As you know, this song is the last song for Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away”. If this song wouldn’t be used in Spirited Away, my opinion about that movie would be different. My friends, Americans and Asians, sometimes asked me to translate Japanese (songs, books) to English. One day, I was asked to translate “いつも何度でも”. There was a translation (by Julie Rogers) with CD, though. It was just a direct translation, I thought at first. However, once I tried to translate, I couldn’t do better than a direct translation. This is because this song is very deep and very touching for me. I also realized the importance of words in the song and the beauty of Japanese. For example, In the original (Japanese) さよならのときの 静かな胸 ゼロになるからだが 耳をすませる 生きている不思議 死んでいく不思議 花も風も街も みんなおなじ In the translation (English) As I bid farewell, my heart stops, in tenderness I feel my silent empty body begins to listen to what is real. The wonder of living, the wonder of dying The wind, town and flowers, We all dance one unity. It depends on you (your life experience) how to understand the original words. That’s the difficulty of Japanese, but also beauty of Japanese. Unlike today’s pop songs, with simple instruments and Kimura’s clear voice, this song remains in your hearts, いつも何度でも. |