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Poll: Japanese Naming in Fic

How do you generally feel about Japanese names being used in English Pokémon fics?

  • It's wonderful!

    Votes: 2 4.7%
  • I'm comfortable with it!

    Votes: 22 51.2%
  • Meh. Whatever.

    Votes: 7 16.3%
  • I'm not so comfortable with it.

    Votes: 5 11.6%
  • Absolutely do not like it.

    Votes: 7 16.3%

  • Total voters
    43
  • Poll closed .

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.
 
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SapphireRose

Morning☼Sun
I am not familiar with the Japanese names of ANYTHING, so that factor in a fic would turn me off and I would not continue reading it.

Short response, but meh.

~blue
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
I am not familiar with the Japanese names of ANYTHING, so that factor in a fic would turn me off and I would not continue reading it.

Short response, but meh.

~blue
Really, it's better than voting and walking away. *shrugs* I'm not familiar with most Japanese names either, so I understand where you're coming from. You didn't really explain, though. Do you think it turns you off because you're so used to the English names that you don't want to figure out what all the Japanese names translate to? Or because the sound/feel of the language is just too different from the language that you write/speak?

Okay, let's say you're just accustomed to the English names and don't want to translate all the Japanese. Why should you? There's already a name for it in English. But imagine this: I post a fic that is supposed to be a remake of the story from Pokémon Red/Green/Blue. Not just any remake, mind you, but an incredibly detailed, interesting, and creative reinterpretation of the game. Now pretend it's a completely original story; never been written or created before. Pretend there was no Pokémon Red/Green/Blue game to base it off of. It's not an adaptation of a game. It's totally new.

Now, let's say you're starting from scratch. You don't know what the story's all about, or what the names for all the places, people, and Pokémon are. You haven't even read it yet! As you read it, imagine you're learning the names of places, things, and people for the first time, as if you would while reading a brand new story you found at the library or a bookstore. The story describes who/what the people/things are and therefore attaches meanings to their names. Do you think the Japanese matters now?

When reading Harry Potter for the first time, I was really unaccustomed to seeing all the different sorts of names of characters and spells from languages I didn't know, like Latin, Greek, or French. They were hard to pronounce. They were strange to me. And yet, here Harry Potter stands as one of the most successful literary series in history! Much of that success is owed to the fact that a ton of people from the U.S., including me, like the books and buy them! J.K. Rowling chose these names specifically for their meanings and the way they could transform a character by adding a subtle amount of depth to their personality. She didn't care if you came from a country where Latin-based names weren't the norm. She made a cast of original, interesting characters, places, and things whose names we remember by repetition and associating them with portraits of their looks and behavior.

Sometimes, names are more than just identifying someone or something with a distinct appearance and personality. Take Remus J. Lupin, former professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts class, for example. He's a werewolf. To draw this connection between his name and one of his traits, the author chose to do the following:

Harry Potter Wiki said:
The name "Remus" comes from the brothers Romulus and Remus, the legendary brothers who fought in their adulthood, and of whom Romulus became the founder of Rome, who were cared for by wolves.

"Lupin", is derived from "lupus(a)", Latin for "wolf". Lupin thus means "wolflike" in Latin, and is also the name of a flower. Canis Lupus is the scientific name for wolf. To be described as "lupine" means to "resemble a wolf."

See how that suddenly becomes cool? The dude's basically named by Latin words that relate to wolves! And he's a werewolf!

What if you were reading this fic like you were reading Harry Potter? I know a lot of people here have read Harry Potter. If you have, then you must have some tolerance for reading foreign words. Even if a good deal of the ones from the HP books come from Latin, a huge source of English words, it's the core of that tolerance, the idea of being open to strange, new things, that allows you to read something like this fic.

You managed to get through Harry Potter just fine, and you even know a whole list of characters with weird names by heart. Why not take a step further and adapt to other foreign names that just so happen to be Japanese? You've got it in you! You could start seeing the patterns and connections between these names and the Japanese language right away if only you take the time to sit down and try to read it like you did with Rowling's books. If you have that initial interest in the story and are promised that it'll entertain you all the way through to the end, why not? When it comes down to it, you're really in it for the story (and arguably characters) anyway.

