No Wonder Japanese Novel Translations Have A Bad Rep

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by Wujigege, Jun 24, 2019.

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  1. Link_0021

    Link_0021 Well-Known Member

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    perhaps.
     
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  2. Ushiyama Tatsuma

    Ushiyama Tatsuma Devilish Judoka • Big Breeder ☆

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    I'd say chinese and korean honorifics such as gongzi ,daren,hyung and nim are much easier on the eyes in written form moreso than japanese and like @otaku31 stated,They way they say it contains a frivolousness that makes it difficult to take seriously.You can ignore it in Manga or anime but it's much more glaring in light novels as you have to say it yourself which really adds to the cringe might i add.
     
  3. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Naah there are quality novels, many learnt Japanese from eroge / erotic visual novels.
    Similar erotic trash stories are just picked up by them written they decide to translate.
    You can find crime thrillers, murder mysteries etc eg Memorandum of Okitegami Kyoko if you check.... hard which enough lol
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2019
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  4. Link_0021

    Link_0021 Well-Known Member

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    I cant make myself to read KN. I get tired. I know, it's good and offers new concept. But I can't.
     
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  5. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    Awww I love you too :blobnosebleed:
     
  6. Femme Fatale

    Femme Fatale | Sublime Goddess Of Chance |

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    I find it fascinating how we react to the things we read. What we like, what we dislike, what disturbs us (both good and bad)....Something is being triggered and if you understand what it is, you may unlock a lot about yourself to yourself. Like a form of leveling up Princess Peach style. XD
     
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  7. hikaharu

    hikaharu Well-Known Member

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    As someone that is working with Japanese, lemme tell you... they DO add honorifcs when talking in English and even in emails!
     
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  8. FranckOA

    FranckOA Killer Klown From Outer Space

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    Does anyone else feel awkward when you read characters that have been out of preschool since a long time ago talking about themself with their name, in third person, to look cute ?

    It make feel that they are either daft as a brush or as those older women who try desperatly to look younger (clothing, make-up, surgery, etc..) but fail at it really hard and just succeed to be embarrasing to look at...
     
  9. Femme Fatale

    Femme Fatale | Sublime Goddess Of Chance |

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    When I first started reading Asian novel translations, it was something I really struggled with.....but as I got to get to understand the cultures, I also got to understanding why it was used? Then it just seems like the most natural thing to me when I think of CN novels. The same way I add letters to my alphabet when using Spanish. Maybe being bilingual gives me a better understanding of how to slip into different cultural idiosyncrasies? It's a mystery. :cookie::cookie::cookie:
     
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  10. animanaicT

    animanaicT Nobody Important

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  11. Darkcrow.

    Darkcrow. Foul Tarnished

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    majority of the Japanese authors are lolicons

    SEND EVERY SINGLE PERVERTED BASTARDS TO JAIL
     
  12. MostlyBlue

    MostlyBlue Well-Known Member

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    I agree, too much kun nonesense. I thought this was a translation. Where they could easily translate something as big brother, they use kun,san bla bla bla bla. There are terms for this in english.
     
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  13. SakuraKoi

    SakuraKoi Active Member

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    Let me take the bait... and throw it right out of orbit~
     
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  14. Nightow1

    Nightow1 Well-Known Member

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    All the geges are distracting from the name. It reads more like a fetish piece than a name. It's no surprise Japanese and Korean names have surpassed Chinese names.

    :ROFLMAO:

    Pot, meet kettle. Before you complain about honorifics, make sure your user name is not an honorific itself lol
    And nice troll tag lol.
     
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  15. Paps

    Paps Well-Known Member

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    Well I love that stuff in my novels but not every single line or when isn't even needed. But I doubt that the reason why the decrease of popularity.
     
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  16. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    I meant they don't add their native language honorifics : A Japanese doesn't call you John sama
     
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  17. Ushiyama Tatsuma

    Ushiyama Tatsuma Devilish Judoka • Big Breeder ☆

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    Wanted to reply a while ago but the site wasn't working for me.


    So...how does that work exactly?

    "hey George-san, could you send the files sugu ni so i can finish the projects Dekiruda ke hayaku ni!
    Arigatou gozaimasu.

    Damn that sent cringes right down to my very soul!
     
  18. Westeller

    Westeller Smokin' Sexy Style!! Staff Member

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    Honestly, emphasizing the use of honorifics as a reason for the relatively lower current popularity of JP light and web novels is like emphasizing the smoke from cigarette use as a contributer to climate change. It might even be true - maybe, maybe not - but it's definitely not a large part of the problem. There are so many more important flaws in the stereotypical JP harem-lord isekai story.
     
  19. Narberal

    Narberal 『 Pleiades 』

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    @Ai chan can you answer this? thanks
     
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  20. Ai chan

    Ai chan Queen of Yuri, Devourer of Traps, Thrusted Witch

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    Well, there are Japanese who write, "George-san" in emails. It's because -san doesn't have gender connotations, and it's safer to use -san than Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. when you don't know the receiver's gender.

    John Wick wouldn't like receiving a letter that start with "Dear Ms. Wick." Adding a -san is more about being polite, for fear of offending the receiver.

    One can argue that they can just write Dear John or Sir, but this is much cringier.

    Why would you want to call John with a -sama? Is he a duke? A king? A slave master? Yes, Japanese people do actually call people with a -san most commonly in conversations. Not calling a stranger with an honorific is an extremely disagreeable thing for Japanese people.
     
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