Yesterday’s post translated the song Kiseki  from Japanese to literal English. Today I wanted to post the translated Japanese version next to the officially localized English version. This is mostly trivia for people (and myself) who were wondering what the differences are.

Enjoy!

First, the Japanese Version (translated yesterday, view previous post)

On this planet, at the same time
We’ve all lived and met each other

Through time and space
A miraculous encounter that occurs just once in 100 years

Let’s embrace each other, let’s express our gratitude
Let’s go on to make the future together

Don’t fight over the small buds
Protect and grow them together instead

With the blooming flowers comes gentleness
If we pass on this gift, our hearts become one

Humans and the cosmos become one
If we search for that point where they intersect

A world brimming with our dreams will be born
Just one sparkling world

Let’s move to make a world
Overflowing with gratitude

All of these encounters
After 100 years
have given birth
to miracles

All the encounters
After 100 years
have given birth
to miracles

The officially localized version:

You and I were born
right here in the same world.

For this one brief life,
we’re beneath the same sky.

The great flow of time.
The wide expanse of space.

We are lucky enough
to share this lifetime we get.

We can gain more if we give.
By taking, we only lose.

Let us make this a new age
where we show our gratitude.

There’s a fragile bud of hope,
blooming in each of our hearts.

Don’t you take that away.
Our dreams are meant to be shared.

Let it grow. Let it live.
Let us see what it will bring.

When we share in our love,
we make a beautiful world.

Search it out, and find the way:
the point where we can all meet.

The point where we’re all the same.
There it lies: the future we seek.

Start from there, and then we’ll forge
a world where all can be free.

Free to dream, and free to smile.
Free to be who we will be.

Let’s make sure we create…

A world of our hopes and dreams.

In our brief lives,
we’ve managed to meet.
Treasure this gift,
this precious time that we have.

In our brief lives,
we’ve managed to meet.
Treasure this gift,
this precious time that we have.

—

-A major note to keep in mind going forward is that the localization did an excellent job considering they not only had to get the feeling and meaning across –but they had to do it in the amount of syllables that fit with the Japanese lyrics of the song. It is certainly an amazing feat!

-As a result of matching the melody, the word choice is very particular and may change the feeling or way of expressing the meaning slightly –but the overall feeling certainly remains in the end.

-Both emphasize the ephermerality of the encounter. However, in the end the Japanese one seems to emphasize the miracle of all those slim chances that lead to the encounter, while the English one emphasizes making the best of the encounter. Both however express working toward a future where a world of dreams exists.

-In conclusion: Same overall meaning, different approaches in expressing it! Likely due to having to keep melody and syllables in mind for English!

-This song was translated into many other languages too! It may be interesting to see how they compare in those too–but I speak none of them!

Finally, here is the song itself, the lyrics’ syllables match the melody. Obviously the literal translation will not.