After all this time I think I finally have my translation of "Walk your own
path. Let people talk." But before I put it in my CAD program, I would like to
get an opinion on the word usage and grammar. Here is my translation:

> 汝の仁道は歩く。許すを放語。

I think the words are right but I am not sure about the grammar.
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2014-04-23T02:03:04.673
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question
grammar translation meaning usage archaic-language
Translating “Walk your own path. Let people talk.”
As a non-native, I'm not certain if there is a perfectly native way to express
this. Hence, my answer will focus on refining what's presented.

Getting started, by using 汝【なんじ】 in the first half you're definitely trying to
give it an archaic feel; if you're not deliberately doing that, 自分 would be a
better choice.

Using 歩く in the first sentence literally means "to walk", but comes off as a
bit stilted to me; 進む【すすむ】 ("to advance") is what I've more often come across
in such situations. Also, the original English is in the imperative, so the
translation should reflect this.

As such, my rendering for the first part would be:

> 自分の仁道を進め。

The second part is a little more difficult. The original English is "Let
people talk," however the words you've chosen—when arranged for proper
grammar—ask that the hearer forgive indiscreet remarks. By not specifying
whose remarks to forgive, it creates further ambiguity.

As such, the translation depends on the nature of the talking you're referring
to. If you really did mean it as an admonition to forgive others'
indiscretions, then I would revise it to something along the lines of the
following:

> 人の放語を許せ。

If you're really meaning simply "allow people to speak", then I would probably
go with something more along the lines of the following, which is literally
more along the lines of "listen to what people have to say":

> 人の言葉を聞け。
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2014-04-23T02:19:56.737
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answer
I will have a try.

```

    人ノ言ヲ懼レズ、己ノ道ヲ進メ
    ひとのげんをおそれず、おのれのみちをすすめ
    
```

or

```

    己ノ道ヲ行キ、人ノ言フニ任セヨ
    おのれのみちをゆき、ひとのいうにまかせよ
    
```

There is a saying I love very much, but much harder to understand than my
translations, if you are not familiar with 漢文.

```

    千万人ト雖モ吾往カン
    せんまんにんといえどもわれゆかん
    
    Original text:  自反而縮。雖千萬人吾往矣。 -- 孟子　公孫丑上
    Explanation given by 大辞林: 
    自ら省みて正しければ，敵対者や反対者がどんなに多くとも，恐れることなく自分の信ずる道を進もう。
    
```
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answer