Translation guide
The English verb 'abridge' means to shorten a text, speech, or other content while keeping the essential meaning. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through several verbs and phrases, each with different nuances and contexts.
To reduce the length of a written work, speech, or other content while preserving the main points.
The most common and general verb for summarizing or condensing content. It implies extracting the essential points.
この本を要約してください。
Please abridge this book.
彼は長いスピーチを要約した。
He abridged the long speech.
To produce a shortened edition of a book, article, or other work.
Specifically refers to making an abstract or digest, often for academic papers or articles.
論文の抄録を作成した。
I abridged the thesis.
To abridge by removing sections, often to meet length requirements.
Means to delete or remove. When abridging, you might 削除する unnecessary parts.
不要な部分を削除して、文章を短くした。
I abridged the text by deleting unnecessary parts.
要約する focuses on summarizing content, while 短縮する emphasizes reducing length or duration. Use 要約する for condensing ideas and 短縮する for making something physically or temporally shorter.
There is no single Japanese verb that perfectly matches all uses of 'abridge'. Avoid directly translating as 'アブリッジする', which is not used. Choose the appropriate verb based on context.
Means to shorten or reduce in length. Often used for time, distance, or physical length, but can apply to texts.
会議の時間を短縮するために、報告を省いた。
To abridge the meeting time, we omitted the report.
A more formal term for condensing or abridging, often used in literary or academic contexts.
この小説は子供向けに縮約された。
This novel was abridged for children.
Commonly used for creating a digest version, especially for media like books or films. 'ダイジェスト' is a loanword from English.
この映画のダイジェスト版を作った。
They made an abridged version of this movie.
To omit or leave out. Often used when abridging by skipping details.
細かい説明を省いて、要点だけ話した。
I abridged the explanation by omitting the details and just talked about the main points.