Hi, lovelies! Before you leave your impassioned comment on how I should translate things more literally and leave chan, san, etc. in, do watch my video on why I localize as I explain the reason in more detail there. th-cam.com/video/V6weUDdg1G4/w-d-xo.html Also, forgot to mention it in this particular video, but the Japanese companies for whom I translate also request localized translations from me. I personally prefer localized translations myself, so that makes things easier for me, but even if I did try to go against the grain and make things more literal, I would be coached/corrected by my project manager (this has happened before) and/or the editor/s would simply remove my chans, sans, samas, etc. I don't have full artistic control over the product, nor should I.
No, you make your point very well. Replacing "chan" with an english equivalent for example. That's what makes you a good localizer. You're still functionally "Translating" it faithfully, just making the context easier for non-Japanese followers. 👍
By the way, when translating dialogue, the most important thing is not to make it sound how a real-life speak of the translated language would say in that situation, but to _make the meaning of the original text as understandable as possible._ Your "chopped liver" example certainly was not that, Sarah Moon, whereas the literal translation "Hey! I'm your best friend, why are you ignoring me?" was. Thus, "localizing" text is not always the most sensible choice.
My ultimate goal is actually to delve into Localization, so this was extremely helpful. Just subscribed as a matter of fact! Would you be interested in doing more of these videos? They’re super fascinating.
Sarah K. 😂 Omg no, now I feel stupid, I mean relating directly to localization, with examples from past scripts! Comparisons to direct translations and stuff! That’s my bad for not explaining more, I’m sorry.
As a Japanese learner, It's impressive to see someone become proficient enough in the language to be able to translate it. Awesome job! I personally think it's required to take away "san" and "chan" and change words and some sentences to make it natural and/or understood in English. What I disagree with, however, is heavy localization (culturalization) in which a Japanese game is tainted in "Western" culture in its English version. When they decide to change the characters' personalities to make them more appealing and/or more relatable to American audiences. For example, when they change a quiet, stoic yet fierce character into a loud and sassy character in English because apparently, English speakers can't understand, appreciate or relate to calm and stoic personality traits that are seen as a virtue in Japan. I think it's quite patronizing to English speakers and it also sucks because it denatures a character. Oftentimes it comes from a lack of direction or communication of the intent from the director to the English VA; they're just given a script that can be read and interpreted different ways so it's not their fault at all. With that said, I always play the games in Japanese lol but I just thought I'd say my opinion on this issue. I also haven't watched your video yet so my comment is not aimed at you but just a general opinion.
@@PrettyTranslatorSarahMoon You're absolutely right! I realize I'm off topic as I was mainly thinking about dubs lol😅 English subs are way better indeed. Most of the time, when I see subs that alter or even completely change what the person is saying, I think it usually comes from a direction issue. I watch Terrace House for example and producers are known to love pushing narratives...and lately the English subs have been giving a negative connotation to what the person said; it denatures their words, it gives the words meaning and intentions that were not there to start with! I just don't like when translations take liberties to change a person or a character's intentions basically. Of course I'm not talking about translations in general but I rather needed to vent about the few I found that do it constantly. I have no friends so I come on youtube to vent😂 anyway I'm done with my off-topic comments, thanks for the video you do a great job💪
Thanks for your insight into the thought process of localizing. It's quite a bit different from literal translation. I enjoyed learning about your style of localizing!
Like your videos, especially with you pretty much doing the translation in a style you prefer. I guess I would choose wording differently, especially stuff that might maybe even be .. say "too localized" - as with this "chopped liver". Would like it in a western setting. Couldn't help but think of it as weird in a Japanese one. However, that is me, knowing about Japanese culture and Language.
This was a highlight of a section that I localized quite heavily. Most of my translations are not this localized. It (localization) tends to come out more when I'm dealing with humor.
I respect this video in educating people on localization...i also respect that you made me realized how simple English is that words have synonyms based on "emotional tone" and meaning.and how difficult that makes it to learn a certain language like Japanese that not only has different tones but words that have different definitions based on both tone and situation. Edit: does that make sense because I had a hard time translating my thoughts.
