If it's not too much trouble...

[kenisu3000]

I had *no* idea where to put this request, but wouldn't it be neat to have a whole forum section devoted solely to help with translating passages from the manga/anime?

[VegettoEX]

but wouldn't it be neat to have a whole forum section devoted solely to help with translating passages from the manga/anime?

Not really.

[DBW]

The manga and anime already are translated. Just buy the stuff from FUNimation or VIZ...

[kenisu3000]

Well, primarily I'm talking about the manga, and Viz takes a lot of liberties with the dialogue. Basically, I'm one of those sickening purists who want it to be translated on a totally parallel basis. Plus, the anime takes out/changes dialogue from the manga occasionally, and that means that even if it's an episode that will end up on the dual-language-with subtitle DVDs, I won't have a translation for certain lines of dialogue.

[Deus ex Machina]

You probably won't find a lot of support here for that I'm afraid. While some here would call themselves purists, it's still pretty taboo to be doing anything with a heavily liscensed manga like DBZ here.

[Sun_Wukong]

Considering almost everything is translated already, there wouldnt be a point. Now with a series like Naruto or One Piece I could understand that.

[SaiyaJedi]

Well, primarily I'm talking about the manga, and Viz takes a lot of liberties with the dialogue. Basically, I'm one of those sickening purists who want it to be translated on a totally parallel basis. Plus, the anime takes out/changes dialogue from the manga occasionally, and that means that even if it's an episode that will end up on the dual-language-with subtitle DVDs, I won't have a translation for certain lines of dialogue.

Well, I suppose you could do that, but with a completely literal translation with no glosses at all, you'd have something that wouldn't read in English (let alone well). Let me give you an example.

"Saa, negai o ie. Donna negai mo hitotsu dake kanaete yarou."

Is literally (and note the heavy dose of linguistic terminology, where no English-equivalent meaning exists):

"[interjection] request [accusative marker] say-[imperative suffix]. What-kind request [alike-focus marker] one-[generic counter] only grant-[gerund suffix] give-[consultative suffix]."

Then, you have to go back and see which blocks act as greater units with unique meaning. Thus, "what-kind request [alike-focus marker]" becomes "[any request]" and "grant-[gerund] give-[consultative suffix]" becomes "[grant-for-X-[consultative suffix]]".

Then, and pretty much only then, can it be glossed over to become:
"Now, state thy wish. Any wish, but only one, shall I grant thee."

See my point? What you really want is a translation that makes no adjustments for differences in culture. This is also fairly difficult, but not undoable if you like copious liner-notes. The trick is finding someone you can get to do it, and do it well.

[Mattias]

Just get a copy of the original Japanese manga then, if you don't like the English version.

[Wahwahwah]

The fat guy has a point. [size=7](I'm a Yajirobi hater!!!)[/size]

[kenisu3000]

Just get a copy of the original Japanese manga then, if you don't like the English version.

I already have every volume of the Japanese manga, but I'm still no expert at the language, so what I'm saying is, when I'm totally stumped on a certain line, I can turn to the experts here. I get my line translated, and they get a chance to show off. Would that be so bad?

[VegettoEX]

I already have every volume of the Japanese manga, but I'm still no expert at the language, so what I'm saying is, when I'm totally stumped on a certain line, I can turn to the experts here. I get my line translated, and they get a chance to show off. Would that be so bad?

That's not enough to warrant having a full-scale section of the forum for it. Besides, the people here aren't at your every demand to translate things . I'm sure they'll be nice and help out every so often, but this isn't the kind of thing that should be any central focus point.

[Mattias]

At the same time, from what I hear, the English version of the manga is supposedly really close to the original. And of course some liberties are going to be expected since it's absolutely impossible to translate something word-for-word from one language to another, particularly when you're dealing with two languages that use two completely different phonetic and script systems.

[Dragonboy]

I would love to read the japanese veriosn, though. Here in america, we have edited stuff out of it. Like nudity and swear words. popo has no lips?? What the heck is viz doing to the manga.

