[No. 144] I have delved into some useful English expressions from scenes in the Disney movie "The Incredibles."

Don’t mind if I do. This might be an English expression you don't hear very often. If you add the subject and write out the 'do', it becomes:

( I ) don’t mind if I ( have more mimosa ).

It is.

A mimosa is a type of simple and refreshing cocktail made by mixing champagne (sparkling wine) and orange juice.

I don’t mind if ... means "I don't mind if..." so "I don't mind if I have a cocktail" = "I have no objection to having a cocktail" = "It's fine for me to have a cocktail" = "I'll have a cocktail." When someone offers you something, you can use "

Don't mind if I do" to mean "I'll gladly accept."

This expression can be used not only when you are offered food or drink, but also when you accept someone's proposal.

It feels like "Well, don't mind if I do," "Well, I'll take you up on that," or "I'll gratefully accept."

A: “Would you like some more pasta?”
B: “Don’t mind if I do. That looks delicious!”

A: You can sit here.
B: Don’t mind if I do.

This is the scene where Helen calls Edna.

Helen who?
This is the "Helen who?" that Edna asked Helen on the phone. Since there are many people named Helen, Edna was asking "which Helen" it was.

When asked, Helen answered by adding her "last name (Parr)" and her former superhero name, "Elastigirl."

XXwho? It is simple because you just add "who" to it, but it might be an expression that doesn't come out of your mouth immediately.

If you think of it as "Which XX are you?", it might seem like "How do I translate that into English???"

It is also okay to explain it by job title like this:

A: “This is Suzuki.”
B: “Suzuki who?”
A: “Suzuki, the president of the company.”
B: “Oh, I’m so sorry! I should have recognized your voice”

This kind of thing might happen in the workplace... like a president calling on purpose to check how employees handle phone calls... Is that a thing of the past now?

1. It’s been such a long time after all these years!
2. It’s been a while.
Both 1 and 2 are phrases used for someone you haven't seen in a long time. They mean "Long time no see!"

It is interesting that there are various similar expressions for "Long time no see!" There are also expressions like the following:

Long time no see!
It’s been a long time since we last met.
It’s been ages!
It’s been a long time!

I'm sure there are more, but among those I have heard often so far are "It’s been a while!" and "Long time no see!"

Don’t make me beg, darling.
The literal translation is "Don't make me plead." Edna said this in response to Helen not giving a clear answer when Edna asked, "When are you coming to see?"

In other words, it means "Please, don't make me have to ask you to come see the new suit."

The subtitle "I won't force you, but" is also wonderful natural Japanese.

beg means "to plead," but I remember a movie I saw a long time ago where the subtitle for "Beg!" was translated as "Get on your knees and bow!"

Since the culture of bowing on one's knees (dogeza) does not exist in the West, I think it is a subtitle aimed at Japanese viewers, but it made me feel that it is a word that expresses "a heartfelt request."

However, this expression "Don’t make me beg!" is difficult to translate, even though I understand what it means. "Don't make me go that far" would also work.

Shame on you for making him go that far!
Don’t make him beg—shame on you! (shame on you! means "Shame on you!")

Because "desperation" can be felt in "beg," "He begged his mother" can also be translated as "he pleaded/cried out to his mother," depending on the situation.

However, when you think about it, the Japanese expression "kongan suru" (to plead) is also a "stiff expression." I don't think it is used much in daily conversation. Therefore, when the word "beg" is used in an informal setting, you might need a little twist in the translation, such as "to force a request."