Honorifics: Necessity or Fanboy/Wapanese Fodder?

Mystery Person X · Post by **Mystery Person X** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:54 pm

Her original name is Usagi (which means "rabbit"). Her name is Serena in DiC's dub of the anime and Bunny in Tokyopop's translation of the manga.

Super Sonic · Post by **Super Sonic** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:15 pm

Mystery Person X wrote:Her original name is Usagi (which means "rabbit"). Her name is Serena in DiC's dub of the anime and Bunny in Tokyopop's translation of the manga.

I especially thought it was strange concerning the other inner soldiers and Mini-Moon still had their dub names, and with the latter, the pun was lost.

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:49 am

Olivier Hague wrote:
desirecampbell wrote:
I don't think you should expect the reader to know/memorize that many Japanese words ('cause, yeah, there's quite a lot of them).
So, why not translate everything? Chichi would become "Tits", Muten Roshi would become "Old Heavenly Master", Gohan would become "Rice dish". Why translate honourifics but not names?
Oh, please. That's a terrible argument and you know it.

(well, except maybe for the "rôshi" bit, since that's not really a name)

Mystery Person X wrote:a large proportion of fansubs present laughable translations full of retarded pseudo-English and occasional Japanese words that serve no purpose except to show off how kewl and l33t the fansubbers (and their watchers) think they are because they know a little Japanese.
Heck, I've seen fansubs actually have a character say "he's such a baka!"...

That being said, I don't necessarily have a problem with fansubs keeping honorifics (as long as the show takes place in a Japanese setting...) or adding lots of notes... because... well, they're fansubs. They're intended for a very specific niche of people who may know a few Japanese words or honorifics, or be willing to learn them.
But that's pretty much it, really. Professional translators should know better... They work for readers/viewers who don't know the original language and may not be interested in learning about it.

Interestingly enough, I saw a fansubbed episode of Death Note, and at one point the character Sayu gives an ever so cute "sankyuu oniichan!. And the subtitles said...? "Arigatou oniichan!"

Post by **desirecampbell** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:48 am

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:Interestingly enough, I saw a fansubbed episode of Death Note, and at one point the character Sayu gives an ever so cute "sankyuu oniichan!. And the subtitles said...? "Arigatou oniichan!"

Arrgh.... that's just... I mean, fuuuuuck. Who the hell did that? Are they just guessing? How do you screw that up?

Super Sonic · Post by **Super Sonic** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:34 am

Fansubs mess up things like that. Just as some mistake the Japanese word for "death" for the Japanese word for "pain" and some make mistakes about some characters' gender.

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:38 am

But in the example I quoted, they weren't "messing up" so much as being Japanophiles. Because sankyuu is the English phrase, "thank you."

And they wrote "arigatou.

Yeah.

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:01 am

Super Sonic wrote:Fansubs mess up things like that. Just as some mistake the Japanese word for "death" for the Japanese word for "pain" and some make mistakes about some characters' gender.

Pain...note..?

Mystery Person X · Post by **Mystery Person X** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:10 am

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:Interestingly enough, I saw a fansubbed episode of Death Note, and at one point the character Sayu gives an ever so cute "sankyuu oniichan!. And the subtitles said...? "Arigatou oniichan!"

LOL, yeah, I remember that. A great example of fansub stupidity, changing the English word to a Japanese word and then leaving the Japanese word in Japanese...