I enjoyed this video a lot! You localize much heavier than me but I definitely agree with all your choices, it takes a lot of skill to come up with these non-literal and very natural sounding translations. The only thing I would NG in your translation is "You suck!" because the main company I translate doesn't allow this phrase ('Could be interpreted sexually') and also doesn't allow "How lame," claiming it's prejudiced against people with physical disabilities. This company is super strict :( They also have a no-suffixes policy, as do literally every company and client I've translated games for! My own oppinion on suffexes is a bit mixed, but I'm not getting paid to have my own oppinion on the topic of suffixes, I'm paid to translate and localize in accordance with the guidelines of the person signing my paycheck.
Yeah, the "lame" link to mocking people with disabilities is usually ignored in America at least, but that's why I went with "lame!" instead of "you suck!" in the original translation - I'm pretty sure my company would nix "suck" too. I'm allowed, like, one "damn" or "you bastard" per project. 😂
@@the-birbo bro, lame isn't a slur, it is just a derogatory term and what I mean is if the character who says it is in fact being derogatory then it's appropriate to use it
this is wonderful, I am applying for a Spanish LQA job in Japan and I don't have experience different than as a translator, this helped a lot to understand what they expect!
What a great video! I've studied some languages and I admire and appreciate people who think about it, and think hard about it. The conclusions you reach are interesting, but not as interesting to me as just knowing that there's someone out there -- in the career field -- who thinks about it very seriously, and gives it earnest thought. If poetry is what gets lost in translation, it seems to me you're maintaining a lot of the poetry of the original. Thanks for making this!
The problem with localisation is that we the viewer want to experience Japanese culture and mannerisms. By localising it, it becomes generic boring English. This is the reason people watch with fan subtitles and go out of their way to undub games.
You're a minority. Most people just want to experience a good game or show, they don't care about what country it comes from. What you're thinking of also introduces an influx of issues with lost aspects due to large cultural differences, extremely watered down lines (more than localization does) and the loss of the flare of the Japanese words. Fan subs are extremely cringeworthy too lmao. Bad localizations definitely exist, but the majority of the time, they're infinitely better than crappy fan translations.
@@slopernafti902they watch dub, 'dubtitles' are trash and majority of the time are not good. They change easy basic words on top of not even trying to get the meaning across. In the end it's your argument falling apart by your own words. The majority do not care, ignorance is bliss, so there is no reason to not put effort in the localization unless they don't care about quality, which 20+ years of this shows they don't. And there are ways to find good fansubs, especially with easy access things like discord and reddit nowadays, it's just that you don't care to look. Fansubs have more of a competition than official subs. Companies simply outsource and put their blind faith in 'official/professional' teams/ppl because they could almost care less. Untill it gradually gets worse which has been happening recently with anime/manga to the point mangaka got mad.
@@XFR18 Okay, I can only disagree. I actually have looked. Using the "ignorance bliss" card when facing disagreement doesn't strengthen one's own argument. And I don't know where you get this idea they aren't the same in meaning. It deffo happens, but it isn't as common as my opposition is suggesting. And when it does, the meaning is usually pretty much the same if it isn't being changed for cultural equivalents. Fansubs are often too literal and if anything, it makes the dialogue awkward to understand.
@@slopernafti902 name one fansubs group or type the first letter of the main anime Torrent site. (I've had bad luck giving out names to pirate sites) Ignorance is bliss meaning the 'majority' do not know or care about quality translation/localizations, so with that, the only reason not to have quality subs is lack of skill/creativity, laziness, incompetance. You destroy your own argument again 'ignorance is bliss card doesn't strengthen argument', but then you do exactly what you criticized that misinterpreted point for. "oh but if it's bad, it's not that bad". So you're just going move a basically undefined goal post? Either you think quality matters or not, seems like you don't, and those that do will argue, meaning a never ending 'trash' debate that happens whenever this topic is brought up, when it should be as simple as giving quality. If they did, this argument/debate wouldn't exist every other jrpg/Crunchyroll sub release. I'll give a recent example. I watched 86 Crunchyroll subbed, EP 1 MC friend calls MC ojousama as MC was yapping about justice and virtue w/e, which ties into her character immensely and builds the world for what happens later in the show. What they used instead was just "right, right". They misinterpreted the whole point of that interaction, again though either you care about quality and or even respect for the source material (which is giving these ppl jobs) or you don't care about quality.
