Vulgar translation

Visual Novel Community Archive, 2000-2009
#1

just out of curiosity, why is the english translation of tokimeki check in so course(sp?) ?

This has been a pet peeve of mine since i got my first translated Bishoujo game.

no respectable japanese girl would say half the things the subtitles would have us believe they where saying!

It really irritates me to hear the voice actress say “down there” and have the subtitles say “My pussy” or to see “motto” translated as “Give it to me!”

granted tokimeki check in isnt too bad in this respect (of course I’ve only gotten two of the endings so far)

my main gripe with check in is the translation of the main characters dialog… if it where to be translated back into japanese I’d swear he was Yakuza he certainly says “fuck” and “tits” alot.

admittedly I’m no master of japanese… that’s why i buy translated games, but i have trouble believing that so many characters talk like sailors.

the crudness of the dialog really detratcs from the script in my opinion…

if the character says “mune” translate it as "chest, “oppai” as “breasts” , and if hes says “puru-puru” or some other onomotopaiya(sp?) either just translate it into romanji or the nearest accurate english equivelent (ie. bouncy-bouncy)

anyway I know I’m kinda going off… but is seems sad to me that you put so much effort into translating these great games only to have the translation spoiled by a few misplaced words.

- josh
www.geocities.com/joshuamason4/

#2


Keep in mind it is localization not a translation.

#3

Erotica is damned difficult to write in elegant fashion.

Of course, I find the love confessions more erotic than the H-CG anyway. Different strokes and all that.

#4

well I’d rather have a translation than a “Localization” If I liked the local concept of “erotica” I wouldn’t play Bishoujo games (well maybe I would :stuck_out_tongue: but you understand my point I’m sure)

I wish I had the Japanese script… I’d love to take a crack at translating it the way I have in mind. (people who work at Peapri… please don’t take offense I love your games and I appreciate your efforts, I suppose these are just my fanatical tendencies showing :stuck_out_tongue: )

#5

ok, i’ll start taking notes…

i’ve got about 4 years of college level japanese (admittedly i dont remember most of it) but I guess it’s been enough to change my brain around a bit… becaus literal japanese translation makes sense to me

you’re right though … compared to most games from jast… or himeya… etc Tokimeki is very well translated

and I’ve gotto admit… that the dialog matches up prety well for the most part…
as i said before i’m probably just obsessing over irrelivant details

I tend to watch/ read very cutesy things in japanese so i guss i’m just used to a softer sound.

#6

I wish to make a remark about what I had thought was a bad translation in Snow Drop.
In the Kyoka path, She refers to her breasts as “Boobs”, I thought this term was out of character for her. I do not see a uptight girl like Kyoka using that term for her breasts(also the fact that she was also the only virgin in the game). I could see her sister Keika using that term but not Kyoka. I also see it as a guy term, I think Minoru used it in the gondola when he fell on her and grabbed them. But I thought that it was out of place on Kyoka.

#7
quote:
Originally posted by PJR:
I wish to make a remark about what I had thought was a bad translation in Snow Drop.
In the Kyoka path, She refers to her breasts as "Boobs", I thought this term was out of character for her. I do not see a uptight girl like Kyoka using that term for her breasts(also the fact that she was also the only virgin in the game). I could see her sister Keika using that term but not Kyoka. I also see it as a guy term, I think Minoru used it in the gondola when he fell on her and grabbed them. But I thought that it was out of place on Kyoka.

I didn't get that at all. Kyoka being the least "lady-like" of the women in the game, might use that term to refer to her breasts, because unlike Keika, she's uncomfortable with her own sexuality (at least that was the impression I got) so she might refer to her own breasts as "boobs" as a way to keep her from dealing with it.

#8
quote:
Originally posted by Nobody:
It is even more difficult when one takes into account the differences between Japanese and English. As Miss Kumiko mentioned, Japanese is very respectful and indirect. English is much more course and direct.

Or, for instance, the many ways Japanese has to refer to oneself... I always wondered how you could elegantly in English convey the difference between a girl who would refer to herself by using "watashi", "atashi", "boku" or by using third person! [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

#9

dont forget Watakushi (for you princess types :stuck_out_tongue:

#10

yeak… and boku (up til recently) was only for boys… and anyone could use watashi… that wasn’t my point :stuck_out_tongue:

we’re talking about shoujo games so we’ll probly hear this stuff mostly from cute girls… (unless a REALLY stuckup guy appears…)

anyway i hafta go do my chinese homework now :stuck_out_tongue:

#11