Re: It is not easy to tell people about freedom

[Kaz Kylheku (gnu-misc-discuss)]

On 2020-11-07 14:49, Akira Urushibata wrote:
> > Interesting story.
>
> Thank you.
>
>
> > Does the current translation of www.gnu.org show anywhere
> > inconsistencies in that context?
>
> > https://www.gnu.org/home.ja.html
>
> The current Japanese translations of GNU documents uses "jiyuu"
> throughout.  The changes were made when Mr. Yutaka Niibe (widely known
> as "gNiibe") took over as maintainer.
>
> Sadly, the damage has been done.  The change came too late.  People
> who say "jiyuu sofutouea" is a small minority.  It his hard to change
> this for the Japanese in general do not like to break with the status
> quo.

It seems it might be hard to convince people not to use "furii 
sofutouea"
when all they have to do is look at English-language materials and see
that "free software" is being used. Won't some people thing, "why must 
we
shun 'furii sofutouea' in Japanese, when English speakers call it
'free software'?"

The word jiyuu is not free (pun intended) from subversion. An entire
discount clothing chain in Japan is called GU (gee-yu, get it?).
It provides a shopping experience and products that resemble Uniqlo,
but at lower prices.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GU_(retailer)

Quote:

 "[GU] is fully owned by the company Fast Retailing, which is better
 known as the owner of the retail chain Uniqlo. The name is a pun of
 the word jiyū (自由, free), meaning free from high cost clothing."
                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The company themselves dress this up (pun intended) in some glibly
vague marketing spin about the connection between improving oneself
and donning some new rags:

https://www.gu-global.com/jp/ja/corp/company/

Quote (manual transcription from image):

 YOUR FREEDOM
 自分を新しくするを。
 ちょっと服を変えるだけで、自分が変わる。
 前向きな自分、なりたかった自分、見たことない自分。
 誰だって、まいにち新しい自分に出会える。
 旬で、心地よい服を。今の気分で、もっと自由に。
 GUは、自由。

Which says something like:

 YOUR FREEDOM
 The freedom to renew yourself.
 Just by changing clothes a little, you change.
 The forward-looking you, that you you wanted to become,
 a never-before-seen you.
 Each day, we all encounter a new version of ourselves.
 Comfortable clothes in fresh styles. In the current mood,
 only more freely.
 GU is freedom.

We shouldn't pin too much hope on the power of one word.

Why it's not easy to tell people about freedom is that most
people don't have the background to understand how software
is built using compiled languages, or the background in copyright.

Even when they understand that "free" is "as in speech", that
does not inform them. However, it could inspire curiosity in
some people, to ask the question: how can a program be free
as in speech? So for that, it's helpful to have a precise word
in the first place, so those people's curiosity is unfailingly
connected with the right concept.