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The "One True Translation" myth

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matt0044

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.
 
Kutie Pie

Kutie Pie

"It is my destiny."
I mean, usually it just got poo-pooed with official licensed subs on physical media and that was that, but nowadays even official subbers are messing around with the script because they think they're so funny and/or above it all.
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It's all so tiresome.
 
pacman000

pacman000

On a quest to be the best...
Fred Patten wrote an article on this: https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/lost-in-translation/

This quote sticks out: “Actually, translating the title of the second Lupin III feature was not so straightforward. The Japanese title is Lupin III: Cagliostro no Shiro, which is literally Lupin III: Cagliostro of Castle. So which would be better in English; Cagliostro Castle, Cagliostro’s Castle, or The Castle of Cagliostro? It was my argument that The Castle of Cagliostro sounded the most sinister. Cagliostro Castle is just a castle’s name, like Windsor Castle, but the Castle of Cagliostro emphasizes that it is the evil Count’s lair!”

Never really minded loose translations, gag dubs, & the like. It’s only entertainment after all.
 
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