I guess that makes me an advocate for risk-taking and multiculturalism. :p
 
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Dragonfree

Just me
I don't think the point is whether or not one minds the presence of foreign words; the point is that there are perfectly good English names for them too. Ultimately, names (and words in general) are arbitrary identifiers for certain meanings. When you say "Charizard", Pokémon fans will immediately conjure up the image of a Charizard, just as how if you say "cat", people will immediately think of a cat. If you wrote a book in which you randomly used, say, "Katze" instead of "cat", it would still be perfectly readable, and we could learn that "Katze" is German for "cat", and if your story happens in Germany, it will technically be more authentic. But that doesn't change that it's annoying when you could just as well be using "cat" and saving us the trouble. More authentic? It doesn't really make it so, honestly, because again, words are just arbitrary labels in our heads. When I see "Lizardon", what my brain does is simply translate it to "Charizard" and then bring up the same image as if you had written "Charizard" in the first place. It doesn't make it feel more new or Japanese; it feels more like it's trying too hard to be cool and foreign. And if I didn't know the name "Lizardon", it would just be confusing and frustrating to have to look it up or rely on whatever descriptions you might include.

The thing is that J.K. Rowling couldn't just as well have used the English translations. Calling Lupin "Wolf McWolf" would both have been a much too silly name and made it too obvious that he has some relation to wolves. As it is, it's a bonus for those who do know Latin and mythology well enough to pick up on it, while it's intended to slip over most readers' heads. Likewise, spells would sound lame if they were in plain English, and would make it hard for the English-speaking students to say much of anything while holding a wand without accidentally invoking some spell or another. But there is no such reason you would want to obscure what Pokémon or places you're talking about. You have no good reason to want to use Japanese names.

It's not that I'm uncomfortable with the presence of Japanese names; it's just that this would be a needless annoyance to most of your readers with very little purpose to it.
 

The Great Butler

Hush, keep it down
I prefer English names, but I don't mind Japanese.
 

Breezy

Well-Known Member
I've read a lot of fics here that use Japanese names, but they described it well enough so that I knew what the word was despite a lack of English translation. Likewise, I've read stories that have the Japanese name and then some sort of bracket that has the English translation. Those bug me a bit as not only do I feel it breaks the flow of the fic, but I feel like the author is just doing it just to have the Japanese name. It's mostly the latter. There is no reason to have it there. But whatever.

Your original post kept talking about using Japanese names to immerse the reader in a different perspective, to find another way of seeing the world of pokemon, but I'm not necessarily sure how you would go about this simply by calling Lance Wataru. How is this? How is simply translating names making things different for me other than reading a different name?

Okay, let's say you're just accustomed to the English names and don't want to translate all the Japanese. Why should you? There's already a name for it in English. But imagine this: I post a fic that is supposed to be a remake of the story from Pokémon Red/Green/Blue. Not just any remake, mind you, but an incredibly detailed, interesting, and creative reinterpretation of the game. Now pretend it's a completely original story; never been written or created before. Pretend there was no Pokémon Red/Green/Blue game to base it off of. It's not an adaptation of a game. It's totally new.
That ... is a little bit different from taking the ACTUAL game (that is it is solid and real). If you're doing a direct adaptation from the games, that means you're taking translated names that people are comfortable with and using their original Japanese names, so people would be referring back to the English name anyway. If I read a new story with a character called Daisuke or some other cliche Japanese name that I can't think of, then it'd be a new character to me - I wouldn't have to relate back to an English form or question why this kid is using Satoshi instead of Ash when Ash is a perfectly good name.

I mean, it's perks to know where a name derives from, but you shouldn't just use name to set a personality. I knew where Remus, Romulus and Sirius derive from, but I never associated it with the actual character. Like I didn't have an epiphany and go, "Oh, cool, Sirius is the dog star and Sirius', the character, animal form is a dog! It's all making sense now!"

To answer your question on appealing to readers, I think it would confuse new readers, irritate old ones, and make everyone wonder why you're using them.

