Crash Course on editing for a Translation Team

[Magicflier]

If there were any other threads regarding this topic already posted here somewhere, than I'll apologize in advance. Please link them here if that's the case! So I want to know how difficult it is to edit in text when being part of a TL Team. Can I have an explanation from any of the editors here that frequent the forums? Do you use an installed program, or is it just editing/adding/replacing codes in a text.doc? Need to be informative in the programming area?

Any tutorials would be appreciated as well. :3

[Tay]

Magicflier,

I'm going to move this to the fan translation board so that regular posters there (active translators) will notice it! I'll notify you by PM of new location link.

[sanahtlig]

You'll probably be given a big text file in stilted or broken English, and be told to edit lines X through Y, possibly along with a save file so you can play along in the game. No technical knowledge should be required. That's what the hacker or existing tools are for. If you can pass an introductory college English writing course, you can edit a VN.

[Heyitsjiwon]

You'll probably be given a big text file in stilted or broken English, and be told to edit lines X through Y, possibly along with a save file so you can play along in the game. No technical knowledge should be required. That's what the hacker or existing tools are for. If you can pass an introductory college English writing course, you can edit a VN.

This pretty much hits it right on the head. I recently joined a project as an editor and although I haven't done a lot so far since I've suddenly been bombarded with sudden issues, but I know the gist. The editing process is pretty simple. You get assigned a certain number of lines (by the project leader or whoever is organizing the group) of raw translations that a translator already created. Then it's your job to turn the raw translation into more logical sentences by focusing on diction, sentence structure, and etc. Pretty much, editing is like looking at a very ROUGH rough draft for a script and making changes to it so that it makes more sense. The major requirement for becoming a editor is simply being capable of writing well and having a solid command of the English language.

[Wahfuu]

Basic VN's not all that hard and it also depends on who your translator is/how good they are/how accurate they are etc. It's not too hard with decent-good english skills to edit an average VN based on what you are given.

When it comes to more complicated written stuff and very high quality stuff though it starts getting tricky. You have to consider the original, the tone of the scene, the implications, flow, all sorts of things. It's more then just using proper english; It's being able to make a story sound right and as good as the original. If something seems off, ask the translator if they are sure its right. If the sentence feels like it's missing something don't be afraid to add things to make sure the original meaning stays intact. Sometimes being overly literal will not keep the same effect. It's the story being told that matters.

Anyways, editing properly is a vastly underrated job. Anybody can do a decent job at editing, to be a good one takes a lot of dedication and self work.

[SlashZero]

Just making sure... but he IS talking about the editor position right? And not just editing files? Anyways...

If your hackers/tool people did their jobs right, you should get a file compatible with a decent translation work environment that will let you have views of the original line, translated lines, and comments.

I view the editor's job as composed of these 4 main parts:

1. Ensuring correct mechanics

Spelling, grammar, tense, style. It is mainly the editor's job to make sure that these elements are done correctly and consistently.

2. Checking consistency

As in the broad sense of making sure that conventions are followed consistently throughout the work. If a character is supposed to speak in a certain way, or if there is a certain convention set, for example for use of capitalization while stuttering, then the editor must help check that this is being adhered to when appropriate.

3. Sanity checks

That is to say, making sure your translator didn't fuck up and write something incomprehensible due to an interpretation error. Many such errors can be caught just by recognizing that a line doesn't make sense in context, even if you don't know Japanese.

4. Rewriting awkward sentences

Many times translators will produce a sentence that has the right meaning, but doesn't sound quite right to a native English speaker. It mainly falls to the editor to take these sentences and rewrite them to sound natural. Consult with your translators or TLC if you are unsure if you are capturing the right meaning in your edits.

In my experience 4 is the hardest to master. It is not something you really learn until you start editing translations. The others are more or less an issue of being attentive and having a solid grasp on English and writing.

[Ryechu]

As a professional editor and amateur Visual Novel editor, virtually everything said here is correct. However, I'd like to point out that, in Visual Novel terms, proofreading and editing are [typically] not the same task. So be sure that if you're signing up to proofread, you are aware of the difference.

Note, these terms are generalizations. Some people use them interchangeably, but there are two distinct definitions here:

Proofreading: This is a term in regards to Translation Checking. Rather than proofreading English text, you are proofreading the Japanese to English translation, to verify that the meaning of the original and translated sentences are similar, whether that be in a literal sense, or in a "Using a few creative liberties" sense. There are some things in Japanese that simply are not said in English, and in order to circumvent that, you might have to play around with the text a bit.

Editing: Essentially, this is verifying and/or correcting text to ensure that it meets the English grammar requirements. By this point there shouldn't be any major issues with the lines themselves, and it comes down to editing a standard document to ensure that

Spelling, grammar, tense, style. It is mainly the editor's job to make sure that these elements are done correctly and consistently.

is indeed met.

However, there is one major thing I would like to add, and that is using context to your advantage. A Visual Novel isn't a book, which means that there is more than just the actions stated on the page. Many editing gigs that have visuals require the text match those visuals. An extremely simple concept, it seems, but one that isn't followed as often as people think. If you can have the game up while you are editing, and just follow the story line by line (You can do this if you have a temporary patch to bring the text into the game, but I feel that wastes time, and you can just "match the hieroglyphs" to make sure you're on the right line) to take note of facial expressions, voice changes, etc.

This also makes sure that you catch the Engrish, which to a reader, is an odd thing. Imagine, if you will, a character is spelling out a random acronym: like ACP. It wouldn't make sense to not include those in your sentence, as obviously that line has something to do with an ACP. Double-checking to ensure you don't have inconsistencies as obvious as that.

When everything is said and done, you're playing the game as much as the translators are. So it is a time commitment, and if you're not interested in it, your work will reflect that.

[Guest]

but not just grammatically correct or not. you also have to make it enjoyable to read.

is it even fun to read?

[Magicflier]

Thaank you for all the replies you guys! I can see alll the different views of what an editor is expected to do now, if they wanted to be seen as a potentially good editor. I've got all my answers.

Just making sure... but he IS talking about the editor position right? And not just editing files?

ps; Yea, I was talking about the position.

[shcboomer]

but not just grammatically correct or not. you also have to make it enjoyable to read.

is it even fun to read?

This. It not only has to be grammatically correct, but it also has to be enjoyable to read. (There are a bunch of things including flow, length, structure, and how it sounds.)

[neonie]

Don't think of your self as an editor. Think of your self as a writer. You are taking this thing that was in Japanese and re-writing it. That doesn't mean you need to be pandering or condescending to your audience (a practice I've seen done many times in officially "localized" works, the "My heart Had Wings" debacle being the most recent) but you need to put in as much pride, effort and love into it as if it were your own work and as if people will judge you (harshly) on it.