Non-Fic How long have people been translating Asian novels?

In a galaxy far away.

Arent all galaxy far away from us? Also they are speading out from us... omg they are avoiding us!

 

well. . . . some Galaxy's are on some peoples palm. . . .

 

Atleast more than 4 years ago. Thats the first time im joining the translation community as a reader

 

i only joined a year and some months ago. So i dont know.

 

Do you mean just Light novel/Web Novel or as asian whole novel?

 

Just learning how damn old this community is. Lol.

Well, most of it's "collective and transitional" boom I should say has been happening in the past 2.5 years.

When I say "collective " I mean where places like NU exist, where information is gathered and shared. Now, there has been given a way to invest, as translators and authors have given a reason to in the community.

Furthermore, content-wise, the genres and story-types are expanding. There is a more of a call for something unique. Something different.

As for "transitional", that is for sites that are expanding their opportunities and investments. There is more of a business being established. And more and more individuals are not only hoping to build and establish their own communities, but actually have the know-how and the ability to do so.

We also have companies that are showing an invested interest in this community and the literature we partake in. This is not just Chinese publishers, but English publishers as well. Even the desire to capitalize on the stories stemmed from an Asian (and African) culture have been displayed by the requirements that English Publishers are setting now and throughout the next two years for the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre.

The waters have been stirred. And a storm has been brewing for a long time. I just hope once everything fully comes to play, I and those I care about survive. Can't wish for everyone... it never works out like that, unfortunately.

 

Two parts. If you are referring to online fan translations, then SPCnet started around 15 years back. Baka started in 2006, bless the Last Guardian.
But in general, the translation of asian works started at least 2 centuries back. At least, several Indian texts were translated. As for Chinese and al, I am sure that once they got colonialised, tl was the next step.

 

Apart from spcnet, I don't know any other platform of Chinese novels fan translation.

However, online fan translation of Japanese literature (which includes novels) has been going on since late 90s. Yes, it's been around since in the days when people thought Yahoo! was the best thing since the cavemen started farming. I was introduced to one in the early 2000s while searching for free erotic online literature because I was sex crazed back then. The one I found was based in a Yahoo Group (back when yahoo groups were cool) and the translator was a Japanese school teacher who translated Japanese children's novels (not light novel) to help her students learn English. There were other linked groups that also translated Japanese novels, but I don't remember following them.

Then Baka-tsuki, Royalroad and Japtem came around and I switched over to them as they were more adult oriented than that teacher's yahoo groups translations.