Translation Requests

[Windward]

It's called "Hong Wan Zi Hui" (Red Swastika Society), an equivalent to the Red Cross in China. As you know swastika is one of symbols of Buddhism in China and Japan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Swastika_Society

regards

[Windward]

By the way, why is the Chinese man holding a French flag?

maybe he borrowed it from a local Catholic church as a neutral symbol. France was guardian of Chinese Catholic churches since the late 19th century.

[Peter H]

Thanks gentlemen.

A great help.

Regards
Peter

[kutuzov]

Correct, Kutuzov! Your proficiency at Japanese has increased rapidly.

thanks kim!
any Chinese would be able to understand half these words without any knowledge of Japanese though.

Thanks Windward for giving detailed information on it.

[Kim Sung]

any Chinese would be able to understand half these words without any knowledge of Japanese though.

About 10% of the South Koreans understand half of Chinese and Japanese words without studying those languages.

Another 20% of the South Koreans understand 20~30% of Chinese and Japanese words without studying those languages.

And additional 30% of the South Koreans understand about 10% of Chinese and Japanese words without studying those languages.

I understand even 10% of Vietnamese words without studying it.

[Meczyk]

I have one little question about japanese anti tank...rifle? gun? 20 mm Type 97. In some countries such weapons were called "rifles", in other not. My problem with this weapon is, that I don't understand even one ford from Japanese. Could somebody tell me how was this weapon called in japanese military language? I mean, was it called a rifle, or a portable gun, or...?

[Akira Takizawa]

It was called 九七式自動砲.

九七式 - Type 97
自動 - Automatic
砲 - Gun

砲 is usually translated Gun, but the IJA defined 砲 as the gun of over 20mm caliber. The gun less than 20mm caliber was called 銃.

Taki

[Meczyk]

Thanks! But if it is originally called "automatic gun", why in different books it is called "rifle"? Hmm....Will it be OK to call this weapon 20mm portable automatic infantry antitank gun? I want to be accurate, but I don't want to create some new multielement name PS. In Special Series Mo. 19 it is called "antitank machine cannon"...

[Akira Takizawa]

It is because Western readers cannot understand what it is, if it is called "automatic gun" according to original name. There are many such cases that Japanese weapon names were translated arbitrarily. So, call it as you want. I do so.

Taki

[Meczyk]

I'll stick to the original name. I believe that those, who constructed it, knew best how to name it. Thank You very much for Your help!

[Meczyk]

Hi, it's me again I have another question about that manual. I need to write it in a proper way to my master's degree work. In order to do that, i must know when and where it was printed. Thanks to You, I know the title - Type 97 automatic gun. I have made photos of another two pages, second and last. Could You help me?

[Akira Takizawa]

June 1943, Tokyo

Taki

[Meczyk]

Thank You!

[Windward]

Manuel of Type 97 Automatic Gun

edited by Imperial Army's Infantry School, Chiba

preface by lieutenant general Naka Eitaro (later he commanded 18th Div. in Burma)


some footnotes:

published by the Infantry School's Officers Club
printed on June 15 1943
published on June 20 1943
price: 0.50 yen

regards

[Sgt. Steiner]

First....from 1938.

Can someone translate?

The large writing to the far left reads something like: "Japan's tanks are strong". I'm not sure if that last character is a " い".