Something that personally irritate me about not being able to read japanese or chinese is that I love manga, and unless a series is popular I have no hope of ever getting to further read something no matter how much a I might like it because scanalation groups are quite rare. Now I am not undermining the jobs of the typesetter, scanner, and what not, but I feel like all people really need to do is post a written translation online. Why do we need the extra work for typesetting and what not? Just to make it an easier read? Well if that's the case I would rather just look at the scans and translations separately, then have to wait for a year or more for an english version of my favorite manga to NEVER come. Anyways maybe I just don't have enough knowledge as to why they feel the need to typeset and what not, but what do you think? There is even a website known as manga helpers which allows people to post their own written translations for free.

One time I got the translation for a chapter and the raws.
I read the translation while shifting through the chapter's images.
I made an effort (about two hours) to clean out the raw text and substitute with the translation text.
the difference was incomparable.
about three months later another group did some work and released that chapter.
the difference was incomparable.

those groups do one hell of a job.

things like yumekui merry (was way behind translations only) always remind me that I appreciate that quality. way more then speed releases. I'd rather wait a few days to continue being able to enjoy that masterpiece the scanlators present us.

in one word:
NO

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I only read all-text translations and summaries when I'm really desperate to find out what happens next. But I definitely prefer scanlations, because it's just easier to have the text already on the page. You can just... read it, while with text translations it's "look at the page, look at translation, look back at the page, back at the translation, wait, it doesn't make sense, I think I'm lost". At least in my experience.

Sure, all-text translation is better than nothing. But if I had to choose between text translations that are released often and scanlations that are released not so often, then I'd definitely choose scanlations.

I guess I would have to disagree, because there is SO much issues with scans being stolen, and mangas being dropped....And not a lot of people DO write sumaries and text translations and what not. So I guess I should rephrase my question as to why people just write text translatios instead of having to join a scan group? then a scan group at a latter time can use the translation freely if the author allows it? It seems to be a way better system, imo.

should scan groups cease? errr no i love them and have even give them money (support website, pay for raws etc)

i only read written translations when they're available for non-scanned raws of a series I'm desperate to read. But it's a pain to flip between what's written and what's drawn.

so go away with such scandalous ideas lol....

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If you're making someone sit there and figure out what speech goes where, the story and impact gets lost because the reader is confused as hell. Talking from experience anyway lol.
So while I think that it's a nice idea for impatience and wanting to know what happens, I don't think it should take over scanlation as a whole. Manga is a wonderful thing. I'm grateful to all scanlators who put it in the time and effort so we can enjoy manga in full quality, and that's why I've also put in my very large share of time and effort into scanlation. Let's read and appreciate manga how it's supposed to be read.


Some people do that anyway. You'll find most translators join a group and work on a series they want to work on anyway though. There's no harm in you wanting to translate whatever the hell you want and offering it to anyone who wants to scanlate that series, but to go completely to text translations and cease scanlation? No lol.

It's a good idea sure. You're talking about translators not making their work exclusive to one group, and making their work free for others to edit for them. Wasn't mangahelpers something like that? I read they shut down a few years ago, but i'm too lazy to check so you can google that. I've heard of naruto and a few other shounen manga having translators who share their translations with more than one group just to ensure the chapter is out by whichever group is faster, and maybe that should happen more often, but there's probably going to be a new plethora of problems regarding intellectual rights.

If I were a translator I'd be nervous about people not giving me credit or changing my translations too much. I'd also be kind of lonely... there's nothing like the teamwork or company a scanlation group can provide... lol i'm such a loser.

Anyway, it's really all up to the translators. People will likely ask them to join their groups though, and it's hard to say why they shouldn't.... (Unless they don't want to... Like have their work typesetted?)