Hey, Can I have some advice? So basically my general Japanese pronunciation is really good but I'm having SO much trouble with pitch accent. Any advice?
Omitting chan is a big no no, I mean, 99% of 乙女ゲーム players are weebs and fujoshi, so they completely understand and MOST LIKELY want to be called with chan LOL
Haha. I didn't mention it in the video, but I'm specifically instructed to leave out things like "chan" and "san", etc. Even if I left them in, the editors would remove them.
From an outside perspective, it seems like it would depend on whether they're looking to address the existing weeb market, which has an attachment to untranslated honorifics, or trying to market to a broader demo of ordinary English-speaking women. The latter I think is also somewhat preselected by the software platform choice: an otome game in browsers or phones may have broader market access than an installable PC otome game.
I like localizing when the original is being totally replaced by the translation, like with a dub or manga/game translation. I do like more literal translations in subs though, because the performers create the tone with their acting choices and I can get a feel for some of the flow and culture of the language.
I was wondering about asking questions. If adding か at the end makes it a question, or の makes it a question in a feminine tone, what is your take of のか? (Not if a word is ending with の, I mean as a sentence ender.)
If a sentence ends in の, there's almost always implied particles/characters that come after it, but are omitted. しんじてるの。([well/because] I believe!) is short for しんじてるのです or しんじてるんです。whereas しんじてるの ? (do you [really] believe?) is short for しんじてるのですか・しんじてるんですか。So, しんじてるのか。is also usually short for しんじてるのですか・しんじてるんですか. The main difference is more in vocal inflection and emotion. Ending a question in のか usually sounds calmer/more mature than ending it in の.
In my impression のか sounds slightly rough/harsh and manly. The の grammatically summarizes the entire sentence into a noun, and the か makes it a question. For example my husband often says to our son マダ食べるのか?! which to be super-literal means 'You're (the state of) continuing to eat more?!'
@@NeverBreakXPact Yeah, I think it all depends on tone... のか is definitely more mature-sounding (or, like the speaker is talking down to the listener) but I have heard it used sweetly as well...then again, it's sometimes のかい？when it's softer so idk.
Hello Sarah. My name is Tom. I represent a major American video game studio that is looking to hire a localization expert to help distribute and market their games in Japan. The position is located in central Tokyo. Is there any way I can get into contact with you (LinkedIn etc.) to share the job details with you? Please contact me privately if you are interested.
Sarah K. It’s an on going joke. I was obviously exaggerating. Everytime I watch anything with subs on Netflix the translation is hella off. I was just giving way to an example. It is pretty bad for Naruto though depending where you watch it.
Localization is by far superior. Take Spanish for example. The way you would say "bad ass" in Spanish is not remotely similar to the English words. Using the literal words would be like saying "not good but" in Spanish if you did say "a La madre" (to your mother) its understood in the culture you mean "bad ass"-really cool -.
Hi, lovelies! Before you leave your impassioned comment on how I should translate things more literally and leave chan, san, etc. in, do watch my video on why I localize as I explain the reason in more detail there. th-cam.com/video/V6weUDdg1G4/w-d-xo.html Also, forgot to mention it in this particular video, but the Japanese companies for whom I translate also request localized translations from me. I personally prefer localized translations myself, so that makes things easier for me, but even if I did try to go against the grain and make things more literal, I would be coached/corrected by my project manager (this has happened before) and/or the editor/s would simply remove my chans, sans, samas, etc. I don't have full artistic control over the product, nor should I.
No, you make your point very well. Replacing "chan" with an english equivalent for example.
That's what makes you a good localizer. You're still functionally "Translating" it faithfully, just making the context easier for non-Japanese followers.
