# 翻訳をつける方針ということでした



## John_Doe

> 昨 年、アルクから 10 年前に出版された『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型 500』と『どんなときどう使う日本語表現文型 200』をもとに、テキストはそのまま残して、別に機能語の辞典を作りたいというお話がありました。　この企画では、英語、中国語、韓国語の翻訳をつける 方針*ということでしたので*、それならば日本語学習者の方々のお役に立つかもしれないと思い、作業に取り掛かることになりました。



What does こと mean here? Does it refer お話?


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## wind-sky-wind

This "こと" doesn't refer to anything, just means such circumstances.


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## frequency

John_Doe, that is a redundant word: it could simply be 方針でしたので. So, umm..ということ is really needless and　both
方針でしたので
方針だったので
fully make sense, as you know. I think rather that it must be either of the two above I wrote. If that one is either, do you understand it?

What is the addition of ということ? I wonder what YangMuye and Flam think.


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## YangMuye

I think ということ signifies something like 言い換え. The author is summarizing the gist of the talk.
But I might be wrong.


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## frequency

Indeed, ということ works to summarise up. 思ったより難しいな..I feel like that I opened the Pandora's box. You're not wrong. Give me a time more. But my opinion hasn't changed yet that it's redundant.


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## karlalou

Yeah, many of us Japanese like those redundant like ということ a lot.


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## John_Doe

Thank you all for your help.


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## spu001

Both of 'というお話' and 'ということ' function as 'he/she/they said' and hint that a sentence just before 'というお話/こと' isn't a writer/speaker's own idea, that is to say, you can quote other people's words without Japanese quotation marks「_kagikakko_(鍵括弧)」by adding 'というお話/こと' after a quoted sentence. both of _kagikakko _and 'というお話/こと,' however, don't cast doubt on quoted sentences like double quotations in English, rather, they just HINT that a speaker wasn't involved in decision making and tries to be objective toward it.
In this case, we see two quoted sentences: "10 年前に出版された...別に機能語の辞典を作りたい" and "この企画では...翻訳をつける方針." as YangMuye explained, they may be interpreted as just a gist of other people's idea but in such a case we should say '英語、中国語、韓国語の翻訳をつける 方針*でしたので*' as Frequency wrote but this sentence can be inferred that the author was involved in the decision making, at least, one of discussions, on the other hand, when you use 'というお話/こと' you can stay objective toward the idea and it can be inferred that you weren't involved in the discussions or that, although you were there, you only had few moments to contribute to one of the discussions. after the author introduced the two ideas of the third person(in this case, it's アルク), at the end, he/she expresses his/her own view 'それならば日本語学習者の方々のお役に立つかもしれないと思い、作業に取り掛かることになりました' from his/her end.
All in all, 1. sentences with 'というお話/こと' may be considered 'gist' but they also work like indirect quotation when a speaker implicates that he/she is not in charge of explaining the gist.
2. 'というお話' and 'ということ' are interchangeable but the latter sounds more impersonal since 'こと' means literally 'thing.' you can go further by using 'とのこと' in  place of 'ということ.' whereas 'お話' sounds polite and could sound ironic just for the record, but irony has nothing to do with this context.
so 'こと' is not redundant. it refers to the clause "この企画では、英語、中国語、韓国語の翻訳をつける 方針."

hope this helps.
Spu


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## frequency

YangMuye said:


> The author is summarizing the gist of the talk.


YangMuye speaks to your friend:
先生がお昼を持って来なさいということだったよ。 You're roughly summarising up what the teacher said. You need to summarise because you're messaging to your friend. Yes this may include 'What I heard is that..'. But note that they are not very equal to each other, though. And this is also a loose connector linking to the tense だった.

In the John_Doe's case, this is obviously a case of redundancy because the writer has to _clearly_ mention that 'We had the direction' when they (that party) have the direction. Saying 'We heard that~' 'It seems that~' when stating the direction? And that is a message to readers; this is a good example of redundancy made by a poor writer.


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## Wishfull

Hi,
IMHO,

『この企画では、英語、中国語、韓国語の翻訳をつける 方針*ということでしたので*、』
と
『この企画では、英語、中国語、韓国語の翻訳をつける 方針*でしたので*、』
の意味は違うと思います。

『～ということでしたので』というのは、ヒトからの伝聞であることを意味しており、編集者や出版社から*そのように聞いた、*という意味です。

～という＋*こと*＋でした＋ので　is a set phrase.
その＋*様*＋に＋聞いた is another set phrase.

こと and 様 are nouns that are indicating the previous content.

こと＝方針（この企画では、英語、中国語、韓国語の翻訳をつける 方針）


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## frequency

ああほんとだ。この方針は向こうさんの方針だったね。じゃあYangMuyeの先生のケースでいいんだ。ごめん！


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## spu001

From its apparent form it may be mistaken for a summary of the "message" but it doesn't necessarily have to be concise so as to be plausible since, when you stick to  'というお話/こと clause,' backing a validity of quoted sentences is the last thing on your mind, let alone championing your own opinion with a little help from it, rather, you just pass on information to readers/listeners and you couldn't care less about its validity like a mailman.
Also, 'こと' is nowhere near 'loose connector,' though you can throw a superfluous insertion into a set phrase, that is, "方針(みたい/よう)でしたので," in this instance inserted words are quite superfluous and if they are recognized as 'loose connectors' it will make very good sense but the speculation that 'こと' is such a thing is out of the question. on top of that, even if you are told that you must prepare lunch yourself by a teacher you may disagree with him/her and, even if you think that's not a good idea, you should pass on information to your friends from your end, nevertheless you can stay unemotional and objective toward teacher's order by using 'というお話/こと clause.' but if you agree with teacher's idea the sentence "先生がお昼を持って来なさいということだったよ" sounds unenthusiastic doesn't it? friends never think that you are happy with that news. the things is,  'というお話/こと clause' is accompanied by blank facial expressions.
All things considered, "10年前に出版された...別に機能語の辞典を作りたい*というお話*" and "この企画では...方針*ということでしたので*" are not messages, just other people's ideas. the message is "それならば...作業に取り掛かることになりました." and 'というお話/こと' must be used to imply that the author is not responsible to the two quoted sentences. let's not challenge a conventional style like it saying "good example of redundancy made by a poor writer."


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