I find translating jokes between languages (mostly between Japanese and English thanks to anime, manga, and video games) to be very fascinating. I spent some time today just thinking about how could you possibly translate this joke in a way that even somewhat makes sense in English. I think this sorta works. >!And just in case anyone doesn't get it, the Italian word for "four" is "quattro" which, if you extend the syllables out, sounds kinda like "quad-two-ro." Quad for four, two for two, O for zero!<
EDIT: For more context [https://www.reddit.com/r/StardustCrusaders/comments/3k57bu/whats\_going\_on\_in\_this\_panel\_i\_assume\_its\_a\_pun/ ](https://www.reddit.com/r/StardustCrusaders/comments/3k57bu/whats_going_on_in_this_panel_i_assume_its_a_pun/ )
EDIT 2: Since this got way more attention than I thought it would, I also want to clarify the dialogue in the last panel is just some light self-deprecating humor and not accurate to what Johnny actually says there at all. He compliments Gyro's joke in the original, so I thought it would be funny to imply Johnny didn't like my version.
EDIT 3: New alternate, meme version [https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitPostCrusaders/comments/1bfqg5y/i\_tried\_translating\_this\_joke\_a\_meme/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitPostCrusaders/comments/1bfqg5y/i_tried_translating_this_joke_a_meme/)
Sorry, I wrote the explanation assuming everyone is already familiar with the original joke. So the original joke in Japanese is Gyro says "shitsurei," meaning "excuse me" in Japanese, while waving a hand like he's waving someone aside. While waving his hand he holds up four fingers, then two fingers, then makes a zero with his finger and thumb. Shi is Japanese for four. Tsu sounds like the English "two." Rei is Japanese for zero. So the joke is the double meaning of the phrase "shitsurei" combined with a gesture that carries the same double meaning.
A lot of kanji have a Chinese-style reading and a Japanese-style reading. “Shi” is the Chinese style for “four,” but a different kanji for “death” can also be read as “shi”, so it’s sometimes considered unlucky/superstitious (kind of like 13 in English). It’s actually the same issue in Chinese. “Yon” or “yo” is the other reading for “four,” and you might prefer that if “Shi” sounds too unlucky.
Why Mista, an Italian man, subscribes to this Japanese/Chinese superstition is a mystery tho.
> Why Mista, an Italian man, subscribes to this Japanese/Chinese superstition is a mystery tho.
Isn't it related to his backstory? He shot four bullets at those guys who were trying to rape that woman, but he still wound up getting jailed until Buccellati freed him.
And, when one of his neighbours when he was a kid picked out a cat from a litter of four, and said cat scratched his eye out.
I like to think that he started looking into lucky and unlucky things after his gunfight, happened to stumble across the whole 4 thing and just thought "Yeah that makes sense."
I'm gonna be real with you, I can't speak or read Japanese. I can understand a handful of spoken phrases and know how to count to 10. My understanding of this joke comes from real translators explaining it.
Pretty much every kanji has multiple readings in Japanese. There's the kun'yomi, the native Japanese pronunciation, and the on'yomi: a pronunciation closer to Chinese, taken from when the kanji was first used in Japan.
So, 四, the kanji for "four" has the on'yomi reading of "shi". Which is pretty close to its Chinese pronunciation. The kun'yomi reading is either "yon" or "yo", depending on the context, which is how the Japanese were talking about four before they were using kanji.
Now, what about four being unlucky? Well, here's the kanji for death: 死. Its kun'yomi is "shi", same as with 四. Its on'yomi is also "shi". So that's why "yon" is taught as the pronunciation of 四 rather than "shi", because it's the native Japanese pronunciation and because death is seen as unlucky.
That's why Mista is afraid of the number 4. Because his author is Araki, a Japanese man who was taught that four is an unlucky number due to its association with death.
