Is my translation okay?
My friend is getting a tattoo and asked me to translate "If you want justice, sometimes you have to get it yourself"
I wrote ‘正義が欲しいなら、時々自分で見つけなきゃ’
Is this okay or is there a more natural way to say it?
Thank you!
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Answers · 6
0
I think your translation is fine. It is in a casual, colloquial style.
(But, 時には may be better than 時々. See below.)
Let me offer an alternative, one with a flavor of literary style.
正義を求めるならば、時には自ら掴むべし。
時々= from time to time, with an implication of “routinely.”
時には = at times, with an implication of “when necessary.”
見つける implication: go find justice (somewhere)
掴む implication: go after it; seize
掴むべし = You should seize it for yourself.
自分で colloquial style
自ら(みずから)literary style
Others may suggest yet other translations
0
The latter implies you do it just when you have to.
0
Other than that, "時々" sounds a bit weird. I would say "時には".
0
"手に入れる" means "get it" and "実現する" means "realize it".
0
"見つける" in Japanese just means "find", which must be different from what you wanted to express by "get it". I would say " (正義を) 手に入れる" or " (正義を) 実現する".
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