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GLL99 (Offline)
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Posts: 15
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: New York State, USA
02-10-2011, 04:53 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by KyleGoetz View Post
Since what she says is merely a Japanization of Classical Chinese, and presumably the viewers of this anime do not speak Classical Chinese, why the heck would you translate it? It's not really Japanese anyway. It's very old Chinese. Do not subtitle it.

Just take a page out of the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace, and translate the Russian to English, but leave the French intact.

Similarly, translate the Japanese to English, but leave the Classical Chinese intact. It actually degrades the experience to translate it, because no longer will the viewer perceive the anime the way it was meant to be seen.
Hmm...yeah, good point. The only downside is that no one'll really know what it means, but I could somewhat fix that with a Translation Note.
Quote:
Originally Posted by masaegu View Post
1. Why would you ask a guy that's unfamiliar with the story these questions? I've only watched, what, 1/5000 of it because of you?

2. Why do you seem to think you need to translate everything that's said? The Japanese kids watching this anime won't understnad the phrase. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know it before. Why should the kids that you are trying to please understand it? They just happened to use an existing sutra instead of letting her say "Blah Blah Blah." I answered the question because it was you who asked. I would have ignored it had it come from a stranger because s/he need not know.
1. Well, I thought saying that she was helping with some plans and mentioning what happens after she does this would give enough context to try to settle on a meaning. =/

2. I just figured that it was important to what was going on, so I thought a translation would be needed. Though, you do have a point, as does KyleGoetz, about the presentation, and how the people watching it originally didn't have any idea about it either, which I probably should've considered. Like I said, I'll give using a Translation Note a shot to cover it.

And thanks--I really do appreciate you answering this stuff. I just hope she doesn't use more of this Classical Chinese while she's around for the next four or so episodes, haha.

Last edited by GLL99 : 02-10-2011 at 05:53 AM.