4 ms·

Would "let's call it a day" come close?

jbay808 6y ago
That works well for some uses, but you sort of both have to be colleagues, and finishing up at the same time to use that. You can say "otsukaresama" to your colleague who is leaving before you to pick up their kids, or to your spouse when they get home from a long day, so it's a bit more flexible. It's just a nice, non-judgemental way to acknowledge someone's efforts.
- kqr 6y ago
  Does it have to be a single word or phrase for all uses? That's the thing I fail to understand with these words/phrases that are hard to translate. Sure, if you need to work it into a pun or joke you almost by definition need to have a single word for two different situations, but for everyday life, I don't understand why not two or three similar phrases suffice, one for each context.
  - saalweachter 6y ago
    In addition to puns and jokes, poetry also frequently makes use of multiple interpretations of the same words.
  - jbay808 6y ago
    No, it can have multiple translations... It's just that, I've had times where I'd have a strong urge to say otsukaresama to someone, and trip over myself for lack of any appropriate way to say it. Usually those would be cases where none of the translations listed here work; not "let's call it a day" because I'm still working, not "good effort" because it's clear in the context that I have no knowledge of their level of effort and anyway that sounds like what a coach would say after practice. It just sometimes doesn't have any good translation.
Legogris 6y ago
It can also be a greeting. Let's say your flatmate or SO comes home from work - you can greet them with "otsukaresama"
- eesmith 6y ago
  Only a bit tongue-in-cheek - "It's Miller time" seems to fit. It's an 80's era ad campaign. The basic idea is, you've been working hard, time for a break, kick back, drink a beer, etc. It was also used (in the cultural sense) when you've been banging your head on a problem, a co-workers says "It's Miller time?" meaning, perhaps it's time to stop and relax, and do something else for a while? Or, when coming home, your roommate might way "It's Miller Time!", meaning "you've maybe had a tough day at work, welcome back to a place where you can relax." This may or may not be accompanied by a can of beer.

That works well for some uses, but you sort of both have to be colleagues, and finishing up at the same time to use that. You can say "otsukaresama" to your colleague who is leaving before you to pick up their kids, or to your spouse when they get home from a long day, so it's a bit more flexible. It's just a nice, non-judgemental way to acknowledge someone's efforts.

kqr 6y ago
Does it have to be a single word or phrase for all uses? That's the thing I fail to understand with these words/phrases that are hard to translate. Sure, if you need to work it into a pun or joke you almost by definition need to have a single word for two different situations, but for everyday life, I don't understand why not two or three similar phrases suffice, one for each context.
- saalweachter 6y ago
  In addition to puns and jokes, poetry also frequently makes use of multiple interpretations of the same words.
- jbay808 6y ago
  No, it can have multiple translations... It's just that, I've had times where I'd have a strong urge to say otsukaresama to someone, and trip over myself for lack of any appropriate way to say it. Usually those would be cases where none of the translations listed here work; not "let's call it a day" because I'm still working, not "good effort" because it's clear in the context that I have no knowledge of their level of effort and anyway that sounds like what a coach would say after practice. It just sometimes doesn't have any good translation.

Legogris 6y ago

It can also be a greeting. Let's say your flatmate or SO comes home from work - you can greet them with "otsukaresama"

eesmith 6y ago
Only a bit tongue-in-cheek - "It's Miller time" seems to fit. It's an 80's era ad campaign. The basic idea is, you've been working hard, time for a break, kick back, drink a beer, etc. It was also used (in the cultural sense) when you've been banging your head on a problem, a co-workers says "It's Miller time?" meaning, perhaps it's time to stop and relax, and do something else for a while? Or, when coming home, your roommate might way "It's Miller Time!", meaning "you've maybe had a tough day at work, welcome back to a place where you can relax." This may or may not be accompanied by a can of beer.