Adding Alternate Titles to 'Associate Names(AN)'?

Discussion in 'Novel Updates Site Discussion' started by raltzero, Sep 22, 2017.

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Should adding Alternate Titles true to the Chinese characters to AN be allowed?

  1. Yes

    13 vote(s)
    52.0%
  2. No

    12 vote(s)
    48.0%
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  1. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    What do you think?

    Personally, I've gotten banned by a moderator for adding alternate titles to series that should have a title true to the Chinese or alternate title that also makes sense.

    Just going to put this out there, I'm not going to vote. I invite you, the community, to vote and represent yourselves.

    -raltzero

    My side of the argument:
    "...And don't write that the translator's title is 'official'. Unless it's a company like Qidian International or a website that has the contracts to the novels like WuxiaWorld, please don't write that whatever the translator translates it as is 'official'. I believe that adding alternative interpretations, which are correct, isn't harmful to the NU community.

    In addition, some titles may be off and adding on additional interpretations doesn't hurt. I guess it's the translator's right to put whatever he feels is the title(e.g. Mai Kitsune Wife), but there should be the true translation of the novel. Perhaps 'ignorance is bliss', but sometimes the title may not be what the author intended it to be.

    I agree that perhaps some of the title edits may not have been necessary, but they were, and will always be, alternate translations to the author's novel title, unless the author decides to change the title."

    "...Some people do have jobs as translators, so 'fan' translations and 'fan' translators would be detrimental to their jobs. However, true, it's a shame that there isn't such a site.

    On the other hand, it is exactly because it is 'fan' translations that it should be allowed that other people should be able to add titles to the AN list. It is exactly because that it is for other 'fans' that the 'fans' should be able to add alternate titles to series. So long as it isn't too outlandish, it should be fine.

    No one posts 'fan' translations because they expect no one to read it. They get posted because the 'fan' translator expects someone to read it. Maybe one or two people, maybe more. Putting translations onto a website that can be accessed by the public means that the person expects people to use their site on some level."

    A moderator's response:
    "If it's not official or related in any way,then it is a readers'interpretation of them, even if you are a translator,if you are unrelated to the translation group, then what you are doing is as a reader, and rather than being under associated names, it is something you can discuss on the forum or you can discuss it with the original translator group to have it as associated"

    Another moderator's response:
    "Let's start wih the box itself. it is called Associated Names (AN), not Alternate Translations for Titles (AT). Yeah, you're a translator, know chinese and all, but the ATs are not needed. sometimes you see vietnamese AN, but there were a lot of translation into Viet that makes it 'valid'. whereelse providing an AT for already existant english title (that is currently being used) is redundant.

    Being correct, or alternate meaning of word is not the issue here, increasing the search result unnecessarily is.

    titles are just titles, it it always been an interpretation of translator, or publisher, or author. but whether it is being used that is the point.

    if there's a translation of the novel in other language, spanish, thai, korea, then it makes them an AN. ANs are not necessarily corect to the letter or meaning, AN is what the novel being called (currently, or before) in language other than the original.

    it is a pity that ppl who works in 'fan' translation scene doesn't have a site dedicated to make a dossier of them. kind of like Linkedin, you know. all that experience and unable to be brought out to real-world as hard proof."
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2017
  2. LysUltima

    LysUltima Riichi! Tsumo! Toitoi! Suuankou!?

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    I add a more literal title to my translations in the AN box.
    Never got called out for them.

    Maybe, you should talk to the tl group beforehand?
     
  3. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    I would have a lot of talking to do, wouldn't I?

    In addition, how am I suppose to let moderators know that I have permission from the group to add titles?
     
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  4. Arcturus

    Arcturus Cat, Hidden Sith Lord

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    I think the mod's opinion is the correct and accurate one. No offense, but I don't particularly care what your "better" title is unless the actual translation group agrees to it.
     
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  5. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    I have not written anything about my title being a "better" title.