👍
dont care, translate it literally
By the way, when translating dialogue, the most important thing is not to make it sound how a real-life speak of the translated language would say in that situation, but to _make the meaning of the original text as understandable as possible._ Your "chopped liver" example certainly was not that, Sarah Moon, whereas the literal translation "Hey! I'm your best friend, why are you ignoring me?" was. Thus, "localizing" text is not always the most sensible choice.
another reason why ai should take your job
My ultimate goal is actually to delve into Localization, so this was extremely helpful. Just subscribed as a matter of fact! Would you be interested in doing more of these videos? They’re super fascinating.
That's the plan. I have like, 400 videos on this channel already. 😂
Sarah K. 😂 Omg no, now I feel stupid, I mean relating directly to localization, with examples from past scripts! Comparisons to direct translations and stuff! That’s my bad for not explaining more, I’m sorry.
As a Japanese learner, It's impressive to see someone become proficient enough in the language to be able to translate it. Awesome job! I personally think it's required to take away "san" and "chan" and change words and some sentences to make it natural and/or understood in English. What I disagree with, however, is heavy localization (culturalization) in which a Japanese game is tainted in "Western" culture in its English version. When they decide to change the characters' personalities to make them more appealing and/or more relatable to American audiences. For example, when they change a quiet, stoic yet fierce character into a loud and sassy character in English because apparently, English speakers can't understand, appreciate or relate to calm and stoic personality traits that are seen as a virtue in Japan. I think it's quite patronizing to English speakers and it also sucks because it denatures a character. Oftentimes it comes from a lack of direction or communication of the intent from the director to the English VA; they're just given a script that can be read and interpreted different ways so it's not their fault at all. With that said, I always play the games in Japanese lol but I just thought I'd say my opinion on this issue. I also haven't watched your video yet so my comment is not aimed at you but just a general opinion.
Most severe localization changes are found in dubs, which can give localization a bad name. Sailor Moon's DiC dub scarred me for a while, so I get it.
@@PrettyTranslatorSarahMoon You're absolutely right! I realize I'm off topic as I was mainly thinking about dubs lol😅 English subs are way better indeed. Most of the time, when I see subs that alter or even completely change what the person is saying, I think it usually comes from a direction issue. I watch Terrace House for example and producers are known to love pushing narratives...and lately the English subs have been giving a negative connotation to what the person said; it denatures their words, it gives the words meaning and intentions that were not there to start with! I just don't like when translations take liberties to change a person or a character's intentions basically. Of course I'm not talking about translations in general but I rather needed to vent about the few I found that do it constantly. I have no friends so I come on youtube to vent😂 anyway I'm done with my off-topic comments, thanks for the video you do a great job💪
Great video. Learned a lot. Thank you!
Thanks for your insight into the thought process of localizing. It's quite a bit different from literal translation. I enjoyed learning about your style of localizing!
「ちょっと！」 Reads like “Hol' up!” sometimes, but that's a tough one to write.
i kinda thought this too, i assumed it was a shortening of ちょっと待って
if you translate ちょっと as "hol up" i will slit you
Thanks for explaining わけ! I always see it but have no idea how to make sense of it in my head so I've just been ignoring it! Anyways, happy new year!
Like your videos, especially with you pretty much doing the translation in a style you prefer. I guess I would choose wording differently, especially stuff that might maybe even be .. say "too localized" - as with this "chopped liver". Would like it in a western setting. Couldn't help but think of it as weird in a Japanese one. However, that is me, knowing about Japanese culture and Language.
This was a highlight of a section that I localized quite heavily. Most of my translations are not this localized. It (localization) tends to come out more when I'm dealing with humor.
Watching your videos makes me want to become a translator. Let's see if 2020 starts to make it a reality.
Another Great Video. Keep it up!
I respect this video in educating people on localization...i also respect that you made me realized how simple English is that words have synonyms based on "emotional tone" and meaning.and how difficult that makes it to learn a certain language like Japanese that not only has different tones but words that have different definitions based on both tone and situation.
Edit: does that make sense because I had a hard time translating my thoughts.
