matt0044
Well-Known Member
I recently revisited The Cartoon Cipher's "Which Did You See First" video after Red Bard's big deep dive video on translation that got me thinking. This isn't necessarily about dubs vs. subs but the general misconception about translation in general. That the subtitles for any Anime you watch in Japanese are exact and precise. That any other translations and adaptations are deviations at best or devaluations at worst.
Except no two translators will always agree on how best to convey this or that line of dialogue when considering characterization, story context and stuff that can't be boiled down to a science. This isn't to single anybody out on this site but rather a phenomenon that's affected Anime fans. A sort of... need for things to be neat and tidy. The idea of a translation being malleable in any way seems to set those fans off.
Except no two translators will always agree on how best to convey this or that line of dialogue when considering characterization, story context and stuff that can't be boiled down to a science. This isn't to single anybody out on this site but rather a phenomenon that's affected Anime fans. A sort of... need for things to be neat and tidy. The idea of a translation being malleable in any way seems to set those fans off.