From: Dossy <dossy@...>
Date: 2002-06-12T23:16:08+09:00
Subject: Japanese to Japanese translator?

On 2002.06.12, Hal E. Fulton <hal9000@hypermetrics.com> wrote:
> > Man, it took me hours to write this mail.
> 
> Thanks very much for writing this, Matz. I am understanding
> it better now.
> 
> I have printed out this message so I can study it and think
> about it more. I think perhaps I will frame it and put it
> on the wall by my bed.

Indeed, Matz's English is incredibly good for a non-native
English speaker.


> > Why you guys don't read Japanese?
> 
> Heh heh... when you reduce it to an alphabet of 26 characters,
> I will be more inclined to learn it.

It's embarassing for me to have a Japanese last name but not
be able to speak much of it (as Matz mentioned being born
in an English-speaking country: that's what happened to me
and look at what happened!  At least he can manage to speak
both).

I can kinda muddle along in romaji -- I can make out two, maybe
three kanji -- so I was wondering:  I know that Babel Fish will
translate (badly) from Japanese to English, but is there something
out there that will translate from Japanese to Japanese,
specifically from hiragana/katakana/kanji to romaji?

I know the Japanese version of Windows98 has some IME support
that will let you key in romaji and turn it into hiragana/katakana
and kanji ... I just need something that does it in reverse so
I can read the romaji (and look up in a Japanese-to-English
dictionary if I don't know the word).

I'll probably be in Japan for two weeks at the end of July/beginning
of August.

-- Dossy

-- 
Dossy Shiobara                       mail: dossy@panoptic.com 
Panoptic Computer Network             web: http://www.panoptic.com/ 
  "He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
    folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)