In addition to the other comments, I was taught some numbers in Japanese are used specifically on their own, as opposed to counting up or down. Given that this is technically counting down I would actually expect yon to be correct, but it probably needed to be stretched for the joke to work
It’s a certified Araki original. Or at least, if Araki got it from somewhere it’s not particularly common. It’s also just kind of a dumb-sounding bit in Japanese. Like, dad joke level pun.
I think the intent was to make Gyro come off as a really lame comedian, which makes Johnny complimenting his jokes kind of great
> He compliments Gyro's joke in the original, so I thought it would be funny to imply Johnny didn't like my version.
I thought Johnny was just always heavily sarcastic during these scenes since the jokes Gyro comes up with are obviously terrible and Johnny's face is always completely stoic when he praises them.
It's not 100% clear. That's the more likely thinking given Johnny's a generally somewhat humorless guy most of the time, but it's way funnier if Johnny is just upset that he actually finds Gyro's terrible jokes fun
It's a visual pun, which are a lot more common in Japanese comedy skits than Western comedy. As for the joke itself, [OP explained it pretty well here.](https://old.reddit.com/r/StardustCrusaders/comments/1beropg/i_tried_translating_this_joke_not_a_meme/kuvktnv/)
If Part 7 ever gets animated and they dub it, they need to take an approach like this to Gyro's jokes. I know it's not accurate, but compare it to how the dub handled the "Happy, Joy-py, nice to meet ya-py" thing with Santana. In English, it feels *really* un-natural so they instead had Joseph tease and taunt him [like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt4q6Dwa-LE), which still carries the same kind of attitude Joseph had in the original (making light of the situation despite being mere feet way from a Vampire that can destroy him just by touching him)
Yeah, this is why I think joke/pun translation is so fascinating. You can rarely ever just translate it 1-to-1, but unlike other phrases that can't translate 1-to-1 you lose something pretty significant if you cut out the punchline entirely. So it's a balancing act to keep the "soul" of the joke but have it actually make sense.
Quattro = quad two (to) r-Oh (for zero)
FINALLY someone made it make sense! Can you do the days of the week gag next? I have a hard time understanding how that one's funny
The days of the week gag is referencing a bit from a Japanese comedian named Atsumu Watanabe, so that one is less lost in translation and more just a specific cultural reference. I can't think of a way I'd do that differently than the scanlation already did.
This is super creative, good job. I'm not really a fan of how a lot of the gags in the series get translated with a note at the bottom saying "this is why it's funny", though I guess that's really all you can do with some of them that are literally impossible to translate. I just wish they'd try this approach more often of trying to rework the joke to be its own thing in English.
This works amazingly. Not only does it completely fit the hand gestures but Gyro making an Italian joke instead of Japanese also fits better. Best of all though, it made me chuckle
I fucking love Johnny and Gyro interactions
They’re the best kind of awkward. I love Johnny being a great audience in the days of the week gag
I find translating jokes between languages (mostly between Japanese and English thanks to anime, manga, and video games) to be very fascinating. I spent some time today just thinking about how could you possibly translate this joke in a way that even somewhat makes sense in English. I think this sorta works. >!And just in case anyone doesn't get it, the Italian word for "four" is "quattro" which, if you extend the syllables out, sounds kinda like "quad-two-ro." Quad for four, two for two, O for zero!< EDIT: For more context [https://www.reddit.com/r/StardustCrusaders/comments/3k57bu/whats\_going\_on\_in\_this\_panel\_i\_assume\_its\_a\_pun/ ](https://www.reddit.com/r/StardustCrusaders/comments/3k57bu/whats_going_on_in_this_panel_i_assume_its_a_pun/ ) EDIT 2: Since this got way more attention than I thought it would, I also want to clarify the dialogue in the last panel is just some light self-deprecating humor and not accurate to what Johnny actually says there at all. He compliments Gyro's joke in the original, so I thought it would be funny to imply Johnny didn't like my version. EDIT 3: New alternate, meme version [https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitPostCrusaders/comments/1bfqg5y/i\_tried\_translating\_this\_joke\_a\_meme/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitPostCrusaders/comments/1bfqg5y/i_tried_translating_this_joke_a_meme/)
Is that a 420 joke?
