'For now I'll just keep his head in my drawer at work.' by Kara
Friday, March 23, 2007 at 7:46 AM

Yesterday I was ranting with some fellow Anime-Classic sorts about my pet peeves in fansubbing.

1. '-san', '-chan', '-sama' and (on a different note) '-tachi.' If the characters are actually Japanese, it makes sense to have Japanese honorifics. But if it's an historical piece set in London, or a futuristic piece where all the characters are German, 'Smith-san' is a bit silly. By way of '-tachi,' how hard is it to say 'and the others' (or, as clumsy as it sounds 'and them')?

2. Bad idioms. Some things just don't translate, but with a little thought you can think of something that does. I try really hard, when I edit, to make things make sense in English. In one project I encountered a character calling someone 'megane-san.' In other shows I'd seen people translate this as 'Glasses-san' (or sometimes not even at all). I wonder who'll get annoyed at me translating it as 'four-eyes.'

3. Not translating things. I understand that a lot of people who watch fansubs know Japanese (like 'itadakimasu' and 'tadaima'), but have you ever seen a German or Italian (or even Chinese) film where they leave words as is because people who know German or Italian (or even Chinese) will get it? It's tacky. They may not be perfectly translatable, but it's possible to come close. (Another peeve is 'ganbatte' -- you can't get the exact sense of it in English, but I'm tired of seeing it left as is. One person suggested translating it as 'Don't suck,' but I'm not so sure.)

Okay.

Do you like rain?

First: Yes, watching from the window -- 17%
Second: Yes, I like playing in it! / Ugh -- 6%Third: Depends on type of rain / How rain tastes joke / Apathetic -- 4%

Uncreativity Award

-5 for song references.

Points

* 'Italy x Aya all the way!': +10, The Lounge

* 'Yes, better with someone else to play with and maybe steal a kiss from ^^': -100 for cutesy romance

* 'Yes, it makes me horny': ...... um. -5 until I figure out what to say.

* 'I love rain, but I live in a semi-arid climate so it hardly ever does. *sniff* ': +10 pity-points and a good old-fashioned Virginia downpour by airmail.

* 'I like it coming down, sunny days.': +15, sunshowers

*'I like rain of acidic origin - a good way to tell that it's time to help save the planet! It's also a stylish way to rid yourself of your enemies via "Act of God." ;)': +25 because it reminds me of this week's South Park

Correct Answer: 'When it rains, it pours. Barkeep, pour me another!'

If you can't tell from today's comic, the 'tween-stories fillers are gonna be a little mean.

If you have been, boo!