I see a lot of people not realizing that they can still scanlate a series despite some other group already working on them. Of course you should see if you can help the group, but if they don't need your help and you can get the shit done, then do it! Of course we relatively stay away if the scanlation is good quality and releases are consistent (because why put the extra work into it), but some groups can get egotistic over the ownership of a project, when a group's ownership is nothing more than "their version" of the manga, not the series itself! If people could see that more, then the group system probably wouldn't feel so inefficient.

If you don't respect what the typesetters do, then you're free to look for translations, or even join the group who's doing them and ask if you can read the scripts in private, but like everyone else on the thread I like it fully scanlated and the product of teamwork presented to me

Last edited by eternalight at 9:26 pm, May 9 2014

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I prefer audio translations... why cant they make those?

[quote=eternalight]Typesetters need time just as translators need time, they can be quick about it. Japanese translators can be slow and produce bad quality. Typesetters can be fast and produce great quality.


"If you don't respect the value of typesetting, then good luck finding translators' blogs. No, I'm not trying to sound mean or anything. They do exist: I've seen translators post full translations to manga chapters on live journal and tumblr, though it's rare if they haven't joined a group already. You'll have a hard time finding the exact series and chapter you want as easily as you can with scanlation, "

who said anything about disrespecting them? I know how to typeset as well, but (I've even done a few), but doing it I just felt like it was unnecessary. IBut like I said there is a website that allows you to find translations quite easily and not a lot of people use it. So it isn't difficult at all, people just don't know about that website. I have done proof reading for a translator for dear with her on that website. And we found it easier and faster. Mangahelpers is not down by the way, it's still up and people use it. I do realize it is a lot of hard work, but sometimes I wonder if people typeset because they feel like they HAVE to. Like if they are going to translate something, they would have to do the typesetting as well. And I talked to someone who did translating but did not really like the typesetting. They thus got pissed off when someone used it to translate it from english to french, feeling like their hard work went to waste. I doubt she would feel the same way sticking to a text translation. And I don't know scanalation groups and how they work don't seem very reliable nowadays. I kind wish if scanalations groups were to exist that they would patent their translations somehow, that way releases can be consistent and they would be rewarded for their work. I already found a website that does that, Miss Dream.

"First, this site manga updates is only for listing full scanlation releases, and you can't change what this site is."

I don't understand never claimed to want to change the site.

Last edited by FangGirl123 at 7:42 pm, May 9 2014

I didn't see your second reply so I edited my post (sorry I didn't read your third reply before I finished editing it). Please take a look.


Why would your friend feel like she's obligated to do anything she doesn't want to? No one is stopping your translator friends from quitting a group, or making their translations available the exact way they want.


I also don't understand why it would be different? I can see why your friend would become pissed if someone didn't ask for permission from her to use her translations, but why would she feel like something went to waste if they used all of her translation? No matter what form her translation takes, be it text or image, if they didn't ask for permission first, they were just disrespectful.


Again like i said in my previous (edited) post, intellectual property rights should be made clear by the individual. If the translator was to start their own blog to post it, it would be smart of them to remind their readers what she won't allow. The translator has every right to regulate where their translations go, but there is only so much they can do. They can choose to join a group or post their work for everyone, but what their audience does to their work can't be controlled, just encouraged. Ex. A group can have an FAQ on their site that tells visitors whether they give permission to use their scans for other languages. Similarly, independent translators can write on each script: "please do not use these translations without my permission"

Anyway my point was that scanlation groups have their way of working out, but there are other ways to do it and of course you do what you prefer. I think everyone should just do what they want (of course while being considerate about it)



Last edited by eternalight at 9:36 pm, May 9 2014

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that's what I meant they stole it from her, and didn't ask for permission to translate from english to french. TBH Im not entirely sure why she was so pissed, but I do get that that she put a lot of hard work into it, and thus got mad. But that's my point if she just put a written translation online like a site like mangahelpers, I don't think she would have felt that her time was AS wasted as before. and she wouldn't have gotten so mad.


