Copyright © Winston Jen August 28 2009
Translation Guidelines
- The ultimate goal is a natural, cohesive English translation that is easy to follow. As such, the peculiarities of both languages must be taken into account.
- A perfectly bilingual individual would tell you that almost everything can be translated perfectly between languages. Literal translations rarely work in all cases, and the hidden meaning must be understood by the translator. This doesn’t mean that the implicit meaning has to be spelled out for the audience every time – that would be silly, and insulting to the viewer.
- In cases where the perfect translation is not known, there is still a best translation based on the context and the available information.
- The following tips may not work for you. I encourage everyone to try and find the method that works best for them. This ideal method may also change as you mature and develop as a translator.
- I also strongly encourage anyone to add their own suggestions to this list in another colour.
- Empathy is a key component required to connect with characters and the original creator’s intent .
- Listen to an episode on endless repeat in the background and do something (such as Chessmaster or just surfing online) to relax. By the time you get to the actual translating, you’ll know most of the context.
- My preferred method of translating is to use scripts and subtitles as a last resort. Subtitles from a DVD are easy for me – it eliminates all ambiguity.
- Find the most comprehensive dictionary and thesaurus you can. In both languages if possible.
- Jot down the romaji. Even if you don’t pick up the entire line at once, it should still help considerably.
- Even the best translators will mishear a line now and then. This could be due to long vowel sounds in Japanese, and how each word is akin to a musical bar (with no changes to the tempo during the word). Some names will be spelled incorrectly in the Japanese scripts .
- The right and left brains must work together. My method entails using my right brain when I know exactly what the characters are talking about, and when there’s no new vocabulary. In other cases, I’ll jot down the romaji and look up the words before adapting it.
- Even without the script or the romaji, you can pinpoint a line based entirely on the context in some cases – sometimes, there is just nothing else a line could mean in a given context.
- Sometimes the best translation requires switching the word order. English and Japanese grammar are like night and day.
- Translating, like anything else, is best tackled when you are in the right mood for it. Yes, The Sims had it right! Endorphins increase productivity. The only side effect I’ve noticed is that you might be distracted by happy thoughts unrelated to the task at hand, but it’s still much more productive than slogging through something when you don’t want to. If you try to sleep if your biological clock’s out of whack, you’ll just make things worse.
- There’s no shame in coming back to a line later if you can’t get it just right straight away. It’s analogous to how some people see the answer to a logic puzzle a few days down the line. On a related note, it’s generally a good idea to leave notes in your scripts for TLCers and editors. This prevents confusion and aids inter-staff communication. I have attached some of my scripts as examples.
- It’s always a good idea to edit your script for spelling and grammatical mistakes a few days after the first draft. That brings a fresh set of eyes to it and reduces mistakes in the final product.
- To prevent burnout and/or boredom, rip the Japanese dub from an English movie and listen to that on endless repeat. CDJapan is a treasure trove of such fun timez.
- Translate from English to Japanese as a change of pace. If you like smut, try translating Rowan Atkinson’s No One Called Jones skit (available on YouTube). I left the names in their English alphabetical order for the sake of simplicity.
- If the particle “wa” is a shotgun, the particle “ga” is a laser.
- Even the Japanese forget about 50% of the kanji they learned in school. And no school sets the pass rate at 100%. So instead of learning kanji mandatory furigana should be implemented. I’ve learned about 50 kanji simply through furigana and using the context to narrow down the possible meanings. If a native speaker forgets what a kanji means, and there’s no furigana, their only recourses are to wait until they remember it, or use a dictionary. It’s akin to using an abacus instead of a supercomputer. It is also of no help in conversations. I have nothing against people learning kanji or Chinese for purely academic reasons, but to force children to learn it is a waste of their time.
- Avoid tautologies and repetition. The Japanese repeat words and phrases for emphasis, but that’s rare in English.
- “Remember that” = “Don’t forget that.”
- Eschew passive speech whenever possible. Narrations are one exception.
- Rhetorical questions can be adapted into direct statements.
- Some words like “hayaku” and “dakara” can be adapted nonverbally through punctuation marks.
- If the subject has been mentioned in a recent sentence, there is usually no need to reiterate it
- “Ii kara, hoka dakara.”
Homework Assignment (No Due Date)
Take the following phrases and write down all the possible natural English translations you can think of (ignoring the context). In other words, think of as many contexts as possible where these phrases could be used, and translate them into English. Add a short description of the context. Add any punctuation marks you deem necessary to the English translation or the original Japanese phrase that you deem fit. Try and get 50 lines total – that’s more useful than trying to get three or so per phrase.