So I guess my question back to you (besides the one I asked earlier) is why do you want to use Japanese names? What is its purpose in your story?
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
I don't think the point is whether or not one minds the presence of foreign words; the point is that there are perfectly good English names for them too. Ultimately, names (and words in general) are arbitrary identifiers for certain meanings. When you say "Charizard", Pokémon fans will immediately conjure up the image of a Charizard, just as how if you say "cat", people will immediately think of a cat. If you wrote a book in which you randomly used, say, "Katze" instead of "cat", it would still be perfectly readable, and we could learn that "Katze" is German for "cat", and if your story happens in Germany, it will technically be more authentic. But that doesn't change that it's annoying when you could just as well be using "cat" and saving us the trouble. More authentic? It doesn't really make it so, honestly, because again, words are just arbitrary labels in our heads. When I see "Lizardon", what my brain does is simply translate it to "Charizard" and then bring up the same image as if you had written "Charizard" in the first place. It doesn't make it feel more new or Japanese; it feels more like it's trying too hard to be cool and foreign. And if I didn't know the name "Lizardon", it would just be confusing and frustrating to have to look it up or rely on whatever descriptions you might include.

The thing is that J.K. Rowling couldn't just as well have used the English translations. Calling Lupin "Wolf McWolf" would both have been a much too silly name and made it too obvious that he has some relation to wolves. As it is, it's a bonus for those who do know Latin and mythology well enough to pick up on it, while it's intended to slip over most readers' heads. Likewise, spells would sound lame if they were in plain English, and would make it hard for the English-speaking students to say much of anything while holding a wand without accidentally invoking some spell or another. But there is no such reason you would want to obscure what Pokémon or places you're talking about. You have no good reason to want to use Japanese names.

It's not that I'm uncomfortable with the presence of Japanese names; it's just that this would be a needless annoyance to most of your readers with very little purpose to it.
Thank you. I see exactly what you mean--Psychic was poking holes in my logic earlier on MSN, and this is pretty much a well-articulated version of what she said. Not to say Psychic's arguments aren't also well-structured! XD; It's just awkward trying to make concise arguments into quick replies over IM.

Names are just arbitrary labels that conjure certain mental images. Okay.

So I guess that means that it's in the best interest of my fic's survival and my readers' sanity to simply cut the middle-man (translation) and just use the names they're already accustomed to. It might just be me, but I find some of the puns used for English Pokémon names really corny. But again, that's a matter of personal taste. There are probably even cornier Japanese puns for Pokémon names out there in context of the language itself.

But it would be taking advantage of peoples' ignorance of the Japanese language to place these seemingly corny names into an English context, where they would, like you said, seem "foreign and cool." People who support your argument (which you've thoroughly convinced me of at this point XD) can see through this easily, though. They know the difference between what can be considered avant-garde and what is pseudo-intellectual.

And sorry Breezy, I just saw your reply. I think Dragonfree's already debunked my claims of wanting to do this to spread an idea of multiculturalism. :p I feel really stupid for convincing myself that it could enriching in some way, but...at the same time, I'm really appreciative of your guys' input. I really love you guys for criticizing me and making me a better thinker and a more credible writer.
 
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Starlight Aurate

Just a fallen star
Was about to vote and walk away until I saw this:
Really, it's better than voting and walking away.

In opinion, I'm comfortable with Japanese names. They aren't really different to me than the English ones, and it doesn't really matter which way to me, though other people just may not like the unfamiliarity of it on the whole.

I don't feel like I'm contributing much to this thread, but I don't really have anything else to say. Maybe when I'm not so tired I can come up with a more decent answer and edit this.
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Was about to vote and walk away until I saw this:

In opinion, I'm comfortable with Japanese names. They aren't really different to me than the English ones, and it doesn't really matter which way to me, though other people just may not like the unfamiliarity of it on the whole.

I don't feel like I'm contributing much to this thread, but I don't really have anything else to say. Maybe when I'm not so tired I can come up with a more decent answer and edit this.
I'm glad you bothered to stay behind and explain your reasoning. I created the poll for lurkers because I'd rather have some kind of feedback from that group than none at all, but replying to the topic is more helpful in gathering thoughts to come to a clear understanding of the topic. And don't feel bad about the short reply--my long-winded replies easily compensate for it. xD;

Yeah. Based on the poll and what the people above have said, there seems to be a general consensus that changing the language of a label for an object just complicates the average reader's perception of it. The name doesn't really have another role besides being an identifier.
 

sweet_piplup123

I lost the game?!?!
Hmm...

I don't really give a damn, though do take in mind that some people who are accustomed to English names of Pokemon names may be slow on the intake if you choose to put in Japanese names.
 

purple_drake

E/GL obsessed
The name doesn't really have another role besides being an identifier.