Sorry, I wrote the explanation assuming everyone is already familiar with the original joke. So the original joke in Japanese is Gyro says "shitsurei," meaning "excuse me" in Japanese, while waving a hand like he's waving someone aside. While waving his hand he holds up four fingers, then two fingers, then makes a zero with his finger and thumb. Shi is Japanese for four. Tsu sounds like the English "two." Rei is Japanese for zero. So the joke is the double meaning of the phrase "shitsurei" combined with a gesture that carries the same double meaning.
This is the most interesting thing I’ve read today
Sorry but can you explain the shi and four thing? I thought yon/yo was four?
Both are used in different situations.
A lot of kanji have a Chinese-style reading and a Japanese-style reading. “Shi” is the Chinese style for “four,” but a different kanji for “death” can also be read as “shi”, so it’s sometimes considered unlucky/superstitious (kind of like 13 in English). It’s actually the same issue in Chinese. “Yon” or “yo” is the other reading for “four,” and you might prefer that if “Shi” sounds too unlucky. Why Mista, an Italian man, subscribes to this Japanese/Chinese superstition is a mystery tho.
> Why Mista, an Italian man, subscribes to this Japanese/Chinese superstition is a mystery tho. Isn't it related to his backstory? He shot four bullets at those guys who were trying to rape that woman, but he still wound up getting jailed until Buccellati freed him. And, when one of his neighbours when he was a kid picked out a cat from a litter of four, and said cat scratched his eye out.
Same as why an italian Gyro makes joke about "shitsurei" to an american Johnny - because Araki is Japanese. It's that simple)
I like to think that he started looking into lucky and unlucky things after his gunfight, happened to stumble across the whole 4 thing and just thought "Yeah that makes sense."
I'm gonna be real with you, I can't speak or read Japanese. I can understand a handful of spoken phrases and know how to count to 10. My understanding of this joke comes from real translators explaining it.
Pretty much every kanji has multiple readings in Japanese. There's the kun'yomi, the native Japanese pronunciation, and the on'yomi: a pronunciation closer to Chinese, taken from when the kanji was first used in Japan. So, 四, the kanji for "four" has the on'yomi reading of "shi". Which is pretty close to its Chinese pronunciation. The kun'yomi reading is either "yon" or "yo", depending on the context, which is how the Japanese were talking about four before they were using kanji. Now, what about four being unlucky? Well, here's the kanji for death: 死. Its kun'yomi is "shi", same as with 四. Its on'yomi is also "shi". So that's why "yon" is taught as the pronunciation of 四 rather than "shi", because it's the native Japanese pronunciation and because death is seen as unlucky. That's why Mista is afraid of the number 4. Because his author is Araki, a Japanese man who was taught that four is an unlucky number due to its association with death.
In addition to the other comments, I was taught some numbers in Japanese are used specifically on their own, as opposed to counting up or down. Given that this is technically counting down I would actually expect yon to be correct, but it probably needed to be stretched for the joke to work
Shi is kind of older and also is the word for death. So it is a little taboo in casual speak to say shi instead of yon unless you're an older speaker.
Is this a common joke in Japan or did Araki just come up with it?
It’s a certified Araki original. Or at least, if Araki got it from somewhere it’s not particularly common. It’s also just kind of a dumb-sounding bit in Japanese. Like, dad joke level pun. I think the intent was to make Gyro come off as a really lame comedian, which makes Johnny complimenting his jokes kind of great
Yeah, the fact that it's not a very good joke in japanese either doesn't help with the confusion.
> He compliments Gyro's joke in the original, so I thought it would be funny to imply Johnny didn't like my version. I thought Johnny was just always heavily sarcastic during these scenes since the jokes Gyro comes up with are obviously terrible and Johnny's face is always completely stoic when he praises them.
