WIT Life #282: あけおめことよろ！
Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.
Happy New Year! The greeting in the title is an abbreviation of 「明けましておめでとうございます！今年もよろしくお願いします。」 (“Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.”). We all know how much the Japanese love their abbreviations! I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing 年末年始 (nenmatsu nenshi, or year-end and new year), and are ready and refreshed for 2015. We are now in the year of the sheep, so for all of you with this animal sign this is your year.
The Abe administration is also hoping it is the year for women, coming off of his disastrous efforts in this arena last year with the resigning of two female ministers and general skepticism in regard to his Womenomics agenda. There was an interesting article in the NYT last week about Abe’s hopes for the “supermom,” or working mothers. It talks about endeavors such as increasing child care facilities and allowing more flexible working styles, and also highlights the term 凄母 (sugohaha or amazing mothers). I heard this expression for the first time, and evidently it was coined by Rumi Sato, a journalist and author who carried out a study of working mothers in Japan with this title.
Looking forward to seeing what the new year has in store for Abenomics and Japan!
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