Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2008-11-21]
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Tofusensei
Posts: 365 |
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FYI, either translation is correct. It is ambiguous in Japanese. There may be a certain "feel" to it, but that's open for interpretation. There are some amazing fansub translators out there and some very bad ones as well, and everything in between. That's the beauty of fansubs! 
-Tofu |
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st_owly
 Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Two most annoying characters:
Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi because (esp in the dub) she's so whiny, clueless and gutless. I personally don't think she's as bad in the manga though. Naruto: He's like the sort of kid brother I love to hate. Hyper, loud, irritating beyond measure and he thinks he's the best thing since the beginning of time, heaven help you if you try and tell him he's not. |
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Leg
Posts: 17 |
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Just remember that more and more fansub groups have access to Closed Captions nowadays, so fansub accuracy is on the rise for many series.
People should also remember that it's not always translations that make a sub good or not. I've seen many official subs and fansubs that seem correct (judged by comparing the 3-4 different fansub translations and the pro translation, they were all similar), but everything else about them were awful. Terrible timing, awful typesetting, and super duper awesome DVD mastering can plague any subtitle, even ones with good translations . |
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AirCooledMan_2006
 Posts: 594 Location: Delaware, U.S. |
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Fansubs...don't get me started on the tropes that lots of them fall in: Mixing languages (Including use of honorifics in the subtitles--we do NOT say "san", "chan", "sempai", etc., in the West!
 ), annoying karaoke subtitles and other text animation effects (Kids, there's a reason why proper DVD subtitles are in plain fonts), overly literal translations (Example: Someone's line is translated as "You were seeing a dream". Why can't they just write "You were dreaming"?), and in situ explanation notes (Do we REALLY need all those explanation notes cluttering up the screen? If you're going to put explanation notes in, just put them in an accompanying text file!).
I seriously don't get why they insist on picking and choosing what words to translate and what words to leave as is. I've even seen this creep into some official translations, which should not and must not mix languages in this manner. I may have very limited knowledge of Japanese, but I can only see a few reasons for this: Hypocrisy; selective bullshit; appeasing fat, neckbearded, basement-dwelling weeaboos; and distorting the message to fit the translator's own intellectual and emotional outlook. An example: Viz's release of Death Note left "shinigami" intact. Why can't they just say "death god" instead? Another example: The honorifics in the English dub for Lucky Star--we do NOT use honorifics and Japanese "special meaning" words in the English-speaking world! You don't need honorifics in subtitles because you can just hear them anyway, and in dubs, they're implied so you're not missing anything! Indian, Korean, Thai, and Chinese languages have about as many "special meaning" and honorific words as Japanese, but you won't see them in English translations of films in those languages. French, Spanish, and German also have separate nuances for male, female, etc., but you won't find them in translations of French, Spanish, or German films, either! It's as though anime translators are the only people who do this, as if anime has to play by different rules. If I were a translator working on an anime series, I would NOT do any of this language-mixing--if I came across an honorific suffix, I'd omit it entirely or use the closest English equivalent; this seems necessary, and puts the skills of the translator to a severe test. To do otherwise would be lazy and, as mentioned before, distort the message to fit the translator's own emotional and intellectual outlook. In situ explanation notes: This ties into the language-mixing in that many fansubbers who adhere to the language-mixing kink insert notes explaining it. This mustn't be done--a translator has to choose one interpretation, one meaning. Giving an alternative in a footnote shouldn't be done too frequently. There's also notes that they put in telling you things that the Japanese viewers WEREN'T told. If the Japanese viewers weren't told what certain things meant, neither should we! Also, visual gags just aren't funny when they have to be explained, and with puns and in-jokes, it makes more sense to just put the notes in a separate text file. (A parallel--Media Blasters' release of Genshiken. Nearly every other line is an in-joke, but they didn't put explanation notes all over the place because that would ruin the show. Instead, they bundled in little pamphlets with liner notes which you could read at your leisure.) The flake: Even I could come up with a better flake than that. Makes me want to start sending flake letters. |
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purplepolecat
 Posts: 130 |
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Most annoying protagonist : Haruhi Suzumiya.
