Thread by @Gshock99, There are a lot of things that go through a translator's mind [...]

There are a lot of things that go through a translator's mind while translating. These are just some of the things that constantly pop into my head while working:

-Is this something this character would say?
-Will the audience understand this part as I translated it?

-Did I handle this pun the best way possible? I'm honestly sorta screwed however I handle this, so I might as well go with this.
-I wonder how much the audience or other colleagues will rip this translation apart.
-Wait, is this a flashback?
-What is this a reference to?

-Is this name a reference to something or is there an already established way to spell it?
-*stares hard at line* THERE IS NO GOOD WAY AROUND THIS. YOU CAN CALL ME A BAD TRANSLATOR IF YOU WANT BUT THERE IS NO WAY TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY WITH THIS I HATE YOU, YOU STUPID LINE.

-I know how this will probably be perceived by the audience or other translators, but my hands are tied. Guess I'll just take the punches.
-I'll Google this just in case.
-Did my brain's autocorrect kick in?
-I know the meaning of this word, but I'll look it up just in case.

-SHUT YOU PUNNY LITTLE MOUTH, CHARACTER.
-Is this an actual English word or is this just wasei eigo that I grew up with that I normalized?
-Look up everything 100万 and up.
-AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
-I can sneak in a round of Overwatch.
-When did I last have water?
-F*ck.

Sometimes, there are things we have no control over. There are some situations where our hands are tied for one reason or another and we have to go, "You're the boss, boss." In those cases, or in any case, really, I try to make the best of it.

I honestly don't have any hot takes or strong opinions when it comes to my work other than I just want to do the best I can and hope that the audience is able to enjoy whatever series I'm working on through my translations.

I know a lot of my colleagues have opinions to share and I think that's perfectly fine. They're allowed to have opinions and strong feelings. I'm surrounded by very talented people who do a great job, and I appreciate everything they do.

Translating can be a pretty thankless job sometimes. Either people don't know you exist at all or people will tell you you're wrong for whatever reason. But out of all the negativity, if there's even one person who enjoyed my work at all, it means the world to me.

I usually share really dumb things I'm proud of like "Tokyo Gruel" "Uh, hewwo?" or share general tips that could hopefully help aspiring translators (seriously, triple check number translations). Otherwise... I don't know if I have any strong feelings one way or another.

I do believe that translation is indeed an art, meaning I don't ever expect anyone to believe my translation is the one and only way. Art is subjective. Some people will hopefully enjoy my translations, and a lot of people probably won't for one reason or another.

Sure, it'd be great if I could make everyone happy with my work, but subjective is subjective. All I can do is assure that my translation is correct (if not, fix it, if possible) and hope that the general audience is enjoying the original work I had the privilege to work on.

I'm personally not strongly for or against honorifics. I think it's fine if people want to learn Japanese through anime, manga, games, etc. If someone disagrees w/ me, that's fine. I will respect your opinion as long as you're not threatening anyone or trying to harm anyone.

Sometimes, I feel like no matter what I do, someone won't like what I did. If I explain wordplay with romaji, someone will hate it. If I translate wordplay away from the original Japanese, someone will hate it.

If I stay close to the original Japanese line because there is a valid English equivalent, someone will say it's too literal. If I get a little creative to make a line flow better in English, someone might say the translation's wrong.

If I use a valid modern joke or meme that actually fits with the original Japanese, it'll make someone mad for whatever reason. So even though my intention is not to upset anyone with my work, I can't control how people will react.

As much as I will try not to upset anyone, the only thing I can really do is try to ensure I did my best with my work and hope that people are enjoying the original work.

I really think the only two things I feel strongly about when it comes to my job are the things I bring up all the time.
-It's always easier to critique someone's work than doing the actual work.
-Just try to be kind to one another. Please.

I've obviously done enough old-person rambling

If you actually read all of this for some reason, お疲れ様

I'll go do something useful now like finish up work and run errands.

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