How to fix a HUGE manga mistranslation?
So I've recently become obsessed with interested in the manga series Kaze to Ki no Uta. It's the first ever BL/shounen-ai manga, originally published in book form in 1977 (wow, even older than me!) and the forerunner to all things yaoi. Kickin' it OLD SCHOOL, yo! If you don't know it, you can check it out here: http://honeydrop.dreamhost.com/evol/animanga/kaze/
I bought a bunch of books from the series, including this, the final book from the original printing:
Only the first couple books are translated, and I'd really like to give it a try, but I noticed something strange about the title. As you can see above, the title is 風と木の詩. However, the original fan translators of both the manga and the OAV transated it as 風と木の歌 (note the differing last kanji). Both of these kanji are pronounced the same way: Kaze to Ki no Uta. This has been translated into "Song of Wind and Trees." However, if you know kanji, you realize that that last "uta" isn't SONG, but POEM. And herein lies the problem...
Now the first thing to address is whether it actually NEEDS to be fixed. Maybe the author was being ambiguous about it by chosing a kanji that means "poem" but also sounds like "song." After all, there are other kanji she could've used. Two things speak against this possibility though:
The French "poeme" can be clearly read here on this 1988 reprint. Also, if we look back on the author comments page, we find this:
Again, "poem" is clearly printed (though it sounds funny without an "s" on "tree," so that needs to be de-ingrished).
Alright, so this is an OBVIOUS mistranslation on the part of the first translators (probably the techno girls, who did the OAV). But what to do about it? I wrote in to Anime News Network fixing some of their info, but as far as anyone in the US knows, it's a SONG, not a POEM...
However, they are ALL MISTAKEN!! rofl Any suggestions for me if I do end up translating more of the manga??
I bought a bunch of books from the series, including this, the final book from the original printing:
Only the first couple books are translated, and I'd really like to give it a try, but I noticed something strange about the title. As you can see above, the title is 風と木の詩. However, the original fan translators of both the manga and the OAV transated it as 風と木の歌 (note the differing last kanji). Both of these kanji are pronounced the same way: Kaze to Ki no Uta. This has been translated into "Song of Wind and Trees." However, if you know kanji, you realize that that last "uta" isn't SONG, but POEM. And herein lies the problem...
Now the first thing to address is whether it actually NEEDS to be fixed. Maybe the author was being ambiguous about it by chosing a kanji that means "poem" but also sounds like "song." After all, there are other kanji she could've used. Two things speak against this possibility though:
The French "poeme" can be clearly read here on this 1988 reprint. Also, if we look back on the author comments page, we find this:
Again, "poem" is clearly printed (though it sounds funny without an "s" on "tree," so that needs to be de-ingrished).
Alright, so this is an OBVIOUS mistranslation on the part of the first translators (probably the techno girls, who did the OAV). But what to do about it? I wrote in to Anime News Network fixing some of their info, but as far as anyone in the US knows, it's a SONG, not a POEM...
However, they are ALL MISTAKEN!! rofl Any suggestions for me if I do end up translating more of the manga??