Category: Ritto

Summer 2013 fireworks in Shiga Prefecture

Aisho, Festivals in Summer, Hikone, Hino, Koka, Konan, Nagahama, Omi-Hachiman, Otsu, Ritto, Takashima

Here’s the fireworks (hanabi) schedule for Shiga Prefecture in summer 2013 listed by date. If you want to see the schedule for 2013 summer festivals (matsuri) instead, click here. Essential vocabulary Hanabi (花火) – fireworks Hanabi Taikai (花火大会) – fireworks (sometimes a contest) Natsu Matsuri (夏まつり) – Summer festival Noryo (納涼) – Enjoying the cool of a summer evening (at a river, park, etc.) July 13, 2013 ♦ Takamiya Noryo Hanabi Taikai in Takamiya, Hikone, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm Near the Inugami River Muchinbashi Bridge. 10-min. walk from Ohmi Railways Takamiya Station. If rained out, to be postponed to

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公式ホームページに機械翻訳を使うな！

Ritto, 日本語

今まだ県内外に多数の市役所などの公式ホームページに機械翻訳（自動翻訳、無料オンライン翻訳サービス）が導入されている。多言語の機械翻訳のリンクが張っていてクリックすると和文のホームページが外国語に変身する。 一見、役に立つと見えますが、いろいろの誤訳、誤解、誤報、不明な意味または笑い物を招きます。 例えば、栗東市役所のホームページ: http://www.city.ritto.shiga.jp/ 多言語翻訳のリンクをクリックして英語の結果をよくご覧ください。特に「くりちゃんバス」の英訳はいかがでしょう？この恥ずかしい翻訳は英語だけじゃない。おそらく、英語から他の言語にも同じイヤな言葉に翻訳されています。 自治体や観光協会などの公式ホームページに機械翻訳サービスのリンクを張ると、そのサービスが有能とみなされがちです。多数の機械翻訳サービスの中から一つだけ指定・使用するとそれが公式的に認めていると思われます。その翻訳結果も公式的に認めていると思われがちです（完璧じゃないことが言われても）。 近年にも機械翻訳のせいでとても不快感、不適切または不愉快なものがあって騒動に至ったこともあります。機械翻訳のリンクを張ったらその翻訳結果に関してホームページの運営者に責任がある。 運営者は機械翻訳の結果をチェックしなければなりません。チェックしない場合、あるいは機械翻訳の結果の責任を持ちたくない場合、機械翻訳リンクを張ってはいけない。 ホームページの訪問者が機械翻訳を使いたい場合、個人で使えばいいのです。任意に機械翻訳サービスを自ら選んで完璧ではないことを知った上で使えばいいです。ですから、ホームページにわざわざ一つの（まずいかもしれない）機械翻訳のリンクを提供する必要はありません。 機械翻訳サービスによって翻訳結果が大きく変わってくることがあります。栗東市が使っているGoogle Translateは性的な俗語も取り入れているようです。一方、例えばMicrosoft Translatorはこういう結果です。問題の「くりちゃんバス」は適当な英語がないため日本語をそのまま残しています（右の画像）。 一番いいのは人間のネィテイブの翻訳者に頼むことですね。地元の国際交流協会にそういう人材がいるかもしれません。 ただし、観光案内、商品・商売の販促などのPRホームページやパンフレットの場合、翻訳だけでは物足りない。その地域や商品がよく知っているネィテイブのコピーライターも必要です。なぜかというと、日本語の感覚と外国語の感覚が違うからです。観光地や商品の魅力を引き立てることもコピーライターの仕事です。ただの翻訳では通じにくいです。コピーライターにとって、翻訳文はただの参考資料に過ぎない。（東京オリンピック招致のPRホームページの失敗の例を参考） 栗東市の一つのマスコットキャラクターの名前もなんと「くりちゃん」です。その着ぐるみが新調されたばかりで地元にちょっと話題となっているそうです。これでますます「くりちゃん」という用語が出てくるので例の機械翻訳では物笑いの種になる。それでいいんですか？ Like or share this:

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Nionoumi, sumo wrestler from Shiga Prefecture

Best posts (most popular), Koka, Otsu, Ritto, Shiga People, Shiga/Omi Brand, Sports in Shiga

