The Dark pits of Novel Commercialization

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by jersanxx1, Mar 16, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jersanxx1

    jersanxx1 『Lost Toy』『Mostly Lurking』

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2016
    Messages:
    545
    Likes Received:
    544
    Reading List:
    Link
    TL;DR : Commercialization is great, but as Murphy's Law state: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. "Translation" standards are just becoming lower and lower, due to one's greed.

    Welp, just wanna rant the pent up stress accumulating, and the best place to rant out is the internet(more specifically, the bulletin board). Anyway, ever since the first Sponsored chapter came out(due to suggestions from readers itself as paying gratitude to the monstrosity of a provider), we all knew that Novel Translation isn't going to be same Hobbyist Gathering from what it's started as anymore, it became an open-game competition.

    Competition is great, since it is quality vs quality. However, it isn't the case in Novel Translation, almost of it is quantity vs quantity, tru story. Upstart quality individual translators(Those who just translate in spare time as a side-job) can't get a foothold since they'll just get buried under the mass releases of other groups whose quality is slightly above that machine translations provide(who the fuck made MTLs a comparison as average anyway?), and the lowest standards kept decreasing as days passing by, to the point that if you're really reading it right, confused if the translation is correct or not, or author inconsistency has showed. I want to continue, but it would pointing fingers to someone/some group because of my low-end vocabulary, so I'll just stop.

    P.S. I'm not saying that all groups are equally bad. Some of them are good or sometimes excellent, but most of them are just being shite just to grab some quick buck via releasing massive quantity(that are just horrible to even read).

    P.P.S. I missed the NU releases 2 years ago. Balanced language releases, not being flooded by over-saturated CNs, and the release can be still be seen in the main page even though a day or more just passed.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2018
  2. TamaSaga

    TamaSaga Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2016
    Messages:
    1,726
    Likes Received:
    2,173
    Reading List:
    Link
    Hmm~ Perhaps. On the other hand, it's also grown a lot due to the incentives so much of the stuff that you weren't expecting to get translated is getting translated.
     
  3. rwxwuxiaworld

    rwxwuxiaworld Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2017
    Messages:
    641
    Likes Received:
    7,937
    Reading List:
    Link
    I'm been mentally preparing a post explaining the true economics of webnovels. I'll finish it up one of these days.
     
    Elkon, kenar, Rumby and 24 others like this.
  4. Deep

    Deep NO TITLE

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2015
    Messages:
    610
    Likes Received:
    505
    Reading List:
    Link
    Well Novels were best when the NUF was in its infancy all I could see was the Blue JP tag and very few CN tags everything was good ...
    But now its just fucked up.

    It all started when Wuxiaworld got known by everyone
    First they started to ask rights from QDIAIN
    To overcome the other groups.
    Then the snake saw its prey.
    Qdian saw the opportunity from the eyes of Wuxiaworld no one ever thought this would have happen.

    Qdian fucked almost every translators
    And brainwashed some minds with money.
    Put them to breed chaps as quickly as possible to get greedy readers to eat there bait.

    As a result fuckers fucked the fuckers.
     
  5. Suijin

    Suijin Blood God [Medic]

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    4,418
    Likes Received:
    4,974
    Reading List:
    Link
    i rate it one axe outta 5 ducks.


    put this first <.<
     
  6. LordBS

    LordBS Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2018
    Messages:
    257
    Likes Received:
    242
    Reading List:
    Link
    Happens to everything eventually.
    As long as there is a way to exploit something to make more money even if it's immoral or bring negative feedback from the community it will be done since who cares about that as long as it makes someone richer then it's ok.
     
  7. NewbArtist

    NewbArtist *Blubg

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2017
    Messages:
    130
    Likes Received:
    100
    Reading List:
    Link
    Good and Bad things, come and go.
     
    Bright_Lucky_Star likes this.
  8. jersanxx1

    jersanxx1 『Lost Toy』『Mostly Lurking』

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2016
    Messages:
    545
    Likes Received:
    544
    Reading List:
    Link
    Yeah, it also grown a lot that might as well be untouched to not be sullied by the hands of a MTL edited/dependent "Translator" and ruins your day.
    Finished, thanks dad.
     
  9. Vex

    Vex Eat-Sleep-Repeat

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2016
    Messages:
    871
    Likes Received:
    613
    Reading List:
    Link
    Basically a never-ending circle. Where there is demand there will be supply. People want to read novels, so others are taking this as a chance to bring some to the table, even if if it's half baked and still raw.
    And you will always have those guys who want to do nothing but get paid for everything. So many translators despite knowing nothing about Chinese or Japanese, just go ahead and translate.

