Forum - View topicThe Resurrection of Answerman
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irishninja
 Posts: 344 Location: Seattle-ish |
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Well if he does, I'll give him one. One more person paying for his anime is a good thing. Since you also pay for anime, why does that make you so angry? 
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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A translation can be accurate but still be unnatural, awkward and wrong. Like the Haruhi translation. Sure, its technically accurate, but its also wrong because native english speakers don't use the term "future men" to refer to time travelers. They could also call a train an "electric car" which may be technically correct on some level, but would also be completely wrong as far as any English speaker is concerned. |
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fokkusuhaundo
 Posts: 346 Location: San Diego ♥ ☼ ▓ |
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I'd give him a cookie too if he wanted one. It's great that he has decided to pay for his anime, and while it would be great if all fansub elitists can do the same, it's highly unlikely to happen. The biggest reason for watching fansubs besides being able to watch it early before it is licensed is that you can watch it for free. People in Japan have the ability to watch the shows for free on television, although of course it is supported by ad revenues from commercials, while most anime released in the US don't see a television airing on a mainstream cable station. What we really need to do is to get people to all watch anime that is aired on tv whether they like the dub or not to show the cable stations that anime can bring in high ratings, so that we may see even more anime ending up on tv. What I'm hoping for is for anime licensors to rely less on dvd sales and more on tv ratings to stay alive. Who knows, this may all lead to better quality dubs and maybe even simultaneous premiers of anime on Japanese and American television, which is really the only way to render fansubs useless. This may all just be me having high hopes for the future of anime in America, but i can dream, can't I? |
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Hon'ya-chan
 Posts: 973 |
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So how much did TOKYOPOP pay you to say that, huh? |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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Far less than you were apparently paid to be an endless nuisance around here. Be less annoying and specious, thanks. We'll all appreciate it. |
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fokkusuhaundo
Posts: 346 Location: San Diego ♥ ☼ ▓ |
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It's hard to please everybody, some people want literal translations for their subtitles while others want a more relaxed translation that makes more sense to the American English speaker. Fansub translators obviously have more freedom in their translations, and for things that don't translate well they can always place a footnote on top to explain it, but i don't think most people really care that much about the translation. Those that claim that fansub translations are always better are really just people who have blinded themselves with another reason why they will never pay to watch anime on dvd.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18185 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I agree with Zac on the fansub translation issue, with two minor exceptions. The poor quality of some fansubs can be picked out even by those with little knowledge of Japanese because the subtitles either show an impressively poor command of the English language (nobody should be allowed to fansub who doesn't understand basic English spelling and grammar rules) or else are so clumsily worded that they obfuscate the original meaning; often these two factors hit together. Translations are worthless if they don't make complete sense, and I could name at least one fansub group regularly guilty of that.
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Ah yes the "reformed downloader". One of the rare few that can exceed the anti-fansub crusader in obnoxiousness. Hey, don't get me wrong. If somebody is now buying instead of downloading thats great. But it just seems Idunno...a tad hypocritical to call people leeches for doing the same thing you used to do. But of course, you've seen the light and reformed your ways. Hallelujah! And now you have a license to be an insufferable ass and act all high and mighty. It's okay to be a jerk to people just like you used to be because being that you used to be a downloader you now know everything about everything.
To be fair, this guy was relatively polite but speaking from experience with other reformed downloaders...
And yet its not in the constitution. Those clowns in congress can't get anything right! 
I just don't get this. What possible reason is there to not think that professionals would do a better job than amateur fansubbers? I'm honestly asking. What is the argument for this? |
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Dante80
 Posts: 218 Location: Athens Greece |
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About the translation issue.
There are horrible, average, good and brilliant fansubs out there. About the same goes for the official R1 releases. There are many instances where fansub translations are better than the R1 ones. And of course, the opposite is ALSO true. And, for every fansub group that does a bad job in translating a certain series, there is almost always another that does a spectacular job in the same series. The same though, does NOT happen with R1 releases. If the translation is bad, we are stuck with it. Moreover, DVD limitations give R1 companies a hard time concerning sign translations, translation notes etc. Take ergo proxy (a very good show btw) for example. Geneon did a rather good job with the translation, but given the nature of the show, good fansubs like those from Shs or AniKraze are FAR better overall. Just watch eps 14 and you will understand it immediately. please excuse my bad english... 