I enjoyed this video a lot! You localize much heavier than me but I definitely agree with all your choices, it takes a lot of skill to come up with these non-literal and very natural sounding translations. The only thing I would NG in your translation is "You suck!" because the main company I translate doesn't allow this phrase ('Could be interpreted sexually') and also doesn't allow "How lame," claiming it's prejudiced against people with physical disabilities. This company is super strict :( They also have a no-suffixes policy, as do literally every company and client I've translated games for! My own oppinion on suffexes is a bit mixed, but I'm not getting paid to have my own oppinion on the topic of suffixes, I'm paid to translate and localize in accordance with the guidelines of the person signing my paycheck.
Yeah, the "lame" link to mocking people with disabilities is usually ignored in America at least, but that's why I went with "lame!" instead of "you suck!" in the original translation - I'm pretty sure my company would nix "suck" too. I'm allowed, like, one "damn" or "you bastard" per project. 😂
I think it's good when companies don't allow slurs and harmful language in their projects 👁👄👁
@@the-birbo Depends on how much it changes/alters the true meaning/nuance of what's being said
@@ProfessionalSeaOfTeaSwimmer not you arguing in favor of using slurs 🤪 yuck
@@the-birbo bro, lame isn't a slur, it is just a derogatory term and what I mean is if the character who says it is in fact being derogatory then it's appropriate to use it
this is wonderful, I am applying for a Spanish LQA job in Japan and I don't have experience different than as a translator, this helped a lot to understand what they expect!
What a great video! I've studied some languages and I admire and appreciate people who think about it, and think hard about it.
The conclusions you reach are interesting, but not as interesting to me as just knowing that there's someone out there -- in the career field -- who thinks about it very seriously, and gives it earnest thought. If poetry is what gets lost in translation, it seems to me you're maintaining a lot of the poetry of the original.
Thanks for making this!
Loved this.
The problem with localisation is that we the viewer want to experience Japanese culture and mannerisms. By localising it, it becomes generic boring English. This is the reason people watch with fan subtitles and go out of their way to undub games.
That’s Americanization imo, not localisation.
You're a minority. Most people just want to experience a good game or show, they don't care about what country it comes from.
What you're thinking of also introduces an influx of issues with lost aspects due to large cultural differences, extremely watered down lines (more than localization does) and the loss of the flare of the Japanese words. Fan subs are extremely cringeworthy too lmao.
Bad localizations definitely exist, but the majority of the time, they're infinitely better than crappy fan translations.
@@slopernafti902they watch dub, 'dubtitles' are trash and majority of the time are not good. They change easy basic words on top of not even trying to get the meaning across.
In the end it's your argument falling apart by your own words. The majority do not care, ignorance is bliss, so there is no reason to not put effort in the localization unless they don't care about quality, which 20+ years of this shows they don't.
And there are ways to find good fansubs, especially with easy access things like discord and reddit nowadays, it's just that you don't care to look.
Fansubs have more of a competition than official subs. Companies simply outsource and put their blind faith in 'official/professional' teams/ppl because they could almost care less.
Untill it gradually gets worse which has been happening recently with anime/manga to the point mangaka got mad.
@@XFR18
Okay, I can only disagree. I actually have looked. Using the "ignorance bliss" card when facing disagreement doesn't strengthen one's own argument. And I don't know where you get this idea they aren't the same in meaning. It deffo happens, but it isn't as common as my opposition is suggesting. And when it does, the meaning is usually pretty much the same if it isn't being changed for cultural equivalents. Fansubs are often too literal and if anything, it makes the dialogue awkward to understand.
@@slopernafti902 name one fansubs group or type the first letter of the main anime Torrent site. (I've had bad luck giving out names to pirate sites)
Ignorance is bliss meaning the 'majority' do not know or care about quality translation/localizations, so with that, the only reason not to have quality subs is lack of skill/creativity, laziness, incompetance.
You destroy your own argument again 'ignorance is bliss card doesn't strengthen argument', but then you do exactly what you criticized that misinterpreted point for. "oh but if it's bad, it's not that bad". So you're just going move a basically undefined goal post?
Either you think quality matters or not, seems like you don't, and those that do will argue, meaning a never ending 'trash' debate that happens whenever this topic is brought up, when it should be as simple as giving quality. If they did, this argument/debate wouldn't exist every other jrpg/Crunchyroll sub release.
