Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....
-
Contains spoilers for those who haven't read it yet.
-
Please do not create entire threads for topics that have already been discussed at length in the thread about that particular volume, If you want to add to the discussion then do so there.
-
I am talking about one specific thing. which is liberties on names. Nothing else. so instead of mixing it in on a discussion about that one particular volume, this can be said for other novels as well. I just tagged it with smartphone due to the fact that, that was what stuck out the most to me.
also i took the tag off so now dont complain.
-
You’ve still put it in the wrong spot, this belongs in the suggestion/feedback area or in this thread
https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/1293/over-localization/73 In the general area about over-localization.So once again this thread has no reason to exist, either it’s about smartphone in particular so it belongs in that discussion or it’s about over-localization and belongs in the already existing thread.
-
@catstorm If that's the case then a mod can move it if it's in the wrong spot. This can also be posted in several other areas of the forums as well. Not just this forum section. But mainly "almost" all of them. So until you become a mod please do not act like one. Do the right thing flag the topic for a mod to look at it and if then they decide that it needs to be deleted/ removed the mod can do so.
-
Honestly, while I agree about the over-localization being annoying (names being changed is probably one of my biggest pet peeves), I also agree that this really belongs in the over-localization thread.
Winning isn't really that fun if you want a challenge... Making others win, on the other hand...
-
@sinnoaria said in Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....:
Honestly, while I agree about the over-localization being annoying (names being changed is probably one of my biggest pet peeves), I also agree that this really belongs in the over-localization thread.
And I am not saying it does not. But at the time that I wrote this, I had not looked through every forum like other people. And there is no way to Move a thread. If there is, even though I do not see a way. l'd be happy to move the thread if someone told me how to. The only reason I said what I said is because catstorm seems to think they are a mod all together instead of just stating an opinion. Like you did. So until a mod moves it, then nothing can be done about where it is at the moment. but you are right the "liberties on names" is what is getting me the most.
-
Putting aside the issue of where the discussion should occur (since i don't personally care about that), can you go into further detail as to why you think the translator shouldn't do such a thing?
-
@hatguy12 Mainly because the name difference is too huge in some cases. I do understand that its good to change some names. but changing the name to something that is not even close to the original is little much. Garfield is ways off from Nyantaro( ニャンタロー ) and since it has a way to say it in romaji anyways they could have kept the name the same. I do not see the need to change the name of a character just to localize it. This was suppose to be Touya picking on the cat for one thing. But then the whole joke gets ruined by him naming him Garfield. The actual name in the original has a meaning to it whereas in this case, Garfield does not. I read the web novel and own all the translated versions/original as well. so this was a huge surprise to see such a big difference in names. I mean Garfield... he could have at least picked Socks or something for the name if he was going to go off the original. The damn cat isn't even striped! he's black and white! But still, the whole purpose of the name was to pick on the cat in the first place and with the name change the joke is ruined.
-
@invayne (disclaimer, I don't really read smarthphone, so I don't have a strong opinion on this particular item)
I'd agree that if there's no reason to change a name, it shouldn't be changed, and reading through the translator's comment on the topic, it seems he agrees with you that it should be a joke with Touya picking on the character.
I read a decent number of light novels and watch a good chunk of anime, and can usually recognize and understand a range of common phrases, but I would personally have had no idea why "Nyantaro" was supposed to be a joke. So, in general, I appreciate the translator changing it to something else that can give me the same/similar humor when I read it. I went and skimmed that section of the text, and it seemed to work for me, though again, I don't really read the series to judge the larger context.
As to the question of whether "Garfield" or something more like "Socks," as you suggested, is better able to convey the humor to the common English reader, I don't really have much of an opinion on that.
-
I feel like this is like naming a Turtle Franklin when the Japanese name had a more Japanese pun to it.
-
@drone205 said in Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....:
I feel like this is like naming a Turtle Franklin when the Japanese name had a more Japanese pun to it.
yes exactly what I was getting at!
-
Puns should be replaced with ones that actually make sense to the reader. Japanese puns don't work in English, and names that have some sort of double or deeper meaning often lose all that meaning to an English reader.
Calling the cat "Nyantaro" in the English version of the novel basically strips the name of all meaning, because most readers won't get anything out of the name other than "It sounds Japanese".
-
@guspaz I agree with that. A pun in one language just can not work well in another language. I am sure most anime fans will understand that nyan is basicly our equivalent of meow but not everyone will know that. I feel like translators are in a tricky spot here when translating puns and double meanings as it may be impossible to incorporate it in English. For example "KAMIng soon" has a pun with Kami as in God but no matter if you do coming soon, next time, or to be continued there is no easy way to put in that pun.
-
@guspaz said in Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....:
Puns should be replaced with ones that actually make sense to the reader. Japanese puns don't work in English, and names that have some sort of double or deeper meaning often lose all that meaning to an English reader.
Calling the cat "Nyantaro" in the English version of the novel basically strips the name of all meaning, because most readers won't get anything out of the name other than "It sounds Japanese".
mmm, I think 90% of readers are somewhat versed in Japanese humor. the way the pun was ruined just by changing the name. Ruined the whole meaning of the scene the author wrote. I do not see anything funny by the cat's name, being Garfield. I could understand if the picture of the cat resembled the character the translator is trying to apply it to. but it does not. Like I said before it just ruins the whole scene. I personally do not like wasting my money on translations with liberties taken on them or ruining parts of the story just to make it localized for the 10% of readers that have no clue what they are reading in the first place. so it wouldn't matter if it was localized or not.
-
@invayne said in Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....:
I think 90% of readers are somewhat versed in Japanese humor.
Considering the number of people who have posted here asking stuff like "what does isekai mean" and "what is a dakimakura," I think you're wrong.
Whoever said nothing's impossible never tried slamming a revolving door.
-
@myskaros said in Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....:
@invayne said in Please don't take liberties on names when its not the same as the light novel/web novel....:
I think 90% of readers are somewhat versed in Japanese humor.
Considering the number of people who have posted here asking stuff like "what does isekai mean" and "what is a dakimakura," I think you're wrong.
you have to do it based on readers, not the people who just post asking questions. that is basically your or 1% of the 10 % I'm talking about. 100 people asking questions is not the same as 5k + readers or whatever the reader count is, that know what that stuff means.
-
@invayne Extrapolation. The number of people who are willing to come here and post questions represent the silent majority who just get confused and decide not to buy more books in the series.
Whoever said nothing's impossible never tried slamming a revolving door.
-
@myskaros you are missing the point. all together you can not count the minority to the reader base j-novel makes around 6 to 7 figures a year. just on Amazon alone. do you really think that's all new readers to Japanese light novels?
-
No, not all of them are.
However, you translate a language, you don't translate half the language and leave the other bits in to feel 'Japanese' for people who think it's an inherent good to keep anachronisms in. Reminds me of people who want to keep Japanese sentence structure because "It's Japanese." I that not would like. :)
I note that I actually am familiar with the Nyan pun, but I didn't find it so horrible.
