# They would like to give you a small present



## adexx

Hello,

Can anyone help suggest how to translate in this case: a customer (A) is giving your boss (B) a present, and you have to translate for A.
I'd like to say "They would like to give you a small present" (or something like, "they have prepared a gift for you/us" etc.) 
This is not direct translation of A's words, just an explanation of that act. How do you say that (in a polite way)?

I'm not sure but here are a few ideas:
- お土産を準備されていますが... (される because its the customers' action)
- お土産を差し上げたがりますが... (the verb sounds a bit too direct? maybe 渡す sounds better? And the use of Vたい・Vたがる sounds awkward to me anyway)

Any insight? Thanks.


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## frequency

adexx said:


> This is not direct translation of A's words, just an explanation of that act


Good. Then,
お土産を準備されていますが・・
お土産を準備されています。
Nice! Yes, the customers have a present for your boss.



> お土産を差し上げたがりますが... the use of Vたい・Vたがる sounds awkward to me anyway)


This one and
お土産を差し上げたがっていますが・・  are grammatically okay, but people may not think these are good. The first one is much better.


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## adexx

Thank you frequency san,

In this case, how do you say "They want to give you something"?


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## frequency

You're welcome.

I'd say 何か差し上げたいとのことです。 You know, you're reporting/messaging about them to your boss, so you can use ～とのことです。


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## Flaminius

- small present
お土産があるそうです。

- something to give
お渡ししたい(差し上げたい)ものがあるそうです。


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## adexx

frequency said:


> You're welcome.
> 
> I'd say 何か差し上げたいとのことです。 You know, you're reporting/messaging about them to your boss, so you can use ～とのことです。



I see... I'd like to confirm, even though it's not what they "said", I can still use ～とのことです to report an action/observation?
(In this case, maybe they did not exactly say "I'd like to give you something", but they stood up and brought a bag, something like that?



Flaminius said:


> - small present
> お土産があるそうです。
> 
> - something to give
> お渡ししたい(差し上げたい)ものがあるそうです。



Just one thing, 差し上げる is more humble than あげる, but it is OK to use this to talk about a customer? In terms of politeness, is it really no problem here?


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## Flaminius

In fact, あげる has a condescending air about it.  It's okay to use it in casual conversations with your peers but avoid it in reference to someone you are in a formal relationship with.

I am not sure what you meant by:


adexx said:


> In terms of politeness, is it really no problem here?



差し上げる is a far better choice than あげる.  It's polite enough but not overly polite so as to disgrace the custmer you are representing or to incur wrath of the addressee by a mockery with a pompous expression.  If I am not answering your queation quoted above, please rephrase it.


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## adexx

I thought that 差し上げる is the 謙譲語 form of あげる, meaning it is used for actions of people in lower position? 
But in this case, shouldn't the customer be in higher position?


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## Flaminius

Okay, if you are familiar with those terms, it's important to know that people often refrain from assuming a higher position.  Using 謙譲語 is one of the ways to do so.  This blurs the distinction between 謙譲語 and 丁寧語.

There is another way of looking at it.  While most Japanese varieties have 尊敬語 and 丁寧語, some varieties lack 謙譲語.  Even 標準語 may not necessarily have 謙譲 expressions for all possible occasions.


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## frequency

adexx said:


> (In this case, maybe they did not exactly say "I'd like to give you something",


Then don't use とのことです。To use this one, you need to hear something from them. They need to talk to you before they talk to your boss.


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## adexx

Flaminius said:


> Okay, if you are familiar with those terms, it's important to know that people often refrain from assuming a higher position.  Using 謙譲語 is one of the ways to do so.  This blurs the distinction between 謙譲語 and 丁寧語.
> 
> There is another way of looking at it.  While most Japanese varieties have 尊敬語 and 丁寧語, some varieties lack 謙譲語.  Even 標準語 may not necessarily have 謙譲 expressions for all possible occasions.



Well yes I have to say I am not sure about the nuance of this word. I just thought that it is a humble word, as I was taught 
So, what you are saying is that 差し上げる can be used both as 謙譲語 and 丁寧語, therefore it is fine to use to talk about a customer.



frequency said:


> Then don't use とのことです。To use this one, you need to hear something from them. They need to talk to you before they talk to your boss.



Got it. So that raises another question: if I want to describe the action/intention (not quoting someone's words), how should I say it?  In this example, you see the customer bring a bag of gift and walk to your boss, and even without the customer saying it, it is obvious that they are giving a present.
Shall I just say: お土産をさしあげます, or お土産を差し上げるようです。 ?


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## frequency

adexx said:


> (not quoting someone's words)
> お土産をさしあげます, or お土産を差し上げるようです。


Yes, they must work fine. (You know, your boss will notice what they are going to do without your words if he's in front of them.)


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