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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In New Zealand, only the first six DVDs of Bleach have been released (all of which I bought immediately after they were released). Of course, six DVDs only covers the first twenty-four episodes.
My point is that I have watched most of the episodes of Bleach on fansubs. And though I may speak no Japanese outside of a few phrases, even I can tell when the fansub group changes. It is the simple things, like making the most basic of spelling mistakes. There are other tell-tales, all of which help me screen the good fansubs from the bad. So, telling which fansubs are better than others is no real problem, for a amateur like myself. But what about fansubs and legal subs? Just for kicks, I watched Bleach episode one subbed on the DVD (I tend to watch all the Anime I buy dubbed). What I noted was that though the meaning behind the words was largely the same, I preferred the fansub. It is hard to say why, but I just thought it flowed better. Perhaps one episode of one series is not enough to take an informed position. And perhaps watching the fansub first biased me towards it. What I can say is that Bleach is a very popular series, and one would expect a good official dub and sub. The dub, I have to say, was adequate, and nothing more. The sub was no better than the average fansub. It was solid, but it did not stand out. It should have been significantly stronger, but it wasn't. At least for that first episode. But then, we all know what the saying is about first impressions. Anyway, my post has been here and there, and I feel a sense of serenity as I write this. Strange, since I do not do drugs. I just thought I would share my highly limited experience with official subs versus fansubs, and to help dispel the notion that I cannot tell whether or not a fansub is good. As long as I have another sub to compare with, even I can determine the relative merit of a sub or fansub. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I think your English is very good. You should be proud. I agree with you on the translations of signs. Speaking from experience with dubs, signs seem to be hit and miss area. Also, the OP and ED are often left out. Sometimes I want to know what the lyrics are. From what I have seen, it is the newer shows that lack this feature, more than the older ones. Please note that by "newer", I am referring to the shows of this millennium. You have a good point about the variety of fansubs out there. Popular shows attract good - and bad - fansubbers, with the better fansubbers producing quality work that rivals the official release. And we have to keep in mind, that the fansubbers are not privy to the script, and therefore must translate by ear. Good post, Dante80. Last edited by dtm42 on Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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fuuma_monou
 Posts: 1817 Location: Quezon City, Philippines |
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The "nii-san" thing struck me as a bit weird since Kamille looked more like Rosamia's younger brother. Animax-Asia's subtitles translated that properly. (My only real gripe is how "darn it" is used to substitute for "damn it", just like in their in-house dubs.)
Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock's subtitles for Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness had the spoken "Kuroi-san" substituted with "Misa". That sort of thing might be okay in a dub, but this was a sub-only release. There's also an odd bit in one of the extras (press con) where one of the actresses says something that gets subtitled as "please watch me get raped". I'll admit my Japanese isn't good enough to make out what she did say, but there isn't any rape in the movie. She was probably referring to the gratuitous student/teacher lesbian sex scene, which was about as explicit as you could get in a non-porn film. So seduction, not rape. I've heard of a few other nitpicks with MB's subtitles, but since I haven't watched them I can't comment on those. |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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 )
Wait....oops sorry wrong state. 
I could say that outside of that wall, The more noisy ones look generally like snotty, or spotty faced spoiled brats who's parents have given them everything they wanted just to keep them quiet and out of their hair, and generally couldn't care less what their sprogs do as long as no one wants to sue, or arrest them personally for it. But I won't as I also know there is the "silent majority" who are mature law abiding adults, or who act like a mature law abiding adult, that don't go around shouting that " I have a right to my anime for free and I don't care who gets laid off, or looses their job to get it", and take into consideration that anime is a craft made by craftmen who work in that craft as a way of making a living for themselves and their familes, so do the right and proper thing to help those craftmen succeed. It's just a shame the noisy ones make you all look so bad. Take comfort in the knowledge that America isn't the only country with noisy anime entitle-ists. Last edited by Mohawk52 on Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Hon'ya-chan
Posts: 973 |
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"Giffenizing" Battle Royale, the entire Battle Vixens series, the whole "Street Slang" and Wrong car info in Initial D.......want me to continue? |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I will readily concede that the dub of Initial D is significantly inferior to the sub. It was not awful, but still close to it. I know dubbing is expensive. But why fork out the money to dub, when the result is so poor? I should mention Crest of the Stars, as another Anime with a vastly substandard dub. I will stop there, since this is sub versus fansub, not sub versus dub. I do not want to raise anyone's ire, at least not now. |
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