I dunno if I agree with this, actually, but I'm not entirely sure how to explain my reasoning. I was initially just gonna reply to say that I think it depends on your reason for using Japanese identifiers, using my HGSS contest as an example, but I think I can work it to prove the same point. Lessee.

Even though I usually use the translated names, in my contest one-shot I chose to use all Japanese names, for canon characters, for OCs, for places, for tools. Why? Well, because half the one-shot is set about seven hundred years before the modern date. Given that the Pokemon world is implied to be Japanese in culture, seven hundred years ago is a long time before the English came to be a big influence on said culture; half the point was to write those scenes in a style which was somewhat archaic, if only for the sake of aiding the setting's portrayal. Given said setting, it just felt wrong to have to 'translate' characters from a medieval age set in Japan into something English. So I didn't. I used Japanese identifiers, accompanied by a glossary beforehand. True, in that sense it means the rest of the story is still a 'translation', and therefore mechanically it might make more sense to have used translated English names, but given that the setting isn't English and yet was somewhat important to the story's theme ... well, yeah. It seemed like a logical choice to me. Of course then there were the scenes set in the 'present', which on their own could have used the English translations, but switching language tracks halfway through the story is a pretty obvious no-no.

The same issue kind of arises in The Rookie's Handbook, because I do specifically establish Koga as being a non-English character (in juxtaposition to Surge), in which case some sort of lampshading of culture and language was necessary (if, in that particular story, backgrounded).

So I guess that still means that names are identifiers, but they're identifiers of more than just the solid object they're referring to, and depending on context and setting there's more to think about than just whether you should refer to a dragonite as dragonite or kairyuu depending on which name you like better (tbh, I agree that some of the English names are pretty damn corny ... but then again, some of the Japanese ones are too).

Tl;dr--I'd be perfectly willing to accept a story written with Japanese identifiers, but I'd ask why you're using them. If you're using them for the sake of monopolising on or lampshading setting, culture or language, I'd say go for it. Just have a reason for it, y'know?
 
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Little Miss Sunshine

I like shorts!
Well, I'd love to read a fic like this.

In terms of the naming, it all belongs on context, really. If you are indeed reforming the storyline to include Japanese culture and traditions, then I almost find it funny to use the English names. As it may be an annoyance to some readers not familiar with the Japanese names, I am actually quite familiar with them. However, I believe if you describe towns, people, and pokemon with just enough detail to allow the reader to narrow it down between a few, then going ahead and giving more details as you progress the story.

But yeah, I'd love to read this story. C:
 

Obsidian Blade

Happily omnipotent
I feel really stupid for convincing myself that it could enriching in some way
Actually, I think making the Pokémon world really convincingly Japanese is still a perfectly sound idea: if nothing else, the research would allow you to really explore another culture and perhaps pass it onto your readers in your fiction.

That said, I've always found the use of Japanese names in any translated fandom distracting from the story itself. Although Dragonfree's comment sums up the bulk of why, there's also the simple fact that if you're writing in English a Japanese word or name is going to stand out like a sore thumb and tear your reader back out of the story. Seeing as the aim of any fiction writer is for reader immersion, that's just not something you ever want to do. It's because of that more than anything else that I voted absolutely do not like it. I don't think that should make you discard your idea, though: why not write about your Japanese Pokémon world with English names?
 

Yonowaru in Chaos

gaspard de la nuit
The only reason why I'd justify using Japanese names for proper nouns would be if the characters can consciously tell that Japanese is being used and it's being mingled with English (or whatever language). For example, if you wanted to place the four main regions in actual Japan (since they are based on real Japanese prefectures), then it would make sense if there was an equivalent in England or Egypt and they would use the language that's native to their region. In that sense, Pokemon names can be translated into Japanese, even though they aren't technically proper nouns, unless they're under ownership of a person or are individuals.
 

Chozo

My Serebii face
I voted "not comfortable". TBH there are times where using Japanese names can work, but I don't think this is one of those times.

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.

Pokemon was conceived by a Japanese man working with a Japanese concept artist working with a programming team full of Japanese men. Your argument is...Pokemon is not Japanese enough?

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?


I think it's jarring, simply from the perspective that we've all become accustomed to Camerupt being called Camerupt and not being called Bakuda. In most cases it comes off as strutting your Pokemon knowledge rather than serving some larger purpose.

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.

First off: in what significant ways, in your view, is the English translation of R/B/G/Y different from the Japanese version?

