I've read a lot of translations and I can't help but notice that most (maybe all?) translators don't seem to have a good grasp of the difference between reign and rein. I see this mistake so often that it's become something of a pet peeve. Even though this is actually not an issue with translation but rather english vocabulary, I thought I should post this here. A reign is a noun describing someone's period or area of control. You can say it's like a term of office. If you replace it with something like "presidency" and the sentence still makes sense, then it is the correct term to use. (EG his reign was unpopular with the masses and fraught with civil unrest.) Reign can also be used as a verb which is a synonym for rule. (EG the emperor reigns from his capital in Beijing.) Reins are a piece of equipment used for controlling a mount. If you replace it with something like "steering wheel" or "remote control" and it still makes sense, then it is the correct term to use. (EG he let go of the reins of power.) Rein can also be used as a verb and in such a case it is a synonym for moderating/controlling. (EG he reined in his homicidal impulses.)
Stuff like this really tweaks my OCD. speaking of pet peeves; Saintess isn't a word. There is no differentiation between a male and female Saint in the English language. i.e. Saint Patrick (M) and Saint Brigid (F). I'm not sure why translators keep using it but it drives me nuts.
One is for ruling, the other is for horses. Not every translator is well educated in basic English. Apparently, some are actually kids
Saintess is definitely a word (obsolete, tho). So the TLs r not technically wrong. More like unconventional? But as u pointed out, female saints r simply referred to as saints (no gender distinction here).
I find Saintess not as obsolete as people think it is. It's very common in text translated from Asian languages and in games. Personally, I prefer the term as it gives a different vibe to the normal saint (which heavily implies Christianity as saints in Asian religions go by deities instead).
While Ai-chan does agree that it should just be translated as 'saint', 'saintess' became the word of choice mostly because that's how it's written in Japanese. In Japanese, saintess is seijo. Seijo (聖 = holy person, 女 = female) simply means 'female saint'. Ai-chan don't know why you said that saintess isn't a word, though. Collins dictionary has it included in British vocabulary. Apparently it was used a lot in 1785 but fell out of use around 1930.
I meant outside of NU and games, like in everyday convos. In fact, that was the exact complaint of the poster who initially brought it up. "Saintess" sounds more legit than something like, say, monarchess, but when u give it careful consideration, u realize u don't actually use it. U refer to someone canonized or acclaimed by Christian faith as saint, irrespective of gender. What do u call someone who's kind and patient, even if she's a woman? A saint, that's what; not a saintess, never a saintess. As far as I know, the term "saintess" was coined during the Middle English period, when gendered nouns were popular. But its use (just like with many other of its ilk) petered out in the Modern age. Hence, obsolete. That's exactly what I suspected. Thanks 4 clearing up my doubts, Ai chan.
just out of curiosity. I always thought 圣女 should be translated as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_(title) something something like The Holy Virgin Mary. was I wrong?
That's because "saintess" as a term was never meant to mean someone kind and patient? It's only ever used when in reference to chosen ones or high-ranking priestesses. Being saintly = good, kind etc is a very English/Christian concept so you can't expect it to pop up regularly in translated text. I'm thinking it's because chastity is not a required value for most Saintess characters, so it never got used.
Holy Virgin, which is the title for Mary, Mother of Jesus is not 'seijo', but 'seibo'. It's written as 聖母 (聖 = holy person, 母 = mother), so it becomes Holy Mother, which in this case refers to Virgin Mary.