“Kore wa…”
“Watashi kaeru.”
“Akogareru.” {Hint: Watch Only Yesterday with Ghibli’s official subtitles}
“Watashi ga sou omou.”
“Hai.”
“Doumo.”
“Yoshi!”
“Kansha shimasu.”
“Sonna…”
“Osaki ni!”
“Tsumaranai na.”
“Omoshiroi na.”
“Shou ga nai.”
“Boku ga sou omou.”
“Aa. Sonna kuso-samui noni naze horou shimen no da?” {Hint: Ralph Fiennes}
“Hisashi buri da ne.”
“Kono nioi…”
“Mattaku!”
“Kanarazu.”
“Moto no sekai ni kaerinasai!”
“Nande kou narun da yo?!”
“Nakayoku shitekure.”
“Ne…”
“Dakkan suru.”
“Hora. Itsumade naiteru no?”
“Aitsu no kachi da.”
“Mou sugu desu yo.”
“Kekkyoku.”
“Shuntensatsu”
“Attoiumani”
“Mochiron!”
“Oi! Kisama!”
“Maa, sore wa dou ka na?”
“Jijitsu wa jujitsu dakara.”
“Fujiwara-no-Kyokon.”
Sample Answers
“Kore wa…”
What is this?
What’s this?
What on Earth? {Rhetorical question – expresses shock and surprise, rather than inquiry}
This is…
“Watashi kaeru.”
I’m going home.
I’m leaving.
I’ll leave.
“Akogareru.” {Hint: Watch Only Yesterday with Ghibli’s official subtitles}
I look up to him/her/them/it.
I admire him/her/them/it.
I just prefer…
“Watashi ga sou omou.”
That’s what I think.
That’s how I feel.
That is how I see it. {Mind’s eye}
“Hai.”
Yes.
Right.
OK.
Coming!
Yes, ma’am.
Yes, sir.
“Doumo.”
“Yoshi!”
Good!
Yes!
Here goes…
Here goes! {For someone getting ready to confess their love, or something that requires courage}
“Kansha shimasu.”
“Sonna.”
You flatter me.
Oh, no.
Oh crap!
No fair!
You’ve gotta be kidding me!
“Osaki ni!”
See you at school/the party/home/work/lunch etc. Definitely NOT “I’m leaving first” as Tokyopoop did in Marmalade Boy.
“Tsumaranai na.”
“Omoshiroi na.”
“Shou ga nai.”
“Boku ga sou omou.”
“Aa. Sonna kuso-samui noni naze horou ”
Yeah, why is the top down? I’m fucking freezing.
“Hisashi buri da ne.”
“Kono nioi…”
“Mattaku!”
Bloody hell!
For heaven’s sake!
You can say that again.
No kidding.
That’s an understatement.
“Kanarazu.”
“Moto no sekai ni kaerinasai!”
“Nande kou narun da yo?!”
How did we get ourselves into this mess?
Why did it have to be this way?!
“Nakayoku shitekure.”
“Ne…”
“Dakkan suru.”
“Hora. Itsumade naiteru no?”
“Aitsu no kachi da.”
“Mou sugu desu yo.”
“Kekkyoku.”
“Shuntensatsu”
Instant Divine Slaying.
Suzuki ga Inai
Mou seishuku ni.
Namae wo yondara kotaete.
Ketsu-ana.
Ketsu-dorobo.
Oshiri.
Inkaku. Doko na no, inkaku?
Funben.
Kanchou.
Shiri no naka no kobushi.
Zeiki. Suman, seiki.
Houshin. Mada nokotteru ne.
Watashi wa baka. Watashi wa baka. Kanchou, kimi ga watashi wa baka wo shiteru ka?
Shasei.
Watashi no penisu. Watashi no penisu wo mita mono ga aru ka? Fuzakeruna, dare ka watashi no penisu wo mita deshou! Ii daro, watashi no chinko ga todokuto, tatakanaito.
Hayakute tanoshii sekusu.
Seme.
Inmou – aa, watashi no penisu. Kitekureta arigatou. Saa, kita node seki ni suwaritai deshou. Oshiri, watashi no chinko wo tsumekonde kure.
Kyuukutsu.
Roshiajin no tenkousei, kounaiseikou.
Semai na hameru.
Shiri no naka no dankon.
Sanranko.
Kimi no penisu.
Soshite jippa. Jippa? Kessekisha.
Sate, minna-san.
(TBC)
