• I_Jedi@lemmy.today
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    1 day ago

    Have you done Japanese -> English translations yourself? For example, if a character is named “79”, how would you subtly show that the character’s name is literally “Earth”, in English? (地球 = ちきゅう = ち*きゅう = 7*9)

    • Wolf314159@startrek.website
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      22 hours ago

      Sounds like a skill issue. Good translation is hard and is rarely a literal one to one mapping of syntax and diction. It’s an interpretive art.

      • I_Jedi@lemmy.today
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        22 hours ago

        Interpretive art nullifies the claims of skill issue. I could write some fanfiction and claim it’s an accurate translation of the original because “art”.

        Since translations can’t be done 1:1, some of the value of the original will necessarily be lost in translation. Attempts to reintroduce nuance in the translation is fanfiction, whose faithfulness to the original is quite subjective.