Doesn't it make more sense for 今度 to be interpreted as "next time" or "another time?" As in, 'use these and give birth another time'? If you're using condoms you shouldn't be giving birth *this* time.
You are correct in this interpretation. 今度 is used to denote a point in time that is NOT NOW, contrary to the kanji in the word that means NOW. So 'next time' or 'another time' is the proper translation.
So, as someone who can't read moon, I'm guessing the whole of the joke is basically a condom slogan/related idiom says that by using a condom you avoid having a child/giving birth NOW, but Osaka interprets this as meaning that you get pregnant later? I.E. It merely "delays" the effect, not preventing it?
BakaHoushi said: So, as someone who can't read moon, I'm guessing the whole of the joke is basically a condom slogan/related idiom says that by using a condom you avoid having a child/giving birth NOW, but Osaka interprets this as meaning that you get pregnant later? I.E. It merely "delays" the effect, not preventing it?
No, the joke is that Osaka is trying to figure out what the box says. The box says "Condom" and Osaka interprets it as 今度生む which in Japanese is pronounced "Kondo umu" which sounds similar to "Condom." It also means "Give birth another time" which Osaka interprets as the intended purpose of the box's contents. As in, if you use one of these, you'll give birth some other time (since they're intended to prevent pregnancy).
Perhaps it's not worth getting into this, but this is the way I read it...
Ralen said: No, the joke is that Osaka is trying to figure out what the box says.
Correct. That's the set up of the joke.
Ralen said: As in, if you use one of these, you'll give birth some other time (since they're intended to prevent pregnancy).
That's true, but that's not how Osaka interprets it, which is the punchline of the joke.
It's not a joke if Osaka transcribes 'condom' as 'kondo umu' and then correctly understands the function of a condom. Instead she reads it and comes to the conclusion that condoms are used to cause pregnancy. She then wonders how long it takes before you give birth after you use a condom.
The reason why I translated the phrase 'kondo' as 'this time' was to preserve this joke, not because I broke down the compound and surmised its meaning from its parts. There is a lot of ambiguity if you use 'another time' or 'next time' but there is none if you use 'this time'.
BakaHoushi was already most of the way to this conclusion when he suggested that Osaka's interpretation was a delay in pregnancy instead of prevention.
With all that said, the image leaves a lot to interpretation. The artist added a postscript on pixiv to address some of this, though it seems it was mainly to tone down speculation on Osaka's sex life. But I stick to my original translation because I feel it best represents the joke.
In my opinion, there's no doubt that seabook is right. Kondo can mean any of "last time", "this time" or "next time". Haven't you ever heard people say things like 今度こそ勝つぞ before a fight in anime? If you say "kondo katsu" before the fight, you're referring to the fight you're about to have; if you say it after the fight, it refers to the next one. And condoms are put on right before the sexual act.
Lalaca said: 今度 is used to denote a point in time that is NOT NOW, contrary to the kanji in the word that means NOW.
While 'next time' is an appropriate translation of 'kondo' the vast majority of the time, it is not always correct. In some usages it is interchangeable with 今回 or similar to describe current situations.
For example: 今度の社長は夜遅くまで働きますね。 "This new company president stays at work late into the night."
In this case, adding the ね at the end to signify an observation removes the ambiguity as to whether it refers to a current situation or the promise of a future one.
I didn't think about it at the time, but LaC is right about the usage of 'kondo' for past events too. Something like: 今度の旅は雨が多かったです。 "There was a lot of rain on my last journey."
seabook said: I didn't think about it at the time, but LaC is right about the usage of 'kondo' for past events too. Something like: 今度の旅は雨が多かったです。 "There was a lot of rain on my last journey."
I never heard LaC say anything about past events, both of his examples were used to refer to imminent or future events. For your example it would be more appropriate to use 最近 than 今度.
In any case I never disputed that 今度 could have multiple meanings ranging from "this time" to "next time" to "some other time," my argument was over how I interpreted the joke. There's no doubt that 今度生む means "give birth *next* time" as you can find this pun on multiple Japanese websites related to condoms (as in, use these and give birth at a later date), and there's even one of those Yahoo-answers style pages where someone asks "Is this phrase really the origin of the name for condoms?"
seabook said: It's not a joke if Osaka transcribes 'condom' as 'kondo umu' and then correctly understands the function of a condom.
That was how I interpreted the joke, as it made the most sense to me that way.
Ralen said: I never heard LaC say anything about past events, both of his examples were used to refer to imminent or future events.
Re-read his post (second sentence) or use the dictionary definition: (Kenkyusha's jp-en 5th edition) "1.今回 2.この次 3.このごろ（先ごろの）" "1.This time 2.Next time 3.Recently(latest)"
Ralen said: For your example it would be more appropriate to use 最近 than 今度.
I disagree, but I don't think the point is relevant because 最も最近の, 最近終わった, 今回の, etc would all be interchangeable with 今度の.
Ralen said: That was how I interpreted the joke, as it made the most sense to me that way.
That interpretation doesn't mesh with the second speech bubble where Osaka wonders when you give birth after using a condom. There's no reason for her to wonder that if she understands the function of a condom. Thus my wall of text about preserving the joke (that she does not understand condoms).
