# fear of saying things wrong



## stella1192

Hey guys, so I tried to translate this sentence, but I am not too sure about the last part. The sentence is:
"Up until now the most difficult thing has been talking. In fact when you speak, since you don't have time to think about the structure of a sentence, you need a lot of practice to be good at it. 
On top of that sometimes the fear of saying things the wrong way is my biggest worry.
今まで一番大変なことは話すことです。
実際に話す時文の構造を考える時間がないので、たくさん練習が必要があると思います。
その上、時々間違い事を言う時判断の恐怖は一番の心配です。


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## 810senior

Hello, here's a correction for the underlined.
その上、時々間違*った*事を言う*かもしれないという(or simply 時の)*恐怖*が*一番の*悩み*です。

(1)There's no word equivalent to 間違い事 in Japanese, but you can say 間違ったこと(not *間違う*こと) instead.
(2)I'm not sure what 言う時判断の恐怖は exactly means. It seems sufficient to let that part be like 言う時の恐怖(lit. the fear from when I say) or 言うかも知れないという恐怖(lit. the fear that I might say) considering the original text.
(3)I think 悩み works better than 心配 even though both of them can be translated to worry. The 悩み means especially the worry or problem that brings you in trouble in your mind.


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## frequency

stella1192 said:


> たくさん練習が必要があると思います。


Strangely, 必要がある takes a clause.
たくさん練習 is now somewhat a fragment. Guess what it would be if you make it into a clause?

たくさんの練習 is adj + noun. たくさん練習・・ This itself gives you a hint.


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## Flaminius

810senior said:


> その上、時々間違*った*事を言う*かもしれないという(or simply 時の)*恐怖*が*一番の*悩み*です。


The word 恐怖 (more like the English _terror_) is too strong for expressing apprehension for simple mistakes in a foreign language.  I have been fiddling with the original sentence over how to translate it word for word, but decided to go for a more natural Japanese expression.
いい間違いをしてしまうんじゃないかと、ときどきすごく心配になります。
As we have seen in the other thread, じゃないか expresses a degree of apprehension.  てしまう is used for things that happen against or independent of one's will.  Here, it is another device for expressing anxiety.


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## kamot

Here is my translation;
時々間違った言い方をしてしまうかもしれないという怖さが一番の悩みです。

I think "間違った言い方をする" is closer to your English sentence "saying things the wrong way", and "怖さ" is probably not as strong as "恐怖".


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## 810senior

@Flaminius, Thanks for spotting the point. I agree 恐怖 is even stronger than other alternatives.


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## stella1192

frequency said:


> Strangely, 必要がある takes a clause.
> たくさん練習 is now somewhat a fragment. Guess what it would be if you make it into a clause?
> 
> たくさんの練習 is adj + noun. たくさん練習・・ This itself gives you a hint.


 
練習がたくさん必要だと思います sounds any better?


Flaminius said:


> いい間違いをしてしまうんじゃないかと、ときどきすごく心配になります。



Thank you for the explanation Flaminius, the only thing is the いい間違い, is it in the assumption that every mistake is a good mistake?
Thank you to @810senior and @kamot too for your corrections and explanation!


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## 810senior

@stella1192, the いい間違い Flaminius wrote is meant to be 言い間違い(a mistake in speach), not 良い間違い(a good mistake).



stella1192 said:


> 練習がたくさん必要だと思います sounds any better?


That's perfect.


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## stella1192

Lovely, thank you!


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## Languagelearner123456

その上、時々間違*った*事を言う*かもしれないという(or simply 時の)*恐怖*が*一番の*悩み*です I am confused. Which part of the sentence is this? What are they trying to say?


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## 810senior

Languagelearner123456 said:


> その上、時々間違*った*事を言う*かもしれないという(or simply 時の)*恐怖*が*一番の*悩み*です I am confused. Which part of the sentence is this? What are they trying to say?



Hello, I'm not sure in which part you feel confused.
Would you give me the details on how you interpreted this sentence?


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## karlalou

stella1192 said:


> "Up until now the most difficult thing has been talking. In fact when you speak, since you don't have time to think about the structure of a sentence, you need a lot of practice to be good at it.
> On top of that sometimes the fear of saying things the wrong way is my biggest worry.
> 今まで一番大変なことは話すことです。
> 実際に話す時文の構造を考える時間がないので、たくさん練習が必要があると思います。
> その上、時々間違い事を言う時判断の恐怖は一番の心配です。


'実際に' is ending up modifing 話す時, and doesn't mean "In fact". It will be clearer if you say *実際、*話している時に文の構造など考えている時間はないので、かなりの練習が必要です or 実際、話しながら文の構造など考えていられないので、よく練習しなければなりません. Here, I prefer without 思います just like your English version doesn't say so.

I'd like to recommend simple and easy それに in place of その上, and introduce なにより for well used 一番, and I'd say
それに、間違えて言ってしまうのを時々私はなにより心配してしまいます, or
それに、間違えて言ってしまうことが時々私には何より心配になってしまいます, and there's of course so many variations.
I think the word 恐怖 looks and sounds really scary. Unless you are really scared to talk, I think なにより心配です is enough to mean 'the fear' and 'biggest worry'.

I feel その上 is suitable if you say like this: 実際、話しながら文の構造などとても考えていられません。そのうえ、私は時々、間違えることをなにより心配してしまいます。(It's easy to take both reasons are your own experience. I think それに can be more versatile and used more loosely.) This might be a trivial, but I felt the flow of the speech is a little hard to follow.


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## Languagelearner123456

810senior said:


> 間違ったこと(


この場合は たこと のは意味どうですか。
はなしたことと言うなら意味ですか


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## 810senior

Languagelearner123456 said:


> この場合は たこと のは意味どうですか。
> はなしたことと言うなら意味ですか



Something wrong(incorrect)という意味です。「こと」という名詞が「間違う」という動詞によって修飾されている形ですね。


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## frequency

Good. As 810 said,

this 間違った probably is an adjective derived from the verb 間違える.
You know you usually do mistake→mistaken: _mistaken belief_, etc, and this is similar to the verb change 間違える→間違った.

The bare infinitive 間違える needs to change into 間違った to be an adjective, 間違った＋こと,
but
間違えること is valid, too, and conveys a different meaning. It is not a good choice in your case.


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## Languagelearner123456

間違えるとならどういういみですか。
なんか「間違えること」


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## frequency

Making a mistake..

_間違えることは、誰にでもある。_


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