Did someone ask for more scans? No? Too bad, have more scans.
Emmy's letter to Professor Layton, post-Curious Village. The fabled letter, which can only be accessed properly if you rip open your copy of the Japan-exclusive Azran Legacy Guidebook (more or less).
Years ago, there were photos and a fan-translation floating around on tumblr. Now, I give you the new and high quality version, as well as a full transcript. You're welcome :>
It's been literally eight years since your post, but since your tags say that you wanted to be warned if a better scan were to be made, well... Here you go @puzzilitis x) I'm also tagging @the-azran-legacies, but I'm pretty sure your blog is completely dead since this translation post seems to be its latest sign of activity, and that was ten years ago.
Seriously though, just in case you get to see this -- thank you both so much for what you did all these years ago. Without your posts, I might never even have heard that this letter existed in the first place! Or, well, I likely would have heard of it by now given the fact that I've been documenting every single Layton media I can find -- but I would have lived through an entire decade of ignorance by that point.
The translation below has been done exclusively with DeepL because my free time is limited, sorry for that ^^' If you want another one in order to compare, you have the one linked above, and I will likely make another one later (much later).
みんなのエピソード21|レミからの手紙
Everybody's Episode 21: A Letter from Emmy
親愛なるレイトン教授へ
Dear Professor Layton,
あれから数か月になりますが、教授、お元気ですか?
It's been a few months since then. Professor, how are you?
一緒に仕事をしている仲間からレイトン教授が遺産相続騒動を解決したという話を耳にして思わず手紙を書いてしまいました。
When I heard from a colleague I work with that you had solved an inheritance dispute, I couldn't resist writing to you.
タージェントから世界を救ったあのレイトン教授が単なる遺産相続のナゾトキの依頼を引き受けるなんて。まさか…と思いましたが、ナゾには目がない教授ですし、きっと知的好奇心を刺激される不思議な出来事だったんでしょうね。
How could the very same Professor Layton who had saved the world from Targent, now accept a mere inheritance puzzle request? I could not believe it… But you always had a penchant for puzzles, so I am certain that it had to be a mysterious event which truly stimulated your intellectual curiosity.
ルークはしっかりと役目を果たせたでしょうか?
Has Luke fulfilled his role well?
実は…私はいま、ワールドタイムズでカメラマンをしています。教授の活躍を教えてくれた仕事仲間って、ボストニアス号で世界を旅したときに出会ったドリスさんなんですよ。
By the way... I am now a photographer for the World Times. The colleague who told me about your activities is Doris. We met her when we were travelling around the world on the Bostonius.
教授のもとを去ってから私がワールドタイムズで働き始めたきっかけは、教授との旅がとても楽しかったから。
I started working for the World Times after I quit my job as your assistant, since I enjoyed the journey with you so much.
世界各地でのいろんな人との出会い、見る者を虜にする美しい景色…。それを世界中の人々に伝えたい、いっしかそんな気持ちになって、自然とワールドタイムズ編集部に足を運んでいました。
Meeting all kinds of people in different parts of the world, finding beautiful and captivating landscapes… I wanted to tell people all over the world about these experiences, and this is how I naturally came to visit the World Times editorial office.
今の仕事は、本当に楽しいです!
I really enjoy my current job!
ムスロッホでリボの滝と鍾乳洞の取材をしていたら、長老のシメジイさんから気になるうわさ話を聞いたんです。
While I was reporting for the Ribo Waterfalls and the limestone caves of Musloch, I heard interesting rumours from the elder, Mr Simejii.
そんな話を聞いたら、調査をするしかありませんよね!
After hearing such a story, I simply could not resist investigating!
村人たちの情報を頼りに鍾乳洞の奥を突き進んでいったら…幻の「神秘の密林」を発見しました!
After going deeper into the limestone caves, by relying on the information the villagers gave me… The fabled "Mystical Jungle" has been discovered!
ワールドタイムズの大スクープとして一面に大きく取り上げられたので教授もご存知かもしれませんが、これは私の初スクープなんですよ。
You may have already known of it since it was featured as huge news on the front page of the World Times, but this was my first scoop.
記事には書きませんでしたが、密林の奥には古代遺跡が隠されていました。
We did not mention it in the article, but there were ancient ruins hidden deep in the jungle.
ここにもたくさんのナゾが隠されているはずなので、いつか教授にナゾを解いてもらいたいなぁ。
There must be a lot of puzzles hidden there. I hope you will solve them one day.
もしかして、アスラント文明とは別の考古学史上に残る大発見がある…かも?
Maybe there is another major discovery in the history of archaeology that is unrelated to the Azran civilisation… maybe?
そんなスクープを追いかけて世界中を飛び回る毎日ですが、いま追いかけているのは、スラム街に現れた「ナゾのマスク男」です。この話、知的好奇心をくすぐられませんか?