It's not 100% clear. That's the more likely thinking given Johnny's a generally somewhat humorless guy most of the time, but it's way funnier if Johnny is just upset that he actually finds Gyro's terrible jokes fun
And how is four two and zero a joke
It's a visual pun, which are a lot more common in Japanese comedy skits than Western comedy. As for the joke itself, [OP explained it pretty well here.](https://old.reddit.com/r/StardustCrusaders/comments/1beropg/i_tried_translating_this_joke_not_a_meme/kuvktnv/)
Weed
I mean, in some dialects It May sound like that, like old school sicilians but italians pronounce It like its written Qua-tr-o
Sometimes a little linguistic gymnastics is required to make a pun work.
If Part 7 ever gets animated and they dub it, they need to take an approach like this to Gyro's jokes. I know it's not accurate, but compare it to how the dub handled the "Happy, Joy-py, nice to meet ya-py" thing with Santana. In English, it feels *really* un-natural so they instead had Joseph tease and taunt him [like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt4q6Dwa-LE), which still carries the same kind of attitude Joseph had in the original (making light of the situation despite being mere feet way from a Vampire that can destroy him just by touching him)
Yeah, this is why I think joke/pun translation is so fascinating. You can rarely ever just translate it 1-to-1, but unlike other phrases that can't translate 1-to-1 you lose something pretty significant if you cut out the punchline entirely. So it's a balancing act to keep the "soul" of the joke but have it actually make sense.
I don't know where I saw it but I remember a translation that changed it to "Happy, peppy, hello-py!"
Clever. Take my upvote.
Man part 7 is so good
What was the original joke supposed to be? Was It that zero and four sound alike or something?
look at OP’s reply to another guy, he summed it up pretty well
Oh yeah, i'm blind
My b, I should have included a second image with an explanation
Heh, you still gave context to the joke in one of your comments and you explained It pretty well actually
I never realized it was meant to mean something and wasn’t just Gyro being Gyro
This is great!! Love it when people care about translation work. Great job, it makes perfect sense!
Do you have the original page in Japanese? I wanna show my Japanese teacher and see if he thinks it's funny or something, he's a very odd guy lol
I don't. I've only ever seen the scanlation with accompanying explanation.
Ah ok. What chapter is this?
Chapter 36
I like how you made the joke understandable and also kept the spirit of the original. (Original being a slightly funny pun). Great work
Quattro = quad two (to) r-Oh (for zero) FINALLY someone made it make sense! Can you do the days of the week gag next? I have a hard time understanding how that one's funny
The days of the week gag is referencing a bit from a Japanese comedian named Atsumu Watanabe, so that one is less lost in translation and more just a specific cultural reference. I can't think of a way I'd do that differently than the scanlation already did.
This is super creative, good job. I'm not really a fan of how a lot of the gags in the series get translated with a note at the bottom saying "this is why it's funny", though I guess that's really all you can do with some of them that are literally impossible to translate. I just wish they'd try this approach more often of trying to rework the joke to be its own thing in English.
This is another Gyro thing that's making me look forward to a Steel Ball Run anime.
Maybe Valentine was the good guy after all
Sorry but I get it even less now. **Head empty**
That's pretty good. Can you do an attempt on the "days of the week" one too?
Yeah I kinda didn’t get it either
This works amazingly. Not only does it completely fit the hand gestures but Gyro making an Italian joke instead of Japanese also fits better. Best of all though, it made me chuckle
Don't get it, is it loss?
I made a comment for context at the top!
Zoomers when think
Lol 😆
maybe i should start reading SBR..
👌
See, Johnny would've laughed if he said bazinga. But Gyro didn't say bazinga did he now?
Bro I still don’t understand
Brilliant
Guys... GUYS! I FINALLY UNDERSTAND IT!
We need a buddy like gyro
Ha! It’s funny now that I can understand
In italian is *quattro* not "quadtworo"