Japanese Words randomly used in stories
If you've read fanfiction, you've seen it. The obsession with Japanese culture and language that authors posses to the point of randomly inserting Japanese words into stories written in English, where they do. not. belong. I'm reaching out to fellow authors who think this is as obnoxious as I think it is, and I'm making a sincere plea to those who do randomly insert Japanese into their stories. Please. Do not mix the two languages.
I suppose the most common argument for this random use of Japanese is that it "sounds cool" to the authors, and they've picked up a word or two from watching their favorite series subbed. However, it really does not belong. When writing a story in English, one should assume that the audience is full of English speakers who can't even pronounce 'konnichiwa' correctly, and most certainly don't know what hajimemashite or datte bayo means.
It's the same as using a word in Dutch. The reader will not understand what it means. So the author wouldn't use it without reason, or without explaining what it meant.
If a Japanese word is going to be randomly inserted into a story, there should be an explanation of what it means and a good reason for it being there. For example, if the characters called their Judou or Karate instructor "Sensei"- and it was explained that since Judou or Karate is a Japanese martial art, that's what the students are supposed to call their instructor, that would make sense. Or maybe someone wants to call cherry blossoms sakura. Fine, but it better be an important part of the story, not something mentioned for two only sentences.
Now, if the characters are not Japanese, there is NO REASON for them to be speaking in Japanese. If they're not Japanese, have Japanese names, and randomly speak Japanese, that character is commonly known as "Mary Sue." Unless the characters are middle school otaku nerds (like I was), English speaking characters should be speaking in English. Period.
Now, I am pleading to fanfiction writers: Even if your story is full of Japanese people in Japan, seeing as your audience is not, do us a favor and translate EVERY WORD into English. Even if the -chan, -kun, -san, -sama suffixes aren't easy to translate, you can spend two seconds to think a feasible substitute. Japanese does not belong in stories written in English.
Hey- don't get me wrong- I'm not saying that I don't like Japanese. In fact, I've spent three years studying the language, including a year abroad in Japan, and can read/write/speak it pretty well. But seeing as I can understand the language, and then I see it randomly inserted into stories, I'll let you in on a little secret: there's a good chance you're using it wrong.
For example, here is a mistake you can find in the Naruto fandom.
Incorrect: "Tsunade is a Legendary Sannin."
What's wrong with it? Sannin means three people, and Tsunade is only one person.
Correct: "Tsunade is one of the Legendary Sannin," or better yet, "Tsunade is one of the Three Legendary Ninjas."
If "Sannin" is translated to "Three Ninjas" then the author does not make this silly mistake in the first place.
Japanese people are just as bad about English words. In the same way that otaku fanfic writers like Japanese words and like to randomly insert them into their writing, Japanese people like English words. And boy oh boy do they use them wrong. This Japanese-English is one of the most confusing things about Japanese. They say an "English" word like - pantsu - and I'm supposed to understand that in Japanese, "pants" actually means underwear. And since when does "smart" mean "cool"? What about skinship? That sounds like groping to me, but to them it's friendly affection. For more examples, google "engrish." You get the idea?
Those who are using random Japanese words in their writing are creating English-Japanese words which are neither Japanese nor English, and won't be understood by anyone outside the otaku realm. (By the way- otaku is another word which meaning has changed from Japanese to English-speaking anime fans. Otaku means a nerd who just stays in their house (otaku means house) all day and obsesses over a hobby rather than have contact with other human beings. It has a negative connotation, not a positive one. It's an INSULT.)
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that throwing in as many Japanese words as possible can into stories is not cool. It just makes it hard to understand for people who don't speak Japanese, and it looks silly to anyone who knows the language. I mean, I could throw in a bunch of Japanese words into my writing to look cool, but I'm writing it in English because I'm better at English, and my audience doesn't understand Japanese.
Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin">時間をかけて、この無意味な作文を読んでくれてありがとうございました。See? I bet you couldn't read that.
Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin">終わり
I suppose the most common argument for this random use of Japanese is that it "sounds cool" to the authors, and they've picked up a word or two from watching their favorite series subbed. However, it really does not belong. When writing a story in English, one should assume that the audience is full of English speakers who can't even pronounce 'konnichiwa' correctly, and most certainly don't know what hajimemashite or datte bayo means.
It's the same as using a word in Dutch. The reader will not understand what it means. So the author wouldn't use it without reason, or without explaining what it meant.
If a Japanese word is going to be randomly inserted into a story, there should be an explanation of what it means and a good reason for it being there. For example, if the characters called their Judou or Karate instructor "Sensei"- and it was explained that since Judou or Karate is a Japanese martial art, that's what the students are supposed to call their instructor, that would make sense. Or maybe someone wants to call cherry blossoms sakura. Fine, but it better be an important part of the story, not something mentioned for two only sentences.
Now, if the characters are not Japanese, there is NO REASON for them to be speaking in Japanese. If they're not Japanese, have Japanese names, and randomly speak Japanese, that character is commonly known as "Mary Sue." Unless the characters are middle school otaku nerds (like I was), English speaking characters should be speaking in English. Period.
Now, I am pleading to fanfiction writers: Even if your story is full of Japanese people in Japan, seeing as your audience is not, do us a favor and translate EVERY WORD into English. Even if the -chan, -kun, -san, -sama suffixes aren't easy to translate, you can spend two seconds to think a feasible substitute. Japanese does not belong in stories written in English.
Hey- don't get me wrong- I'm not saying that I don't like Japanese. In fact, I've spent three years studying the language, including a year abroad in Japan, and can read/write/speak it pretty well. But seeing as I can understand the language, and then I see it randomly inserted into stories, I'll let you in on a little secret: there's a good chance you're using it wrong.
For example, here is a mistake you can find in the Naruto fandom.
Incorrect: "Tsunade is a Legendary Sannin."
What's wrong with it? Sannin means three people, and Tsunade is only one person.
Correct: "Tsunade is one of the Legendary Sannin," or better yet, "Tsunade is one of the Three Legendary Ninjas."
If "Sannin" is translated to "Three Ninjas" then the author does not make this silly mistake in the first place.
Japanese people are just as bad about English words. In the same way that otaku fanfic writers like Japanese words and like to randomly insert them into their writing, Japanese people like English words. And boy oh boy do they use them wrong. This Japanese-English is one of the most confusing things about Japanese. They say an "English" word like - pantsu - and I'm supposed to understand that in Japanese, "pants" actually means underwear. And since when does "smart" mean "cool"? What about skinship? That sounds like groping to me, but to them it's friendly affection. For more examples, google "engrish." You get the idea?
Those who are using random Japanese words in their writing are creating English-Japanese words which are neither Japanese nor English, and won't be understood by anyone outside the otaku realm. (By the way- otaku is another word which meaning has changed from Japanese to English-speaking anime fans. Otaku means a nerd who just stays in their house (otaku means house) all day and obsesses over a hobby rather than have contact with other human beings. It has a negative connotation, not a positive one. It's an INSULT.)
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that throwing in as many Japanese words as possible can into stories is not cool. It just makes it hard to understand for people who don't speak Japanese, and it looks silly to anyone who knows the language. I mean, I could throw in a bunch of Japanese words into my writing to look cool, but I'm writing it in English because I'm better at English, and my audience doesn't understand Japanese.
Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin">時間をかけて、この無意味な作文を読んでくれてありがとうございました。See? I bet you couldn't read that.
Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:
minor-latin">終わり