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today's translation highlight:
word bubbles/balloons in manga! they're an additional constraint!
This line is literally:
"But I—Onoda, Imaizumi, Naruko..." -> "...will beat!"
word bubbles/balloons in manga! they're an additional constraint!
This line is literally:
"But I—Onoda, Imaizumi, Naruko..." -> "...will beat!"
The literal version is gibberish, of course!
Standard English would be "I will beat Onoda, Imaizumi, and Naruko!"
But how would you break up that sentence between the bubbles, given their relative sizes?
Standard English would be "I will beat Onoda, Imaizumi, and Naruko!"
But how would you break up that sentence between the bubbles, given their relative sizes?
"I will beat..." -> "...Onoda, Imaizumi, and Naruko"?
That doesn't work with the bubble sizes. First one would have either a huge font or text lost at sea, and second one would have all the names crammed in there, much smaller.
It would look...off, visually.
That doesn't work with the bubble sizes. First one would have either a huge font or text lost at sea, and second one would have all the names crammed in there, much smaller.
It would look...off, visually.
"I will beat Onoda, Imaizumi..." -> "...and Naruko"?
Naw, that's terrible too. Can't split up the three names.
Plus, the second bubble is clearly meant to be a punchy finisher w/big font. Best to keep a verb there.
The bubble setup precludes the standard S-V-O structure.
Naw, that's terrible too. Can't split up the three names.
Plus, the second bubble is clearly meant to be a punchy finisher w/big font. Best to keep a verb there.
The bubble setup precludes the standard S-V-O structure.
So...I wrote:
"But Onoda, Imaizumi, and Naruko..." "...are going down!"
No harm done opting for the intransitive (you still know that Kaburagi is the one beating them, from context), and the ENG reader gets the same essential experience as the JPN reader (verb finisher).
"But Onoda, Imaizumi, and Naruko..." "...are going down!"
No harm done opting for the intransitive (you still know that Kaburagi is the one beating them, from context), and the ENG reader gets the same essential experience as the JPN reader (verb finisher).
Long story short:
rull-of-the-mill example showing how word bubbles in manga often result in different translation choices than might be made if it were pure text.
The writing is inevitably affected by the medium, and the translator has to keep lettering/visuals in mind.
rull-of-the-mill example showing how word bubbles in manga often result in different translation choices than might be made if it were pure text.
The writing is inevitably affected by the medium, and the translator has to keep lettering/visuals in mind.
(which is why I was flabbergasted to hear that some scripts are submitted without noting break points between bubbles? That isn't work the letterer or editor should have to do, especially since it could/should involve deliberate reworking of the lines, as illustrated above.)
(plain old passive voice is also a solution in cases like this, but while it's not the devil your English teacher made it out to be, I personally prefer the sort of...faux-passive inverted verb, like turning "will beat" into "are going down" instead of "will be beaten")