    I am not so arrogant as to believe that whatever I write is "better".
     
  6. wonderer

    wonderer Well-Known Member

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    what are associated names? like nick names?
     
  7. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    Taking the series 'Martial World' as an example, this is it:
    upload_2017-9-21_23-57-7.png
     
    TrueLiesLost and wonderer like this.
  8. Zx

    Zx Well-Known Member

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    Associated name MW for martial world? Fuck outta here. That's an abbreviation not a name. Maybe if it was like World of Martial Arts (as an associated name, which it's not but as an example)...but WOMA? No.

    But I do agree that more series do need English titles simply so the reader can understand more about the series and because there are so many series with non-English titles still.
     
  9. LIGHTDX

    LIGHTDX Well-Known Member

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    Thought your Alternative titles may or not have more sense. It would made it a mess if there were too many "associate titles" because people add their own translation to it, so i agree that it would be better if you talk to the translation group in charge. If you convince the group and they decide to start calling the novel as you suggested then using the new chapters with the new title should be enough to change the associate title...i think.
     
  10. canaria23

    canaria23 『  』

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    Why don't they just change all of the novel titles to the appropriate english equivalent? Long chinnese names and japanese names are damn hard to remember! Especially when they have simillar titles! Like those of the villainess reincarnation troupe.
     
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  11. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    Because that's whatever the translator wants. It's up to them whether they want to stick to a shorter title or a title closer to the meaning of the Chinese characters.
     
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  12. SenjiQ

    SenjiQ [Wise, for a Bird]

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    What about the option of just changing a name on your own reading list (so you can choose for yourself without impacting everyone else)
     
  13. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    Gotta have another thread for that, I guess.

    Maybe we could propose that to Tony; changes that can be made on the user's side.
     
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  14. Arcturus

    Arcturus Cat, Hidden Sith Lord

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    Also btw @raltzero this thread is in the wrong subforum. This should be in the Novel Updates Site Discussion forum
     
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  15. runsing

    runsing status : bleeding, health -10/s Novel Updates Staff

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    just adding further examples to raltzero's

    Original Novel Title
    ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか

    Associated Names (that are being used other than original title)
    Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka -- Novelupdates
    Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka -- Bakatsuki
    Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? -- wikipedia (and several published medium in english - anime, published novel etc)

    ダンまち / DanMachi --- Shortened names by the japanese themselves >.>

    Abbreviation is also an associated name. see my example above. not only that, the abbr can be used in N-U's search box. and MW is always being used when ppl talked about Martial World in the forum. so, imho it is a valid Associated Name. LLS, ATG, CD just to name a few more.

    only for the long, 5 or more words ones though. some shorter titles are more memorable in romanized names, imho. Ze Tian Ji, or Ero Manga Sensei, for example.
     
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  16. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    How do I do so?
     
  17. Sena

    Sena Well-Known Member

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    I think, in the case that none of the associated names are an actual translation of the original title (and I don't just mean "it should be translated differently", but there's no English title given at all or the English title clearly isn't a translation of the original), adding a proper translation as an associated name (even if it's not being used anywhere) is useful and should be done, even if it's just by a reader. In that scenario, I'd agree with you.

    In the case that there is a translation of the original title, but you feel it's not a very good translation (there's some wordplay that the translator missed for example, or an alternate translation that may be better), it shouldn't be up to an individual reader to change. The alternate title in that case should only be added by a translator of that novel or based on a community decision.
     
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  18. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    @runsing Could you help me put this into the 'Novel Updates Site Discussion' forum as suggested by @Arcturus.
     
  19. Arcturus

    Arcturus Cat, Hidden Sith Lord

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    We have to wait for a forum mod to take care of it. I already reported the issue and they'll get around to it. Unfortunately @runsing only works on NU.
     
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  20. raltzero

    raltzero Last Year Until BS in IT | Lazy Overlord TL

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    Rip.
     
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