the

English translation: It depends

12:07 Nov 3, 2015
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Engineering (general) / Wording intechnical instruction manuals
Japanese term or phrase: the
Whether to put "the" or not:

I often feel confued whether to put "the" or not while translating the body text of intruction manuals.
Please give me a correct answer.

In the following examples, if a button, a screen, software (or may be, check box, dialog box, or list, whatever) has a specific or original name (proper noun) (not a general name), should "the" in front of such a noun be deleted or not? (固有名詞としての名称のついたボタンや画面にtheをつけるか否か?の質問です。)

(1)「パラメータ」ボタンを押して、「パラメータ設定」画面を表示します。
(Suppose and treat the button name and the screen name are proper nouns.)
(操作パネルに[パラメータ]という固有の名称のボタンあるとし、このボタンを押すことで、多くのパラメータを設定する[パラメータ設定]という固有の名称の画面が表示されるものとします。)

A: Press Parameter button to display Parameter Setting screen. ("the" is delected in this case.)
or
B: Press the Parameter button to display the Prameter Setting screen. ("the" is placed in this case.)

(2)これは弊社が開発したANRES アプリケーションソフトです。(Suppose "ANRES" is a proper noun (specific or original software name).) →
A: This is ANRES app. software we have developped. ("the" is delected.)
or
B: This is the ANRES app. software we have developped. ("the" is placed.)

I usually delete "the" in the cases above.
Also, a competent native-English proof-reader told me in the past that "the" is to be deleted in front of a proper noun as in the case "A" above.
However, I often come accrss the instruction manuals that use "the" in such cases , these days.
Which is correct, grammatically?

Looking forward to receiving two or more replies.
Shingi
Japan
Local time: 07:41
English translation:It depends
Explanation:
As you have clearly noticed, there are situations in which the definite article (the) is omitted, and there are times when it is included. It is clear to me that you are not referring to the "zero article," which is part of English grammar. Instead, you appear to be referring to omission of the definite article even when grammar does not seem to call for it.

There are limited situations in which the is omitted, and it tends to be done for practical purposes. Common examples are newspaper headlines, titles of books, messages written in a telegraph style, manuals, cooking recipes etc. In these cases, the definite article is omitted for the sake of brevity. Even though grammatically speaking you would normally use the article, its omission is accepted.

In your first example sentence, both A and B are acceptable. In both instances, it is clear that there is only one Parameter button and that there is only one Parameter Screen, and that that one button has to be pressed to show the screen.

In your second sentence, I would not recommend sentence A for the following reason:

Firstly, when typed out in its entirety, the sentence would be "This is the ANRES app. software that we have developed."
Notice that the relative pronoun that is actually a part of the sentence. It refers to the non-countable noun "(ANRES app.) software."
Relative pronouns and non-countable nouns are a bad combination to have when you want to omit the definite article "the". Take a look at the following example:

"I have one glass of milk. I gave the glass of milk to John, like I always do. He drank the milk."

Let's combine these three sentences into an independent clause + relative clause:
I gave a glass of milk to John. John drank the milk that I gave to him.

Now we remove the article "the":
I gave a glass of milk to John. John drank milk that I gave to him.
Without the article "the," we don't know if John drank the glass of milk that I just gave him, or whether he drank milk that I gave him some other time. After all, I said that I always give him milk. So, to make it clear that he is drinking the milk that I described in the previous sentence, we need the article "the" before this non-countable noun.

So, for sentence (2), translation A is ambiguous, and you should avoid it.

My advice:
If the manual you are translating is written very concisely, you can choose to omit the article "the" if you want. If the manual you are translating does not strike you as particularly concise, feel free to add the article. Including the article makes texts more pleasant to read in my opinion.
Selected response from:

Mitchell Coutinho (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 00:41
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2It depends
Mitchell Coutinho (X)
5You are correct!
MrJibaku
3-
Port City


Discussion entries: 8





  

Answers


6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
It depends


Explanation:
As you have clearly noticed, there are situations in which the definite article (the) is omitted, and there are times when it is included. It is clear to me that you are not referring to the "zero article," which is part of English grammar. Instead, you appear to be referring to omission of the definite article even when grammar does not seem to call for it.

There are limited situations in which the is omitted, and it tends to be done for practical purposes. Common examples are newspaper headlines, titles of books, messages written in a telegraph style, manuals, cooking recipes etc. In these cases, the definite article is omitted for the sake of brevity. Even though grammatically speaking you would normally use the article, its omission is accepted.

In your first example sentence, both A and B are acceptable. In both instances, it is clear that there is only one Parameter button and that there is only one Parameter Screen, and that that one button has to be pressed to show the screen.

In your second sentence, I would not recommend sentence A for the following reason:

Firstly, when typed out in its entirety, the sentence would be "This is the ANRES app. software that we have developed."
Notice that the relative pronoun that is actually a part of the sentence. It refers to the non-countable noun "(ANRES app.) software."
Relative pronouns and non-countable nouns are a bad combination to have when you want to omit the definite article "the". Take a look at the following example:

"I have one glass of milk. I gave the glass of milk to John, like I always do. He drank the milk."

