Fruits Basket, chapter 108 -- non spoilery
Apr. 4th, 2006 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockChapter 108 of Furuba is up at stoptazmo.com.
I liked it, but reading highlighted one of the things that's been bugging me about the last few volumes in scanlations-- they're hard to understand. I can barely ever tell who's saying which thought bubble, and the sentences often aren't complete sentences or whole thoughts. Nearly every sentence is fragmented or jumps around. It's getting so bad that I'm almost certain it's a translation problem, not a writing problem. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be this bad if read in native Japanese.
It's making me consider going back to the purchased volumes again, because at least the translators would attempt to use complete English statements. Although I've mostly read the scanlations for the last five volumes because of timeliness, it takes so long for a chapter to come out these days, and I already avoid ff.net spoilers like the plague, so what do I care? While there might be infintessimal differences in how dialogue makes a scene read in English or Japanese, I have no guarantee that the scanlation gives any more accurate a translation than the professional translation done by Tokyopop.
I've put up with the fragmentation of dialogue for a long time now, but this chapter is almost breaking point for me. I think there was one statement from Shigure's speech bubbles that was a complete sentence in the conversation with Tohru. I reread it a few times and it still doesn't make sense to me. I get the gist of the conversation, but if I wanted to settle for "the gist" of what's going on I'd read the fucking chapter summaries. The only reason I wait so dilligently for the chapter scanlations is the promise of details. But it's getting downright annoying and I'm about ready to throw my hands in the air and say "fuck it" and buy them.
If the kind of grammar used in these scanlations were to be in a fanfic, I would've pitched that fic in the trash bin four volumes ago.
I liked it, but reading highlighted one of the things that's been bugging me about the last few volumes in scanlations-- they're hard to understand. I can barely ever tell who's saying which thought bubble, and the sentences often aren't complete sentences or whole thoughts. Nearly every sentence is fragmented or jumps around. It's getting so bad that I'm almost certain it's a translation problem, not a writing problem. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be this bad if read in native Japanese.
It's making me consider going back to the purchased volumes again, because at least the translators would attempt to use complete English statements. Although I've mostly read the scanlations for the last five volumes because of timeliness, it takes so long for a chapter to come out these days, and I already avoid ff.net spoilers like the plague, so what do I care? While there might be infintessimal differences in how dialogue makes a scene read in English or Japanese, I have no guarantee that the scanlation gives any more accurate a translation than the professional translation done by Tokyopop.
I've put up with the fragmentation of dialogue for a long time now, but this chapter is almost breaking point for me. I think there was one statement from Shigure's speech bubbles that was a complete sentence in the conversation with Tohru. I reread it a few times and it still doesn't make sense to me. I get the gist of the conversation, but if I wanted to settle for "the gist" of what's going on I'd read the fucking chapter summaries. The only reason I wait so dilligently for the chapter scanlations is the promise of details. But it's getting downright annoying and I'm about ready to throw my hands in the air and say "fuck it" and buy them.
If the kind of grammar used in these scanlations were to be in a fanfic, I would've pitched that fic in the trash bin four volumes ago.
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Date: 2006-04-05 12:43 am (UTC)(This hasn't always been true, but these days I think most official translations are better than most fan translation, just in the writing quality and transmission of nuance. Of course, they are also much more Americanized; for some people it's a question of taste.)
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Date: 2006-04-05 12:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-05 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-05 02:34 am (UTC)That's what I expected. Frankly, this series is too smart to have the problem be with the material. I can tell that much.
Thanks for the link. I remember reading that article a long time ago. At this point I'll take slightly-altered-Shigure over nonsensical-gibberish-Shigure.
(This hasn't always been true, but these days I think most official translations are better than most fan translation, just in the writing quality and transmission of nuance. Of course, they are also much more Americanized; for some people it's a question of taste.)
I've always been of the opinion that a professional translator probably knows more about nuance and diction than a fan translator, but that was balanced by the "Americanizing" that can happen. However, given the state of the anime/manga industry in America today, and given what I see in most dubs produced in the last three years... I think the tendency to "Americanize" has really lessened/improved. Mostly I've noticed this in dubs, but I've seen some of it in manga too. Character names are changed less and if they are there's usually a pertinant reason (Ahiru>>Duck in Princess Tutu anime, for example), and Japanese terms get used a lot more (I've seen this in Naruto and Blade of the Immortal.) So right now, Americanization doesn't particularly make me feel worried.
I think I'll just have to find a Barnes & Noble and park myself in a chair and reread volumes 10-13 or something.