「せっかくのお誘いですが遠慮します」は英語で

 　「英語に訳せそうで訳せない日本語というテーマでETC英会話のナオミ先生(荻窪)のレッスンを受けています。

　今日の日本語は

　　「せっかくのお誘いですが、遠慮します。」

　これを英訳してみました。ナオミ先生の解説です。

It’s a nice way of saying “no” in Japanese.
So You have to use this “えんりょ”.
You have to know this word to say “no” to turn down a request.
So it is a very good word.
In English, I don’t know.
I couldn’t think of any words, that I could say “遠慮する”, because “遠慮” you can use it for a lot of things in Japan, right?
“Why don’t eat this?”, “遠慮しておきます”.
So there are a lot of meanings for that.
So I was thinking, like you can say “thank you for your kind invitation”.
That was really good. That was really nice.
Then I thought, you said “I would rather not join”, OK.
“Rather” is also kind of a soft way of saying it.
It is not like “I don’t want to go”.
It is better than that.
But I would say, “I am afraid I will have to refuse it”. Number 1, I think.
Then I thought of another one, “I am afraid I can not accept it”.
It means “I want to do it, but I can’t”.
“I want to do it, but I am sorry” like that.
Then the easiest one was “I am afraid I will not be able to make it”.
This is the most conversational one, I think.
So you want to go to if it is this party or anything.
But you would like to go, but you know you can’t make it, because you have something else to do or you have a good reason.
So I thought of this.”I am afraid, I have to refuse it”, “I am afraid, I will have to refuse it”, “I am afraid I can not accept it” or “I am afraid I will not be able to make it”.

Q refuse というとすごく。。。
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
So when you say, “I am afraid”, it makes it really soft.
“もうしわけありません。できないと思います” like that would be “I am afraid”, so it is not like “怖い” afraid
“I am afraid I can’t do that”.
Then it’s like “I can’t do that” would be a kind of strong.
But if you say “I am afraid I can’t do that”. “やれないと思う” or ”やれないみたい” like that.
It makes it really,,, without “I am afraid”, “refuse” would be very strong.

Q:“I am afraid”は覚えておいて、いつでも使えるようにしておいたほうがよいですね。
Yes, Yes, yes
“I am afraid that is wrong” you can say anything. You can put it to anything.
“I am afraid I can’t go with you tomorrow”.

I am afraid ～　
　「残念なのですが～」、「恐れ入りますが～」、「申し訳ないのですが～」

 ■出演
・ETCマンツーマン英会話のナオミ先生(荻窪)

■聞き手
・青樹洋文

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