Hey guys! Can someone help me translate a sentence, please? I basically know all the… - Feed Post by VanillaQiwi

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  washoku

  Translating verbatim, it looks weird. "I never wrote, I know the opening passage in that diary."

  August 26, 2014 at 1:57am
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  VanillaQiwi

  Hm...so I got it right more or less....still doesn't make much sense, does it? But thank you!

  August 26, 2014 at 1:59am
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  washoku

  It's probably more like "I do not recall writing the opening passage in that diary, but I know the opening passage."

  August 26, 2014 at 2:04am
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  VanillaQiwi

  Ahhh okay! That actually fits. Thank you!
  But it is not literally in the sentence, right? Or is it hidden in the "書いたこともない" part? Just so I understand it for future reference...

  August 26, 2014 at 2:08am
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  Kimbo

  With context, you can usually translate it into something a bit more English-friendly, but without more information an accurate translation that makes perfect sense would be difficult, well at least for me.
  
  "I know the opening paragraph to that diary, but I too have never written (one/inside it)." could perhaps be one way of translating it, but I'm not sure.

  August 26, 2014 at 2:14am
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  VanillaQiwi

  Hm...then, to give you some context; here the paragraph:
  
  机の上に開かれている日記を、ぱらぱらとめくりあげる音がする。それは、私の日記。
  私のすべてが記されている、赤い表紙の本。私は、まるで昨日の出来事のように、すべてを思い出すことができる。
  私は、書いたこともない、その日記の書き出しを知っている。

  August 26, 2014 at 2:23am
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  mog86uk

  I think 書き出し can mean more than just 'opening paragraph, beginning of writing'. I'm fairly sure it can be meant like:
  書き (writings) + 出し (put out) = 'put out writings' (i.e. 'put forward message' or maybe even 'claims'). I could be completely wrong though. :P
  
  I would translate it in my head as:
  "I know the put out writings of the diary, (but) (I) not also wrote (it)."

  August 26, 2014 at 2:28am
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  VanillaQiwi

  Thank you, too, mog86uk!
  
  I feel a bit better knowing that the sentence seems to be more difficult than I thought haha.
  It's just weird that it is her diary, but she didn't write it? This is only the prologue of the book and I'm already at a loss haha...
  

  August 26, 2014 at 2:43am
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  mog86uk

  Well, I think it's more like what washoku said. More like "I know what the diary says, but I have no knowledge of that I wrote it."

  August 26, 2014 at 2:53am
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  Kimbo

  Any chance it is like a ghost story? Maybe it is Tom Riddles diary? I dunno xD
  
  On the desk is an open diary, the flapping on the pages can be heard. That is my diary! Everything I wrote... my red book. Just like everything that happened yesterday, (I/it) can (recall/knows) it all.
  The things I did not write, too... the diary knows!! dun dun dunnn!
  

  August 26, 2014 at 2:56am
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  VanillaQiwi

  Ahaha Kimbo you are awesome!! :D
  And actually not too wrong! It's a horror story about a sick girl who made a pact with a black cat/demon :D
  (Anyone know the horror RPG game "The Witch's House"? Because that's the game the book is based on)

  August 26, 2014 at 2:59am
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  tom1960

  I would say "Even if I didn't write it, I know the beginning of this diary."

  August 26, 2014 at 3:08am
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  VanillaQiwi

  Thank you, that sounds good! :)

  August 26, 2014 at 3:13am