Translated character names?

3 weeks ago
Posts: 1193
Curious question to someone that can read multiple languages or someone who actually translates. Are names really that hard to translate? Is currently reading a manhwa where the mc name has been translated in at least 10 different ways across the first 100 or so chapters. At first I just assumed that different translators translated differently, but then I noticed that even the same group translated the name differently. Sometimes even in the same chapter... and at one time in the same panel.
~4400 manga completed
~1700 ongoing...
3 weeks ago
Posts: 106
I'm not a translator, but just from my experience as a reader, usually that's an indication of a very poor quality translation with no QCing/heavy use of unedited MTL.
I can imagine though that it would depend heavily on how the name is written/pronounced in the original language and if it carries any significant meaning/reference that they might try to preserve, sometimes choosing to keep the meaning rather than the pronunciation (although personally I typically prefer just getting a TL note rather than changing their name).