Second, there's more to Pokemon being "Japanese" than the translation. Character design, world design, etc. all play as much or more of a part than translating "rice ball" as "donut" does. Even the Pokemon Special manga (which, IIRC, Tajiri claimed to be the closest thing to his vision for the Pokemon world) doesn't overtly rub Japanese culture all over your face. It's Japanese influenced, certainly, but it's also a world of its own.

If you can pass a Japanese proficiency exam or you have some significant cultural contact that gives you some position of authority beyond reading stuff about Japan on a book or a website, then we'll be having a different conversation. But from where I'm sitting right now, this seems more like an excuse to prove how you're a Japanese Cultural Expert than anything else.

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.

If this is your primary motive behind the story you have to seriously consider how your choices serve that motive, and honestly I don't see how Lance being called Wataru serves this motive any better than usual when writing for an English-speaking audience. If anything, it's probably worse.

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.

Unless your readers have some familiarity with Japanese, kanji wordplays and Japanese puns will pretty much be lost on them.

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,

Yeah, I'm going to sound like a broken record, but...

You don't, it seems, fluently speak Japanese. You want to out-Japanese a Japanese person. You are not going to succeed in this endeavor. How are you planning to communicate the nuances of Japanese culture when you'd likely be up **** creek if you were suddenly dropped in the middle of Osaka?
 
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Fisheye

Oh, I'm a star.
It's actually an interesting concept. I believe I read a fic like that a while back.

The only problem would be that everyone would have to keep serebii's Pokedex page open everytime they ran across a certain Pokemon or something.
It's not really a hard thing to do, I guess, but some people might get peeved or discouraged by it.

I myself wouldn't mind, but it's like this. You have a cup. start off with a plastic cup.
you add decorations on the side, maybe put a cover on top and those twirly straws. and if you want, put it on a hat and drink without holding it.
but in the end, it's a cup. you put the drink in it and drink. the function doesn't change.
it's basically changing the aesthetics.

but in my opinion, it's pretty cool.
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Wow, thanks for all of your replies, everyone. I can now see cases in which you might use Japanese names in certain contexts, like purple_drake's story or the scenario that Yonowaru in Chaos posed. But I also realize that it would be kind of silly to go on writing a fic that's supposed to be more influenced by Japanese culture based on book knowledge of the culture rather than practical experience.

Even if you do decide to use Japanese names, I think it's important to know the audience you're targeting--which is probably why I'm resolved to write the fic with English names to avoid confusion and not come across as some Japanese know-it-all when in reality, I'm not. It'll be in the same vein as the manga, as Chozo mentioned, where it is distinctly a world of its own with the Japanese influence of its original creators. Maybe it is "Japanese" enough already. With that said, I'm not terribly concerned with this naming issue anymore. Story and character development are what matter to me now, and they should have been given priority over this whole thing in the first place.

Am I the only one here who thinks this conversation was long overdue? I've seen numerous fics that use Japanese names, some of which I thought were cool in the context in which they were being used, though others I felt like the author was trying to flaunt their knowledge of Japanese culture. I never knew I'd one day feel compelled to question its significance later! As far as I know, a discussion on this sort of thing hasn't really popped up much in this forum. I think it's something a lot of us have encountered and and can share our ideas about, which is great. :) (And thinking about it like that makes me feel like it's a less self-centered thread. xP)

When I think about it, some people might be motivated to use Japanese naming based on this...somewhat inexplicable fascination with Japanese culture, which I admit might have been part of what motivated me to try Japanese naming myself. But I don't want to ignite a discussion on what some people (like my Japanese Civ. professor XD) might call "an obsession with all that is kawaii" because that could go on forever.
 
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The Big Al

I just keeping Octo
I always say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I personally prefer to use the original names of people and places, especially since my some of my story ideas are global and where the games take place is Japan in the Pokemon world. It's a little more murky with the Pokemon themselves since their names are not technically proper nouns.

Though, you do have to nice to the reader. Yamato-san provided translations and culture notes in all his stories to help the reader.
 

Torpoleon

Well-Known Member
If it is in an English Pokémon fic, I couldn't like it. It's an English fic so why have Japanese names in it? I am familiar with Japanese names though. It just seems weird why someone would do that.
 

KingRaichu

Hail to da king baby
either way works...its like using a German name in a Swedish work. Whatever, you know? As long as they make sense...
 
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