Question for Advanced Japanese Speakers
 

I'm writing thank you cards to a professor and a postdoc who wrote a letter of recommendation that helped me get into grad school. I worked with them for 10 weeks last summer as part of a study abroad program in Kyoto, so naturally I want to try to write the note in Japanese. I'm looking for any native or near native Japanese speakers to proofread my thank you card draft as well as answer a couple of questions.

Here is the draft.

AÀèÀ¸¤Ø¡¢

AÀèÀ¸¤Ï¤ª¸µµ¤¤Ç¤¹¤«¡£
¤³¤Á¤é¤Ï¤¤¤è¤¤¤è½Õ¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤À¤ó¤À¤óÃȤ«¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹¡£
¤Ç¤â¡¢Â¿Ê¬ÆüËܤÎÊý¤¬ÃȤ«¤¤¤Ç¤·¤ç¤¦¡£
ÃȤ«¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤*¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹¤±¤É¡¢»þ¡¹±«¤¬¹ß¤Ã¤Æ¤½¤ó¤Ê¤Ë½ë¤¯¤Ê¤ê¤Þ¤»¤ó¡£

AÀèÀ¸¤Ë½ñ¤¤¤Æ¤¤¤ë¤Î¤ÏÎé¤ò¿½¤·¤Þ¤¹¡£
µîǯ¸¦µæ¤Î¤´ÁêÃ̤â¿äÁ¦½ñ¤Î¤³¤È¤â¤É¤¦¤â¤¢¤ê¤¬¤È¤¦¤´¤¶¤¤¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£
Âç³Ø±¡¤Ï¡ÊSchool)¤Î²½³Ø¹©³Ø¤Ë¤¤¤¿¤·¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£
¡ÊSchool)¤ÏË»¤·¤¤¤é¤·¤¤¤Ç¤¹¤±¤É¡¢¤Á¤ç¤Ã¤È³Ú¤·¤ß¤Ë¤·¤Æ¤ª¤ê¤Þ¤¹¡£
¤Þ¤¿¶â°æÀèÀ¸¤¬¼êÅÁ¤Ã¤Æ¤¤¤¿¤À¤¤¤Æ¤É¤¦¤â¤¢¤ê¤¬¤È¤¦¤´¤¶¤¤¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£

¤¹¤°²Æ¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤¹¤´¤¯½ë¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤ªÂΤ˵¤¤ò¤Ä¤±¤Æ¤¯¤À¤µ¤¤¡£
³§¤µ¤Þ¤Ë¤è¤í¤·¤¯¤ªÅÁ¤¨¤Æ¤¯¤À¤µ¤¤¡£

¡Êmy name)

BÀèÀ¸¤Ø¡¢

BÀèÀ¸¤Ï¤ª¸µµ¤¤Ç¤¹¤«¡£
Æî¶ËÂçΦ¤Î¸¦µæ¤Ï¤¤¤«¤¬¤Ç¤·¤¿¤«¡£
¤³¤Á¤é¤Ï¤¤¤è¤¤¤è½Õ¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤À¤ó¤À¤óÃȤ«¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹¡£
¤Ç¤â¡¢Â¿Ê¬ÆüËܤÎÊý¤¬ÃȤ«¤¤¤Ç¤·¤ç¤¦¡£
ÃȤ«¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤*¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹¤±¤É¡¢»þ¡¹±«¤¬¹ß¤Ã¤Æ¤½¤ó¤Ê¤Ë½ë¤¯¤Ê¤ê¤Þ¤»¤ó¡£

BÀèÀ¸¤Ë½ñ¤¤¤Æ¤¤¤ë¤Î¤ÏÎé¤ò¿½¤·¤Þ¤¹¡£
µîǯ¸¦µæ¤Î¤´ÁêÃ̤â¿äÁ¦½ñ¤Î¤³¤È¤â¤É¤¦¤â¤¢¤ê¤¬¤È¤¦¤´¤¶¤¤¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£
Âç³Ø±¡¤Ï(School)¤Î²½³Ø¹©³Ø¤Ë¤¤¤¿¤·¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£
(School)¤ÏË»¤·¤¤¤é¤·¤¤¤Ç¤¹¤±¤É¡¢¤Á¤ç¤Ã¤È³Ú¤·¤ß¤Ë¤·¤Æ¤ª¤ê¤Þ¤¹¡£
¤Þ¤¿¤É¤¦¤â¤¢¤ê¤¬¤È¤¦¤´¤¶¤¤¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£

