Sinnesspiel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sinnesspiel) wrote2013-10-09 07:17 pm
sinnesspiel) wrote2013-10-09 07:17 pm
Entry tags:
Shiki Novel Translations 5.0 and notes
Links to Chapter 5
Chapter 5 Translation Notes
Reader Question: Obaa-chan/Ojii-chan and variants of that get used an awful lot in this story. I'd been trying to translate them as Granny/Grandpa/Old Woman/Old Man and the like but there are times I'm not sure if my translation choice quite fits all the variations. Sometimes making it fit the character speaking is a stretch, too; Ozaki sometimes refers to people as just obaa-chan or something which works in Japanese but having him call them Granny seems off. Old man/old lady seems more his style, but I hesitate to translate the more polite Ritsuko calling them that even if she uses obaa-chan. I take issue with forcing my impression of the character voice over the text under any circumstances, including times like this when I think it's more a cultural nuance. English speakers don't tend to call people Granny/Grampy unless they're family or like family--while Sotoba is like one big family at times, Obaa-san/Ojii-san are standard in Japanese. I tried slipping an Obaa-san into one of the chapters here to see how it suits readers, but haven't gone back to revert all formerly translated bits into Japanese, and I can easily revert that one based on the final decision. Do readers have a preference between that being translated out or kept in Japanese?
Suzuki no obaa-chan; it's either going to be "The Suzuki Obaa-chan" or "The Suzuki's Obaa-chan" if kept in Japanese or, in English, "the Suzuki Granny" or "the Suzuki's Granny" and Suzuki Obaa-chan will either be Granny Suzuki in English or just left as Suzuki Obaa-chan.
I will eventually put them all to one or the other, unless of course it's a familial reference. If someone is referring to their own or someone else's grandfather, then regardless of which direction I go with names, I will be keeping those with the English term, such as when the monks are talking about the family of four that died in Mizobe--The man, the wife, the son, the grandpa, etc. If someone talks about becoming an obaa-san or an ojii-san, then I'll still just keep it as talk about becoming an old man, etc. This is only a question of what to do with it as an extension of or as a replacement for a name.
Chapter 5-1
A two-stone handicap allowance - Ichimoku no nimoku mo oku - In the board game of go there are handicaps that can be given to weaker players in the form of stones placed at the opening of the game before the more skilled opponent. In the story context, it means the temple had a lot of leverage over the people and had to be respected as such.
Chapter 5-3
Child of Shame - Hajikakikko - A child born late to parents (say, in their late 30s or 40s), which is shameful because it's proof they're having sex at that age.
Reader Question: Obaa-chan/Ojii-chan and variants of that get used an awful lot in this story. I'd been trying to translate them as Granny/Grandpa/Old Woman/Old Man and the like but there are times I'm not sure if my translation choice quite fits all the variations. Sometimes making it fit the character speaking is a stretch, too; Ozaki sometimes refers to people as just obaa-chan or something which works in Japanese but having him call them Granny seems off. Old man/old lady seems more his style, but I hesitate to translate the more polite Ritsuko calling them that even if she uses obaa-chan. I take issue with forcing my impression of the character voice over the text under any circumstances, including times like this when I think it's more a cultural nuance. English speakers don't tend to call people Granny/Grampy unless they're family or like family--while Sotoba is like one big family at times, Obaa-san/Ojii-san are standard in Japanese. I tried slipping an Obaa-san into one of the chapters here to see how it suits readers, but haven't gone back to revert all formerly translated bits into Japanese, and I can easily revert that one based on the final decision. Do readers have a preference between that being translated out or kept in Japanese?
Suzuki no obaa-chan; it's either going to be "The Suzuki Obaa-chan" or "The Suzuki's Obaa-chan" if kept in Japanese or, in English, "the Suzuki Granny" or "the Suzuki's Granny" and Suzuki Obaa-chan will either be Granny Suzuki in English or just left as Suzuki Obaa-chan.
I will eventually put them all to one or the other, unless of course it's a familial reference. If someone is referring to their own or someone else's grandfather, then regardless of which direction I go with names, I will be keeping those with the English term, such as when the monks are talking about the family of four that died in Mizobe--The man, the wife, the son, the grandpa, etc. If someone talks about becoming an obaa-san or an ojii-san, then I'll still just keep it as talk about becoming an old man, etc. This is only a question of what to do with it as an extension of or as a replacement for a name.
