# 傷つき倒れた相手国の人々の家族の心情を思えば



## Ivo

Could anyone help me translate this better?

"傷つき倒れた相手国の人々の家族の心情を思えば、金を山と積んでも償えるものではないでありましょう。"

I translated the sentence in the following manner: 
*
*"thinking from the positon of the families who were destroyed and suffered in Asia, even if one piled a mountain of gold, they can never be compensated"

This is very cumbersome though. Would anyone else be able to do it better?
thank you, 
ivo



Source: House of Councilors - Plenary Session, 3 June 1956.
しかし、われわれの最も遺憾とするところは、賠償に対する政府の基本的な考え方であります。さきにも述べましたように、日本国が戦争中相手国に与えた損害と犠牲は、金額の多少で評価されるべき性質のものではございません。傷つき倒れた相手国の人々の家族の心情を思えば、金を山と積んでも償えるものではないでありましょう。（拍手）要は、日本国が過ぐる太平洋戦争までの日本の歩み来たったファシズムの道を反省し、二度と再び戦争を起すことなく、平和的日本を建設することによって、新しい形で国際親善の道を開くことであることを確信いたします。（拍手）


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## wingman1985

Ivo said:


> Could anyone help me translate this better?
> 
> "傷つき倒れた相手国の人々の家族の心情を思えば、金を山と積んでも償えるものではないでありましょう。"
> 
> I translated the sentence in the following manner:
> *
> *"thinking from the positon of the families who were destroyed and suffered in Asia, even if one piled a mountain of gold, they can never be compensated"
> 
> This is very cumbersome though. Would anyone else be able to do it better?
> thank you,
> ivo
> 
> 
> 
> Source: House of Councilors - Plenary Session, 3 June 1956.
> しかし、われわれの最も遺憾とするところは、賠償に対する政府の基本的な考え方であります。さきにも述べましたように、日本国が戦争中相手国に与えた損害と犠牲は、金額の多少で評価されるべき性質のものではございません。傷つき倒れた相手国の人々の家族の心情を思えば、金を山と積んでも償えるものではないでありましょう。（拍手）要は、日本国が過ぐる太平洋戦争までの日本の歩み来たったファシズムの道を反省し、二度と再び戦争を起すことなく、平和的日本を建設することによって、新しい形で国際親善の道を開くことであることを確信いたします。（拍手）


I checked and the definition for 相手国 is partner country. But I guess your interpretation regard this word is probably right from the perspective of historical facts.

But i am unable to understand ものではないでありましょう. I googled this and found nothing.


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## DaylightDelight

Some minute points:

倒れた here means "killed".  傷つき倒れた人々 = those who were injured and killed
相手国 = enemy nations nations exploited by Japan
金 hear is read かね, and it means "money". 金を積む is an idiomatic usage meaning "offer a lot of money".

The object of 償う (to compensate) is omitted in this sentence. From the context, 相手国に与えた損害と犠牲 in the previous sentence must be the object.
My try:
Considering the feelings of families of those who were injured and killed in the war, the loss and sacrifices we have inflicted on enemy Asian nations could not be compensated by money alone, however much.
(I'm not good at articles and singular/plural usage.  Please consider it only as a rough-rough sample).

(EDIT) Corrected the translation of 相手国.  Thanks to wingman1985 for pointing out the problem.


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## wingman1985

DaylightDelight said:


> Some minute points:
> 
> 倒れた here means "killed".  傷つき倒れた人々 = those who were injured and killed
> 相手国 = enemy nations
> 金 hear is read かね, and it means "money". 金を積む is an idiomatic usage meaning "offer a lot of money".
> 
> The object of 償う (to compensate) is omitted in this sentence. From the context, 相手国に与えた損害と犠牲 in the previous sentence must be the object.
> My try:
> Considering the feelings of families of those who were injured and killed in the war, the loss and sacrifices we have inflicted on enemy nations could not be compensated by money alone, however much.
> (I'm not good at articles and singular/plural usage.  Please consider it only as a rough-rough sample).


Are there any dictionary resources that can help with comprehension of idiomatic usage meaning? 
BTW: I do not think translating 相手国 into enemy nations is correct emotionally. If this is said to a Chinese, there will be an uproar.


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## 810senior

wingman1985 said:


> But i am unable to understand ものではないでありましょう. I googled this and found nothing.