¤¹¤°²Æ¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤¹¤´¤¯½ë¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤ªÂΤ˵¤¤ò¤Ä¤±¤Æ¤¯¤À¤µ¤¤¡£
³§¤µ¤Þ¤Ë¤è¤í¤·¤¯¤ªÅÁ¤¨¤Æ¤¯¤À¤µ¤¤¡£

(my name)

I don't know if the "short informal note" to a superior is ever used in Japan, but that's kind of what I'm trying to shoot for. I'm writing these on hallmark cards and sending it with a small gift.

So I have a few questions:

1) Would it be appropriate to use ÇÒ·¼¡¡and ·É¶ñ? That's how I learned to write letters in Japanese class, but I don't know if it would be appropriate for this kind of thing.

2) If ÇÒ·¼¡¡and ·É¶ñ shouldn't be used, is there a better way to start and end the letter.

3) Any set phrases I can use in the beginning or end of the body I could use?

Thanks for all your help :-)

Edit: If the Japanese isn't showing up, use EUC¡ÝJP¡¡Encoding

I'm a native Japanese speaker so I could help you out, but I am currently too tired to think straight. But I'll help you out with some of it until I get some rest.

First paragraph, second line, it should be: ¤³¤³¤Ï or¡¡¤³¤Á¤é¤Ï instead of ¤³¤³¤Ë because you're saying "it is". ¤³¤Á¤é¤Ï¡¡is a polite way of saying "here".

And the first paragraph, last line, I think you're trying to say: "It's getting warm, but it still rains and it doesn't get too hot." If so, it's somewhere along the lines of: "ÃȤ«¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤*¤Æ¤¤¤Þ¤¹¤¬¡¢¤Þ¤À»þ¡¹±«¤¬¹ß¤ê¤½¤ó¤Ê¤Ë½ë¤¯¤Ê¤ê¤Þ¤»¤ó¡£

Ok, that's as far as I got right now. I am too tired right now so I'll help you out tomorrow.

Hey thanks! I'll be waiting for your next reply.

But yeah, I'm really bad at small talk about the weather, so I'd welcome any changes there

Thanks again.

My wife is a native Japanese speaker, so I was going to print that out and show it to her, but that doesn't really look anything like Japanese to me. Is it a computer thing? I don't think I've ever seen her use anything but Roman letters on the computer.

You need a download into your browser in order to properly view Japanese characters.

Oh, ok. I don't know how to do that, so I'm afraid I can't help.

Sorry for the late reply. Here is the rest of the corrections.

Second paragraph, first line should read: Îé¤ò¿½¤·¾å¤²¤ë¤¿¤á¤Ç¤¹¡£

Second paragraph, second line: µîǯ¤Î¸¦µæ

Second paragraph, last line: ¤Þ¤¿¶â°æÀèÀ¸¤Ë¼êÅÁ¤Ã¤Æ¤¤¤¿¤À¤¤¤Æ½õ¤«¤ê¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£¡¡ËÜÅö¤Ë¤É¤¦¤â¤¢¤ê¤¬¤È¤¦¤´¤¶¤¤¤Þ¤·¤¿¡£

Third paragraph, first line: ²Æ¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ½ë¤¯¤Ê¤Ã¤Æ¤â¤ªÂΤˤªµ¤¤ò¤Ä¤±¤¯¤À¤µ¤¤¡£

Third paragraph, last line: ¤ªÅÁ¤¨¤¯¤À¤µ¤¤¡£

It's all the same fix for the second letter, so just use the corrections from the first letter. And for the corrections that are shortened, it just means replace it with that part and you're all set.

If you don't have Office XP, use this link
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/...e/install.mspx

If you do, use this one:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en