Chapter 5-1
A two-stone handicap allowance - Ichimoku no nimoku mo oku - In the board game of go there are handicaps that can be given to weaker players in the form of stones placed at the opening of the game before the more skilled opponent. In the story context, it means the temple had a lot of leverage over the people and had to be respected as such.
Chapter 5-3
Child of Shame - Hajikakikko - A child born late to parents (say, in their late 30s or 40s), which is shameful because it's proof they're having sex at that age.
8D
(Anonymous) 2013-10-10 10:15 am (UTC)(link)no subject
Buuut as 8D Anon said, it's still ultimately your choice, I can totally get by with leaving the Japanese, but if you were asking my opinion, if I had to choose, that's it!
no subject
no subject
(I didn't want to put my opinion in the official explanations, but when I looked up the term--it wasn't in my dictionaries, so I had to rely on Japanese Yahoo Answers--I thought it was way too stupid an idea and that the response was a joke answer, as is typically given to stupid questions on Google Answers.)
no subject
Oh, that is pretty sketchy. But on the off chance that it's true... The most reliable way to find out would be to ask a native Japanese person if you know any. Maybe the whole shame thing is only relevant in small, removed communities such as Sotoba, like in more Westernized areas it wouldn't even matter. Maybe it's just antiquated.
no subject
Unless of course it's specifically to have kids. So, Ozaki will still be under pressure to finally share a bed with his smoking hot wife five years from now if they haven't sprung one out yet, and presumably Seishin, if he were to marry late like his father, would still be expected to do the shameful act of (gasp) middle aged sex, while lying back and thinking of merry old England Japan.
no subject
8D
(Anonymous) 2013-10-16 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
Maybe that's why Seishin hates Toshio; the guy has this hot chick for a wife and he doesn't even take advantage of that. Poor Seishin.
But somehow I can't imagine either of them having kids...
no subject
Both seemed asexual to me, though you could attribute that to context. I have difficulty with dime-novel horror due to it usually being too smutty for me (I'm by no means a prude, it's just not what I want when I want horror), but Shiki is pretty low in romantic/sexual motives. It's not completely devoid of it, Chizuru is certainly a horror femme fatale archetype, but Ozaki not responding to Chizuru like that has other obvious explanations and I don't think Seishin has any scenes alone with an adult (bodied) woman who isn't lineal consanguinity.
no subject
no subject
Kid: Hey Dad, can I go out with a friend?
Seishin: Have you combed your hair today? And is that a T-shirt I see you're wearing? You need to change into something more elegant. You can borrow my robes if you want. Also did you finish your homework? Give it to me so I can check your answers.
Kid: ....
Kid: Hey Other Dad, can I go out with a friend?
Toshio: lol idgaf
Yeaaah, I think if Shiki had a lot of romance, it would kind of detract from the story and horror atmosphere, althoough it would provide new horror opportunities, like for instance they could have a scene where Atsushi and a date are walking around tipsy at night through the woods...and some hungry shiki are nearby...
But I can totally understand the author not wanting to write in romance, because I write a little bit when I have time, and I also try to avoid romance. It's absolutely impossible to write well!! However, I do like reading it occasionally if it's well-written.
I read some translated Ghost Hunt books by Ono and it's a total shock how different they are from Shiki, it's on a totally different level and feels like a totally different author! I guess there's the difference between full-out books and light novels for ya.
Heh, maybe Seishin wouldn't be so dramatic if he got laid once in a while!
no subject
The only problem with that Atsushi date scenario is, would his obvious love interest Takami and he be so bold as to openly date him within the village? Atsushi may be stupid and drunk, but Takami is a fairly reliable adult who understands social nuances...
no subject
That's why Takami is taking out Atsushi at night. Obviously he can't during the day, but...let's just say that the shiki aren't the only thing that are going to go bump in the night tonight. *sultry jazz plays*
no subject
...If we're talking about them as fathers, I love how it's assumed they're fathers of the same kid in a two-daddy family. But, really, how much do we hate Seishin, arbitrarily throwing him into a marriage with an asshole like Ozaki, much less when he's channeling his asshole parents?
no subject
We can go farther and inflict kids with 100% Toshio genes on Seishin. They'll all grow up to be chain-smoking cheeky pragmatists, and Seishin would be so unstable he'd channel his novel-writing skills into writing fanfiction.
no subject
On the plus side, fanfic is often too embarrassing to show others, so he'll no longer have to worry about Toshio putting his work out in the waiting room.
no subject