Accuracy is a bit of a misnomer here. A clear and distinct argument can be made that 'fluent' translations are actually more accurate in that they better succeed in mirroring the original communication, rather than the original form.

Really a poor experiment this time around. There are multiple schools of thought here and the answer is clearly somewhere in the gray area, but the ideas not being presented or addressed in a manner which garners real information.

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NightSwan also said that she wanted to peg me, once, but I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or a threat...

Maybe adequacy is a better term? however, my interest is not in school of thought, and there are no right and wrong answer, just preferences.


Last edited by mattfabb at 8:40 am, Apr 27 2013

I think literal vs localized translation would be a better wording. Both are technically accurate if done right where they convey the mangaka's intent.

Literal - word for word exact translation, taking into account the connotation and specific use of the words. Keeping honorifics and "special move names" would be literal in my opinion.

Localized - Adapting to your audience. Things like fluency and making foreign concepts more understandable. Nakama from One Piece would be an example. There's a reason why things get lost in translation... and of another translation.

Which of the two general tendencies do you tend to enjoy more?

I am not interested in "what is the best translation method" but "what is more important to you". take this as if I asked you "do you prefer vanilla or chocolate" or "sea or mountains". these are not absolutes: I don't expect one to say "I will never eat vanilla" or "I will never choose mountains" but one (should) know whether s/he likes one or the other more.

Check this for example: http://bimg.anymanga.com/manga/urusei-yatsura/001/001/008.p ng

Its from Urusei Yatsura: Ataru first meets the aliens and he thinks its a Oni, so he throws beans at it.
this is a joke about Japanese culture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun

In English, they translated it as a Halloween joke, since few people know what a Oni is. this is not ideal, but its one solution. another would have been to put a note explaining the cultural reference. which do you prefer?

Last edited by mattfabb at 9:52 am, Apr 27 2013

It really depends. I typically like to keep it accurate with references or any japanese words that don't translate, but for sentences or figure of speeches which just don't make as much sense when translated to english, I don't mind if they change the phrasing.

No, sarcasm is a thing in Japan...it's just that Western humour is different from Eastern humour. They don't use sarcasm as much as we do. It might be ok to make a sarcastic joke to a stranger at the bus stop here, but it could come off as rude in Asia (in a "Ugh, why is this person so cynical" sort of way). Not that it always does...but it could, depending on the person.

I understand what you're trying to get at, but the wording is may mislead people who haven't read your post. It makes it sound like accuracy (in the traditional sense) and fluency are mutually exclusive.
Thus, while you are trying to compare extremes like...
　　[JP] 餅が好き。 (I love mochi.)
　　　a) "I love mochi."
　　　b) "I love sweet dumplings."
It makes it sound like you are trying to compare extremes like...
　　[JP] 餅が好き。 (I love mochi.)
　　　a) "Mochi ga suki."
　　　b) "OMG, I FREAKIN' ADORE CANDY!!"
Keeping in mind these examples are extremes ^^;

Rather than using the terms "accuracy" and "fluency", it might be better to phrase the poll in terms of "localization". It might not line up with "foreignisation" and "domestication" directly, but it'll get the point across better since it's a term and concept most of the community is familiar with already. Just for the sake of communication
　　○ Less localized. I prefer translations that reflect the differences between Japanese culture and my own.
　　○ More localized. I prefer translations that compensate for the differences between Japanese culture and my own.
This way people understand that there is a middle ground, but that you are asking them which extreme they tend to lean towards. At the same time, this eliminates the bias the terms "accuracy" and "fluency" may have on the ordinary reader.

Thanks for the pointers, I will wait to see how this goes, since I cannot change the poll myself at this point.

I was not familiar with the terms "more localized" and "less localized", but if these are more familiar to the community, hopefully people will understand them.

I answered fluency, because if it is not fluent, it can disturb my reading experience. But it is a given that I also like some expressions a certain way, that adds atmosphere and a feeling of unity between the text and the images.

I feel like it should be a mix of both and not just one or the other... \:

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ehhh technicalities here but first of all this is a poll and would make a horribly inaccurate statistical survey (though I guess it does have its purposes)

second of all I'd rather see fluency with extra TN's on the side or back of a chapter to make up for the differences in culture.... sometimes it's hard to differentiate between a bad translation and a true translation. The additional notes make the translation more through and helps me learn more about the culture of the original country, which to be honest... not all of us know about!

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i guess i'll respond to the corrected comment in there instead of the cut off poll XD

i prefer for translators to try and keep as much of the original cultural content and nuances of jokes, etc. they can add tons of footnotes explaining the nuances and such, or if they do change something because of lingual awkwardness or something, also reference it in the footnotes. i think the publishing company del rey does this a lot? localization sometimes alienates certain audiences if they themselves don't understand what [american] cultural reference the translators are referring to or can sound REALLY dated and awkward if they aren't careful. very early viz and cmx had this and it was just...ughh ;_;

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;D

I don't think you should just be saying Asians might take sarcasm to be rude because no matter the nationality, there's alway a possibility the other person might be comeoff by that behavior. Especially on the internet when you cannot sense the tone behind the words.

True, what I said was a very wide generalization. However, it is true that sarcasm is more prevalent in Western humour than Eastern humour (it's apparent just by comparing tv shows and other mediums of popular culture). There are various hypotheses as to why that is, but no definitive answer has been found thus far.

The rudeness bit was speaking more from my own impressions and observations as well as snippets I've heard from friends. I probably should have mentioned that :x

If I were doing it, I'd separate out the linguistic and cultural aspects:

— Literal translation: I like manga translation to correspond to the original words.
— High-level translation: I like manga translation to preserve the overall message.
— Localization: I like manga translation to read as if it were written for my culture.

The fourth combination, formally-equivalent domestication, is esoteric enough to leave off (adhere to the original words but adapt to the target culture). Alternately, I'd focus on just the cultural aspects (more / less localized) or just the linguistic aspects (more / less literal).