Author vs Translator

[Zakamutt]

Rooke, you misunderstood my position. I broadly agree with what you think; I just brought up a factor to be considered. I wasn't really thinking of sentence structure or the like - more lesser things like honorifics, cultural concepts and whatnot. At times (far as I know, most of it) honorifics can be removed without really losing much, though people will whine. Sometimes though, it might take something away from the experience (it's entirely possible the effect can be replicated -- but then you're going to need actual skill in writing.)

 

What I tend to think of here is Swan Song. When Tsukasa monologues (so no voice) about the other characters, he uses lastname-san in almost every case. Since he's somewhat deteched from everyone else, it makes for some quick characterization. As you see other character POVs, they generally use first names etc. It's probably not critical, but it's enough that leaving them in might be the better choice. I'll note that -san could probably have been dropped for the last name thing, but thinking of people by their last name is unnatural for westerners anyway so you've still got that.

[DawnWolf]

It's not the translators place to change a work, merely to convey the work's intentions to the reader. What can a translator change? Jokes, cause they don't always work when changing languages. Most anything else and I think you're intruding on the authors work. It was made the way it was for a reason, and even if the H-scenes were put in there to sell it, they are still very much apart of the work. I don't like changing the work, or censorship either for that matter.

 

I understand why some people won't translate H-scenes if they simply can't though. I'll accept that. It's uncommon for someone who didn't grow up in Japan to have a fluent grasp of sexual terms, especially when they're constantly evolving. 

[Nyanko]

With the H-scenes... most translators don't want anything to do with them.  So, don't be surprised if their translations are much worse than the rest of the game.  It's one thing to read one, it's quite another to try to translate one *Clephas is speaking from experience*

 

Frankly, I don't have the corresponding English vocab for sexual terms in some cases.  I've never had anything to do with H in English, outside of the occasional scene in a novel I was reading. 

lol I can imagine, you need a pretty big sexual vocab if you want to bring over the exact meaning. I've never read or watched anything in both Dutch and English that's in the same style as most VNs either. I wouldn't say its more shocking or anything, some of the Dutch literature I read was so much worse... and those were only words.. o.o not even visuals. Anyway I'm not hating on people leaving out H-scenes, usually they also leave enough opportunity for others to translate them/put them back too.