# グローバルな奴



## Pot-Bouille

Hi, 

I'm reading a detective story published in the early 90's. 

Did the _gairaigo_ "global" have a different meaning back then? 

The author keeps using it in ways that don't make sense to me.
Such as: 

「昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな。」Talking about a character described as a little odd, a little scary and who gets things done the way he wants. 

Any ideas?

Thank you!


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## Yoshiee

Pot-Bouille said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> 「昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな。」Talking about a character described as a little odd, a little scary and who gets things done the way he wants.
> 
> Thank you!


 
Hi 

The above "グローバルな" is an adjective, meaning cosmopolitan. The "昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな" does not include the meaning of some odd nor scary things. On the contray, it is including some nuance of open-mind, flexible, always able to get along with foreign cultures or foreiners. Accordingly the "昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな" would be translated like " He is a very flexible guy who knows anything worldwide, having good atitude towards foreigners or foreign cultures." 

I hope this will help you if only a little.


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## Uttanasana

｢グローバルな人」normally connotes a person who acts/thinks in unconventional (Japanese) manner.

So in this context, 「昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな。」would be: "(so I guess) he has been an unconventional type since long ago."

The opposite of ｢グローバルな人」would be ｢日本的な人」, which would be a typical Japanese.

HTH!


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## almostfreebird

We really need the context to understand why the author keeps using it in ways that don't make sense, and I'd like to know the title of the book.


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## Pot-Bouille

Uttanasana said:


> So in this context, 「昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな。」would be: "(so I guess) he has been an unconventional type since long ago."
> 
> The opposite of ｢グローバルな人」would be ｢日本的な人」, which would be a typical Japanese.



That makes perfect sense, thank you! 
Would people still use ｢グローバルな人」in this sense, even though the word "global" has such positive international resonance these days? 
(cf. Yoshiee's post)


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## almostfreebird

Pot-Bouille said:


> Would people still use ｢グローバルな人」in this sense,



I myself have never used or heard it in that sense.


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## almostfreebird

Generally the opposite of "typical Japanese" is "日本人離れした人"

Maybe the idea of the man who used the phrase is:

日本的な人---> island-nation mentality---> narrow-minded---> bigoted

グローバルな人---> world-wide mentality---> broad-minded---> liberal


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## Uttanasana

I guess right now グローバルな人 would more imply someone who goes around the world (travel or do business worldwide) but as you all know, Japanese is very contextual so I have to say all cases are different.

In this sense of being unconventional, as almostfreebird says 日本人離れした人 or 型破りな人 or in more colloquial way, I'd say ちょっと変わった人 are more common, although this last one is not necessarily all positive.

I have to beg to differ that 日本的 is bigoted... It's just typically Japanese, conservative and conventional.


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## almostfreebird

Uttanasana said:


> In this sense of being unconventional, as almostfreebird says 日本人離れした人 or 型破りな人 or in more colloquial way, I'd say ちょっと変わった人 are more common, although this last one is not necessarily all positive.



"ちょっと変わった" means "a little odd",

just like Pot-Bouille said so in post #1:


Pot-Bouille said:


> 「昔からグローバルな奴だったんだな。」
> Talking about a character described as a little odd, a little scary and who gets things done the way he wants.


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## almostfreebird

Private detectives in stories are usually a little odd, a little scary and get things done the way he wants.
But they're not referred as "グローバルな人",..... maybe in adult comic books.


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