Dec/0812
Getting cultural enlightenment from translation
In my endeavors in translation of colloquial Japanese in common-day situations, I always end up stumbling over references made to literature, god deities, TV shows, and all kinds of imaginable commonplace things that your everyday Japanese person would know of if they are actually watching anime. For me, who's living over in cold Norway, I haven't had the chance to get indulged in these cultural tidbits around me while growing up and thus having a parental unit to ask about what the hell is going on and why it is funny. Instead, I have to do research with the mighty force of Google in Japanese behind me, reading up and trying to figure why it is funny or why something makes sense to say, and sometimes I end up wasting quite a lot time on it too. Not only is it on references, but on things that guys would never know of unless especially interested or if they got kids, and I have to say some of the things I have learned from translation is rather funny.
Take for instance Toradora. If there's anyone in the show that uses these cultural reference, it is Minori, and lately the other characters have shown to bring them up in situations I had expect something completely different. Take for instance the latest episode that I've been working on, episode 10, where Minori suddenly explains how she's using a "Manjuu Kowai" method. I was convinced beyond that that couldn't for the love of me be what she was saying, until I started reading NicoNico comments for the episode. Google to the rescue, and I find out this is a Rakugo, a comedy script told by one person sitting dead serious in a seiza, and that it is rather funny as well. I end up reading the whole thing, and it struck me as one of the best trolls in comedy history, and probably one of the oldest too. There's a good translation of it here. But how common are these Rakugo for the Japanese?
I have already experienced that the author of Toradora is very well versed in Japanese culture and loves to stick in her favorite parts of stories as a retelling in Toradora. I can't catch all of them, but when I do, I probably have had to read up on it beforehand. In episode 6, Ami is getting trolled good by Taiga, and is made to do imitations. I had no idea who half of these people were, and I only learned of their names again from reading it somewhere, and then I had to make sense out of what the hell they might be doing. I watched some YouTube clips with Uganda in it, I read about Matsumoto Seichou and Akechi Mitsuhide and figured who they were. After having done all of this in this particular episode, I knew way more about Japanese history, and I knew more about some of their known authors. Again in episode 3, I had no idea what kinrou kaiki file was. Figuring out this took a while and I ended up reading about other old shows too, expecting them to show up later.
Cultural stuff aside, I now know how swimsuits work, and I learned how to make beans spun in fried eggs and other bean-heavy recipies. I know what isoflavone and docosahexaenoic acid is. I'm also getting good at making english rhymes and puns out of their Japanese originals, if somewhat having to call upon the power of scone-munching faggots. Excuse me while I read some more Rakugo, this shit is hilarious.
December 12th, 2008
That’s why I love reading your translation notes. Even if it’s not entirely necessary to understand what’s going on, it’s nice to actually learn something when I’m watching Toradora~
December 12th, 2008
you can learn from every possible thing you read, watch or play. many of those things aren’t really useful on your daily life, but it’s still nice to gain some knowledge :P
December 12th, 2008
The translated Manju story was hilarious. “Delici…. Afraid…..”
December 12th, 2008
it is rather fascinating in the eyes of those who see anime, sometimes when they are young, or have friends that are Japanese. kids that are attracted to Japanese culture will want to learn more about it. I like the way a sentence can be translated so many ways(depending on conversation or situation).
The one that gets me the most is the titles they have san, donno, sama etc. As when in America and central America(other countries that do also) only use mister(senor) before the name of a man and to get the attention of a stranger(well in central America we do “disculpe senor” “excuse me mister” in English)wow my post is to long, for short the Japanese culture is something I would like to learn when I have the time. Most of itis bits from Japanese anime. ANY WHO… it’s what you call a cultural expirience, JAANE~ (>.<)b Keep Up The Good Work On This Subs!
December 13th, 2008
I personally don’t find cultural references that funny, specially if they are thrown as much as they are in Toradora. I mean, one or two times is funny but come on, almost the whole show’s comedic aspect based on mentioning this and that from here and there? For instance, I don’t know how was the fugly parrot saying timotei supposed to be funny even if you watched Lucky Star…
Well, enjoying the show anyways. Thanks ilifin, obviously your work’s aeons ahead the shit of most groups. You’re the coalest guy around.
December 13th, 2008
Some of the references are blatantly stupid, and mostly there just to jig the e-penis of the otaku on 2ch and nico, but some of them are rather good. The Manjuu Kowai one for instance is a real good and very explanatory reference if you have read it, and I’d love to see them use those kind of references that way more than they are already doing.
December 13th, 2008
lol agreed and just I read the manjuu thing after commenting and found it rather coal and Mr. Pine sure’s a master troll, thanks for linking it.
December 13th, 2008
i warms my heart to see such dedication, and i’m sure you do it for the enjoyment of learning as well
December 13th, 2008
(irrelevant rant: WoWpatcha)
w8t, u can learn stuf from translatin? nowai! ;)
Keep up the quality work. I appreciate the
obsessivegreat interest you put into your translations.December 14th, 2008
Manjuu Kowai..I knew I’d heard that story before.
Episode 2 of Tiger & Dragon tells a version of that story. Good stuff (the entire series is hilarious)
December 14th, 2008
Hahaha, that Manjuu Kowai story was awesome. :D
January 13th, 2009
I quite often go on what I now call a “wiki-trawl” for a few hours/days- where I google something that I don’t know about, (At least half the time the time it’s something Japanese.) usually find a wiki page in the first two or three entries in google so have a read up on the subject.
Half way down the page I’ll find a link to yet another wiki page to yet another thing/event/person/cartoon/insect/explosive/sexual deviation… that I know nothing about that I’ll open in a new tab for when I’ve finished the one I’m on.
Sometimes by the time I’ve finnished the original wiki page- I’ve got three or four new tabs of wikiness waiting to be read.
By the time I get to the end of my journey, need sleep/eat/toilet or just can’t read another word- it’s usually very hard for me to remember what the original thing I looked up was… Often I’ll go back to my desktop and media player classic will have been on pause for a few days, so re-winding a few seconds sometimes solves that dilema. (Sometimes it just sets me off on another wiki-tangent-trip though.)