How accurate is Super's Japanese translation?

Discussion specifically regarding the "Dragon Ball Super" TV series premiering July 2015 in Japan, including individual threads for each episode.

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GS7X7
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How accurate is Super's Japanese translation?

Post by GS7X7 » Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:39 pm

http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperb ... me_Chamber

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber, known as the Room of Spirit and Time (精神と時の部屋 Seishin to Toki no Heya) in the original Japanese version..."

In Kai when they first mention the RoS they go with the dub name for the Japanese version's subtitles. I'm just curious but just how accurate is the Funimation translation of DBZ Super and who's translating it? (apologies if this has been brought up before but it's been years since I posted here.)
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Danfun64
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Re: How accurate is Super's Japanese translation?

Post by Danfun64 » Tue Oct 02, 2018 1:15 am

First of all, the Dragon Ball Wikia is rubbish, and I strongly recommend that you avoid it as a source of information except maybe the very basics.

Secondly, Super has two official subtitles tracks. The first is Toei's, which is what shows up on streaming services like Crunchyroll and FunimationNow. The second is from Steve Simmons, who did the official English subtitles of most previous DB releases (notable exceptions include the original Dragon Ball series and the Pioneer movies...though not the Ultimate Uncut and Double Feature releases of said movies) which appears on the Funi Super DVDs and Blu-Rays. Unlike the Simmons subs, which use faithful translations and transliterations of Japanese terms at all times, the Toei subtitles use a large portion of pre-Super dub vocabulary... although sometimes it translates terms the dub has always left alone (King Kai Fist for Kaioken, Demon Flash for Masenko) and other times it uses different translations of terms than what was used in the dubs (IIRC, Ki Blast Cannon instead of Tri-Beam). I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if the Toei subs called the ROSAT the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, as that was what it was called in Funi's dub.

As for which of the two subtitles translations is better, I have absolutely no idea due to my lack of understanding Japanese. AFAIK the Simmons sub is considered better, but the Toei sub is perfectly serviceable. It's also where many new terms showed up, like the Tournament of Power and Ultra Instinct.
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GS7X7
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Re: How accurate is Super's Japanese translation?

Post by GS7X7 » Tue Oct 02, 2018 2:03 pm

So there's two separate subtitle tracks for the Japanese version?

Why on earth is that? Is that just Toei being censor-happy?

Also, I pay to watch it on Funi's site, can I read Simm's subtitles there at all?
Sean Schemmel is THE MAN! :)

Me- "Also, before anyone mentions it, Schemmel's interview was from nearly 15 years ago. He paid a brief visit to Kanzenshuu's forums a few years back and earned legendary respect that cancels out anything he said from that long ago. :D"

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