That's not what I meant perse, about others using it. But a webite that allows you to pay the scanalation group if you want a particular manga be translated, typeset, or what not. Up above someone mentioned that they gave a scanalation group money for support. So I don't see why it can't be possible to simply pay a scanalation group to translate and typeset manga. The only one I know that does that is Miss dream. I don't know the copyright details, however I found someone who has managed to pull it off. And from what I understand since the work of translating the language is basically modifying the work, it probably wouldn't fall under copyright. I think. I don't know



I can understand that, in which case you would be better off joining a scan group. But if there are translators like for Naruto who really just want to get the scans out faster in english, why don't more people just do that? INstead of just joing a scan group

Last edited by lambchopsil at 10:02 am, May 10 2014

FangGirl123, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're overlooking an important fact: scanlations are made by fans. Nobody is forced to join a scanlation group. If someone prefers to publish a translation on a blog or forum instead of joining a group, they are free to do that.

And why people prefer to join a scanlation group? Probably because they want to create something that's actually readable. Most scanlation group have the tasks divided anyway, so it's not like you have to learn to edit and typeset if you want to translate a manga. And even if publishing only text translations is more efficient (which I really doubt), you can't really make people do things the way you want, we all have free will and if someone wants to join a group, there's nothing you can do about it.

And another important fact: scanlations are not really legal. Scanlators don't pay the original publisher for the right to translate their manga. One of the reason people turn a blind eye to scanlations is what I said before - scanlators don't make a profit on their work. So creating a system in which the scanlators are paid would definitely attract unwanted attention. If you want to pay for manga, buy officially published volumes or ebooks.

Last edited by Hanae at 9:15 am, May 10 2014

I'd pick scanalations over written translations anyday. But I do know that many projects are dropped or are extremely slow.
Maybe a scans group could post the translation of a new chapter the moment it's done, before the chapter itself is ready. I would like that. It's up to them if they want to do it or not.
Most of the time projects are never continued because there aren't any translators available, though, so just giving written translations wouldn't solve the problem, since the translations themselves are what's lacking.

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I am very well aware of that . But really is just a choice I don't understand is so popular. No one said anything about forcing anyone to do what they want or don't want to do. I'm certainly not advocating we force we people to not join scanalations and do text translation instead. Although the way my question was phrased seemed to be that way, (which is a mistake on my part) it's just a system that in imo is really inconsistent, unnecessary, and inefficient. You might disagree with me on that, but that's just how I see it.



I don't really see that much of a difference between a text translation and scanalations. TBH I have used both in the past (text translations) and they work just fine. I've seen some unreadable translations and scans myself even if they were in english. So I don't understand what is so unreadable about a text only translation.

.I am not trying to take anyone's free will here, I'm not really saying we should stop scanalation groups. I know people have the freedom to join a scanalation group if the want to. if I DID want scanalation groups to completely stop (because they are illegal, take too long, series get drop frequently, inconsistent) and just stick to written translation, that is still MY opinion. My having that kind of opinion isn't going to force someone else to do what they don't want to do. Sorry if I seem mean, when I say that, but the impression of your post it seemed like you were thinking that I am advocating taking away a free choice which I am not.



I already know a group that does it for sailor moon....It's done privately. Between client and the scanlators from what I believe and you do have to own the scans. So it isn't impossible. Besides wouldn't that lend more support to my idea of why I think text translations should be done more frequently and uploaded first more frequently rather than waiting for them to take the text and type set it? Really I think a written text translation is probably perfectly legal, rather than putting them on the actual manga. So it's a another reason why I think people don't do that more frequently. They only really do that for the REALLY popular series, but for the hundreds of not so popular ones they don't.

Last edited by FangGirl123 at 5:22 pm, May 10 2014

Actually that is exactly what is written on the poll ("should scanalation groups cease?"), and I think that's the main reason people are not happy with your idea. Again, having translations for manga that will never be released by scan groups would be nice, but the quality that the groups offer isn't comparable at all.


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My current top 3:
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Pandora Hearts
3-gatsu no Lion