Is this translation correct?


From Death Note episode 1:

> 僕はすでに、死神のノートを、現実だと疑ってなかったが... こうしていろんな事を直視することで、 ますます確信を持って行動できる

This is translated in the English subtitles as:

> I didn't think the Shinigami's Notebook was real... but after seeing its
> results, I can act with certainty.

The first part of the sentence seems to be backwards...

> 現実だと疑ってなかった

Means literally:

> did not doubt it is reality

So, the whole thing should be:

> I did not doubt the Shinigami (Death God)'s Notebook was real... etc.

Am I correct?




You're right. The translation in the subtitles is incorrect.

Maybe you could interpret it this way:

> 「僕はすでに、死神のノートを、『現実だ』と **信じて** 疑ってなかったが・・・」  
>  「僕はすでに、死神のノートを、『現実だ』と **思って** 疑ってなかったが・・・」

Literally: "I had already believed (by then; before いろんな事を直視する) that
Shinigami's notebook was real and never doubted." "I was already not doubting,
believing that Shinigami's notebook was real."

「 **ますます** 確信を持って」 "with **more** certainty" also shows that the speaker was
already certain.




I might be wrong but here is how I would translate it.

> I was not doubting the existence of the death note, but after seeing it in
> action with my own eyes, I can start acting with conviction(about using the
> death note for his plans.)

It does seems like the translation is quite backward. But people who do
subtitles usually are like that. Interpreting everything in their own words.

