# 諸外国に送る最前線とする



## Riccardo91

Dear Japanese forum,

the sentence in the topic is driving me crazy. The context is the same of the one in this topic: a project about a business town. Here's the description:
以前より推進中だったゲノム企業体による、技術集積経済都市計画は、先般、政府より認可が下りた。第３区を全て買収し、最先端商業都市として、我がゲノム企業が、諸外国に送る最前線とする。また、復興の遅れていた第１２区は、ゲノム系一大工業地帯

My attempt on the problematic sentence is: "Our Genom company will acquire all District 3, and will make a cutting-edge business town out of it to present to foreign countries as the front line". Doesn't make much sense, huh? My guess was that this town was intended to be the flagship of Genom company, but I'm probably missing something.

Thank you very much!


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## Flaminius

Hi,

我がゲノム企業が、諸外国に送る最前線とする

This does not make much sense in Japanese either.  You need a direct object for 送る (to ship).  The sentence is poorly written, but, if I venture a guess, it probably means that the new city project is to be Genome's powerhouse of producing some export goods.


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## Tonky

Riccardo91 said:


> 第３区を全て買収し、最先端商業都市として、我がゲノム企業が、諸外国に送る最前線とする。


I think the issue with that sentence is the punctuation used there. My guess as below:
第３区を[{全て買収し}、{最先端商業都市として(我がゲノム企業が諸外国に送る最前線)とする}]。
So, basically this Genom company is going to purchase the whole "District 3" and make it(=District 3) the frontline/flagship of the cutting-edge commerce town that the company(=we) is planning to exhibit overseas.
I cannot really tell if the translation for 送る should be "to exhibit", though. If this "government" is purchasing a foreign town and make it their commerce town outside their own country, then it is possible that it actually means "to send", but I cannot tell from the available lines.

Also, if this company's name is ゲノム, I would rather call it ゲノム社 instead of ゲノム企業. 企業体 is usually translated as "corporation" or "enterprise". On a final note, this sentence looks like translated Japanese from another language, or maybe just poorly written as Flaminius pointed out above.


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## Riccardo91

The sentences come from an actual Japanese cartoon, but since the original scripts don't exist anymore, they were transcripted from the audio, so it's fairly possible that they may contain some mistake (like Tonky says, punctuation could be the problem). I just realized that a few kana are missing at the end: the last part should be ゲノム系一大工業地帯とする。 Sorry about that, maybe that was the reason.
Aside of this, the transcription seems correct to my foreign ear, but there could be some trick due to homophone words.

Tonky: Genom has no relation with the government, they have just been granted the permission to go on with the project from it. The town is surely inside the country, and I'd say 'exhibit' fits with the context.

For Genom, many names are used in the various episodes: ゲノム社, ゲノム企業, ゲノム企業体 and others for her branches. I don't really know if this makes sense or not, or what the difference between 企業 and 企業体 is, maybe it's just the author playing with words. 

Your interpretation of the sentence seems reasonable to me, so unless someone doesn't come out with some revolutionary idea I'd say I'm okay.

Thank you very much, as always!


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## Flaminius

I don't think 送る is ever used in sense of "to exhibit."  Even if it is the case here, the Japanese sentence feels very awkward without an explicit object.


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## Tonky

Riccardo91 said:


> The sentences come from an actual Japanese cartoon, but since the original scripts don't exist anymore, they were transcripted from the audio, so it's fairly possible that they may contain some mistake (like Tonky says, punctuation could be the problem).


Ah that explains many things... please include such info too the next time you're asking. It would make it much easier to grasp what it is about.
Is it this anime? (I searched by ゲノム & 企業体.)



Flaminius said:


> I don't think 送る is ever used in sense of "to exhibit."  Even if it is the case here, the Japanese sentence feels very awkward without an explicit object.


Maybe I should put it more like "to present", like a TV commercial 提供クレジット, as in「ｘｘｘの提供でお送りします」or "presented by ~". 
I think "第３区 as 最先端商業都市" is the object of the line there, though I would actually have to hear it to be absolutely sure.


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## Riccardo91

Yes, that anime exactly.

Sorry about the trouble and thank you very much!


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## Flaminius

Okay, *Tonky*, I see you are saying that the city project will be a show case for other countries to see, perhaps, how great the Genome is.  In order for your understanding to hold true, we have to check the following:

- if the verb 送る is properly used
If the Genome's effort involves actual transfer of goods or emission of TV waves, 送る is properly used.

- if 最前線 has the meaning of cutting-edge or show case
In the standard use of the language, 最前線 is the venue where an action takes place.  It is hardly used as an object for an action.

*Riccardo91*, go over your text and see if the two points are somehow cleared.


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## Tonky

First of all, Flaminius, it actually does not matter if those usages of Japanese words are proper or not. Many OVA anime creators hardly care, but just care to get the point across and end up with poorly written scripts, which is not of course good but how it is.

最前線 is just the flagship of multiple other new towns they are most likely planning to build, I assume. Just like 戦闘の最前線に(兵を)送る, instead of sending soldiers to the forefront, they are "sending" this town to the world as the forefront of their business strategy. (送る is the term more responsible for the "show case" meaning.) 
As this is a SF action anime, this Genom company is being rather aggressive about their business and it is like a war, while the main heroes of supposed justice are trying to act against this enterprise as "evil". Of course, I should actually watch it to be sure to prove it...
The word "cutting-edge" is meant for 最先端 of 最先端商業都市, not for 最前線 here.


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## Flaminius

You are right.  However mangled it is as a Japanese sentence, I'll have to accept that the author intended it for a similar thing to 諸外国に示す最新事例.


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## Riccardo91

Understanding in details what this project is about is totally a lost cause, sadly. This speech has two functions in the show:
1) Stating the author's idea that people should be aware of multinational companies, for they will become powerful at the point that they will practically rule the world (that was explicitly said... and the time was maybe supposed to be now, more or less, since the show is from the late Eighties);
2) Prepare the set for episode three's plot: while demolishing homes in one of the districts they bought, a girl that was collecting her things in her apartment dies, giving our superheroines group a reason to go to the Genom Tower and smash everything.

More specific details are not given, so I'm afraid there's no way to answer Flaminius questions.

Thanks to everyone for your detailed discussion!


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