mew's Translations

[mewarmo990]

Well, if you remember it's all made up people and stories you should be OK. It is not like Nasu and Takeuchi were dropping retcon bombs or whatever, just talking about what they were thinking over the years as content creators.

Some people here have built up powerful beliefs or narratives about their favorite characters without being able to read a lot of stuff surrounding Fate, etc. for over a decade, so if the author says something they didn't believe or expect they might get mad, is what I'm thinking might happen.

[aldeayeah]

it's umineko ep8 all over again

[mewarmo990]

Never watched that, I don't get it

[aldeayeah]

Dunno if you're talking about ep8 or umineko as a whole. I'll assume the latter.

The premise is: years ago there was an incident in which a whole family died in an island leaving no clues. As far as the world knows, there was a single survivor, and she took the secret to the grave. Each episode is kind of a what if scenario of what could have happened.

The final episode was pretty controversial, to say the least, because of the stance the author seemed to take. Try reading it some day.

[Mcjon01]

Maybe he meant Episode 8 of the anime.

[mewarmo990]

All of the above so I have no idea what the controversy is, and thanks. I will check it out someday, if I remember.

[mewarmo990]

OK so I have turned my attention to completing and polishing CM3 because Seika made me feel guilty. My first question for readers:

What is your preferred translation of the two terms for magic? "majutsu" (the regular, technical kind) and "mahou" (the miraculous kind)

In the past we've seen:

Majutsu

thaumaturgy
sorcery
magic
magecraft

Mahou

Magic
True Magic (capitalization?)
other idk etc
sorcery

[GhostDIGIT]

Magecraft for Majutsu and Magic or True Magic for Mahou.

[CG-3m1y4]

The commonly used English fanbase term are magecraft and Magic right? I'd personally go for that.

Though Sorcerer is a better phrase than Spellcaster/Magic-user for Mahoutsukai.

[mewarmo990]

The commonly used English fanbase term are magecraft and Magic right? I'd personally go for that.

Though Sorcerer is a better phrase than Spellcaster/Magic-user for Mahoutsukai.

What about Magician for the actual five?

btw the term that Kiritsugu tells Shirou is "mahoutsukai" but in an entirely different context, like the more generic meaning of 'magic'. In that case "spell caster" or "magic user" is more appropriate. He was using the term to distinguish between someone who merely uses magic for its utility, and an in-universe professional magus.

Waiting for more feedback. Fellow Japanese speakers welcome too. I will check back tomorrow afternoon.

[Riku Noctis]

Magecraft for "normal" magic things.

True Magic for the "awesome" stuff. Yeah, capitalization.



Also, Sorcerer doesn't sound so Nasu. Could we use True Magic User instead? That sounds more Nasu, I think.

[Seika]

Go 'official' for 魔術.

height

Then I guess true magic is least ambiguous for 魔法.

[CG-3m1y4]

Yeah, I know that. I just refer to the horribad Engrish in canon that he called himself a "Magi". Oh God why, have you mastered Innate Time Control to bring yourselves from Alternate Universes Mr. Kerry?

But yeah, for Kerry it would be appropriate to call it spellcaster/magic use, while in general it would be more apt to call them Magician.

[mewarmo990]

Go 'official' for 魔術.

height

Then I guess true magic is least ambiguous for 魔法.

Oh, it's official. Would be nice if I had a list of officially translated terms.

But really, the more I write "magecraft" in an encyclopedic context, the stupider it sounds.

[Seika]

But really, the more I write "magecraft" in an encyclopedic context, the stupider it sounds.

We got used to Marble Phantasm and the like. Your English will soon degrade enough for you to consider it acceptable.

[peanuts]

I just gave up and decided to use magic for everything majutsu out of years of self-disgust.
maryoku included in that too.

[mewarmo990]

I just gave up and decided to use magic for everything majutsu out of years of self-disgust.
maryoku included in that too.

When not on BL I write everything as "magic" and "mana" because that's normal.

I feel like a damn weeb every time I write "magecraft".

[CG-3m1y4]

Ofiicial translations don't mean anything. We still get nutcases like Altria or Medousa for that.

[Seika]

Ofiicial translations don't mean anything. We still get nutcases like Altria or Medousa for that.

Translations aren't the same as transliterations.

Besides, Medousa's a very proper and acceptable transliteration of メドウサ, which is in turn a very proper and acceptable transliteration of Μεδουσα. Just because you're inculcated with the Latin way of spelling it instead of the Greek doesn't make it wrong.

[Leftovers]

Magecraft and Magic since they're the most commonly used terms. Thaumaturgy is delightfully chuuni but more of a backup term (at least on BL), and Sorcery has been used to describe both terms so it might cause confusion (though I don't think any BLer wouldn't understand what is being talked about through context regardless of terminology, and who else uses the pbwikis really?).