[DBW]

I would love to read the japanese veriosn, though. Here in america, we have edited stuff out of it. Like nudity and swear words. popo has no lips?? What the heck is viz doing to the manga.

Making a forum for translating the manga won't bring Popo's lips back, sorry. And all Viz was doing there was erasing the BLATANT RACISM out of the manga. Sometimes I don't agree with "changing for an American culture," but in this case (given the history behind this style of racism in the US), I'd say it's more than warranted.

PS - I'm not calling Toriyama a racist, he's from a different culture with different views, etc. and I understand that. Don't be flamin' on me!

[Dragonboy]

I would love to read the japanese veriosn, though. Here in america, we have edited stuff out of it. Like nudity and swear words. popo has no lips?? What the heck is viz doing to the manga.

Making a forum for translating the manga won't bring Popo's lips back, sorry. And all Viz was doing there was erasing the BLATANT RACISM out of the manga. Sometimes I don't agree with "changing for an American culture," but in this case (given the history behind this style of racism in the US), I'd say it's more than warranted.

PS - I'm not calling Toriyama a racist, he's from a different culture with different views, etc. and I understand that. Don't be flamin' on me!

i won't i fine it to be silly. Who cares just leave it alone.

[lost in thought]

i won't i fine it to be silly. Who cares just leave it alone.

You could benefit from running your responses through Microsoft Word, before posting, to save your ass- when Mike bites it because of bad grammar, Dragonboy.

Also, you might find it silly, but racism is a big thing in the U.S. right now, and Viz is trying to turn a profit, not alienate it's readers. And even if readers wouldn't be offended by his lips, they're just covering their ass, in case one of those lawsuit happy morons come along and go at them because they didn't remove them.

On top of that, most companies can't, and wont leave it alone because of standards and practices. Look at tv, you can't say 'fuck' or 'shit' yet, because of the censor review boards jurisdiction on the subject, hell you can't even say damn much. When it comes down to things of this nature, they have to censor it to a point; for instance if during DragonBall you see teen Bulma's private parts [the ones other than her backside,] I am certain that would be censored on the spot, priority one- no question, or Soccer moms, and other people would dive streight up Viz's ass... so it's really all a question of just how they want their translations to appear to it's fan base, even if it's small and wont have much effect on the general populous, there is always someone out there who will make a stink.

[Edit: Yes, I know you see her breasts at one point, but not her other private area. ]

[SpaceKappa]

Look at tv, you can't say 'fuck' or 'shit' yet,

I agree with most of what you're saying, but this is incorrect. Comedy Central has shown several movies uncut and unedited after 1 AM with both words (and worse) being unbleeped, and South Park (which aired at 10 PM) a few years ago got away with basing an entire episode around the fact that they could say "shit."

[lost in thought]

I agree with most of what you're saying, but this is incorrect. Comedy Central has shown several movies uncut and unedited after 1 AM with both words (and worse) being unbleeped, and South Park (which aired at 10 PM) a few years ago got away with basing an entire episode around the fact that they could say "shit."

I have no way of knowing why they got away with it. Possibly made a deal with the censors for this sort of thing.

Thanks for agreeing though.

[*PINHEAD*]

The Viz translation is the best way to go, my friend. I own many of the original tankoubon and kanzenbans myself, but as I can't understand a word of Japanese, I look to my Viz editions. Sure there's editing here and there, and name changes, and Popo's lips, but the overall context doesn't change. I guess it's just a matter of preference. But I highly recommend staying clear of scanslations. The quality, although sometimes good, is generally horrible; the translations, although unedited, are often horrible and sometimes even left untranslated; and, above all, they're illegal.

[lost in thought]

The Viz translation is the best way to go, my friend. I own many of the original tankoubon and kanzenbans myself, but as I can't understand a word of Japanese, I look to my Viz editions. Sure there's editing here and there, and name changes, and Popo's lips, but the overall context doesn't change. I guess it's just a matter of preference.

Yeah, I agree. Even with the changes Viz does make, they do give a lot back to the reader, with keeping original names for things, using the proper names, using the honorific's for characters; even with their censoring, I still think they've done a decent job of preserving the story.