Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Kaepora Gaebora

Kaepora Gaebora

Japanese

ホホーゥ！

English

Hoo!!

• This is an onomatopoeia of the sound an owl makes.

Japanese

リンクよ…こちらを ごらん。

English

Link... Look up here!

Japanese

やっと　お前の　旅立ちの時が　きたようだの。

English

It appears that the time has finally come for you to start your adventure!

Japanese

お前は、この先　多くの　苦難に会う。

English

You will encounter many hardships ahead...

Japanese

English

That is your fate.

Japanese

それを　うらんでは　ならん。

English

Don't be discouraged

• 恨(うあ)む = to resent, feel bitter

Japanese

わかったかい？

English

Did you get all that?

Japanese

それでは　ワシは　ひと足先に　行くとしよう。

English

Well then, I shall go ahead.

Think about the literal translation, it is not strange at all: ひと-one,足-foot,先-(the) front.

Japanese

待っておるぞ。　ホホ～ッ！！

English

See you, hoo!!

Kaepora Gaebora outside Kakariko Village

Japanese

オイ、リンク！　

English

Hey, Link!

Japanese

ちょっと　おまち！

English

Wait a sec!

Japanese

この先は　カカリコ村。

English

Beyond this point is Kakariko Village.

Japanese

ハイラルの姫には　会ったかの？　まだなら　お城へ　行きなさい。

English

Have you seen the Princess of Hyrule? If not, I suggest you go to the castle.

Japanese

まだなら　お城へ　行きなさい。

English

If not, I suggest you go to the castle.

Japanese

リンクよ、これは　お前にしか　できぬことだ。

English

Link, this is something only you can do.

• ず is an old verb of negation that attaches to the 連用形("masu-stem") of verbs. ぬ is the verbs 連体形, used for relative clauses describing a noun.

Japanese

必ず　やりとげるのだよ。

English

Make sure you see this through.

• とける--to accomplish
• やる can be viewed as a casual version of する, which basically means "to do". In this case, it's being used in place of なし in the expression 成しとげる just to set a more casual tone to his speech.
• TODO — Explanation のだよ

Kaepora Gaebora by Lake Hylia

Japanese

この先が　ハイリア湖。

English

Beyond this point lies Lake Hylia.

Japanese

神々の恵みの水に　満ちておる。

English

Filled with water of the gods' blessing.

• water of the blessing of the gods
• blessed water of the gods
• おる is a fomral version of いる.

Japanese

湖底に沈む　神殿は、　はるか　上流に住む　ゾーラ族が、　ゾーラの泉とともに　守っておる。

English

The Zora tribe that dwells far up in far river bed, protects the temple that sunk to bottom of the lake, as well as the Zora fountain.

• 湖底= bottom of a lake
• 沈む= to sink
• 神殿= temple
• 湖底に沈む　神殿は = temple that sunk to the lake bottom

• 遥(はる)か= far away
• 遥か 上流に住む　ゾーラ族が = Zora tribe who live far away at the riverbed

• I would like to break up this long sentence into more digestible pieces.

Japanese

地図で　位置を　たしかめるなら、スタートで　アイテムモードにして、ΖやΕで　マップに切り替えなさい。

English

If you want to confirm your location on the map, press START to switch to the Item Mode Screen and press (Z) or (R) to switch to the Map.

Let us consider a simple sentence that is easy to understand, and then slowly add the details.

切り替えなさい　Switch to it

• マップに切り替えなさい Switch to the map　(に indicates target)

(Z/E)でマップに切り替えなさい Switch to the map with E/Z (で indicates the means)

• アイテムモードにして、ZやEでマップに切り替えなさい (go into item mode, and then) Switch to the map with E/Z (にする, here literally "cause to be in item mode", te-form is used to loosely connect two sentences)

• スターとでアイテムモードにして、ZやEでマップに切り替えなさい Go into item mode with Start, and then switch to the map with E/Z (で indicates the means)

• たしかめるなら: スタートでアイテムモードにして、ΖやΕでマップに切り替えなさい。(If you want to confirm, then): Go into item mode with Start, and then switch to the map with E/Z (なら makes the first sentence a condition for the second, but other than that, these are two independent sentences, do not get intimidated just because the sentence seems long now)

• 位置をたしかめるなら: スタートでアイテムモードにして、ΖやΕでマップに切り替えなさい。(If you want to confirm your position, then): Go into item mode with Start, and then switch to the map with E/Z

• And adding the last piece finally yields the translation above.

Incidentally, remember that this is not what you should do when trying to read Japanese. This is an illustration of how you could break down a sentence to see why it makes sense. If you truly want to master Japanese, you need to do this intuitively, not consciously, the same way you do it in your native language.

Japanese

お前の行った場所は　全て　書きしるされておるはずじゃ。　　　

English

All the places you have visited will be shown on the map.

Japanese

ホッホホ～ッ！　　　

English

Ho hoo!

Kaepora Gaebora near Gerudo valley

Japanese

リンク！

　ちょっと　おまち…　ホホーゥ！　　　

English

Link! Wait...hoo!

Japanese

この道を　ずーっと　南に進めば

　　豊かなる水を　たくわえた 　　ハイリア湖に　たどりつく。

English

If you follow this road all the way to the south, you will reach Lake Hylia's with its full, rich waters.

• ずーっと= continuously, all the way
• 辿(たど)り着(つ)く= to arrive somewhere (after a struggle)

Japanese

西に進めば　ゲルドの谷。

English

Continue west and you will reach the Gerudo Valley.

Japanese

　　そのまま　盗賊団のアジトへ

　　　　と　通じておる。　　

English

There's a hideout

of a gang of thieves on the other

side of the valley.

Japanese

どこへ行くかは

　　お前の自由じゃがのぉ… 　　　　ホホホーッ。

English

Well, you're free to go where you want、though... Ho ho ho...hooo!

Japanese

どんなに　つらくとも

　　　くじけるんじゃないよ。 　　　　　ホホ～ッ！　

English

No matter how hard it is, just don't get discouraged. Hoo!

• needs better translation