Dragon Ball Manga: Best Quotes

[uzuni]

So then I can sleep soundly knowing that I spent my money wisely with the VIZ versions.

[Chibi Mystic Gohan]

Well, Herms says the VIZ translation is only 70% accurate... Learn Japanese?

[uzuni]

Haha, maybe one day, we'll see...still, I bet 70% is better than any other translation I can find online.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

I added some more to my last post...

Don't know exactly when that was. When Goku blasted him in the face? I think he was just yelling things like アホ/aho, which just means "Idiot." I don't think there's really a word for "Dickweed" in Japanese. Just a wild guess...

I have never heard the word "dickweed" before. I assume it's slang for phallic-looking sea plants

[uzuni]

So then, if it weren't only for the censorship every now and then, the VIZ translations would be near perfect...

[Chibi Mystic Gohan]

So then, if it weren't only for the censorship every now and then, the VIZ translations would be near perfect...

Nah, because the other 30% are blatant line changes for the hell of it... Herms had a topic a while ago detailing all of the random changes made in the VIZ version.

@Piccolo Daimaoh: Pretty much, I guess! I suppose it's just American slang.

[uzuni]

That sounds very interesting. Where can I find this topic?

[Chibi Mystic Gohan]

I have no clue... Can't even remember what it was called.

[uzuni]

Ah, that's too bad. I would've liked to see all the specific changes in the VIZ version.

[Adamant]

Ohh ok well that explains it. See, I was watching DBKai and I noticed on the subtitles Vegeta cussing like no tomorrow ("That little dipshit, "fucking shit") and I assumed those were the actual translations.

They're accurate enough translations, it's just that, as people have been saying, you're dealing with two completely different languages, one which gives certain words a "taboo" status, and one which just treats them as rude words you don't call other people. Hence, you have to translate the intent, rather than the individual words.

Viz not wanting to risk sale numbers by using "taboo" words that little Billy's mom won't let him read doesn't make their translations wrong, but it doesn't mean that fansubbers who don't have to worry about such things are in the wrong for using them, either. Nor do they have to care about what words American/Australian/British censorship considers "appropriate" for 8-year-olds to read.

[dbgtFO]

Man, those scanlations are garbage! Don't ever read them again!

What does he say then?
And here it is Herms translations guide:
http://daizex.fanboyreview.net/viewtopi ... ilit=manga
It took me forever to find and the search didn't do me any good either
EDIT:

Yes, there is murder in Dragon Ball. But it's not graphic. Harsh swearing belongs in shows where there actually is graphic murder, like Black Lagoon.

I'm sorry what?
http://media.animevice.com/uploads/0/84 ... _super.jpg
Does the lack of blood make it less graphic, than it already is?

[rereboy]

Well, Herms says the VIZ translation is only 70% accurate... Learn Japanese?

Thats not true. He said he would give it 7 out of 10 if he had to rate it. As you can imagine, one translated line might not get a "100%" rating, even if it is translated accurately, if the person doing the rating thinks another more literal translation would be better, even though they both end up meaning the same thing. This is somewhat frequent in Viz, so saying its only 70% accurate is wrong because it implies the other 30% are translated incorrectly and thats just not true. In fact, its difficult to find a line that is flat out wrong in the Viz`s translation.

Viz, in DB, just follows a translation that doesn`t try to be very literal but that almost always implies/means what the original lines implied/meant. The name changes are the only obviously non accurate things in the translation that I can think up at the top of my head.

I know Viz´s translation is not perfect, but there is no need to think that its not a good translation, because it is. Its just not virtually perfect/amazing/flawless. But its pretty good.

[dbgtFO]

Viz, in DB, just follows a translation that doesn`t try to be very literal but that almost always implies/means what the original lines implied/meant. The name changes are the only obviously non accurate things in the translation that I can think up at the top of my head.

Also the viz text comes out, as both of the Kaioshins basically gave him a soul, while in the original it's more vague, than that, due to the reasons you mention.

Also, originally absorbing the Dai-Kaioshin (and/or South Kaioshin) is said to give Boo a heart, while in Viz he gets a soul. But if pure Boo doesn't have a soul, what exactly would be reincarnated into Oob? So that's another minor plot hole Viz creates.

From here

[rereboy]

Viz, in DB, just follows a translation that doesn`t try to be very literal but that almost always implies/means what the original lines implied/meant. The name changes are the only obviously non accurate things in the translation that I can think up at the top of my head.

