CHeSHiRe-CaT
A Curious Breed
I'm conceptualizing an idea for a fic in which I'd want to employ the use of the original Japanese names of towns, Pokémon, and various characters that are canon to the video game series in romanized form, i.e. Professor Okido vs. Professor Oak, Masara Town vs. Pallet Town, Lizardon vs. Charizard, etc. I want it to completely restart the series from scratch...a new, refreshing reinterpretation of the story from Red/Green/Blue that is based more upon Japanese customs and culture.
I'd like to gather different people's opinions on whether Japanese naming in a fic might inhibit or enhance the story's ability to appeal to a wider audience outside of those who are already used to Japanese naming; if it's just too alien, if it's interesting, if both English and Japanese names can be mixed, whatever. Just simply asking: What effect do you think Japanese naming in a Pokémon fic would have on most readers here in this forum? How does it affect you? Why do you think that is?
Don't just be a thread lurker and vote in the poll before walking away. Use your brain, think about your answer, and share it with us!
Some may say that popular preference for one derivation of names over another shouldn't be a deciding factor when it comes to how you want to write a Pokémon fic, and I agree. Regardless of whether or not it's popular, I still plan on going out of my way to detach myself from the English translation team's idea of Pokémon to explore how the Japanese originally interpreted it. It will alienate readers and make them feel as if they're at odds with a totally different culture. I want that to happen. What I'm trying to do at that point is encourage people to start pushing aside trivial things such as names to see the work for what it truly is: a good story with real, human characters that move it along. This is something anyone can relate to.
Names can be symbolic, play on the mechanics of a specific language, and strike different images in an individual reader's/speaker's head when they see it written or say it with their own two lips. By immersing myself and readers here that typically prefer the English names into this foreign world of Japanese language (wholly or partially is still being considered), I hope to expose us to a new way of looking at the world of Pokémon that is distinct from the one that we traditionally associate with Western images, puns, or ideas; a cultural exploration, if you will.
Just FYI, I voted for "I'm comfortable with it!" on the poll. While it is a language that I'm not entirely used to seeing, reading, or writing, I am open-minded about becoming accustomed to Japanese names used in stories written in English. I can apply this open-mindedness to reading other works that are translated directly from Japanese, which hold promise for some entertainment as well as insight on Japanese culture.
**EDIT** The issue involving Japanese naming and my fic idea has been resolved already, but feel free to comment on your feelings about Japanese naming in general.
I'd like to gather different people's opinions on whether Japanese naming in a fic might inhibit or enhance the story's ability to appeal to a wider audience outside of those who are already used to Japanese naming; if it's just too alien, if it's interesting, if both English and Japanese names can be mixed, whatever. Just simply asking: What effect do you think Japanese naming in a Pokémon fic would have on most readers here in this forum? How does it affect you? Why do you think that is?
Don't just be a thread lurker and vote in the poll before walking away. Use your brain, think about your answer, and share it with us!
Some may say that popular preference for one derivation of names over another shouldn't be a deciding factor when it comes to how you want to write a Pokémon fic, and I agree. Regardless of whether or not it's popular, I still plan on going out of my way to detach myself from the English translation team's idea of Pokémon to explore how the Japanese originally interpreted it. It will alienate readers and make them feel as if they're at odds with a totally different culture. I want that to happen. What I'm trying to do at that point is encourage people to start pushing aside trivial things such as names to see the work for what it truly is: a good story with real, human characters that move it along. This is something anyone can relate to.
Names can be symbolic, play on the mechanics of a specific language, and strike different images in an individual reader's/speaker's head when they see it written or say it with their own two lips. By immersing myself and readers here that typically prefer the English names into this foreign world of Japanese language (wholly or partially is still being considered), I hope to expose us to a new way of looking at the world of Pokémon that is distinct from the one that we traditionally associate with Western images, puns, or ideas; a cultural exploration, if you will.
Just FYI, I voted for "I'm comfortable with it!" on the poll. While it is a language that I'm not entirely used to seeing, reading, or writing, I am open-minded about becoming accustomed to Japanese names used in stories written in English. I can apply this open-mindedness to reading other works that are translated directly from Japanese, which hold promise for some entertainment as well as insight on Japanese culture.
**EDIT** The issue involving Japanese naming and my fic idea has been resolved already, but feel free to comment on your feelings about Japanese naming in general.
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