもの、ソラは機械式ロボットの真実を知り、彼らと友達になることを決心した。そして、ソラの秋葉原での冒険は、彼が地元住民との交流を深め、幸せに生きるための新たな可能性を見つけることで幕を閉じた。
En: From then on, Sora learned the truth about mechanical robots and decided to become friends with them. And Sora's adventure in Akihabara came to a close as they deepened their interaction with the local residents and discovered new possibilities for living a happy life.

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