We have decided to start a translation project for this VN because the chances of it getting an official translation are close to zero and we know that many people are interested in it. It has over 80000 lines so it is a bit big for a first project but we are confident that we can do it.
Current situation
We already have the first ~500 lines translated but they still need editing. For a detailed status overview, please visit our website and check this thread.
There are currently 2 translators and 1 editor working on this project, but due to the amount of work to do we could really need a few more.
What we are looking for
Translators:
Preferably people with good Japanese AND English skills to minimize the editing work. But even if none of the languages are your native one you are still welcome to join us, we can use any help that we get.
Editors:
People who speak English as native language and also have experience with Visual Novels. You will need to correct grammar and spelling mistakes and also make the conversation flow better by re-writing too literal translations to sound more natural (without changing the meaning of course).
Translation Checkers:
Responsible for finding and correcting content-related errors in the translation.
If you want to apply for any of these positions, please send me a message.
Recently, a spirited argument erupted in the Monobeno -Happy End- project thread regarding the perceived poor quality of translation samples. As this a topic of general controversy in the fan translation scene, I decided it might be worth addressing on a general level to those who might not care about this particular title. Please don't take this post as an invitation to reignite controversy in that thread; post your comments here instead.
Fan translation is as much about the journey as the destination. While the audience may only care about the final product, for the translator the journey may be even more important. This is an opportunity for a translator to improve both his Japanese skills and his English skills. As much as he's doing it for you, he's doing it for himself. I don't understand why anyone would think that fan translators have an obligation to provide a quality product, and that the audience should have an expectation of a quality product. All fan translations should be treated as being of suspect quality until proven otherwise. That's really all there is to it. If you're unhappy with the final product, don't play it. A game like Monobeno will never ever get licensed in English, so it's not like a substandard fan project would be ruining our chance at a professional translation (as might be the case with other titles).
So before you complain about projects that don't meet your quality standards, remember that no one deserves a quality product for free, and that fan translators have just as much of a right to benefit from a project as their audience. Maybe if there were a better resource for tracking translation quality across different releases we wouldn't even be having these arguments. And maybe if the more skilled fan translators simply took pride in the quality of their own work, and weren't so preoccupied with the attention other groups were getting, there wouldn't be so much bickering going on.
[This is a repost of my response in that thread edited for a general audience]
l0li got a reaction from Yuri Hunter for a blog entry, Monobeno -Happy End- Translation Project needs more people
l0li reacted to sanahtlig for a blog entry, Regarding demands for fan translation project quality standards