Plausibility

At the beginning of Chapter 12, Part IV, Gottlieb has a plan for a scientific medical school. "He tried to be practical about it; oh, he was extremely practical and plausible!" 

Here our friendly translator has rendered the meaning of 'plausible' as though it were 'laudable.' But, as I began to to re-translate it, it occurred to me that 'plausible' does look like a word that could mean that, think of the word 'applause,' for example.

Looking it up I found evidence that indeed 'plausible' originally had such a meaning. Nevertheless, from context, it clearly seems as though the modern meaning is intended. Still, I couldn't help wondering what the word meant in 1924. With further research I found that there is evidence of the modern usage from the 1500s. OK, add that to context and it seems pretty clear.

But then, as one thinks about the word 'plausible,' there are clearly a couple of modern meanings: 1) a plausible story, for instance, and 2) a plausible person. The latter, of course, is someone who tells the former. 

Since the adjective is being applied to Gottlieb himself, and not to his plan, the latter meaning is intended. But this one is more difficult to translate into Japanese. 

As is my way, I worried less about shoe-horning into the sentence some equivalent of a direct translation of the word 'plausible,' and focused instead on rendering the appropriate meaning, ending up with a translation of the word 'persuasive.'

And now I'll admit I'm a word-nerd to the core. (Only now?) The Japanese word I used is a form of 'settoku,' and it thrills me that one could contrive to read it tokutoku. (The first character can take either reading.)

Now do you see why this project is more fun than golf?