I spend my days travelling around the world, chasing this kind of scoop. What I am chasing now is a "Puzzling Masked Man" who has appeared in the slum quarters. Doesn't this story tickle your intellectual curiosity?
お金持ちから金品を盗み、スラム街の子供たちにお金を与える現代の義賊「マスク男」。
The Masked Man is a modern-day righteous bandit who steals money and goods from the rich and gives it to the children in the slums.
最初は、この「マスク男の正体」をスクープするためカメラ片手に追いかけていましたが、スラム街の子供たちを見ているうちに、1人の記者としてそこに暮らす人々の現状もじっくりと取材したい、と思うようになりました。
At first, I followed this "Masked Man," camera in hand, in order to get a scoop on his identity. But as I watched the children in the slums, I began to think that, as a reporter, I should rather take the time to cover the current situation of the people living there.
スラム街にはたくさんの孤児がいます。私たちを無垢な笑顔で迎えてくれる子、まったく目を合わせてくれない子など、いろんな表情を見せてくれます。
There are many orphans in the slums. We see many different faces, from those who greet us with innocent smiles to those who don't make eye contact at all.
そんな彼らの姿を見ているうちに、昔のことを、ふと思い出してしまいました。
As I watched them, I suddenly remembered something from the past.
私も子供のころ父を失い、孤児になってしまうところでした。しかし、それを救ってくれたのは、おじさまだったんです。
I lost my father as a child and almost became an orphan. But Uncle Leon saved me from that.
あの頃、父を失った私をおじさまはまるで娘のように育ててくれました。
Back then, I had lost my father, and Uncle Leon brought me up as if I were his daughter.
だから、あの場所でおじさまを裏切るわけにはいかなかった。優しかったおじさまを裏切れなかった…。教授に嘘をついていたことは、申し訳ないと思っています。
So this is why I couldn't betray him in that place. I couldn't betray my kind Uncle Leon... I truly am sorry that I lied to you, Professor.
でも、こういうことがあったからこそ、教授に出会えた。人の運命って不思議ですね。
Still, it was because of these things that I met you. The destiny of people is a curious thing, isnt' it?
あ…、今の私を伝えたいと思ってこの手紙を書いたのに、過去の話になっちゃいましたね。私の話は、また教授に会ったときにお話ししますね。
Ah... I wrote this letter in order to tell you how I am now, but all this is about the past. I will tell you my story when we meet again.
というわけで…今は楽しく仕事をしています!
So, all that to say... I really am enjoying my work now!
そうそう、長かった髪を思い切ってばっさり切りました!
Yes, I also cut off my long hair in a very drastic way!
これまでタージェントの一員として生きてきましたが、いま、ワールドタイムズでカメラマンとして働く普通の女性として歩み出すことができた、そんな気がしています。
I have lived my entire life as a member of Targent. But now, I feel that I have been able to step forward as an ordinary woman, who is now working as a photographer for the World Times.
きっといつか、あなたにまた会える、その日まで。
I am sure that one day, we will meet again. Until that day.
PS.取材中の写真をドリスさんに撮ってもらいました!あっ、後ろにマスク男が…!
P.S. Doris took photos during the interview! Ah, the Masked Man is in the background...!
Emmy Altava
Important translation note: Emmy calls Bronev "oji-sama," all in hiragana, which makes it unclear whether she is related to him by blood or not (おじ means "uncle," but can also just mean "man who is older than the speaker" (at least from what I know)).
The Eternal Diva novel introduces Emmy as "a beautiful woman of Asian lineage" (and yes, I know, Asia is huge with a lot of different lineages, and I don't know either which corner of Asia is being talked about here), so make of that info what you like. In order to leave it as ambiguous as I could, I replaced all instances of "oji-sama" with "Uncle Leon."
There might be a few other translation changes I made, but I think this was the most important one to take note of.
By the way, I actually scanned the whole guidebook, and I will share it when I can (though don't hold your breath, as you probably know I am currently juggling between way too many projects). The scans aren't ready to be shared yet because they were basically done with me not really caring whether the pages would be perfectly straight, upside down, etc, and as such they need some editing.
(I checked and the resolution of the scans is high enough to make it so that editing doesn't hurt the quality in the slightest. I swear that when the scans are finished editing, you won't even realise it and they'll look just as good as what you're seeing above with Emmy's letter).
The editing also includes linking the pages together for aesthetics purposes. Some pages have artworks that spread over both pages, so I'm doing my best to make it look seamless! Here, have an example for the first double page in the book that really does it:
As you can guess, editing each of the 128 pages in order to get this result is time-consuming, and translating that is going to be a doozy. But let's just appreciate how awesome it will be once it's done, eh? :D
Anyway, next up on the blog is going to be the Eternal Diva novel translation. I'm still working on getting some buffer done, but hopefully the first "chapter" will get out soon! I'd like to post on Saturdays. Let's cross our fingers for tomorrow. Or next week, if today's translation is enough to satiate you all for now!