Spoiled bossy obnoxious capricious brat. Treats her friends like slaves. Someone should tell her that being bored with everything does not make you interesting. I would really like to see Mikuru turn around and knee Haruhi in the groin the next time she sexually harasses her. Kyon is the only reason I watch that show. Poor guy. |
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sixtopia
Posts: 12 |
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I don't speak Japanese, but sometimes it's pretty obvious that the subtitles are wrong. Like in ADV's City Hunter, there are several scenes where you can *CLEARLY* see the words "Colt Python" written on Ryo's gun. Yet in one episode the subs call it a Colt Buffalo. And the gun is a rather famous one, made in the USA too.
I would also like to nominate Yurika, Akito and Ruri from Nadesco and the most annoying "heroes" in anime. Akito is Shinji from NGE only 5 years older. Yurika is a ditz with no redeeming qualities. And Ruri is neither cute nor funny - even pedo bear wouldn't do her. |
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Josh7289
Posts: 1252 |
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I don't feel like explaining why, because it's obvious, but to answer this week's question: M.D. Geist.
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Stretch2424
 Posts: 166 |
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Well, AirCooledMan_2006, if you don't like the fansubs which others are taking the time and trouble to create, get to work on your own versions. I like honorifics; no, we don't say "san", "chan", "sempai", etc., in the West, but if I wanted western style entertainment I wouldn't be getting mine from Japan. I think the things I learn about a foreign country are half the fun of anime. I think explanatory notes are a Godsend, which enables me to "get" jokes and understand things which a citizen of Japan would know automatically--I wish more fansubs would include them. The last thing I want is anime dumbed down to the level of the least educated viewer in the west.
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Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
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So, AirCooledMan, would you walk into a Japanese restaurant and ask for raw fish, rice wine, and some baby soybeans?
I'm not saying your point is invalid--in fact I agree with you that a lot of the times language mixing is goofy or lazy, but on the other hand there are times when it's perfectly reasonable to because English doesn't have terms (that don't take 10 words to say) for everything in Japanese, and vise versa. And Stretch, that's great for if you're watching anime with the volume off. Personally, I have no problem picking up honorifics (and names, once I hear them a few times) by ear; I don't need those transcribed into the subtitle script. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6874 Location: Kazune City |
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FanFicGuru
Posts: 159 |
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I think Zalis makes a good point. It seems that some people assume that these fansubbing groups don't seem to have any real fluent speakers, or like they don't have a grasp of the language to properly translate an anime. This isn't really the case. Of course, there are cases where the fansubs are absolutely TERRIBAD. Then again, professionals do the same thing from time to time. Bottom line: good fansub translations are, for the most part, similar to the official releases.
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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But they do in Japan, and some of us enjoy the retention of that flavor. Besides, while sempai and kohai (spelling?) do mostly translate to "upperclassman" and "underclassman", they're more awkward to use and (in my experience at least) are used in an absolute manner (the former being seniors and juniors, the latter sophomores and freshmen) rather than a relative one. Then there's also the instances when it isn't used inside a school setting. Come to think of it, I recall some official releases where they included the Japanese terms, sometimes in the dub, even. |
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Tofusensei
Posts: 365 |
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...Otaking? Is that you? -Tofu 
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14795 |
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No, the beauty is you could switch in the same series and ditch those that suck ass!
How's that gonna hurt? Unless you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting.... 
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4455 |
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I was hoping other people caught on to that. I think it would be funnier if they really were serious. They really shouldn't claim to be offended and say that somebody is making fun of the Bible when they don't even show it respect through capitilization. It leaves two options, 1. Lighten up (preferable) 2. Get it right before complaining. Come to think of it, there seems to have been quite a bit of needless complaining around the boards this week. |
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