Let's combine these three sentences into an independent clause + relative clause:
I gave a glass of milk to John. John drank the milk that I gave to him.

Now we remove the article "the":
I gave a glass of milk to John. John drank milk that I gave to him.
Without the article "the," we don't know if John drank the glass of milk that I just gave him, or whether he drank milk that I gave him some other time. After all, I said that I always give him milk. So, to make it clear that he is drinking the milk that I described in the previous sentence, we need the article "the" before this non-countable noun.

So, for sentence (2), translation A is ambiguous, and you should avoid it.

My advice:
If the manual you are translating is written very concisely, you can choose to omit the article "the" if you want. If the manual you are translating does not strike you as particularly concise, feel free to add the article. Including the article makes texts more pleasant to read in my opinion.

Mitchell Coutinho (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 00:41
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you about your immediate responce, and I am sorry about being late for saying "Thank you!" Your explanation was great help to me. However, I still have my opinion to express. Since I am very busy at present, I will write it within a couple of days. Thank you again.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
5 days

agree  Chrisso (X)
16 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
-


Explanation:
固有名詞の前に the が付かないのは、固有名詞が文の中で名詞として使われている場合です。挙げられた例文では、「固有名詞」は全て形容詞として使われています。その証拠に、固有名詞とされる部分を省いても、全て文として成り立ちます。その場合、the を入れるか入れないかは、被修飾語にthe が要るか、要らないかを見ればよいことです。それゆえ、ご質問の、「固有名詞としての名称のついたボタンや画面にtheをつけるか否か?」は、「button や screen に the をつけるか?」ということになります。

例えば、2番目の例では、固有名詞 ANRES は app を修飾する形容詞となっていますし、ANRES app も、その文のなかでは software を修飾しています。そして、その software は自分たちが開発したものと限定されているので、当然 the は必要になります。(要するにその文は、This is the software we have developed. にANRES app が software の修飾語として加わっただけです。)

また、最初の例文では、ボタンと設定画面は当然、どのボタン・設定画面かが分かっているのでマニュアルでは the は省くことも可能ですが、普通の文なら、a ではなく the が入ります。文法上は the が必要でも、省かれるのは M Coutinho さんが挙げられている通りで、マニュアルもそのひとつです。省くか省かないかは、ひとつのマニュアルで一貫する必要があります。私も、the は入れたほうが読みやすいと思います。例えば修飾語としての固有名詞を省いた場合、"Press the button to display the screen." の方が、"Press button to display screen."より読みやすいですよね。

ご参考になれば幸いです。

Port City
New Zealand
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 23
Notes to answerer
Asker: ご回答を頂きありがとうございました。 また、お礼の返信が遅くなり申し訳けありません。ご回答いただいた内容について、読みやすさの点で、theをつけるほうが良いという意見には同感です。ただ、私の最初の投稿内容が不十分だったのですが、Parameterのみ, Parameter Settingのみ, あるいはANRESのみを固有名詞であると言及しているわけではありません。(投稿では、そういう書き方をしていますが。)Parameter button, Parameter Setting screen, ANRES app. softwareをそれぞれ複合語としての固有名詞(compound proper noun)との認識です。これは、そうした複合語で一つの固有のitemを示すわけであり、Parameter, Parameter Setting, ANRESだけでは、目的とする意味合いを持たないことからも明らかです。従って、「固有名詞が修飾語として使われている。」わけではなく、「固有名詞の一部としてANRESやParameter Settingなどがある。」という認識です。ただ、簡単な言い方として、マニュアル内でANRES app. softwareは単にANRESと言及することもあるでしょう。例えば、The ANRES (app. software) has a remarkable data setting feature. ではなくtheをつけずANRES has .....と表記するのではないでしょうか?(この時のANRESはANRES app. softwareのshort formです。)これについては、どのようにお考えでしょうか?

Asker: 上記のメモは「固有名詞の前に the が付かないのは、固有名詞が文の中で名詞として使われている場合です。」との記載に対応してです。私自信も固有名詞にはtheは付けない。との認識を持っています。それは、固有名詞は字のごとく固有のものであり、それ自身で明らかにその物を指し示し(他のものと誤解し得ないものであり)、そうした固有名詞にさらにtheをつけるのはredundantとなるからです。唯一theをつける理由は、grammarとは矛盾しても、読みやすさの点でtheをつけたほうが自然に響いたり、文章として流れるからのように思いますが、いかがでしょうか?

Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

13 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
You are correct!


Explanation:
You are correct. You should use "the" when you are talking about a specific button or process. For example.

Press the print button to print the document.

The in example above you are referencing a specific button.

Press a print button to print the document.

In this example, any print button is being referenced therefore any of them could be pressed to print a document.

宜しければ日本語でも説明出来ます。スカイプでもオーケー!

MrJibaku
United States
Local time: 18:41
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search