Discussion Could translating web novels/ light novels ever become a full-time/ part-time job?

I was basically saying I don't care if translators outright charge for extra chapters. My condition on that is that they are translating 2-3 free a week before doing so. They are allowed to value and put a price on their time as far as I am concerned. Don't like it don't sponsor. Taxation issues are theirs to deal with as they will. You can spout this and that but for all I know they are declaring the income and paying the taxes properly, even if they aren't it isn't my job to go after them about it.

As to athletes I don't care why they get paid that much. The soccer figure is reasonable but all the rest are way too high. Raising the salary may stop some issues but I view that as giving athletes a pass they don't deserve. If they would throw a game they don't deserve to be on that stage in the first place, paying them well so they don't is saying it doesn't matter what their character is. As they can also be consider role models that isn't something I can agree with. It's also not as if they are the only people in the entertainment industry with wages like that.

 

... I read everything ! Except for the fact that i let some stew over for more releases so i can marathon through! >:O

 

As I see it, sponsored chapters are becoming a trend that it's actually detrimental on the overall picture of translation. Case in point, the new ones that will come out. They will see the sites asking for sponsored chapters and they will mimic/copy their practices. They will think it's a normal thing to do.

On another news, it demoralizes the translators who does it out of hobby. I'm assuming you're one of them. It can also demoralize the people who does sponsored chapter if the market is saturated enough.

 

I think that the 'donations' are not really enough to sustain people over an actual job, but this is coming from a first world country inhabitant. Especially if the series/translator aren't very well known, I don't think that it's likely they could develop a support group. Then there's the other issue of licencing, which really creates uncertaintym especially in light novels. There's probably groups out there that could get a substantial amount of money from their work, but I don't think it could become a very easy or steady method.

 

I wouldn't say something like "detrimental" as it actually incentivizes would be translators to translating Chinese WNs as it has been proven to have a "donating audience".

Having said that, one of the problems is that the quality of said translations isn't set in stone. Honestly, I think myself proficient enough in Chinese to do my own translation work, but since my study of the language has not yet gone deeply enough to be able to pin point a lot of idiomatic expressions, and yes there are A WHOLE LOT OF THEM IN ANY WUXIA/XANXIA novel, I don't try to endeavor to do so, yet...

Since WN translations are similar to the scanlation of mangas, manhwas, and manhuas and also the translation of Japanese and Korean LNs, unfortunately, I expect that at some point, some one will succeed in coming up with a monetized form of aggregated release distribution... AKA: Release Stealing. In which case, we're going to start to see a lot more drama within the translation community.

And don't even get started with "project hijacking" (Like what "U Donate We Translate" did for ATG or what Thunder did to Nightbreeze, though both cases are different [the former was a translator that wasn't happy about how slow ATG was being released thus him getting less money from the donation queue, and the latter being Nightbreeze not accepting donations of any kind and doing a stellar job with the translation quality and in comes Thunder with the montage: "give me money and I'll translate faster" although producing an inferior product)...

 

Yeah it incentivize, but what will happen to those newcomers who didn't get enough money due to the saturation of the market? They will get demoralized and stop translating altogether. I'm just being prudent.

 

Another option self employed? Doesn't that work your making money from selling yourself (intellectually). Thanks for the replies leaned a lot.

 

I don't know if that's legally viable since you've just asked the author for permission to translate. Someone already stated that here.

 

Then they shouldn't have started in the first place. When I made my argument I was assuming the structure of a business has formed the only problem was the fund (where it would come from).

But from your argument it sound like you don't want it to become a business because new translator would be expecting some 'donations' is what you're saying.

But the thread is asking if it could be done. The short answer is yes. But should is another question.

 

You aren't claiming ownership however you are redistributing I wonder where this portion of the law it fall to. Copyrights?

 

The fund would come from kickstarter or indiegogo probably but I don't see its feasibility. From my own experience as an ex-donor for sponsored chapter, I only donate if there are enough chapters and it entertains me.

Yeah, my argument is not about the title of the thread. I usually don't read the entire thread but just the immediate one or something that interests me.

I think so. I'm not a lawyer though so it's probably more complicated than that.

 

in my NEET mode, i just spend 500USD for 6 months. so TL can be good Job

 

Translators do a liberal job like lawyers, for example. And a liberal job is not as good as a governamental job, where's a steady income, because it implies risks and instability at the place of work - you are paied for what you do and you have to find your clients.

To donate means to give something or to do a service witouth expecting something in return or, what you give has to be more than what you receive (for example, I'll donate this house to you'll finish your studies). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donation. There's the so called animus donandi (the will to donate) you give something for free. But, the notions are, esentially, made by each country.. So refer to your country if you want to be sure. Also, there's the subject of international law, where you donate to someone from another country that's in your country or you donate to someone that lives in another country.

There are websites (i.e. egscans) that receive donations so that they can sustain their activity, but they limit what they ask for.

Even if a writer gives you permision, if, before that, he sold the copyrights for that book for that country and other countries, then that permision is invalid from a legal point of view.

Those are only some aspects, you can discuss the topic using an legal point of view, an ethical point of view and so on.