Here another long Instagram post from AKB48’s Ma Chia-Ling, brought to my attention on the S48 forums, and it piqued my interest so I decided to do a quick translation. I wish I had time for more proofreading, but this post is late enough as-is.

Ok, I’m not going to gush over Macharin again here like in the other Instagram post I translated. However, I will say there’s an interesting feeling translating her writing. It’d be fun to think there’s some special shared sympathies in play, but more likely it’s some combination of her using fairly straightforward grammar and vocabulary, and an Instagram formatting that I guess favors breaking things up into nice short, easily parse-able statements.


Well, turns out I’m pretty late on this one (well, exactly a day late to make any difference), but I think I’ll have good news to follow-up with soon. 😊

macyacyarin 🍵
.
Last night
I learned a certain something
and remembered various things
and had a very hard time sleeping that night
.
.
.
Around when I was in middle school, I started following AKB48
and my dream of wanting to stand on stage formed
However, at that time
I didn't have a real reason to want to become an idol or an entertainer
it's just I simply loved AKB48
and I wanted to join this group
However
for me
because I couldn't come to Japan to take the audition
I thought this dream would end as it was, a dream
.
.
After I became a high schooler
once again I thought deeply about my dreams
that I wanted to do a play in Japan, and to have a job related to fashion
I was seriously thinking I wanted to advance down that path,
though I was opposed by my parents
this dream remained in my heart
after becoming a college student I decided that I was going to go and chase after it 
.
I decided that,
but in the fall of 2013, as a 16-year-old,
I had by chance learned that the GirlsAward was recruiting models in Taiwan
So there was this chance to be able to appear in one of the top fashion shows in Japan
The thrilling feeling pained my heart 
Even now I recall that clearly
.
However
I heard, "I don't think someone like me could do it" 
voiced from my own heart many times
.
I'm not tall
I don't have great style
and most of all, I hated my own face
therefore I didn't sign up for the audition yet
but was crying all the time
Every time I saw myself in the mirror
I thought, "Why does this completely hopeless person want to be a model? I really am shameless, it's unbecoming!"
There were even times I couldn't stand in front of a mirror
.
.
But at that time
There were two people that sustained my spirit
.
First was my older sister
Resigned to being made fun of, I told her about the audition in an email
and she really encouraged me
"If that's your dream, you should be brave and chase after it"
That's what she told me, and it gave me courage
.
The second person isn't a relative,
but a model I admire — Sasaki Nozomi
When I had those worries, by chance
I saw Sasaki's cosmetics poster ad
that smile... just so beautiful and radiant
a confident smile, sparkling like a diamond
it was only that one poster,
but my tears wouldn't stop
A confident smile like that is so nice
The thing I lacked the most was "confidence"
And I
want to be able to display such a confident smile
Thinking I would turn and going towards my dream
I decided to participate in the audition
.
.
However, next there is the family issue
Gathering my courage, when I told my parents
I had a terrible fight like never before
Again, I felt the importance of my family's support
In the end thinking, "Since this kid can never be a model, you'll give up this dream by getting hurt through failure", they let me go to the audition
.
.
The first time in my life wearing heels
The first time wearing makeup
The first time I rode a bus alone to Taipei
Rather than "freshness", the feeling I was most full of was "unease" 
.
And during the lesson
was the first time I cared about how it looked when I walked
I studied my own facial expressions
and received my first makeup lessons
the fist time I went to a studio for photography
For me
The feeling of wanting to be a model steadily grew stronger
.
No matter what
I want to stand on that stage at GirlsAward
.
.
But, in the final examination
I panicked
.
I realized I was definitely going to fail
and when it was announced
again my tears wouldn't stop
.
It was feeling like a hole had opened in my heart
.
.
.
However
I had gotten a little closer to my dreams
and I didn't want to give up there
So after that
I applied for various auditions
Time and again I failed, but every time I matured
Little by little, it added up
I was able to gain a lot of experience
and for sure it's because I had this experience
that I believe I was able to pass the AKB48 audition
.
Therefore, supposing
"If I hadn't taken the GirlsAward model audition six years ago,
I wouldn't be here now"
I don't think that's an overstatement
.
.
A twice-a-year event
11 times since then
Every time, every round, I carefully check the details of the event
Someday
Someday I want to participate
I've been thinking that for a a long time now
.
Even after 6 years
Even though right now I'm doing activities in a group I love
The hole in my heart from that event
It's still empty
I feel that I want to stand on that stage
and over the course of time that hasn't diminished even one millimeter
.
.
Yesterday, I learned a certain something 
In AKB48 Beat Carnival's new event,
the top 5 ranked members
will be able to appear at "GirlsAward 2019 AUTUMN/WINTER"
For me, this is
not just a new opportunity
but a long-time dream
.
.
Really thank you so much for reading this long letter all the way to the end
It took a lot of courage to reveal my heartfelt desire,
but if you don't loudly cry out your dreams nobody is going to go along with you
I tried to say it loudly
The event is for 10 days starting August 9th
This event is an unusual battle for me
I think it's going to be very difficult, but
6 years ago that dream I wanted fulfilled didn't come true
So this time for sure I want to make it happen
Once again, please help support my dream
Previous Post
Next Post
Categories: Translations

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.