RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Other Countries => Topic started by: rs2016 on Sunday 22 September 19 18:51 BST (UK)
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Hi all, I have a document from the international red cross website relating to a relative who was a Japanese pow in ww2, would anybody be able to translate if I post a picture of it?
Thanks.
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I have a son studying Japanese at Uni - he may be able to translate for you, or possibly his tutor. I understand there are a number of dialects, but assume it would be in the Tokyo dialect? Post an image here, or send me a pm. :)
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If it's a POW card it is more likely to be in Japanese characters, not words as English speakers know them.
Your profile doesn't say what part of the world you are in. Is there a Uni or school near you that teaches Japanese, if you have no luck here?
Dawn M
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I think you can get apps which translate languages which use characters into English. You just need to take a photo of the document with your phone.
My children have done this to translate a recipe in Korean on the back of a sauce packet. :)
Try a google search to find one for your phone.
Added: For example there is one for the iphone called iTranslate which supports Japanese. It gets good reviews but there is a cost. There will be free ones too (my children would not have paid for a translating app) ;)
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Thankyou all for your suggestions.
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I have a son studying Japanese at Uni - he may be able to translate for you, or possibly his tutor. I understand there are a number of dialects, but assume it would be in the Tokyo dialect? Post an image here, or send me a pm. :)
Hi, here is the document.
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Lines 1 & 2 – nothing important/ no information about the man.
Line 3 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) [no specified date], transferred to the No. 2 Branch Camp of Thai POW Camp
Line 4 (1st line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. Cause of death, malnutrition. Buried. Died at 4 o’clock
Line 5 (2nd line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. JA78 P4673
Line 6 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 3rd month (March) 7th, fell ill
Line 7 (blue & black writing):
Place of death, Thailand, Kanchanaburi gun (Kanchanaburi county), Wanyai
Line 8 (last line):
Buried at Wanyai Cemetery (JA181)
*****
Kanchanaburi Province is the location of the Thai-Burma Railway construction (Bridge over the River Kwai).
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a list of 27 men buried on that date in Thailand
e.g. Kanchanaburi Cemetery.
https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?country=Thailand&war=2&exactDate=26-09-1943&tab=wardead&pageSize=50&casualtypagenumber=1
*****
Here is a very similar card for a Dutch man which has already been translated.
https://www.openarch.nl/ghn:54dfd65a-b932-4ef1-a638-778192206def/en
UKgirl
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Lines 1 & 2 – nothing important/ no information about the man.
Line 3 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) [no specified date], transferred to the No. 2 Branch Camp of Thai POW Camp
Line 4 (1st line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. Cause of death, malnutrition. Buried. Died at 4 o’clock
Line 5 (2nd line of red writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 9th month (September) 26th, died. JA78 P4673
Line 6 (blue writing):
Showa 18 (i.e. 1943) 3rd month (March) 7th, fell ill
Line 7 (blue & black writing):
Place of death, Thailand, Kanchanaburi gun (Kanchanaburi county), Wanyai
Line 8 (last line):
Buried at Wanyai Cemetery (JA181)
*****
Kanchanaburi Province is the location of the Thai-Burma Railway construction (Bridge over the River Kwai).
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a list of 27 men buried on that date in Thailand
e.g. Kanchanaburi Cemetery.
https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?country=Thailand&war=2&exactDate=26-09-1943&tab=wardead&pageSize=50&casualtypagenumber=1
*****
Here is a very similar card for a Dutch man which has already been translated.
https://www.openarch.nl/ghn:54dfd65a-b932-4ef1-a638-778192206def/en
UKgirl
Hi, thankyou so much for that, it is very much appreciated.
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Well done UKgirl,
My son had a look and couldn't quite make it all out, but agrees with your translation. ;)
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Well done UKgirl,
My son had a look and couldn't quite make it all out, but agrees with your translation. ;)
Hi, thankyou to you and your son for taking the time though.