    Now I am not saying that you need to know the language to translate it. With a bit of work, even a mtl can be changed into something above average and in few cases ''good.'
    But many of them solely for profit translate these. Funny thing is most of them claim it as a hobby. But no hobbyist likes to do a barely passable work. Many of them ( not naming.) Don't even correct the spellings and words after mtl.
    So it's a quite bitter scenario.
    But the most saddening thing is, poor translation has rendered many great novels unreadable, to the extent that people even hate it.( A famous QI novel.)
     
  10. Jarrow

    Jarrow Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2015
    Messages:
    1,226
    Likes Received:
    990
    Reading List:
    Link
    Meh. Just block QI and you're down to almost exactly 3 pages per day.
     
    compass96, Fuyuneko and Sharudeis like this.
  11. Suijin

    Suijin Blood God [Medic]

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    4,418
    Likes Received:
    4,974
    Reading List:
    Link
    i disown you
     
    kenar and SoulZer0 like this.
  12. Retrospect

    Retrospect Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2017
    Messages:
    176
    Likes Received:
    86
    Reading List:
    Link
    I've always treated publications without ISBN as mere fan or amateur works/ hobbies. So "commercialization" in this sense does not really hit me. Those who want to charge/ pay for fan/amateur works.... meh, its their choice. I don't expect professional translations for those works, but if I do find such a gem, I will be pleasantly surprised.
     
    kenar likes this.
  13. Westeller

    Westeller Smokin' Sexy Style!! Staff Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2016
    Messages:
    8,169
    Likes Received:
    24,949
    Reading List:
    Link
    The sad thing is an ISBN doesn't guarantee quality anyway.
     
  14. Slayerwolfx2

    Slayerwolfx2 [Immortal Forever]

    Joined:
    May 23, 2017
    Messages:
    1,938
    Likes Received:
    2,534
    Reading List:
    Link
    Well, I guess it depends on the translator...

    I don't translate or anything, but I like writing stories, and having small inconsistencies all over it would drive me mad.
    It's the same thing.
     
  15. catatopatch

    catatopatch Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2017
    Messages:
    190
    Likes Received:
    217
    Reading List:
    Link
    Rather than blame commercialization or money to be exact, you should look at the readers instead...if people actually gave a rat's ass about quality, all this wouldn't be a problem at all. Actually, calling it quality is inaccurate as well, basic standards is the correct term. Having proper English should never be the standard for quality, it's a requirement.

    In an ideal world, NU's review system of only rating a novel based on the merits of the author would be perfect. However, given how many TLs have the English standard of a 5th grader, NU's decision not to rate translation groups only enables this trend of low quality novels.

    In short, readers are the root cause of low quality translations and NU ends up being the tool they use to enable low quality translators.
     
    kenar, asriu, LysUltima and 4 others like this.
  16. Retrospect

    Retrospect Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2017
    Messages:
    176
    Likes Received:
    86
    Reading List:
    Link
    True, to a certain extent. But at least publications with an ISBN are considered filtered works that may be sold out in the open. ;)
     
  17. Suijin

    Suijin Blood God [Medic]

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    4,418
    Likes Received:
    4,974
    Reading List:
    Link
    nonono. blame translation groups for not paying editors who know how to edit
     
  18. Nyamsus

    Nyamsus Life is full of shit and we live in it

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2016
    Messages:
    7,567
    Likes Received:
    9,252
    Reading List:
    Link
    If we talk about Quality...

    isnt back then when bakahou being known translating with MTL, people got mad and attack the site...(that what i heard)
    nowdays, people seem okay with it
     
    compass96 likes this.
  19. Vanidor

    Vanidor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2015
    Messages:
    1,357
    Likes Received:
    1,541
    Reading List:
    Link
    You do know that outside of the US it’s free to get ISBNs in many places? Here in Canada anyone can setup a publishing name for free and get unlimited free ISBNs. You can also get free ones in the US with a few steps.

    They have nothing to do with amateur or professional.
     
  20. OceanMagix

    OceanMagix Catnapping periodically. Existence is oblivious

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2018
    Messages:
    571
    Likes Received:
    1,513
    Reading List:
    Link
    It’s not bad to have a basic understanding of the English language. Yet the problem that arise from it is that many of them do not have a good foundation of it. Thus, it’s usually better to not expect much from it. Just that it’s readable?

    Otherwise it can also be from the lack of editor involved
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 16, 2018
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.