It has been almost seven years since the terrible triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in the Tohoku region of Japan. In the days and weeks that followed the tragedy, the world was transfixed by the remarkable Japanese spirit, and their ability to work together to overcome hardship and tragedy. The order in the midst of chaos, lack of looting, and unbelievable patience in the face of the worst of situations led people everywhere to ask, "What it is about the Japanese that makes them so resiliant?" I think it all goes back to the spirit of gambaru, one of the cultural concepts here that governs attitude and behavior more than perhaps any other.
「頑張る」ってどうやって英語に訳したらいいと？とよく聞かれる。その質問の答えは簡単じゃない。文脈によって「頑張る」の意味が変わってくるからさ。例えば、大きなテストの前に、友達に「頑張れ」と言われたら、英語の訳は Good luck です。けど、なんとかのゲームかスポーツのイベントの「頑張れ！」だったら、"Go!" "Fight!" "You can do it!"です。友達が落ち込んでいる時に、あなたが [頑張ってね」と言ったら、一番近い意味は hang in there になります。この単語は日本の心です。色々な意味とニュアンスがあるから、多分、日本で一番使われている単語です。
Japanese students and friends often ask me how to translate this term into English. That is a tough one, because there are so many different meanings and nuances associated with this word. For example, if one is taking a big test, and a friend says, “gambatte ne” the best English translation would be “good luck.” However, during a game or race, if the fans are screaming “gambare!” this best English equivalent for this would be “go!” “fight!" or “you can do it!” When a friend is down, depressed, or having a hard time and someone says, “gambatte,” it means, “hang in there.” So, you can see this is a word with various nuances, meanings, and inferences. I think this must be one of the most used words in the Japanese language because of the variety of situations in which I hear it used.
お父さんが、出張に行っていないので、エミちゃんは寂しいです。この時の[がんばれ!] は、英語て、Hang in there!!Emmy's sad because Daddy's away for work. Hang in there, Emmy!
震災があってすぐ、私はボランティアをしに行った。避難所にいるみんなの苦しみを見ることは本当に辛かったけど、本当に行ってよかったと思う。そこでは、色んなことに感動させられた。まず、自衛隊は本当に素敵だと思った。物資を持って来てくれた上に、精神的なニーズも満たしてくれた。子供達と遊んだり、お年寄りと仲良く話したりした。次に海外の救援団体の愛情はすごかった。何かが必要だったら、すぐ注文をして、すぐに届けた。最後に、災害にあってから、ずっとロールパンと缶詰のみかんを、食べてたお年寄りは、やっと暖かいうどんを食べることができた。その笑顔がすごく素敵だった。みんなの協力は素晴らしかった。東北にいる間、どこを見ても、こういうポスターが貼ってあった。「頑張れ、日本！」「頑張ろう、東北！」意味は、誰でもわかるやろう？私たち、日本人みんなの努力で, なんでも乗り越えられるぞ。
やっと暖かいうどんを食べることができた被害者。
Finally getting a hot meal.Shortly after the March 2011 tragedy, I went to the Sendai area to volunteer. It was really hard for me to see all the suffering of the people in the shelters, but I am so glad that I went. Several things really moved my spirit. First, the work of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces was wonderful. Not only did they meet physical needs by providing relief supplies, but they also met emotional needs by playing with the kids in the shelters, and listening to the stories of the elderly. The second thing that moved me was the work of the international relief groups. If there was a need, the soon filled it. They ordered whatever was asked for and it arrived quickly. Perhaps the best thing I saw was the big smiles on the faces of the elderly who finally got to eat hot udon noodles after living for a month on processed bread and canned oranges. The spirit of cooperation was truly amazing. I saw signs popping up all over the place: “Gambarou Nippon (Japan)!” “Gambarou Tohoku!” The meaning was clear, mixing together a little of many of the varied meanings of the word. It more or less meant, “Let’s stick together, Japan, and fight together, work together, and overcome this terrible tragedy.”
このブログを書き終わってから、友達に大事なことを教えてもらった。「頑張れ」 と「頑張ろう」 のニュアンスが全然違うということです。「頑張れ」は、上から下に言うこと。「頑張ろう」 は、一緒にこの試練を乗り越えようというニュアンスがある。東北の被害者に言うべきのは、「頑張ろう」やね。「頑張れ」 を言ったら, 思いやりがかけているような気がすると友達が言いました。それは確かにそう。それでも、この単語を使いすぎると意味がなくなるんじゃないかなと思う。
Actually, after I wrote most of this blog, my good friend told me that there is a big nuance difference between gambare and gambarou. Gambare is said from someone telling you what to do. Gambarou is said when someone is going to work together with you to pull you through or out of something. She told me that gambare would be inappropriate for Tohoku survivors, but gambarou would be insensitive. It was the first time I'd ever heard that.
私は大学院の時に、先生が私の作文を評価した際、こう言われた。「アンちゃんのライティングはとてもうまいけど、"very"と"really" を使いすぎるばい。」 ちなみに、このブログに「バリバリ」と「どんだけ」を使いすぎるきらいがある。とにかく、先生に言われたのは、"very"と"really"を使いすぎると、インパクトが弱くなる。同じように、「頑張る」 を使いすぎると、インパクトが弱くなるんじゃないかと、私は思う。多分、このスローガンを考えた人は、東北を応援する目的で考えた。日本人を一致団結させるために作った。けど、私は見るたびに、違和感があった。アメリカ人だからかな。日本人も違和感があったかな。
When I was in grad school, one of my professor told me that I use the words "very" and "really" too much in my writing. She said that overuse of those words weakens what I want to say. I wonder if the overuse of the word gambaru is the same in Japan, if it weakens the true meaning behind it because it is used so often on so many different occasions. I realize that people were looking for a catch phrase to unite the country, begin the healing process, and encourage people’s hearts, but I wonder if any Japanese felt as disturbed by the constant use of this phrase as I did.
Thinking about it, though, there are not many other words in the language to express what they wanted to express. This word, gambaru, seems to be the fall back term, the all-encompassing word with which you can say whatever you want to say, no matter the occasion. As hard as I myself try not to use this word, I am always finding it slipping from my lips anyway. When my student is looking for a job or having a hard time, there it is: “Gambare” I say, annoyed with myself as soon as it leaves my lips.
この単語は素晴らしい単語だ。それは間違いない。色んな場面、色んな時に使えるからとても意味深い、役立つ単語です。でも誰でも人生に、「もう頑張りたくない。これ以上頑張れん」と思っている時がある。日本では、頑張ったら誰でも何でもできると思われている。けどさ、一生懸命頑張るけど失敗する時がある。一所懸命勉強を頑張るけど、試験を合格しない時もある。こういう時は多分誰も「頑張れ」と言われたくない。だって、頑張ったけどダメだった。
アメリカのOperation Blessingは、津波でメガネがなくなった被害者のために、無料のメガネと視力検査を提供した。
I worked with the American relief organization Operation Blessing, which provided free eye exams and glasses to survivors who lost their glasses in the tsunami.