This is equivalent to ものではないでしょう(it might be not), where so to speak でありましょう(inf. である) corresponds to でしょう(inf. です). One thing that I'm sure is でありましょう isn't not a frequently-used expression but somewhat archaic and literal.


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## DaylightDelight

wingman1985 said:


> BTW: I do not think translating 相手国 into enemy nations is correct emotionally. If this is said to a Chinese, there will be an uproar.


You are right.  I was assuming it was about actual "enemy" nations in the WWII, but of course it was about Asian nations exploited by Japan.


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## Ivo

DaylightDelight said:


> Some minute points:
> 
> 倒れた here means "killed".  傷つき倒れた人々 = those who were injured and killed
> 相手国 = enemy nations
> 金 hear is read かね, and it means "money". 金を積む is an idiomatic usage meaning "offer a lot of money".
> 
> The object of 償う (to compensate) is omitted in this sentence. From the context, 相手国に与えた損害と犠牲 in the previous sentence must be the object.
> My try:
> Considering the feelings of families of those who were injured and killed in the war, the loss and sacrifices we have inflicted on enemy nations could not be compensated by money alone, however much.
> (I'm not good at articles and singular/plural usage.  Please consider it only as a rough-rough sample).



DaylightDelightさん、本当にありがとうございます。
Thank you very much. here though, if I want to stay true to the text though..would you not say  金を山と積んでも could be trasnlated also as: piles of money (mountains of money sounds strange in English)?


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## Ivo

Wingman1985, DeylightDelight...
I actually myself didn't find it objectionable to translate it as enemy nations. I mean if we are very litteral about this, then yes, Wingman is right! At the same time, the real meaning of the sentence, seems to me, wasn't really affected by the use of enemy nations..i.e. it won't lead to the impression that the speaker thought of them in a bad way...the enemy nations (or Asian nations)..were simply the objects of the suffering Japan inflicted upon them during the war..simply an "identifier". In any case, thank you both!!!


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## 810senior

Ivo said:


> "傷つき倒れた相手国の人々の家族の心情を思えば、金を山と積んでも償えるものではないでありましょう。"


Here's my try:
Thinking from the feelings of family members who were injured and killed in each owned nation, you would not believe you could compensate them for everything that you had done.


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## DaylightDelight

wingman1985 said:


> Are there any dictionary resources that can help with comprehension of idiomatic usage meaning?


I often use this online J-E/E-J dictionary: 英和辞典・和英辞典 - Weblio辞書



Ivo said:


> Thank you very much. here though, if I want to stay true to the text though..would you not say 金を山と積んでも could be trasnlated also as: piles of money (mountains of money sounds strange in English)?


I simply don't know if the use of "piles of money" in this context is idiomatic in English.  Now that you know the implied meaning of 金を山と積んでも，why don't you make up a sample English sentence and ask in the English forum?


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## frequency

Ivo said:


> Plenary Session, 3 June 1956.
> しかし、われわれの最も遺憾とするところは、賠償に対する政府の基本的な考え方であります。


They're talking about war reparation.



Ivo said:


> piles of money


Yes, he is saying that the amount of money would be like this.



> 相手国


(Asian) countries invaded by Japan. The speaker wants to avoid using the word 侵略*された**国. (Don't say 侵略国. This means the country which invades other country. _武力紛争が発生した場合，どちらが侵略国で，どちらが被侵略国(自衛権行使国)であるかを・・・・)_
相手国 sounds much softer.

We often call the war reparation 戦後補償.

*Sorry, I corrected


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## Ivo

frequency said:


> They're talking about war reparation.
> 
> 
> Yes, he is saying that the amount of money would be like this.
> 
> 
> (Asian) countries invaded by Japan. The speaker wants to avoid using the word 侵略*された**国. (Don't say 侵略国. This means the country which invades other country. _武力紛争が発生した場合，どちらが侵略国で，どちらが被侵略国(自衛権行使国)であるかを・・・・)_
> 相手国 sounds much softer.
> 
> We often call the war reparation 戦後補償.
> 
> *Sorry, I corrected



That is very helpful...thank you. Yes, he did use the word 相手国。...we must see this in context..this is being said in the 1950s..so the historical consciousness and the usage of words was probably a bit different. But I am glad you have pointed out that nuance..actually it just adds to what I am trying to say in my paper. Thank you.


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## frequency

Ivo, I forgot to say that the countries* mentioned in the speech is


> (Asian) countries invaded by Japan


Thus, they are 補償の相手国.
(*if they are some.)

You're most welcome


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