rpanons | Unfunny wanky stereotypes

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It's because subtitling isn't always localisation.

If you've played videogames that were translated professionally (through the big game companies) you'll notice usually minor differences in the language. This is because they aren't straight-up translations; they're localised so that the game makes sense in context of the region in which it is being sold.

Even if things can't be conveyed completely, there will sometimes be explanations as to what things mean in the context of the game.

This same process applies to anime. When something is translated directly, it's relying on the context of Japanese culture, slang, habits, etc. and some of it just doesn't translate well into english. Localisation is the process in which they cover for these hiccups and sometimes even alter the slang to be more appropriate for an english speaking audience. Professional translations will often also include a secondary subtitle to explain things that don't transfer over from Japanese contexts to North American/etc. ones.

One of the best recent examples (and also one of the most surprising considering Funimation's early track records) is the Funimation dub of Kuragehime/Princess Jellyfish. Though the series is still set in Japan with original Japanese names and subculture sets, these things are explained both in Tsukimi's monologues as well as in subtitles. Slang is also replaced with things that make more sense in context of American geek culture to equivocate the experience in a way English-speaking viewers would sympathise with.

~localisation~ is really awesome and you should totally look up some more stuff on it! But tl;dr the reason why things sound stinted is because they generally haven't been localised! It's not so much the fault of improper translation, it's just that some things don't translate well between any languages directly.

you sound condescending and annoying

Really annoying.

But localization has nothing to do with stilted speech. That'd be more in line with anime making jokes and references that seemingly don't make sense, because they don't apply when the characters aren't speaking Japanese (such as a pun or a joke about kanji or something).

Stilted speech would just be a poor translation, such as from someone who doesn't know how to properly differentiate between someone talking in tough-guy Japanese with someone talking in proper Japanese. It'd be like someone writing subtitles for something from English into Japanese, and having President Obama's manner of speech be the same as Snoop Dog's manner of speech.

Also, don't put professional translations on a pedestal. There are more than enough shitty examples of poor translations out there in video games and anime (and yes, translation -- sometimes even with proper localizing, if the translation sucks, there's nothing you can do other than make it more inaccurate).

Unfunny wanky stereotypes

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