Also the viz text comes out, as both of the Kaioshins basically gave him a soul, while in the original it's more vague, than that, due to the reasons you mention.

Also, originally absorbing the Dai-Kaioshin (and/or South Kaioshin) is said to give Boo a heart, while in Viz he gets a soul. But if pure Boo doesn't have a soul, what exactly would be reincarnated into Oob? So that's another minor plot hole Viz creates.

From here

I didn`t deny that there are lines (or parts of lines) that are translated incorrectly. I just don`t think that 30% of them are translated incorrectly and that`s not what Herms implied when he talked about the 7 out of 10 rating, I believe.

When he said that, he also said that he would give the translation of the subtitles a 9 out of 10, and that was pretty much the most perfect translation we can honestly expect to have. I don`t think he meant by that to say that in the most perfect translation we can honestly expect to have, 10% of the lines will not be translated correctly.

[dbgtFO]

I didn`t deny that there are lines (or parts of lines) that are translated incorrectly. I just don`t think that 30% of them are translated incorrectly and that`s not what Herms implied when he talked about the 7 out of 10 rating, I believe.

When he said that, he also said that he would give the translation of the subtitles a 9 out of 10, and that was pretty much the most perfect translation we can honestly expect to have. I don`t think he meant by that to say that in the most perfect translation we can honestly expect to have, 10% of the lines will not be translated correctly.

Don't worry, my point was just to show, that there is at least one occasion, where they weren't as good, as they usually are .

And I agree, that generally(from what I have seen of it) Viz are giving a proper translation, so I would agree with Amigoten, that uzuni calling viz' version of DB to be a butchered version is pretty far off.

[Chibi Mystic Gohan]

Man, those scanlations are garbage! Don't ever read them again!

What does he say then?

Just a bunch of tame, child-like insults. あほたれ/aho tare, an idiot; うんこたれ/unko tare, a turd; オシッコちびり/oshikko chibiri, which the dictionary literally says is "Wee-wee; pee-pee; number one."

Then ぼけ/boke, a dummy; and finally, カス/kasu, scum or feces. Nothing like "dickweed," for sure.

And in the scanlation, he says: "He wasn't scared of my strength, he was afraid of my 'power!'" In Japanese, he says: "My enemy wasn't afraid of my power, it was my terrifying 'abilities!'" I think they leave out too many minor words, and change too much. Granted, these are apparently Japanese-to-Korean-to-English translations...

[dbgtFO]

Man, those scanlations are garbage! Don't ever read them again!

What does he say then?

Just a bunch of tame, child-like insults. あほたれ/aho tare, an idiot; うんこたれ/unko tare, a turd; オシッコちびり/oshikko chibiri, which the dictionary literally says is "Wee-wee; pee-pee; number one."

Then ぼけ/boke, a dummy; and finally, カス/kasu, scum or feces. Nothing like "dickweed," for sure.

And in the scanlation, he says: "He wasn't scared of my strength, he was afraid of my 'power!'" In Japanese, he says: "My enemy wasn't afraid of my power, it was my terrifying 'abilities!'" I think they leave out too many minor words, and change too much. Granted, these are apparently Japanese-to-Korean-to-English translations...

Ahh thank you.
Yeah scanlations generally vary in quality of the translation, and that's why I just ordered home the VizBIGS(although it probably will be a month, before I get them it's still good ) and not even translating from the original language in the first place increases the amount of stuff, that gets lost in translation.

[uzuni]

Vol. 25 chapter 294:

Freeza: "YOU DESPICABLE MAGGOTS! I'LL TORTURE YOU TO DEATH INCH BY BLOODY INCH!"

[TripleRach]

A couple off the top of my head.

Chapter 345: Vegeta, to Kuririn, et al: "Go home and drink some milk or something."

Chapter 310: Gokuu, to Freeza: "Hey, don't bust up other people's planets."

(Also, editing and cultural taboos is an interesting thing to discuss, but it doesn't belong in this thread. Perhaps someone could make a new thread, if they can make it standalone and Dragon Ball-related.)

[uzuni]

Vol. 27 ch. 323

Freeza: "Feh!!! This time I'll blow you to atoms -just like the earthling!!!!"

Goku: "Like the...earthling...? Are you talking about Kuririn...? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT KURIRIN?!!!!!"