Gist of sentence

English translation: Answer is B. The 技術部長/商品開発部長 are going to select a qualified person to evaluate, who is either the グループ長 or the 次長?

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Japanese term or phrase:Gist of sentence
English translation:Answer is B. The 技術部長/商品開発部長 are going to select a qualified person to evaluate, who is either the グループ長 or the 次長?
Entered by: humbird

19:54 Mar 1, 2006
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general)
Japanese term or phrase: Gist of sentence
I am not sure I'm understanding who is doing what in the sentence between ** **:

(From a company procedure on subcontracting:)
7.1 委託先の選定
(1) 選定評価
委託先の選定は技術部/商品開発部が行う。**技術部長/商品開発部長により、グループ長、次長より選定評価者を委託先監査員有資格者の中より指名する。**対象となる外部組織について以下の内容を個別書類、Handbookなどにより確認する。

My question is, is it saying that:
A. The 技術部長/商品開発部長, グループ長、and 次長 are going to select a qualified person to evaluate the subcontractor?

or

B. The 技術部長/商品開発部長 are going to select a qualified person to evaluate, who is either the グループ長 or the 次長?
or
C. Other?

Thanks.
conejo
United States
Local time: 06:12
Answer is "B"
Explanation:
I understand your confusion, as I am equally confused about this grammartically errorneous sentence.
I say this because the author used より twice, whereas first より is "by" and the second より is "among".
While this is clear in my mind, whether グループ長、次長 = 委託先監査員有資格者 is still unclear, and this is where our (you and me) question arisen.
Nonetheless, I believe these two groups should be put into a mathmatical equation with = mark, despite this author's bad writing.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2006-03-01 20:20:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Correction ---- より is used thrice (which by itself already pretty atrocious) between first and last ** in your designation, there is another より outside of **s (even worse).
Again first より means "by", the latter two よりs are "among".
Selected response from:

humbird
Grading comment
Thanks, everybody. I'm glad it wasn't just me who thought this sentence was confusing...
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4Answer is "B"
humbird
4 +1Probably B
Marc Adler


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Answer is "B"


Explanation:
I understand your confusion, as I am equally confused about this grammartically errorneous sentence.
I say this because the author used より twice, whereas first より is "by" and the second より is "among".
While this is clear in my mind, whether グループ長、次長 = 委託先監査員有資格者 is still unclear, and this is where our (you and me) question arisen.
Nonetheless, I believe these two groups should be put into a mathmatical equation with = mark, despite this author's bad writing.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2006-03-01 20:20:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Correction ---- より is used thrice (which by itself already pretty atrocious) between first and last ** in your designation, there is another より outside of **s (even worse).
Again first より means "by", the latter two よりs are "among".

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 59
Grading comment
Thanks, everybody. I'm glad it wasn't just me who thought this sentence was confusing...

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  michiko tsum (X): I agree that the answer is B. Regarding the question whether グループ長、次長 =有資格者、I think it is not =, but >. グループ長、次長 who is also a 有資格者。
48 mins
  -> Thank you michiko-san!

agree  Can Altinbay: It may be new Japaese business writing. I encounter monster sentences like this all the time.
1 hr
  -> Thank you Can, and you are right, quite monserous.

agree  Nobuo Kawamura: I agree, definitely B. The poor and logic-lacking writing style is the combined result of poor school education and inadequate on the job training.
4 hrs
  -> Thank you Kawamura-san! Your comment is all so true.

agree  Will Matter
17 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Probably B


Explanation:
I don't think there can be a definitive answer here because the sentence is badly written. The key here isn't all the よりs but the verb at the end. If it were してもらう, it would make more sense.

In other words, the intended meaning was probably: 技術部長や商品開発部長は、委託先監査員有資格者の中からグループ長や次長に選定評価者を指名してもらう。

Either way, this is a sloppily written sentence, so the best thing to do is just ask the client. In my experience clients are always happy to correct the original to make it clearer.

Incidentally, are you sure you want 委託先 to be _sub_contractor? Whoever this company sends work out to is a subcontractor only if this company itself is a contractor.

If that situation doesn't apply, you might consider "outsourcing" for 委託業務. (Yes, "outsourcee" for 委託先 might make you cringe, but Google it: people use it.)

Marc Adler
Local time: 06:12
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Will Matter
15 hrs
  -> Doumo!
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