I'll give a recent example. I watched 86 Crunchyroll subbed, EP 1 MC friend calls MC ojousama as MC was yapping about justice and virtue w/e, which ties into her character immensely and builds the world for what happens later in the show. What they used instead was just "right, right".
They misinterpreted the whole point of that interaction, again though either you care about quality and or even respect for the source material (which is giving these ppl jobs) or you don't care about quality.
Hey, Can I have some advice? So basically my general Japanese pronunciation is really good but I'm having SO much trouble with pitch accent. Any advice?
Listen to native speakers and try to mimic exactly how they sound, basically.
@@PrettyTranslatorSarahMoon Thanks!
What schools offer translation and interpretation for mandarin. Is there an age limit to getting in the field
I am currently learning mandarin
I have absolutely no idea.
Omitting chan is a big no no, I mean, 99% of 乙女ゲーム players are weebs and fujoshi, so they completely understand and MOST LIKELY want to be called with chan LOL
Haha. I didn't mention it in the video, but I'm specifically instructed to leave out things like "chan" and "san", etc. Even if I left them in, the editors would remove them.
I dont think appropriating and romanticizing a cultural is the same thing as "completely understanding" a culture. Like at all.
From an outside perspective, it seems like it would depend on whether they're looking to address the existing weeb market, which has an attachment to untranslated honorifics, or trying to market to a broader demo of ordinary English-speaking women.
The latter I think is also somewhat preselected by the software platform choice: an otome game in browsers or phones may have broader market access than an installable PC otome game.
I LOVE the way you localize it's pretty creative! If I do end up succeeding with Japanese in the future I'd love to translate the same way as you!
I like localizing when the original is being totally replaced by the translation, like with a dub or manga/game translation. I do like more literal translations in subs though, because the performers create the tone with their acting choices and I can get a feel for some of the flow and culture of the language.
I was wondering about asking questions.
If adding か at the end makes it a question, or の makes it a question in a feminine tone, what is your take of のか? (Not if a word is ending with の, I mean as a sentence ender.)
If a sentence ends in の, there's almost always implied particles/characters that come after it, but are omitted. しんじてるの。([well/because] I believe!) is short for しんじてるのです or しんじてるんです。whereas しんじてるの ? (do you [really] believe?) is short for しんじてるのですか・しんじてるんですか。So, しんじてるのか。is also usually short for しんじてるのですか・しんじてるんですか. The main difference is more in vocal inflection and emotion. Ending a question in のか usually sounds calmer/more mature than ending it in の.
In my impression のか sounds slightly rough/harsh and manly. The の grammatically summarizes the entire sentence into a noun, and the か makes it a question. For example my husband often says to our son マダ食べるのか?! which to be super-literal means 'You're (the state of) continuing to eat more?!'
@@NeverBreakXPact Yeah, I think it all depends on tone... のか is definitely more mature-sounding (or, like the speaker is talking down to the listener) but I have heard it used sweetly as well...then again, it's sometimes のかい？when it's softer so idk.
I think that I am stupid.....
I watched this video 3 times.....more confusing than first time....
What the shit is happening with human race??
Hello Sarah. My name is Tom. I represent a major American video game studio that is looking to hire a localization expert to help distribute and market their games in Japan. The position is located in central Tokyo. Is there any way I can get into contact with you (LinkedIn etc.) to share the job details with you? Please contact me privately if you are interested.
Hopefully more of you can stop writing subs as Saucegay instead of Sasuke 😂😂😂
Whaaaat? Where did this happen?
Sarah K.
It’s an on going joke. I was obviously exaggerating. Everytime I watch anything with subs on Netflix the translation is hella off. I was just giving way to an example.
It is pretty bad for Naruto though depending where you watch it.
Localization is by far superior. Take Spanish for example. The way you would say "bad ass" in Spanish is not remotely similar to the English words. Using the literal words would be like saying "not good but" in Spanish if you did say "a La madre" (to your mother) its understood in the culture you mean "bad ass"-really cool -.