Translation Help Thread

[deadfish]

That'd probably be for the best. Rewriting jokes and such is the job of the editor later on anyway, I'm assuming.

For fan translations?

That must be one super editor.

[TypeWannabe]

His public persona is Batman.

[Kotonoha]

For fan translations?

That must be one super editor.

I said I was assuming ¯\(°_o)/¯ I don't know the details on how these things work.

[mewarmo990]

Yeah, that kind of writer's work is an editor's job. But usually you won't find someone to go that far for free, on their own time.
When it comes to fan translations, editors function more like proofreaders because half the time the translators' English isn't very good.

It's a labor of love, after all!

[ranmafan]

When it comes to fan translations, editors function more like proofreaders because half the time the translators' English isn't very good.

This is no less true of "professional" translators, at least as far as VNs go. Mind you, I'm no expert myself.

....thinking of one prominent VN company that shall not be named....

[mewarmo990]

Well, let me clarify. Editors, as the professional writers, are supposed to do the proofreading no matter where they work. But if they're serious at all about the job, there will be a lot of rewriting involved as well. Because most translators in a professional setting are going to be native Japanese and not great English writers anyway.

Whereas in fan translations, a lot of the end quality depends on the quality of the translator as well because the editors either don't bother or don't know how to make it read well.

I don't know about VN localizers. Maybe the budget is smaller, or the people they hire just aren't as competent.

[deadfish]

But if they're serious at all about the job, there will be a lot of rewriting involved as well.

That doesn't really seem time efficient, well actually, practical with something with as much text as a VN, even if editing is separate from translation checking. Unless you're translating something that's going to be receiving a large American audience, there doesn't seem to be much of an incentive for a puny VN localizer to do that - in that case, it would be more of a matter of getting a better translator or not?

[mewarmo990]

Unless you're translating something that's going to be receiving a large American audience, there doesn't seem to be much of an incentive for a puny VN localizer to do that - in that case, it would be more of a matter of getting a better translator or not?

I completely agree. I always thought there wouldn't be a need for an editor as long as you have a good translator, but apparently that's just not the way things work a lot of the time.

At least in the best cases the editor doesn't have to do much work when there's a good translator, just sign off on whatever is there.

[deadfish]

You would think there's something unusual about having a translator translate into a language that isn't his native tongue.
It's kind of absurd to expect an American for instance to translate from English into Japanese.

[mewarmo990]

You would think there's something unusual about having a translator translate into a language that isn't his native tongue.
It's kind of absurd to expect an American for instance to translate from English into Japanese.

On the contrary, it's the norm, isn't it? Every Japanese-English translator at Atlus (except for me, I guess), for example, is native or near-native Japanese, with English as their second language. Of course, their English has to be good too, but it's pretty obvious as soon as you talk to most of them that they didn't grow up speaking English from the start. So you have the editors just in case, and also because you can't expect every translator to be a good writer in both languages.

I also know plenty of Chinese-Americans with English as the native language, who translate English to Chinese.

So I think you're making some assumptions here. The real requirement is being able to juggle both languages with relatively equal fluency in your head.

[aquamarine39]

Ok, more FHA (specifically, Hanafuda where things are not so straight-forward) questions for those who are more knowledgeable/professional in Japanese.

1) Zouken/Assassin team name is おじいちゃんと心肺停止　口臭老人　蟲死キング. Pretty bizarre combination of words: grandpa, cardiac arrest (referencing Zabaniya), bad breath old man, and.... what???

bugs + death + "king" = Bug-Killer king?

Wild guesses: (A) the fact that Zouken is made of worms and is "dead" in a way (B) Assassin sniping bugs with knives

2) Shinji's joke noble phantasm: Wakame Paradise

The NP's title is 若葉色の遊楽園.

Probably goes with Shinji's theme of fresh youth (of green/naive type), pleasure, and wakame seaweed. Not sure how to really phrase this though: "Fresh Leaf-Colored Heaven" sounds really awkward. My best translation would be "Leaf Green Paradise", but anyone have a better idea? Btw, would it be ok to have word "paradise" in the NP title when the word is already in the NP name?

**** Paradise - Wakame Paradise

I know some Japanese, but I have trouble deciding on what to do in these kinds of situations... (inexperience) Thanks in advance!

[food]

For Noble Phantasm names, you need to go for sophistication and grandeur.

Use "Wakame Paradise - Verdure Wonderland".

I don't think it's a good idea to use "paradise" twice.

[aquamarine39]

Verdure is the perfect adjective! Thanks, food. If we are going for "sophistication and grandeur," how about this:

Wakame Paradise - Verdure Utopia

[ranmafan]

Verdure is the perfect adjective! Thanks, food. If we are going for "sophistication and grandeur," how about this:

Wakame Paradise - Verdure Utopia

Now we're getting somewhere!

It really doesn't need to be anything close to a literal translation - just in the same spirit as the original

[Mcjon01]

Verdure is the perfect adjective! Thanks, food. If we are going for "sophistication and grandeur," how about this:

Wakame Paradise - Verdure Utopia

I would use verdant over verdure, but that's not really a translation thing so much as a stylistic one. Verdure is pretty (extremely) obscure. And also, not an adjective.

There's a thin line between using grandeur language and sending people scrambling for a dictionary...

[Kotonoha]

Yeah I was thinking "why not use verdant" before I saw McJon's post, too.

[aquamarine39]

Ah, "verdant" works better yeah, since it can mean (lol, Dictionary.com) inexperienced; unsophisticated. Basically, what Shinji is.

I've decided on "Verdant Utopia." Thanks guys. Now, if anyone can understand my other question about 蟲死キング...

[food]

Not sure about the "utopia" part, since the idea is closer to a "amusement park", which is why I suggested "wonderland".

I would use verdant over verdure, but that's not really a translation thing so much as a stylistic one. Verdure is pretty (extremely) obscure. And also, not an adjective.

There's a thin line between using grandeur language and sending people scrambling for a dictionary...

Not exactly "verdant". I fished out "verdure" because it conveys the meaning of "fresh/young and green". If you want an adjective, used "verdured"?

Sending people scrambling for dictionary is part of the lulz when done tastefully.

[Mcjon01]

Ah, "verdant" works better yeah, since it can mean (lol, Dictionary.com) inexperienced; unsophisticated. Basically, what Shinji is.

That's... actually pretty good, then. Since the first thing that comes to mind when I think "wakaba" is this thing:



...that beginner drivers slap on their cars to warn everybody that they're inexperienced.

[food]

Is that where that crest is from?