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As someone who knows Japanese, this stuff bugs the hell out of me. Weebs who don't know any Japanese complaining about this stuff.
Newsflash: This language, like any is rich and complex and has slang and nuance that can't be 1:1 translated.
That's why localization happens. https://twitter.com/PastelChum/status/1391100390553227265
Newsflash: This language, like any is rich and complex and has slang and nuance that can't be 1:1 translated.
That's why localization happens. https://twitter.com/PastelChum/status/1391100390553227265
And no. The old Fansub method of "Just leave things in Japanese" doesn't work. It can take people out of the experience and immersion and can actually lead to mistranslations.
Yes, you heard me. Leaving things in Japanese can be a mistranslation.
Yes, you heard me. Leaving things in Japanese can be a mistranslation.
"But how?" you might be asking. "The Japanese word is literally what the person is saying! You don't get more direct than that!"
Well hypothetical weeb, listen up! Several Japanese words and phrases have become loan words in other languages and now mean different things there!
Well hypothetical weeb, listen up! Several Japanese words and phrases have become loan words in other languages and now mean different things there!
For example: Sake.
Most of you are familiar with Sake right? It's that clear Japanese wine that often comes in rounder bottles and they traditionally drink it out of little saucer cups?
Well, you're wrong. That's not Sake. It's really called "Nihonshu or sometimes "Seishu"
Most of you are familiar with Sake right? It's that clear Japanese wine that often comes in rounder bottles and they traditionally drink it out of little saucer cups?
Well, you're wrong. That's not Sake. It's really called "Nihonshu or sometimes "Seishu"
Then what is "sake", you might ask?
Any alcoholic drink is sake in Japanese. Rum is "sake". Beer is "sake". Tequila is "sake".
If you leave "sake" in Japanese in a scene where the character is clearing holding a bottle that says "Rum" CONGRATULATIONS! You just mistranslated it.
Any alcoholic drink is sake in Japanese. Rum is "sake". Beer is "sake". Tequila is "sake".
If you leave "sake" in Japanese in a scene where the character is clearing holding a bottle that says "Rum" CONGRATULATIONS! You just mistranslated it.
Because most English speakers see "Sake" and think about the specific Nihonshu Japanese rice wine because that's what "Sake", the appropriated English loan word means, while "sake" the actual Japanese word does not.
Yet WAY too many fan translations leave it untranslated always.
Yet WAY too many fan translations leave it untranslated always.
It annoys me when the same people who do that or insist upon that turn around and pretend they're the ones fighting for the integrity of the translation. Because they clearly don't know what they're talking about.
I also love how their go-to example is that "Flames Oniisan" to "McFireBro" is a mistranslation.
FireBro is actually an almost LITERAL translation of the Kanji they're saying is "Flames Oniisan"
The "Mc" comes from the fact that the character's name is actually McBurn.
FireBro is actually an almost LITERAL translation of the Kanji they're saying is "Flames Oniisan"
The "Mc" comes from the fact that the character's name is actually McBurn.
