Let me think about it...

Many years ago, when I was an undergraduate of my first university, Aoyama-Gakuin, an professor who was teaching English-Japanese translation and interpretation gave us a shocking example on the difficulty of complete-cross-cultural understanding. The expression he used was the above asid  "Let me think about it"

A Japanese statesman who was in charge of the Japanese-American trade negotiation answered the question given to him by an newspaper reporter by using the expression, "Well, let me think about it." The question itself was a very clear-cut one requesting 'yes-no' answer. The statesman seemed to be reluctant to answer directly by 'yes-or-no' expression. Maybe that is way the phrase he used was, 'Let me think about it.'

Suppose what happens in our mind when we hear the phrase, 'Let me think about it'. I am pretty sure that almost all of us should have the impression that there should be something done to solve the problem we share. THIS causes a terrible misunderstanding.

In Japanese counterpart to the expression 'Let me think about it' is Kangae-sasete kudasai, which means, I am very sorry to say, 'I will do nothing about it.'

In translating or interpreting one language into the other, or one expression of a language into the other, we cannot pay too much attention to the connotation, nuance in other word, of the phrase and we should bear in our mind that we are supposed to translate or interpret the meaning, not a word, of the phrase.

I hope this will give you a suitable guide to your English study.