Hm.. my reason is, because I like translating when I feel like it.. it sometimes can end up becoming more like a job, than out of fun. That's why I only volunteer to do chapters when I feel like it, instead of actually joining a scanlation group.

If it weren't for the gutter, my mind would be homeless.

Yes, translating takes time and is hard, especially when you run into idioms and dialects you aren't familiar with. Furthermore, as much as you may not like it, we translators have real live to deal with (work, school, family, etc) and that takes precedence over translating. Personally I translate for fun and practice, so went I run into things like people not appreciating my hard work it makes me less inclined to work faster. There is also the fact that there are most likely translators out there that are working on projects where they find the material boring and have been asked to work on the project by their group, that too wouldn't inspire speedy work. I've seen way too many translators quit because they were translating for the public, for free I might add, and people did nothing but criticize the work. So the moral is be nice to your translators, if you find a mistake point it out to the group as nicely as possible, and if there's a manga out there you feel is awesome and absolutely needs to be translated find a group or two that has done similar stuff and bring it to their attention, but above all else BE POLITE, if you piss off the groups or the translators they'll either ignore you or quit which helps no one.

[img]http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj56/Spanky858/Avis/1226195917014-1.jpg[/img]

The reason why there aren't many translators is simple:

1. Not as many people in Japan actually understand English (Let alone understand it fluently).

2. The vast majority of the translators around are the same: College/University students that picked up Japanese in school and are using mangas as a way to practice.

Now, not everyone who goes that route likes Japanese as much as they thought they would. Whoops. They don't go back to the class after their session is over.

3. Most importantly, it's the hardest position to fill in scanlation groups.

-GGpX

I run Illuminati-Manga. You're welcome.

Obviously, translating takes years to master, compared to editing or proofreading. I guess that's why there's always a shortage. It takes a lot more patience to master Japanese than to learn editing.

I am a translator, and I've been translating for more than a year, so maybe I can answer.

Ithink as a translator we have more freedom on which projects we want to work on. After all, almost every group is always in need of a translator, so we have hundreds of groups to choose from. I don't let myself get stuck in a group that doesn't treat me well--I know there are a lot of other groups who would love to use my services.

Translating a manga requires not so much time...so why not?

CAREFUL. Don't say things like that unless you've actually translated something from Japanese to English. It's not the same as...say...translating Spanish to English. Japanese and English are completely different (and, I dare say, almost polar opposites) languages, and while I don't have any trouble understanding the text in Japanese, the hard work comes in the fact that it's very hard to express them in English. Sometimes you just want to take a break and lie down cause you're tired of thinking. But I do agree that it doesn't take more than 2 weeks to translate a normal 40-page chapter. It usually takes me 3-4 days...even with school and a social life. I dunno why it takes others months. No passion for it, maybe? On a side note that's one of the criteria I have when choosing which group to translate for---I want a group that can work the same pace as I do.

• people, who were learning japanese/chinese, don't have confidence in their abilities so they don't apply for this job

I don't really know about this one because I know so few other translators myself. I have screened a few translators in one of the scan groups I have worked for in the past. While they do make a few mistakes here and there, generally, most of them are pretty good.

• they're afraid of consequences in the future

What consequences? Please elaborate.^^ I don't think i'd ever get arrested for what I do, if that's what you mean. That's the least of my worries.

• why would they bother about the others, when they can read raw scans?

True, I don't even read scanlations, but I work for a scan group. I translate for others because I, for one, know that being proficient in Japanese is a rare skill that a lot of people would love to have. I want to share my abilities to people who don't understand Japanese. I like the feeling of making something available to readers that would otherwise be unavailable. It's also a very rewarding feeling when you know that your work, your writing, your words, are being read and discussed by thousands of people all over the net. That's a very daunting task---knowing that people will be discussing the story you are translating. It doesn't leave much room for error.
Also, I lived in Japan before, so I was able to speak Japanese everyday. But now that I'm back in my home country, I needed to find some other way to use Japanese rather than letting it become stale and forgetting it after a few years. My aunt has also lived in Japan---for 3 years. But because she hasn't been back there, in like, 10 years, she's really having a hard time remembering Japanese now. I wouldn't want that to happen to me. Translating keeps everything fresh in my mind.

• translating anime is easier?

Hmm...I really don't know about this one because I've never translated anime before, but I don't think its easier. Personally, I prefer translating manga because everything is clearly written. With anime, I'd have to take everything by ear... rewind-play-rewind-play... which could be very strenuous and something I'm not really keen on doing. Besides, I'm not really a big anime fan.

well what's popular seems to rule with the translators... but the downside is what's popular isn't necessarily good :/

I would rather translate something I like than something popular.

and lots of translators apply and then never reply again lol what a bunch of fakers 😉 Translators should think about how annoying it is to have to deal with all that flip flop. If only translaotrs were as commited as editors scanlation output might double even

Some translators, especially new ones without experience, don't really realize how hard it is to translate and only find out about it after they are handed their first job---especially those who learned Japanese from schools and lessons. They might be able to read a Japanese textbook easily, but a manga is a totally different thing, and that's probably something they never took into consideration. There are thousands of things you find in manga that aren't taught in language schools. New translators probably get disoriented.

[img]http://img.userbars.pl/69/13603.gif[/img]

“What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”

I'm only speaking from someone who is learning Jap, not a translator's view so please don't be too mean when you see I say something wrong.

I think a medical mangas may be harder to translate since there are medical terms translators have to look up. They not only have to read the definition but have to understand it too if its preferences keep appearing in the manga.

Plus, the Japanese which are taught in school tend to be formal Jap, whereas the Jap in certain manga may be more informal. I don't know if it really makes a different or not. I'm just guessing.

Wild Star, I totally understand what you mean when it's hard to translate a Jap sentence into an English sentence. English's sentence is Subject, Verb, Object. I eat an apple. With Jap, it's Subject, Object and Verb. I apple eat. And all those particles that are thrown in between these Subject, object and verbs @_@

If my Jap is good enough in the future. I would go and read raw, versus waiting for a chapter to come out. Since a chapter goes through various stage, and various people before it can be release, unless that group is very small or a fast group. It's a lot faster if I just read raws with dictionaries.