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Manga Answerman - Is Translating 'Lolicon' as 'Pedophile' Accurate?


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AkumaChef



Joined: 10 Jan 2019
Posts: 821
PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 6:05 pm Reply with quote
StarfighterPegasus wrote:
Lolicon is already taken with a negative context in anime and in Japan Its no different from pedo.

With respect to the first part of that statement: yes, "lolicon" is generally a negative context. But it is absurd to state that it is "no different" from "pedophile", as the article has explained quite clearly and as we fans all know. It's the difference between saying: "oh, you like girls on the young side (wink, wink)" versus accusing someone of being a full-on criminal rapist.

Quote:
Using terminology to dance around is dishonest. The audience are not idiots they can use a search engine. Is what I'm saying. I apologize if I came off vague.

I'm not sure what you are saying here. If you are suggesting the use of the term "lolicon" and then asking the viewer/reader to look that up if they don't know what it means then I agree with you 100% (or the translator could include a note here) If you are suggesting the use of the English words "pedophile" or "pedo"--which is the impression I get--then I disagree, and I don't think anyone will bother to look those words up because they're already in English.

The job of a translator is to convey the original meaning as well as possible. And in this context, the meaning is the "wink wink" one from my example above, so that is what the translation ought to convey.
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StarfighterPegasus



Joined: 04 Oct 2013
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 6:06 pm Reply with quote
FenixFiesta wrote:
Language has Nuance that IS recognized by the wielder of the language.

There is a point to using one term that is "VERY SIMILAR" to another term, you can argue that "Lolicon is a Pedophile from where I am standing" but to ignore the trend that you have a group of people communicating attempting to point out that under a context there would be a difference in use of the terms is an attempt to blind oneself to situational reality.
I am under no illusion. Using Lolicon as a cover for pedo, is like putting make up on a skeleton. Its not going to make it look any nicer. In most scenes and light novels I've read. Lolicon carries a negative meaning. So Pedo would fit just fine and flow more natural than Lolicon with the English translation.People are not fools they can put two and two together that the loli character called the protag a pedo.
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geepee



Joined: 26 Aug 2017
Posts: 109
PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:07 am Reply with quote
StarfighterPegasus wrote:
geepee wrote:
that reminds me when youtuber Suede was lambasting Dan Kanemitsu for his translation choices in Netflix's Evangelion and labeling him as a nazi and pedo supporter for liking Girls und Panzer and Strike Witches and blocked me on twitter when I said he can't judge people like that for liking those kind of anime because it would be the same as calling someone a psychotic killer for liking violent games...
I'm sorry that happened to you. You are correct, that we shouldn't be quick to judge people


don't be.This just speaks more about him than about myself anyway.Anybody who blocks you just because he disagrees with you is just an entitled whiny baby not worthy of my time...
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Rokk3000



Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Posts: 52
PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:02 am Reply with quote
Andrew Cunningham wrote:

Since I don't watch Hensuki, I can't speak to the character or situation mentioned in the article. But there are plenty of situations where translating lolicon as pedophile conveys the author's intent more accurately than leaving it alone. I clicked on this article expecting the opposite of the conclusion drawn, and I'm surprised to find professional translators taking such an ill-considered position.


I watched the first two episodes, then dropped it because it was outside my comfort zone, and I have plenty of anime I enjoy more to watch.

I'm not a lolicon, and get annoyed at the many anime series that depict a teacher who looks like a little kid, whether boy or girl (usually girl, but Negima is a major exception). But some of the loli characters are indeed cute, as long as they aren't in anything like a sexual situation. I think the latter is crossing the line.

As for Hensuki, episode 1 featured an older girl who wanted to be treated like a dog and punished, while episode 2 featured a younger girl who wanted to treat the main character as her slave - pretty much opposites. I didn't even want to see what would be next. So I'm not sure of the exact context of the lolicon episode, but definitely "pedophile" in the way most people understand it would not be an accurate reflection of what lolicons do/watch/read/think. A tiny minority of lolicons might actually prey sexually on real children, but that doesn't make it accurate to categorize them all that way. For an official translation to mess up like that is a big deal, and the translator deserves to be chastised and removed from the series. Send him or her back for some language & culture courses. Until then, the translator should only be involved with non-controversial series.

But personal threats and insults are not helpful.Simply inform the people involved of the mistake that was made and the fact that it's a very sensitive area that can cause legal, professional and other problems for the producers, voice actors, and others involved in making the anime. It's too important a matter to be allowed to degenerate to the level of threats and insults.
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v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6217
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 5:28 am Reply with quote
"I am not a lolicon, I'm a feminist. I'm a feminist who likes children."

Last edited by v1cious on Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Amibite



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 9:49 am Reply with quote
Chazer wrote:
Come on Funimation... you should be smarter than that, given both your target audience and backlash of using such a charged word.


Are they really though? This is like the 5th time they've done something like this in the past few years. Even the guy who did the dub script for Prison School said anyone who liked fanservice anime like Prison School to begin with was an incel loser so their opinion doesn't matter in his defense of his script and Funimation supported him, so this by comparison is pretty tame. You only get so many "oopsies" before you have to assume they're doing it on purpose.
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