Is it just me or does anyone else get irritated by this too?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Cutter Masterson, Oct 2, 2018.

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Does it irritate you when a character name change over and over in a novel?

  1. Yes.

    39 vote(s)
    50.0%
  2. No.

    7 vote(s)
    9.0%
  3. It’s cultural thing.

    3 vote(s)
    3.8%
  4. Stop whining.

    5 vote(s)
    6.4%
  5. It’s a translation thing.

    24 vote(s)
    30.8%
  1. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Am I the only one that finds it really irritating to find a new name in a story and trying to back track to find out who it is. Than to find out all along it was one of the main characters. I know it’s a cultural thing, but I still find it irritating. Hell, it could be a translation thing. All I know is it’s bad enough trying to keep track of several characters, but add in different names for the same character just makes it more confusing. Is it just me?
     
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  2. Aria

    Aria Well-Known Member

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    It does irritate me if it's a translation error, but not if it's cultural thing cause you get extra nuances that way.
     
  3. SoulZer0

    SoulZer0 Heaven Refining

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    Changing name is a cultural thing?? I think inconsistency of the translation would be more accurate. I'll be damned if a culture where you have to change your name now and then exists.
     
  4. Bakaturq

    Bakaturq Tell me, what do you see?

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    Well, in CN, character names are very varied.
    There may be part of the name used

    Add or subtract a word

    Using an alias

    Term of Endearment

    Term of hate

    And alot of various reasons

    Good luck playing the guessing game
     
  5. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    I could be wrong, but I’be seen characters change their names. Not only as a title “Mr., Mrs., King, Queen and etc”, but also for age thing. Or even because of their familiarization between each other. Hell having their first name switch with their last or vice versus. I won’t go into nick names. I just wish they had only one name and stick to it.
     
  6. trag23

    trag23 Well-Known Member

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    Could you give an example?
     
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  7. OverlordPotato

    OverlordPotato Well-Known Member

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    If you want an example of translator's repeated name changing, then try the human translations of Long Live Summons.
     
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  8. userunfriendly

    userunfriendly A Wild Userunfriendly Appears!

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    I'm changing to Userfriendly.
     
  9. Avil

    Avil Well-Known Member

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    Changing the -san/kun and calling a character by their name or surname/nickname are subtleties that defines how a character feels about other, when a translator properly reflects that on his works he is usually a professional, since that is difficult official butchers such as Yen Press often kill this part completely.
     
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  10. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    How could you. Complete and utter cad
     
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  11. mmsupreme

    mmsupreme How do I change my custom title?

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    I always thought your username was read use run friendly
     
  12. userunfriendly

    userunfriendly A Wild Userunfriendly Appears!

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    :D
     
  13. Amaruna Myu

    Amaruna Myu ugly squid dokja (●´∀`●)

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    I don't remember a story where MC changes name every chapter. Maybe you're just reading mtl
     
  14. Tramsloof

    Tramsloof Quarter Erudite

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    Well, I for one have hardly been this intricate with the details. Heck, I hardly remember any names at all. All I do is, recognise them and differentiate them in my mind somehow, so I know who's who and what's what.

    If there is a name change, it messes with my recognition. But, soon enough, I will figure it out again. And although with a bad aftertaste, I will move on.


    But the ghosts are pretty much it for me. Who appear after a thousand chapter gap, and you have lost all their marks and traits.
     
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  15. Phreasilva

    Phreasilva Gluttonous Prick that doesn't get Fat

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    I say, its very hard to remember chinese names. That Zhou is the son of Zhou What that was praised by Grandpa Zhou.
     
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  16. IndelibleWords

    IndelibleWords Well-Known Member

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    It's not a big deal as long as you understand the story.

    In my culture, the names also depend on who is calling you. I have a Christian name, cultural name, name given by godparents..
    And that's just on the birth certificate without the family name.
    No need to start on nicknames...

    What's in a name?
     
  17. PotatoZero

    PotatoZero Well-known Potato

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    Ahaha, like in Insanely Pampered Wife, there's Sima You Yue, Sima You Ran, Sima You Ming, Sima You Yang, Sima You Le.. no way I'm remembering them all
     
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  18. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    I’m the same way, but every once in a while. A name pops up and I’m like who the f@#k is that. So it breaks my groove. It’s like I’m on a little boat drifting along a gentle stream. When all of a sudden I slam into a wall. It’s irritating. It is especially irritating when either their names are similar or if there are several characters doing something similar. It throws everything off.
     
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  19. animanaicT

    animanaicT Nobody Important

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    Please don't damn yourselves, cause there are cultures that do have people change names. I know of a shamanistic culture that the people have their name changed when they reach a certain age twice, I am pretty sure that some people change their last name when they marry, and I am sure that people change their names whenever they feel like it. And nicknames are always changing.
     
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  20. Cupcake Ninja

    Cupcake Ninja [Kind Sage][Lord Benevolence][ The Great Paragon]

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    i mean it does exist tho. Like how Mateo(Matteo) is the spanish equivolent of Matthew. It happens because of different accents and whatnot so the original gets skewered and eventually just becomes a foreign version of the same name. Yeah you're free to decide what version you wanna be known as, or be forced to accept whatever version is on your birth certificate, but there are other versions of your name out there and you're just gon have to accept that they exist. In novels and manga it doesnt matter much, you can call them any version of their name cuz they arent human or self aware to be able to insist what version they like to be known as.

    But that said sometimes the translators go full retard and make Catherine a Katrnine or some shit (Lookin' at you here, Minimum)