Went to see sumo on January 25, 2013, the 13th day of the New Year’s sumo tournament at the Kokugikan sumo arena in Tokyo. I finally saw Nionoumi (鳰の湖), Shiga’s only sekitori (a sumo wrestler in the second-highest Juryo or highest Makunouchi/Makuuchi Division). He was ranked West Juryo No. 14. It’s been two years since Nionoumi (pronounced Nio-no-umi) first made it to the Juryo Division. He has since been going down and up in the ranks. At this month’s New Year’s tournament in Tokyo, he ended with a decent 8 wins and 7 losses. Since he was already ranked at the bottom

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Ritto mayor not seeking reelection

Ritto

Ritto Mayor Kunimatsu Shoichi announced on July 16, 2010 that he would not seek a third term as mayor when Ritto’s mayoral election is held in October. Four years ago, Kunimatsu won his second term as mayor upon promising that he would push for the construction of a shinkansen bullet train station in Ritto. This controversial project was later canceled by Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko who was elected in July 2006 upon promising that she would cancel the shinkansen project. The majority of Shiga voters were against Ritto’s proposed shinkansen station seen as hugely expensive and unnecessary due to its

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Governor Kada Yukiko reelected in landslide victory

Ritto, Shiga History, Shiga People, Shiga Prefecture

Voters went to the polls in droves on July 11, 2010 to reelect 60-year-old Kada Yukiko for her second term as governor of Shiga Prefecture. She pulled in a record 419,921 votes, the highest number ever for a Shiga governor. She broke the previous record of 319,563 votes in the 1994 gubernatorial election won by Inaba Minoru. She managed to garner over 200,000 votes more than the 217,842 votes she got for her first election as governor four years ago. She also got twice as many votes as her closest rival, 44-year-old Ueno Ken’ichiro who attracted 208,707 votes. Ueno got more votes

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Mayors of Otsu, Hikone, Moriyama, Ritto, Omi-Hachiman oppose Governor Kada’s reelection

Hikone, Moriyama, Omi-Hachiman, Otsu, Ritto, Shiga History, Shiga Prefecture

Five city mayors in Shiga Prefecture have formed a mayor’s association (市長有志の会) to oppose the reelection of Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko and to support the election of rival candidate Ueno Ken’ichiro. Otsu Mayor Mekata Makoto (目片信), Omi-Hachiman Mayor Fujitani Eisho (冨士谷英正), Hikone Mayor Shishiyama Koyo (獅山 向洋), Moriyama Mayor Yamada Nobuhiro (山田亘宏), and Ritto Mayor Kunimatsu Shoichi (國松 正一) belong to the association. They prodded Shiga’s other mayors to join up, but they apparently declined. Most are well-aware of Kada’s popularity among Shiga voters and some think that mayors should not get involved in gubernatorial campaigns. At least two of

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Shiga History 2007

Higashi-Omi, Hikone, Otsu, Ritto, Shiga History, Toyosato

Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-December 2007. Compiled by Philbert Ono. March 21, 2007: Hikone Castle celebrates its 400th anniversary with an 8-month-long festival lasting until Nov. 25, 2007. Three castle structures (Umaya horse stable, Tenbin Yagura turret, and Nishinomaru Sanju-yagura turret), normally closed to the public, are open to the public during the festival period. Official mascot Hiko-nyan (a helmeted cat) soon becomes nationally popular. May 5, 2007: At the Expoland amusement park in Suita, Osaka, the Fujin Raijin II roller coaster derails, killing Yoshino Kogawara, 19, from Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture. Nineteen others are injured. June 16,

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Ritto shinkansen station canceled

Ritto

During a meeting (新駅設置促進協議会) in Otsu between Governor Kada Yukiko and the mayors and local assembly members of Ritto and neighboring cities on Oct. 28, 2007, the Governor announces that the project to build a new shinkansen train station in Ritto is officially cancelled. The governor reiterated that her election in 2006 reflected the will of the people who were against the shinkansen station which would have cost Shiga and Ritto 24,000,000,000 yen. The mayor of Ritto, who had pushed hard for this new station, expresses great regret. The cancellation makes national headlines. News article here. Like or share this:

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