One of the big sports news items in Japan right now is the formation of a new baseball team, the Rakuten Eagles. Every imaginable bit of excitement is being squeezed out of the event. It's even penetrated to the weather report.
This morning (Japan time), one of the various regional weather reporters comes to us live from a sports stadium in Sendai with the Tohoku Golden Angels, cheerleaders for the new baseball team. They have golden pompoms, but no wings. Instead, they have on the cheerleader "cowgirl" outfit: hot pants, white fringy cowgirl boots, crop tops, Western-style fringy boleros, and cowgirl hats.
It's chilly in northern Japan this morning. At last, the weather reporter finishes his report and the girls get to do their cheer, during which I experience a fair amount of cognitive dissonance. In the first place, the girls are kind of clumsy. In the second, the Rakuten Eagles song is blaring, the lyric consisting mostly of "Rakuten Eagles!" repeated over and over a background of marching band music, but with the Japanese accent it sounds like the vocalist is saying "Rakuten Igloos!" (Well, it is chilly.) And the big finish to the cheer is a rousing "Go, fight, win!" from the girls, but with their accents it sounds like "Go, fie, ween!" Come on, ladies, let's hear a "fight-o!" It'll maybe warm you up.
227 words | March 31, 2005 10:11 PM | Lost in translation