Would you mind to share a thought? :3
It's been more-or-less a year since I started to do magazines translation. It was started with Hagi-chan, and then Jinguji, and I don't know since when I started Travis Japan, and then the BBJ boys... :))
Thank you for reading my translations. I'm not Japanese nor English native, and I am not formally taught in a Japanese literature school, so I realize there must be many lacks in my translations. By this post, I hope you can share me your thoughts about my translations so far, and give me some advice or suggestions so that I can improve my quality ^ ^
It doesn't have to be so serious, just mention your thoughts even things like "maybe you should make people's name in italic instead of bold" and other unthinkable random thoughts go here :)) You might as well request something, but I have to remind you that I actually can't handle requests, so I might put it on my list but I can't guarantee whether I can make it or not, or when...
With this occasion I would like to share my story about my translating journey (okay you got to know that I love making essays lol) if you have some time you can read this as well, but if you don't, at least drop me some idea just like what I requested above, ne? ^ ^
Magazine translation is kinda new for me, but I have experience in subbing. I kinda forgot but I believe my first project was VS Arashi with Natsuniji drama team along with Cuticle Fansubs. I was just graduating from high school, and I had about three months free before university started, so I asked CF team whether I could contribute as a freelance translator and then I was allowed to. At that time I was really blind about Japanese. It took me like 2 weeks of sleepless nights (well, it's not that I didn't sleep at all though hahaha) just to translate an-hour tv show. (And now if I watched it again, I realize that I have some mistakes here and there, sorry!) My second one was Arashi's Mannequin Five special, with CF again :)
Entering university, I almost never do any subbing projects again. I joined an Arashi subbing team, but ended up producing nothing due to my real life schedules, and until now I feel really sorry for my absence :(
In 5th term, I started to live my life kinda slowly since I no longer joins many committees in campus. And then I also start to like Johnny's Jrs, so I started to collect magazine scans and shokura episodes. I started to read the article in scans too. I didn't really understand what they're talking, but at least I started to make use of scans not only as graphic objects but to be read as well :))
My first one was Hagi-chan's interview in Wink Up's Doki Doki Houkago Story. I never been translating magazines before, but at that time I was so in love with the kid, and when I tried to read the scans I had some confidence that I could understand most of it, so I gave it a try. But even with some confidence, it took me about two hours just to translate relatively short 2 paragraphs =))
After a year, I realize that attempt to translate really affects me so much. I have to say, before I almost couldn't read magazines, because it has so many kanji and there are a lot of subject-object issue in it. For me, Japanese somehow a bit ambiguous when they are talking because they sometimes don't use subject-object and a sentence meaning can be different depends on the context. I am used to videos, since we can see how they interacts and what gestures they use in a video, but if it's just a mere text--it's tricky. And one thing I realize from translating (and subbing) is you have to be aware with some idioms or things they mention. The things that you can't translate it just the way it is because it has different meaning. Also the thing that we have to know to understand the context. This hit me hard actually when I was doing HOT SNOW subs though. HOT SNOW have time setting in the past, so they mentions things like some idols or athletes or even comedians whose name I never heard of because it's from around 1980s. In translations, this goes as well when the guys are talking about some onsen place, or some foods, or even some license (I remember one of Iwamoto Hikaru's want-to-get license is a license about know-every-holiday-spot in Japan or such, something I didn't know is there in Japan).
After realizing those, I'm really thankful that I have opportunity to translate articles and sub tv shows :) and because of those, I become to respect translators more and more. I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about everyone who contribute in translating articles. In the past, when I was just a reader, I think translator are great but it's not a really hard job once you understand Japanese, but now I realize it's not only about translating. It's about how to interpret someone's words in other language that can still have the exact meaning while being understandable, and it's not that easy.
