次元を超越した

[ProfectusInfinity]

Mod note: no conditions must be required for those making responses.

There is this scan from the guidebook for the Dragon Ball Z anime with a translation that is generally debated. The scan describes the Dragon Ball afterlife, which is a higher plane of existence.

The full relevant text is ["天よりも高く、人間界からは窺い知ることが できない次元を超越した天の国神々はこの地から世界のすべてを見おろしている”]. While there are many translations explaining the gist of this excerpt, we need to know what [次元を超越] means in this context, as it’s vaguely translated as “dimensionally transcendental” or “transcending dimensions.” Please choose which of these 3 options most accurately describes the meaning.

1. [次元を超越]: The word “transcendental” often refers to metaphysics and spirituality. That is to say, apart from the word’s usual definitions that indicate some kind of superiority, transcendental can also be a synonym for spiritual. [次元を超越] has nothing to do with superiority of any kind and the kanji for “transcendental” only describes how the afterlife is a spiritual world.
2. [次元を超越]: As a higher plane of existence, the afterlife is above the other realms in the universe. The word “dimension (at least in English)” can also describe parallel worlds as opposed to axes and aspects of time and space. [次元を超越] only means the afterlife is physically above the other realms and says nothing about some kind of spatial qualitative superiority.
3. [次元を超越]: The afterlife is a super-dimensional space (like a 4-dimensional space, 5-dimensional space, 6-dimensional space, etc.). It is a plane of existence that is higher dimensional, in the sense that it transcends the spatial and [possibly] temporal boundaries of the space below it. [次元を超越] means the afterlife is a transdimensional plane of existence.

Out of these 3 interpretations, which one most likely and accurately describes the meaning of [次元を超越]?

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

"天よりも高く人間界からは窺い知ることができない次元を超越した天の国。神々はこの地から世界のすべてを見おろしている。”

I prefer the 3rd interpretation.
However, this is a fiction after all, and you might be better to ask Akira Toriyama himself, because your question cannot be solved by the Japanese grammar, just like the interpretation for musical lyrics.
There is no "absolute accuracy" but only the relatively-reasonable interpretation or just merely "preference" in this context.
Therefore, from my viewpoint, the translation “dimensionally transcendental,” which you call "verguely-translated" seems to be a very good translation, because it provides readers with a lot of room for diverse interpretations just like the original Japanese does.

Maybe someone who is very familiar with the Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z's world can specify the definition of the term you're asking about.

 

[Flaminius]

There is a complimentary expression 次元が違う in sense that the complimented has a superior quality unattainable by quantitative efforts. E.g., 大谷翔平の強さは次元が違う。
In a roundabout fancy way, 次元を超越した is "across an insurmountable dimensional [barrier]". Whether or not this insurmountableness includes spirituality or higher-dimensional thingie cannot be construed from the phrase. You need to watch how the actual cartoon describes communications between afterlife and the world of the living.

If I remember correctly about afterlife: 1. No spirituality is involved. 2. No higher-dimensional phenomena (such as effortless time travel and teleportation) were described. 3. Different planets are equally visible from afterlife. I agree with your NUMBER 2. It's a vantage point from which all worlds are reachable, but it doesn't look any different from other worlds.