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HyugaHinata
Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 3505
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:47 am
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(Yes, I am using British spelling. So sue me. )
I decided to post this here to garner more attention
My first example is from Tokyopop's release of Fruits Basket volume 1 (I don't believe this has been rectified in any future editions.
These pages are sequential. What is especially pernicious and unforgivable is that you don't need to know a word of Japanese to spot the flaw.
NO NATIVE SPEAKER uses this kind of English. Even if they're in the first grade. This is the best explanation I've come up with. I have located their underpaid, underqualified editor:
TP's fail in the Marmalade Boy anime: "I'm leaving first" for "Osaki ni!"
"Yoroshiku-ne" left UNTRANSLATED, given a cursory explanation in the booklet. Ditto for "Touch!" (Why not just say "could you cover for me?")
After this, the errors on engrish.com look tolerable.
I'll add more examples as time permits.
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Sakura-Alchemist
Joined: 17 Nov 2009
Posts: 489
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:45 am
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/scratches head/ /stares intently - rereads repeatedly/
You know i was just thinking how my lack of understanding of English my native language was making it harder to learn a foreign language. or maybe it's the Insomnia... But the fruits basket part doesn't seem like that much of a fail to me. Personally i would have separated speech bubbles differently to look better sequentially like "At any rate..." "Today will be another victory for Yuki". and maybe written the other speech bubble "When they see each other, they fight." cause "they see each other, they fight." sounds a little awkward. \( ' 3 ' )/ but IDK, maybe i need to brush up on my proper English, rather than lazy native speaking English.
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Dessa
Joined: 14 Jul 2004
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:53 am
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I am a native English speaker, and I see nothing wrong with that.
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Mad_Scientist
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Joined: 08 Apr 2008
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:59 am
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Dessa wrote: | I am a native English speaker, and I see nothing wrong with that. |
So it's not just me? I thought maybe I was tired. The only thing I can think of is that they leave the honorifics intact, though I don't think that's especially unusual. But I know some people don't like the presence of Japanese honorifics in translations.
As for myself, it doesn't bother me if it's in a series that takes place in Japan with people speaking Japanese.
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poilk92
Joined: 07 Aug 2010
Posts: 433
Location: Long Beach California
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:01 am
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I enjoyed the bit about the cats . I don't think its that big of a deal, but in this day and age I don't understand why translators make such awkward translations. Is someone with a grasp of proper, or at least natural sounding, english that hard to find in Japan?
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HyugaHinata
Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 3505
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:05 am
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Sakura-Alchemist wrote: | /scratches head/ /stares intently - rereads repeatedly/
You know i was just thinking how my lack of understanding of English my native language was making it harder to learn a foreign language. or maybe it's the Insomnia... But the fruits basket part doesn't seem like that much of a fail to me. Personally i would have separated speech bubbles differently to look better sequentially like "At any rate..." "Today will be another victory for Yuki". and maybe written the other speech bubble "When they see each other, they fight." cause "they see each other, they fight." sounds a little awkward. \( ' 3 ' )/ but IDK, maybe i need to brush up on my proper English, rather than lazy native speaking English. |
The grammar is correct, but "Today will be another victory for Yuki-kun" is the piece of fail. It's completely unnatural.
"Anyway... Yuki will win... as usual." would fit much better.
poilk92 - I think the staff are probably American (based on the names in their credits). Which makes it even more abhorrent.
Last edited by HyugaHinata on Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:13 am; edited 1 time in total
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Rukiia
Joined: 30 Aug 2010
Posts: 1897
Location: British Columbia, Canada
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:07 am
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I don't see anything wrong with what they say in the translation. O.o
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Mad_Scientist
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Joined: 08 Apr 2008
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:15 am
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HyugaHinata wrote: |
The grammar is correct, but "Today will be another victory for Yuki-kun" is the piece of fail.
"Anyway... Yuki will win... as usual." would fit much better. |
Huh? Why?
This is a serious question. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a bit tired, so maybe that's affecting me, but I honestly don't see what's bothering you so much about that sentence.
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poilk92
Joined: 07 Aug 2010
Posts: 433
Location: Long Beach California
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:21 am
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So wait, am I the only one who finds the cat bit strange?
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HyugaHinata
Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 3505
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:24 am
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poilk92 wrote: | So wait, am I the only one who finds the cat bit strange? |
Definitely not.
"I suppose he was showing his contempt for the Cat" would fit better.
Wonder if TokyoPoop will file a false DMCA on me...
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Sakura-Alchemist
Joined: 17 Nov 2009
Posts: 489
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:26 am
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@poilk92 no when i read it at first i did snicker a little but then i remembered the context of it, he hates the cat of the zodiac > Kyo is the Cat > he hate s Kyo > he hates the cat.
HyugaHinata wrote: |
Sakura-Alchemist wrote: | <stuff> |
The grammar is correct, but "Today will be another victory for Yuki-kun" is the piece of fail.
"Anyway... Yuki will win... as usual." would fit much better. |
I guess that would work just as well, ahahah~
It does seem a bit more casual... But since I read Fruits Basket when i was a 12 year old girl I keep thinking "that's just the way Shigure talks"... It doesn't feel right if it's written that way. \( ' 3 ' )/ If the original is really all that fail of a sentence, then it's gone all according to keikaku**, By Tokyo Pop making my impressionable 12 year old self think it was normal English.
**keikaku it mean plan /shot dead for using an over used meme, but i feel it's appropriate for the topic /
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poilk92
Joined: 07 Aug 2010
Posts: 433
Location: Long Beach California
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:33 am
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"they see each-other, they fight" actually seems to be the most awkward to me. The part about that cat is weird on its own not to mention to disembodied interjection... but that might be because of a lack of context
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ArsenicSteel
Joined: 12 Jan 2010
Posts: 2370
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:34 am
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poilk92 wrote: | I enjoyed the bit about the cats . I don't think its that big of a deal, but in this day and age I don't understand why translators make such awkward translations. Is someone with a grasp of proper, or at least natural sounding, english that hard to find in Japan? |
There was nothing wrong with the cat parts given the context of this manga. The cat part was obviously inner dialogue from the cat quoting(if smiles could talk) the truth meaning behind Yuki's smile.
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poilk92
Joined: 07 Aug 2010
Posts: 433
Location: Long Beach California
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:41 am
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Read it out loud. It sounds funny that is all
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HyugaHinata
Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 3505
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:20 am
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ArsenicSteel wrote: |
poilk92 wrote: | I enjoyed the bit about the cats . I don't think its that big of a deal, but in this day and age I don't understand why translators make such awkward translations. Is someone with a grasp of proper, or at least natural sounding, english that hard to find in Japan? |
There was nothing wrong with the cat parts given the context of this manga. The cat part was obviously inner dialogue from the cat quoting(if smiles could talk) the truth meaning behind Yuki's smile. |
Actually, it's Tohru's inner monologue.
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