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Hi. I am an amateur translator. I just started it. I am supposed to translate a novel called "A singular man", but there are some that confuses me. could you help me?
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Nine years had gone by since I had last been in contact with Jane. Our relations came backto my mind. As always, their suspension had been owing to some incorrectness on my part that I could not even remember, the upshopt being that had I had subsequent need of his advice I would not have dared show my face in his office.

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I can't understnad it at all from A to Z. What does "their suspension" mean and the rest.
Please don't go away but help me out

From panicked by English

2006-09-15 14:33:24 · 8 answers · asked by knie777 1 in Society & Culture Languages

8 answers

Aren't you the translator? Also, there are spelling and grammar issues that make this ambiguous.
Sentence by sentence:

It had been nine years since they had talked.
He thought of her and their previous relations.
As usual, the reason they last spoke, was because he had done something wrong (his tone is implying that he doesn't think he did anything wrong)- about what he can't even remember- the benefit of the lapse in time is that if he had needed his (why his? He's talking about Jane?!) advice earlier, he wouldn't have dared to show his face in her office because of the bad terms they were on.

Now subsequent means "occuring later or after" or "following in succesion". So it means that there was a benefit to the fact that he needed her help at this point in time. In the book, does he talk about the fact that he has needed her help before? That would make sense. I'm guessing that in the story he has already talked about the help he needs now? And as far as the fact that he says Jane and then calls her him, I have no idea. Did you proofread this before you posted? Hope this helps.

2006-09-15 14:57:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

It had been 9 years since they had had sexual relations, they had been suspended (stopped) because the person had done something to Jane that he could not remember doing (or saying) and he required the advice of another as to what to do now.

Hope that helps. English is very hard because almost every word used has 2 (or more) meanings to it and this is where someone proficient in the language can confuse another (or get them to agree to something they would otherwise not agree to).

2006-09-15 21:39:19 · answer #2 · answered by mom of girls 6 · 1 0

probably a sexual relation .because "our relations" is plural....."their suspension..." etc.
there continues to be a reference to the plural concerning relations .......I will say it means a seexual relation that was somehow disrupted by the male.............

2006-09-15 21:39:14 · answer #3 · answered by cesare214 6 · 1 0

I think it means like holding back, or restraining of thoughts, or reactions?

2006-09-15 21:36:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

It would help immensely, if you quoted the excerpt in it's entirety .. not your interpretation .. I may be wrong, but it seems like you tried to summarize it yourself. If you didn't my apologies, what would help is quoting the exact text here. Thanks.

2006-09-15 21:36:56 · answer #5 · answered by Wizdumb 2 · 0 2

if u dont know why did u bacame a translator??

2006-09-15 21:42:00 · answer #6 · answered by p681989 2 · 0 1

Are you willing to pay for the help?

2006-09-15 21:35:25 · answer #7 · answered by charmaine f 5 · 0 2

I dunno

2006-09-15 21:34:33 · answer #8 · answered by Maninblack 1 · 0 2

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