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Re: my translation of the Twittering Birds film, there really isn't much point in comparing tls without looking at the JP. The point here is that Domeki is impotent and (in an admittedly non-vulgar way) is asking if Yashiro wishes that he wasn't so he could top. #AmTranslating
Translators are going to approach things in different ways, but IMO the official manga tl is weird here. Yashiro has already told Domeki he is attracted to him and has given him bjs many times by this point. It's not really what Domeki is asking here.
As for the fan tl, unless someone is really versed in JP culture, they won't know that "embrace/hold you" is a euphemism meant the same way "sleep with you" is in English. And, IMO, since "hold you" is not used this way in English, it could be ambiguous even for those in the know
There's also this post where someone has major problems with my translation but doesn't post any Japanese to compare. Their implication is that "the characters would never talk like this." But, just for one example, that third screencap is a very straightforward tl, so???
Seems someone on Tumblr who is a translator themself stood up for me and translators in general. Thank you!
They made great points:
-A line can be validly translated multiple ways
-If you're unable to understand JP, you should be very careful before calling something "butchered"
They made great points:
-A line can be validly translated multiple ways
-If you're unable to understand JP, you should be very careful before calling something "butchered"
-If you know a little Japanese, you may fall into the trap of "this word was not translated with a dictionary definition, so it must be wrong." (Language is more complex than that. We translate the meaning of something—not just single isolated words.)
-Translators are human and will make mistakes sometimes. Going between JP and EN is hard work. (I always try my best, but I do make mistakes, like everyone. When I find one or see a legit one pointed out, I do my best to get it fixed.)
-A translator is not going to purposely try to ruin your favorite piece of media. It is very likely they did the best they could (given whatever constraints).
Certainly true in my case! I read the first several volumes of the manga in JP to prepare for the project. My language choices are of course colored by my own experience, which includes 12 years of living in JP and sometimes drinking with crass/vulgar guys.
Anyway, it is a very good BL manga series, and I know its fans really love it. So I'm sorry if any of fans of the series didn't enjoy my translation of the film. I tried my best and translated it in the way the dialogue came off to me.
On that note, please don't search out those posts and try to argue with the fanbase. That wasn't my intention here. I just wanted to explain myself a little.