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茨城県
Japanese Prefectures: Kantō - Ibaraki
都道府県 (とどうふけん) - Prefectures of Japan
Learning the kanji and a little bit about each of Japan’s 47 prefectures!
Kanji・漢字
茨 いばら、かや、くさぶき、シ、ジ briar, thorn
城 しろ、き、ジョウ castle
県 ケン prefecture
関東 かんとう Kanto, region consisting of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures
Prefectural Capital (県庁所在地) : Mito (水戸市)
Amidst sprawling fields of beautiful flowers, Ibaraki also hosts Tsukuba Science City, Japan's premier research center and the home of Japan's space agency and numerous museums. Ibaraki is known historically for being the home of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan during the Edo Period and has long been associated with notable events in Japanese history. The first Nuclear Energy Research Institute was founded here in 1956. You can see space exhibits, actual space craft, and simulations at Tsukuba Space Center.
Outside of the major cities there are many natural areas to explore in the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-national Park. Hitachi Seaside Park is famous in the spring for its carpets of blooming blue nemophila. Kairaku-en is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Mt. Tsukuba is a famous night view spot with a view of the Kanto Plain, including Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Sky Tree, with a ropeway for convenient access. Ibaraki is also a major producer of natto.
Recommended Tourist Spot・おすすめ観光スポット
Fukuroda Falls (Fukuroda no Taki) - 袋田の滝
Photo by Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link
One of the three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan, Fukuroda Falls is a 120-meter tall cascading waterfall in northwestern Ibaraki Prefecture in the remote hills of the town of Daigo. It is also on the registered list of the Top 100 Waterfalls of Japan (determined by the Ministry of Environment). These falls are also called the Yodo Falls (Yodo no Taki) because the water stream falls on four large rock faces. It is also said that the renowned monk Saigyo Hoshi greatly praised the falls by saying that you should view the different beauty of the falls in all four (yo) seasons.
They are particularly attractive in early November with the peak autumn foliage as well as peak water flow. There are several different views of the waterfall, and you cannot view it in its entirety all at the same time. Within the Fukuroda Waterfall complex there are neon tunnels and elevators to take you to different levels and viewing platforms. It is said that you will be successful in love if you find a heart in the waterfall. There are also numerous hot springs nearby.
Regional Cuisine - 郷土料理
Monkfish Hot Pot - あんこう鍋
Photo by yosshi / CC BY-SA 2.0
The monkfish (also referred to as angler fish, goosefish, depending on the source I found) is a prized delicacy of Ibaraki and is best eaten fresh. Because these fish are too soft and slimy to cut up on a chopping board, they are prepared using the traditional tsurushi-giri technique, which involves cutting up the fish while suspended from a hook. In Japan, almost all parts of the monkfish are eaten, including fins, skin, gills, liver, stomach, ovaries and flesh—referred to as the “seven tools of the monkfish” in Japanese. The steamed liver is called ankimo and is considered a delicacy that may be eaten alone, or added to the hotpot soup for extra flavor. Anko nabe (monkfish hot pot) is a seasonal favorite consisting of monkfish, vegetables, and flavored broth.
Ibaraki Dialect・Ibaraki-ben・茨城弁
りんごあっけ? ringo akke?
Standard Japanese: りんごありますか? (ringo arimasu ka?)
English: Do you have any apples?
あしにあおなじみできちった ashi ni aonajimi dekichitta
Standard Japanese: 足に青あざができちゃった (ashi ni aoaza ga dekichatta)
English: I have a bruise on my leg
ごじゃっぺなやつだ (gojyappe na yatsu da)
Standard Japanese: いい加減な人; やくにっ立たない人
(iikagen na hito; yaku ni tatanai hito)
English: He's a good-for-nothing person
「行ってもいがっぺ?」 (itte mo igappe?)
「来たらいがっぺ」 (kitara igappe)
Standard Japanese: 「行ってもいいですか?」 「来てもいいですよ」
("itte mo ii desu ka?" "kite mo ii desu yo")
English: "Is it alright if I come?" "Yes please come"
あれは犬だっぺ (are wa inu dappe)
Standard Japanese: あれは犬です (are wa inu desu)
English: That is a dog
いがい車だな (igai kuruma da na)
Standard Japanese: 大きい車ですね (ookii kuruma desu ne)
English: That's a big car, isn't it
杖がおっちょれる (tsue ga occhoreru)
Standard Japanese: 杖が折れた (tsue ga oreta)
English: The cane broke in half
カラスををおっとばす (hato o ottobasu)
Standard Japanese: カラスを追い払う (hato o oiharau)
English: Drive away the crows
その日、大事? (sono hi, daiji?)
Standard Japanese: その日、大丈夫? (sono hi, daijyoubu?)
English: Is that day ok for you?
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