After the successful delivery robot test, Robot Club President Tanaka is taking the team to いざかや, a Japanese-style pub.
Server1:
いらっしゃいませ。なんめいさまですか。
Tanaka1:
６人です。
Server2:
こちらへどうぞ。
After the host seats them to the table, she comes back to take orders.
Server3:
ごちゅうもんは おきまりですか。
Tanaka3:
とりあえずビールとえだまめで…
Robert3:
ぼくもビールをおねがいします。アリスさんは？
Alice3:
わたし、ビールはちょっと…
Robert4:
ビールはきらいですか。
Alice4:
きらいじゃありませんけど、アルコールがちょっと…
Tanaka4:
じゃ、ノンアルはどうですか。
Alice5:
ノンアルってなんですか。
Tanaka5:
ノンアルコールのビールですよ。
Alice6:
へえ、じゃ、わたしはノンアルで…
Translation
Server1:
Welcome! How many are in your party?
Tanaka1:
Six.
Server2:
This way, please.
After a host seats them to the table, she comes back to take orders.
Server3:
Have you decided on your order?
Tanaka3:
Let's start with beer and edamame.
Robert3:
I'll have a beer too. How about you, Alice?
Alice3:
Beer is not really for me...
Robert4:
Do you dislike beer?
Alice4:
I don't dislike it, but alcohol is a bit...
Tanaka4:
Then, how about "non-aru"?
Alice5:
What's "non-aru"?
Tanaka5:
It's beer without alcohol.
Alice6:
Oh, then I'll have "non-aru."
Cultural Notes
1.
いざかや (居酒屋)
The legal drinking age in Japan is 20. If you are under 20, the law prohibits you from drinking alcohol, but it does not prohibit you from entering a restaurant that serves alcohol. For this reason, university students under 20 sometimes join friends at an いざかや where they order food and non-alcoholic drinks. An いざかや is a casual Japanese-style pub that serves a wide variety of food as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It is a popular place for friends, classmates, and club members to gather for a meal and socialize.
2.
Ｘはちょっと…
When declining an invitation, offer, or suggestion, Japanese speakers often avoid saying いいえ ("No") directly. Instead, they may simply say Xはちょっと… (X is a little...) and leave the sentence unfinished. The listener is expected to understand that the speaker is politely declining because X is not suitable or desirable for some reason. For example, if someone asks ビールはどうですか。 (How about a beer?), the response ビールはちょっと… politely implies, "I'd rather not have a beer." Likewise, ビールはすきですか。 (Do you like beer?) can be answered with ビールはちょっと… if the speaker does not want to drink beer, even if they do not actually dislike its taste. The expression is intentionally indirect and helps avoid sounding too blunt.