Actually, I've seen that happen. Won't name the group(s), but I've encountered people saying, "No one's paying for this manga, so we're dropping it," or "Since we couldn't reach the goal on this series, chapters will be coming out very slowly, fyi." And then said series either gets dropped completely or chapters come out at the rate of 1-2 per year.

And what, really, is the point of getting people to pay freelancers to scanlate popular series? In the end, popular series get licensed, get good anime adaptations, etc., so you can either buy the official volumes or just watch the anime on Crunchyroll/Amazon Strike...with the money that you'd be paying the freelancers. I thought the point of scanlation was to bring series that aren't popular/considered western-market-suitable enough to be licensed to an audience that doesn't know Japanese. If everyone is going to just fund popular series, then, well, that's the end of scanlation as we know it, and we'll have on our hands a black market trade in scanlations of popular series...making it indistinguishable from typical publication, but with added illegality that will have a backlash not just on them, but on traditional non-profit scanlation groups.

Also, I don't get how the results of the previous polls and this one match up. The majority think donating to scanlators is wrong or say they can't/won't do it, then turn around and say it's A-okay to have a "scanlation culture of paid translation"? It doesn't make sense...

I don't know which poll you're referring to, but I think the majority clearly stated they think it's okay to donate to scanlators. Those who say they can't/won't, choose that answer because they're cheap or destitute, not because they think it's wrong. So all the polls are consistent with each other.

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Ah, didn't mean to step on a land mine here. I don't work on popular stuff, so I don't know how those groups operate (speed groups, groups that do licensed series, etc.).

I more meant, if you've got a fan (or small group of fans) that want to sponsor the whole project in advance, pay to buy the tank to scan, pay for trans, even pay for edits if required -- and then release it for free -- totally fine in my mind. Might not be any other way to get it done, if it's an obscure title. But I can see how that doesn't work cleanly in the case of long, popular, or ongoing series...

Having a constant "donate" button up, or persistently asking for cash isn't the same thing. I'm talking about having a steady person to fund it, who wants to, not requiring that funding comes in along the way. And preferably planning it all and securing funds before the project starts.

Gradonil and GGpX said it with a far less word salad than me.

Anyway -.-; I'm starting to get that a lot of the groups that do popular stuff operate way differently, and I've simply been spared that knowledge because I ignore that stuff.

@Sinsi: The experiment at The End likely failed because the series weren't popular, and most quite old; one of the rules for that group essentially prohibits long series. I know series with a decent fan base can easily raise cash when needed -- I twice successfully raised funds to import volumes for some longer series I was working on -- so I was thinking the experiment had a chance. But no surprise, the short (1-3 volume) series didn't have the same pull to draw in sponsors to commission translations.

No, it is because you:
1) didn't demonstrate your ability/quality of work
2) didn't create new fans for the series, but were just trying to take money from the existing fans
3) didn't post your offer in places where existing fans of the series gather
4) were asking for a very big amount up front

If you were to scanlate and release at least a few chapters first, and were gathering (small!) donations for the next ones - you wouldn't be facing zero offers.

If there really was a fan that was willing to pay a lot to scanlate some older series - why should he hire you, and why didn't he hire someone else - long ago?
Hell, he might even publish it through his own site and recoup some of his expenses through donations and ads!

Last edited by SinsI at 7:47 pm, Sep 27 2017

Wow, I don't have that mentality. Releasing a few chapters and *then* asking for cash (i.e., milking fans) is not the same thing as having someone offer up front to cover the cost of the entire trans so the project can just get done. I'm not cool with starting something without the means (volunteers, or funds) to finish the project. And again, I'm talking about short projects.

I think we're talking about very different things, apples and oranges. A culture of pay-to-release on long/popular series vs. a way for a single fan with cash to get short obscure series actually done.

There's a clear distinction to me, at least I have zero interest in most of the stuff you're talking about, though I'm now understanding that it's not an uncommon mentality...

It's not a matter of mentality, but of practicality. It's pretty much the only way to reach the fans of that particular series. If you don't release something from that series, you can't communicate with them.

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Just put yourself in the shoes of that someone who you are asking the money from and answer - would you be willing to hire such a freelancer, who is extremely picky with what to translate, who hasn't shown his portfolio or his dedication to that work? Who can guarantee that he would finish it with decent quality and in a timely manner (if at all)?
That's exactly why releasing first a few chapters on your own and asking for only a small amount from each fan is a must - at the worst the fans can consider it their payment for the work you've already done, even if you disappear afterward.

No i don't believe in it for various reasons but there is one big one. Not going to bother saying it since it's not going to stop those who ask for money or have a donation button nor is it going to stop those who have the money to spare and give. And if anyone is going to force it by threatening to drop a project, honestly it's not worth it then. Personally don't think a lot of series aren't worth forking cash over for. There are a hand full of series that I enjoy and recently the series I follow end up being licensed and released for publication eventually. There are a few smart series I wish would be published since I'd love to purchase for my humble little library but if it doesn't happen, it is what it is unfortunately. Fingers crossed for the day they get that licensing deal.

Last edited by mysstris at 11:48 pm, Sep 29 2017