Question What do you think this line means?

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by Fuyuneko, Mar 17, 2021.

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  1. Fuyuneko

    Fuyuneko winter cat

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    What do you think this line means? What is the author trying to express?

    FC's translation: Gu Nian stopped breathing for a few second before she drew a deep breath. An icy-cold bucket of water poured down and drowned that spark of motherly love that was starting to turn.
    Raw: 顾念屏息数秒,深呼吸。一盆冰水在心里泼下去,浇灭了母爱变质的小火苗
    My translation: A spark of something else had arisen in her motherly love. Gu Nian stopped breathing for a few second before she drew a deep breath and doused those changing feelings.

    It's a line from https://www.fringecapybara.com/mwby/ch-039/
    And the translator explains it as
    "I do want to point out the mention of the “turning of her motherly love” and how quickly she drowned it instead of allowing it to intensify." That the MC is lying to herself. It's not motherly love that she has for the ML, but romantic love.

    Edited to add: FC pointed out that maybe the author's intention is to be very subtle with that line, so making it too clear is against author's intention.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2021
  2. Xxsafirex

    Xxsafirex Well-Known Member

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    She poured down ice cold water in her heart, in an attempt to extinguish her rising feelings that once was maternal love
    I guess?
     
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  3. nightbutterfly

    nightbutterfly Well-Known Member

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    Author want to express Gu Nian kill her own romantic love she has beside the motherly love. Kill the beginning of her romantic feeling. That's what I understood
     
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  4. stumblmer

    stumblmer Well-Known Member

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    Artistic licence is tricky when translating, even more when editing and not understanding the source literature ...

    For me, I spin the phrasing as "Gu Nian held her breath for a moment before (taking a deep breath or long inhale or gasp ... in context, I don't know if she's breathing in or out after being breathless so could also be letting out a deep breath or letting out a long exhale). An icy cold bucket of water doused her heart to quench the tiny spark of motherly love that had just been lit"
     
  5. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    It feels like it should say "for a few seconds", and seeing "for a few second" in both translations made them feel... Meh?
     
  6. KhayDesu

    KhayDesu ❀Rᴇᴀᴅιɴԍ Eɴтнusιᴀsт❀ | ★ᴅᴇsu~★ | ✿Loquᴀcιous✿『☕』

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    For me it means that the Character mentioned above has woken up from his/her delusion/illusion

    waaah~ sorry im just half-assing it desuu~ i just wrote the first thing i though of desu~
     
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