Question Tips for a novice translator?

Hi everybody reading this! I am a novice translator and I wanted to ask if any fellow translators could have any helpful advice/tips/recommendations,etc to give before I start? For ex: having a dictionary available while translating.Anything I should know before I enter this dangerous world? Any shady business going on? And I'm translating a Chinese bl novel if it help.

 

@Ruyi do you have any suggestions for a new translator?

 

I'm not a translator but the only shady business going on right now is Qidian. But since you are doing "BL" novel, then probably they won't contact you.

 

Yes please

 

Don't quit! (and no, this is not reverse psychology, or is it?)

 

There's a Discord TLor group isn't there? Joining it should help.

@runsing and @Parth37955 should know more about that.

 

Google Chrome has a pop up chinese to English dictionary add on that you can download, translates traditional and simplified, with pinyin and English definition. Super useful, I use this all the time, you can just Google it and it should pop up. If your chinese reading skills aren't as good as your listening skills, you can also supplement with a text to speech website and have it read out the Chinese to you.

 

The guy translating Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation shows on youtube how he does it.

 

Also side note, omg, what BL novel are you translating, ima have to go read *danmei for life*

 

Volare translations has a few articles on translating, you can also look at those.

 

Advice? Sure...
Befriend and work together with an editor.

 

The Daily Task of Preventing My Disciple From Turning To the dark side

 

Or was it going to the dark side? I forgot

 

Avoid Qidian. Nuff said.

 

BL novels are kinda cute sometimes, but they emphasise a lot on who the uke is. like uke turns into UKE

 

Calling for @scriptor and @winter-t

 

Better to translate everything first and then go back to edit for readability/flow.

 

Oh... Wait that's the novel that I'm supporting the translation of! *creator of the thread that asks for it to be translated* @SnowTime was mentioning translating a teaser for that, maybe you can contact her and get together to work on it? It's always nice for a beginner translator to get help from a more experienced one.

Anyways I +1 totally support the translation of that. Need more danmei in life *thumbs up*

 

Yes! We totally need a lot more danmei in life! And that would be super cool to work together instead of alone in the beginning

 

You fujoshi/fudanshi could just work together to translate it