Short bit of help..Japanese

[yukionna]

I'm a single mom, divorced from a Japanese man recently. I've been keeping in contact with his mother about her granddaughter here in America and have been relying on Google Translate for both writing and reading our correspondences. It's not perfect, and I'm sure it makes a lot of mistakes but, well beggars can't be choosers. But today there was

Comments

[japankasasagi]

Hi! I can only say that it says that whoever wrote the sentence is saying that they were talking to Allison about Kenichi, and made her feel lonely, and for that they are sorry

[yukionna]

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't sure if the grandmother was feeling lonely or my ex...and I also wasn't sure what the apology was about :s

But as for custody...while I'm still going to get the papers translated, I think we're safe as far as Japan granting him custody. I did a LOT of research when I was pregnant with her because I also was aware they had not signed the treaty. Apparently, since we were not married at the time of her birth, she is not a recognized Japanese citizen. I guess children only get the citizenship automatically if the mother is Japanese. He would have to legally adopt her through the Japanese system to even get her on his koseki (which she is not). I live near Portland, Oregon, which has a pretty decent Japanese presence. So maybe I could find someone local as you suggested. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the help and the advice :)

[tsubasa_en11]

It means "I'm really sorry about Michelle and Allison having sad/lonely memories because of Kenichi". And btw, I can take a quick look and tell you what the divorce papers talk about but sure, if you're worried about the privacy issues or stuff like that, then it's fine. :)

[yukionna]

That makes sense :) I'm not sure how to respond to it though. I'm still kinda iffy with Japanese customs and what's considered appropriate or not. I've been told I get a lot more leeway since I'm American, but I still want to avoid doing/saying anything disrespectful.

And actually that would be fantastic. I don't have them yet but if you'd be willing to even just give me a quick overview of what it entails I'd be forever grateful. Money's super tight and even getting him to help pay for the actual divorce is a pain in the butt, so I highly doubt he'd pay for a translation.

[sekaijuuni]

At work this week, I am actually proof-reading a translation of legal custody documents between a divorced couple. I don't really know the specifics of translation pricing because that's outside my job, but we do charge a flat (minimum) translation fee and then a fee for every unit of 200 words. It probably won't be cheap.

It might help to talk with a lawyer who has experience in cross-border divorce; they might be able to recommend some services to you. I could also PM you details about our US-based subsidiary and you could get them to send you an estimate. Good luck!

[yukionna]

A lawyer is WAY outside my price range. I'm having a feeling translation services are too :( But I'll figure something out. I've been given some good suggestions about finding low cost ways to get it translated.