Discussion CN novel and the damn “laughter”

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by Kamuizin, Jun 25, 2020.

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  1. Kamuizin

    Kamuizin Well-Known Member

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    After read some number of CN novels, i found that a writing mechanism common to all of them started to bother me: everything is laughter.

    “character x laughter in anger, happines, frustration, desire, fury ... apathy!! Every fucking attempt to express a emotional reaction is done by... laughting!

    more than once this writing resource was so poor aplicable that the context and immersion was immediatly broken with the damn laughter.

    For example, in the funeral of character x, character y laughter in sorrow... wtf, who laughter in sorrow, what is a laughter in sorrow?

    I don’t know if this is a chinese language system (if for them everithing is laughter, or, with all due respect, if this is the incompetence of the translator), but even if it’s a chinese language system, when translated to english, it should at least be adapted to the western language system!

    To resume, i really really hate those endless and improper “laughters”.

    So, appart form the discussion, let’me give a small sugestion / contribution for future translations:

    x gave greetings with a laughter - x gave greetings with a smile.

    x laughter in anger - x expression distorted in anger.

    x laughter in sorrow - x cryed in sorrow or x feel sorrow.

    laughter in fury - exploded in fury / expressed a furious face.

    flirtuous laughter - flirtuous look

    other expressions that can substitute laughter in many moments:

    smile - small happines
    look - indiferent contact with another
    frown - displeased face
    paled - worried or fear face
    Contorted - anger or frustation face
    Haugthy behavior - prideful


    There are so many synonymous, so please stop with these damn “laughters”!
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2020
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  2. GDLiZy

    GDLiZy Wise Deepsea Mermaid

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    Laughs in amusement
     
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  3. nonononononono

    nonononononono NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

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    laughed in contempt
     
  4. yamibae

    yamibae Well-Known Member

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    laughs in disdain
     
  5. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    It can be a translation issue. The word used for laugh "笑" can also mean smile. It's up to the translator what English word to use.
     
  6. onyxwolf

    onyxwolf New Member

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    It may also be connotations that are lost in translation. I speak several languages fluently and know that there are many ideas that are absolutely lost even when correctly translated simply because of the cultural gap. However, that doesn't give translators carte blanche to replace the word "laughter" with "distorted" "look" etc etc.

    I'd take the lesser of two evils, as with time you learn and even adopt some of the idiosyncrasies of the source language such as face-slapping, giving face, etc etc.
     
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