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Poll: Subtitle Technology

If you want to see good fansubs though, [this is a digisubbing group name] and AnY's team effort on Ah! My Goddess was great. Fancy, yet easily read fonts. Different colors are used when the speaker is speaking on-screen, off-screen, or thinking.

And while we're posting screenshots, let's all play the "Fansub or not" game Without any prior knowledge of these series, are these from fansubs or DVDs?

And while we're posting screenshots, let's all play the "Fansub or not" game Without any prior knowledge of these series, are these from fansubs or DVDs?

Vapors said:
The giveaway to me is that the punctuation seems incorrect. No need for the comma and two spaces should follow a period.

Zalis116 wrote:

And while we're posting screenshots, let's all play the "Fansub or not" game Without any prior knowledge of these series, are these from fansubs or DVDs?

First one is from a fansub (I've seen their style before; they actually get rid of their fansubs once the R2 DVDs gets released). And I'm guessing the second one is from a fansub too since FUNi's subs are always white.

As for me, I could really careless for those flashy subs with those silly karaoke subs. I'm not planning to sing those songs anyway; I just want to know what the heck they're saying. There's pretty much no need to make subbing an "artistic" endeavor.

[Edit: cleaned up the quote a bit ~Zalis]

* Without misspellings, sloppy grammar errors, or word confusion. And even many of the pros have slipped to using "alright" when "all right" is still the only acceptable way to write it.

I enjoy fansub subtitles better. Though sometimes flashy fonts get danm annoying, you usually get a better 'service' in terms of notes on Japanese, Japan, curiosities and et-cetera. You should see what fansubs did with Pani Poni Dash!, it's just outright amazing, I mean, who the hell could've detected so many small references to old anime? (though I recognise that some references they detected were a bit forced).

Zalis116 wrote:

* Without misspellings, sloppy grammar errors, or word confusion. And even many of the pros have slipped to using "alright" when "all right" is still the only acceptable way to write it.

Ehm... You have to take in mind that characters do not always speak with perfect grammar (even more in Japanese). Grab any English XIX century classic, preferably from Dickens, and you'll see what I'm talking about. When you translate something, your objective isn't to show yourself as a grammar god... you must emulate as much as possible the tone and manner the speaker is using, at least in this kind of cinematographic translation.

* Edited to standard English (or whatever is appropriate to convey the dialogue being spoken, such as slang, "broken" language, childish language, etc.), and are enjoyable to read, i.e. not "let's save time and make this as literal as possible."

Quote:

Vapors said: The giveaway to me is that the punctuation seems incorrect. No need for the comma and two spaces should follow a period.

You're right about the comma but where did you get the idea that you use 2 spaces after a period?

Not correct.

One space after a period is the common way to do it.

I've neever seen it done any other way.

Dante80 wrote:

Hm...lets see... DVD Subs: SRT Softsubs: I think I like the second better...there is nothing uglier IMO than a yellow sub...

I gotta disagree with you there. The first image looks professional, takes up less space, and has a thicker black line around it, making for an easier read against backgrounds with similar color as the font itself. The second image just looks blocky and amateur, like someone just ran it through Premier in just a couple minutes, and the line around it is thinner. It also takes up more space and obscures more of the screen. And that drop shadow is just laughably frivolous fluff that isn't needed. Not to mention I just have a pre-determined aversion to blocky white text like that, as the only people I've ever seen use it are the utter bottom-of-the-barrel fansubbers with the unbelievably embarassingly awful translations and horrific grammar. Them, or the scumbag DVD rippers who always find some way to screw up the timing. It looks crappy, and the people that use it tend to be just as crappy, at least in my view.

Then you are probably under the age of thirty—two spaces is (was) the standard for typing on a typewriter (I still do this, but most computers only display one space. It matters in my E-mail messages because I use a monospace typeface.). See "One Versus Two Spaces After a Period" for more on this issue (thanks once again to Google).

Ericf wrote:

Quote: Vapors said: The giveaway to me is that the punctuation seems incorrect. No need for the comma and two spaces should follow a period. You're right about the comma but where did you get the idea that you use 2 spaces after a period? Not correct. One space after a period is the common way to do it. I've neever seen it done any other way.

Then you are probably under the age of thirty—two spaces is (was) the standard for typing on a typewriter (I still do this, but most computers only display one space. It matters in my E-mail messages because I use a monospace typeface.). See "One Versus Two Spaces After a Period" for more on this issue (thanks once again to Google).