That's why translators love comments. Lol, I don't know though, but at least yes for me. Because when someone drop comments it makes me feels like my hard work is being paid :)) I rarely reply comments these days, but I properly read each comments one by one and it makes me really happy to do other translation, to make better and better interpretation. Thank you :)
Seems like I write too much :)) Comments are LOVE minna :3
Anyways, I have final exams starting tomorrow, so please wish me luck XD
Thank you for reading my translations. I'm not Japanese nor English native, and I am not formally taught in a Japanese literature school, so I realize there must be many lacks in my translations. By this post, I hope you can share me your thoughts about my translations so far, and give me some advice or suggestions so that I can improve my quality ^ ^
It doesn't have to be so serious, just mention your thoughts even things like "maybe you should make people's name in italic instead of bold" and other unthinkable random thoughts go here :)) You might as well request something, but I have to remind you that I actually can't handle requests, so I might put it on my list but I can't guarantee whether I can make it or not, or when...
With this occasion I would like to share my story about my translating journey (okay you got to know that I love making essays lol) if you have some time you can read this as well, but if you don't, at least drop me some idea just like what I requested above, ne? ^ ^
Magazine translation is kinda new for me, but I have experience in subbing. I kinda forgot but I believe my first project was VS Arashi with Natsuniji drama team along with Cuticle Fansubs. I was just graduating from high school, and I had about three months free before university started, so I asked CF team whether I could contribute as a freelance translator and then I was allowed to. At that time I was really blind about Japanese. It took me like 2 weeks of sleepless nights (well, it's not that I didn't sleep at all though hahaha) just to translate an-hour tv show. (And now if I watched it again, I realize that I have some mistakes here and there, sorry!) My second one was Arashi's Mannequin Five special, with CF again :)
Entering university, I almost never do any subbing projects again. I joined an Arashi subbing team, but ended up producing nothing due to my real life schedules, and until now I feel really sorry for my absence :(
In 5th term, I started to live my life kinda slowly since I no longer joins many committees in campus. And then I also start to like Johnny's Jrs, so I started to collect magazine scans and shokura episodes. I started to read the article in scans too. I didn't really understand what they're talking, but at least I started to make use of scans not only as graphic objects but to be read as well :))
My first one was Hagi-chan's interview in Wink Up's Doki Doki Houkago Story. I never been translating magazines before, but at that time I was so in love with the kid, and when I tried to read the scans I had some confidence that I could understand most of it, so I gave it a try. But even with some confidence, it took me about two hours just to translate relatively short 2 paragraphs =))
After a year, I realize that attempt to translate really affects me so much. I have to say, before I almost couldn't read magazines, because it has so many kanji and there are a lot of subject-object issue in it. For me, Japanese somehow a bit ambiguous when they are talking because they sometimes don't use subject-object and a sentence meaning can be different depends on the context. I am used to videos, since we can see how they interacts and what gestures they use in a video, but if it's just a mere text--it's tricky. And one thing I realize from translating (and subbing) is you have to be aware with some idioms or things they mention. The things that you can't translate it just the way it is because it has different meaning. Also the thing that we have to know to understand the context. This hit me hard actually when I was doing HOT SNOW subs though. HOT SNOW have time setting in the past, so they mentions things like some idols or athletes or even comedians whose name I never heard of because it's from around 1980s. In translations, this goes as well when the guys are talking about some onsen place, or some foods, or even some license (I remember one of Iwamoto Hikaru's want-to-get license is a license about know-every-holiday-spot in Japan or such, something I didn't know is there in Japan).
After realizing those, I'm really thankful that I have opportunity to translate articles and sub tv shows :) and because of those, I become to respect translators more and more. I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about everyone who contribute in translating articles. In the past, when I was just a reader, I think translator are great but it's not a really hard job once you understand Japanese, but now I realize it's not only about translating. It's about how to interpret someone's words in other language that can still have the exact meaning while being understandable, and it's not that easy.
That's why translators love comments. Lol, I don't know though, but at least yes for me. Because when someone drop comments it makes me feels like my hard work is being paid :)) I rarely reply comments these days, but I properly read each comments one by one and it makes me really happy to do other translation, to make better and better interpretation. Thank you :)
Seems like I write too much :)) Comments are LOVE minna :3
Anyways, I have final exams starting tomorrow, so please wish me luck XD