Uh…just noticed something in the theme song… The ending theme, Fuyuzora no Kiseki (≈fl∂ı§Œµ∞¿◊) was translated into ‘Empty Tracks in Winter’.
Shouldn’t it be Tracks in the Winter Sky instead (Fuyuzora - Winter Sky / Kiseki - tracks)? Think the original was playing with words as well, since ‘miracle’ is also read ‘kiseki’ in Japanese…maybe, but probably not.
[This message has been edited by yyoshi (edited 05-25-2001).]
To Do A Comparison between an original Japanese song and its translation you could get Record of Lodoss War Vol.1 and Vol.3 soundtracks. Vol.1 has the Japanese version of Adesso e Fortuna (Flame and Eternity) and Vol.3 has an English version of the song. The interesting thing is what gets changed in translation to make the song work in English.
NOOOOOO!! (as Pedro in Excel Saga would say…) Not English versions of Japanese songs…X(
I know Kumiko’s going to complain, but I really couldn’t stand the english version of Rhapsody when I first heard it…too, uh, Disneyish…
Best to leave the song as they are and sub them instead. Don’t think you guys will ever want to hear the Mandarin versions of songs from the Disney flicks…like Jackie Chan (yes, THAT one) singing Beauty and the Beast.
If a title is being offered, seperately, both dubbed and subtitled, it is important to have English tracks available. Some people find subtitles distracting. Others are might not have a strong enough grasp of English to keep up with subtitles. It is important to consider them. If English tracks are not made available, those people would be missing out on a very important part of anime.
It is especially important with titles that revolve around idol singers. Fortunately, Viz and ADV (though I can only judge from Bubblegum Crisis 2040 - for ADV)seem to be doing very well dubbing thier music. I really wish Viz had released a dubbed soundtrack for Key the Metal Idol. My roommate owns it in English and KTEH broadcast it in English, so I’m use to the English tracks. As a result, the Japanese tracks sound a little odd. Of course, that didn’t keep me from buying Viz’s release of the Japanese soundtrack.
Guess it has something to do with being Asian too. We do have lots of anime dubbed in Mandarin here as well, and if you think they’re any better than the English ones too, you’re wrong. We still have Samurai X on TV (in English), but the last time they had every single anime on TV in English, the cable network got flooded with complaints. Might’ve been worst if someone actually redid an entire version of a song.
As for bishoujo games, a lot of my English-speaking friends do want an English-translated copy, but when it comes to the dubbing…well. Guess it’s a different perspective altogether depending on which side of the world you’re in.
Naturally no one idea should dominate others. We’re not in some Stalinist regime, and heaven forbids that too. Would be great for fans to debate over something like Snow Drop though till the cows come home. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but would still be great to be able to sit down later and think: ‘hey, that made sense too’.
uh…have to note that those aren’t my version of the lyrics kumiko… The Japanese text is exactly what you’d hear in the song, while the english ones that follow are translated (not intepreted) from the original lyrics.whether the translation as good as it should is one thing, but it’s a nasty feeling, mind you, to be made to feel like I’ve opened a can of worms just becuase I thought I’d shared that with players out there.