talent/タレント


Preview(腕試し)

Atsuko: James, who's your favorite talent?

James: Talent? What do you mean?

Atsuko: You know--a talent is a person who usually doesn't do anything special, such as singing or acting, but often appears on on TV variety shows or talk shows.

James: Ah, "talent" must be Japanese-English. I guess you mean a personality that appears on TV a lot. In English, she or he would be called a ____________.


A. a movie star

B. a talented person

C. a TV talent

D. a TV personality

 

Quick Glossary (用語辞典)

a celebrity/a personality = 有名人

sitcom (situation comedy) = 連続ホームコメディー (Note that "home comedy" is Japanese-English!)


Explanation (説明)

The Japanese-English meaning of "talent" can be expressed several different ways in English. Which term you use depends on what the person does.


The most general word is celebrity. Anyone who is famous and appears in the news can be called a celebrity. Note that this word is not always used for actors and musicians--it can be used for almost anyone who is famous and often appears in public.


A person who appears in movies is called a movie actor or a movie actress. A very famous movie actor or actress is called a movie star.


A famous person who is known for her or his work on TV programs such as variety shows or talk shows is called a TV personality. A person known for his or her acting on TV programs (such as sitcoms) is a TV actor. A very famous TV actor is called a TV star.


Finally, a person who is famous and worshipped to excess by his or her fans or admirers is known as an idol. Prince William in England is now considered a teen idol because he is a teen who gets a lot of attention from young British girls.


Note: Like many J-E words, "talent" is English--even when used as a noun. The meaning in English, however, is different from the meaning in Japanese. In English, if we say "Mr. Smith is a big talent," it just means that he is very talented.



Exercises (練習)Choose the word that best completes the sentence.


1. Kevin Costner is famous for appearing in movies such as Field of Dreams and Bodyguard. He would best be descibed as:

A. a talent

B. a teen idol

C. a TV personality

D. a movie star

 


2. Madonna is a singer and actress, but she often appears in the news because of her personal life. Because she is known for much more than her work, we could call her:

A. a talent

B. a celebrity

C. a TV personality

D. a rock star


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