Kira Kira Readable?

[Limerence_]

Just started on Kira Kira. It has an interesting premise, but one thing that disturbed me quite a bit while reading the first few scenes was the translation. I don't know if it's just me, but the translation seems a bit... awkward. I was wondering if it stays like that throughout the novel, or if it gets eventually better. 

[Kabu]

Awkward how? I don't remember it being awkward at all, though the prologue did a feel bit off since it was written in third person.

If that's the issue then yeah, it gets better.

[Limerence_]

Just now, Kabu said:

Awkward how? I don't remember it being awkward at all, though the prologue did a feel bit off since it was written in third person.

If that's the issue then yeah, it gets better.

Think I found some typos and grammatical errors in the prologue (then again my English isn't perfect, either). Maybe it's just the style of writing or something, I don't know. It just feels a little off. 

Thanks for your response though. 

[Ariurotl]

It's an early MG translation and yeah, it is a bit shit but readable. Better than Suika, at least. Somebody really should retranslate that from scratch (maybe they have?)

[Limerence_]

1 minute ago, Ariurotl said:

It's an early MG translation and yeah, it is a bit shit but readable. Better than Suika, at least. Somebody really should retranslate that from scratch (maybe they have?)

Ah, I see. I guess I'll continue reading it then. 

Does anyone know if the translation for Deardrops is any better?

[Ariurotl]

2 minutes ago, Limerence_ said:

Does anyone know if the translation for Deardrops is any better?

It is.

[Limerence_]

Thanks. I appreciate the help. 

[shadowolf64]

8 hours ago, Ariurotl said:

It is.

This is a bit off topic but is Deardrops worth reading? If you're looking for a decent comedy/romance VN?

[TexasDice]

I love Deardrops and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who is even slightly intrigued by music. But that is an important point, because people who don't have an interest in music, the music industry, the struggles of being in a band and/or the artistic spirit of music, won't get much out of Deardrops.

 

To have a comparison, a fair amount of people dislikes Konosora solely because of how much screentime it dedicates to talk about gliders, the construction of gliders, the implications of gliders and the symbolism of gliders. Deardrops is similar in that regard, just with music instead of gliders (and a more mature script).

 

Also, I strongly recommend following this route order: Kanade -> Rimu -> Yayoi and Riho for last. Without spoiling too much, the Rimu and Yayoi routes aren't as long and deep as the other two and the Riho route is the canon ending for this, so reading it last gives you the best ending.

[sanahtlig]

8 hours ago, Ariurotl said:

It's an early MG translation and yeah, it is a bit shit but readable. Better than Suika, at least. Somebody really should retranslate that from scratch (maybe they have?)

I thought MG retranslated KiraKira for the release of the expansion?  Or maybe that was Edelweiss?  There was a forum thread about it on the MG forums but...

[Fred the Barber]

1 hour ago, sanahtlig said:

I thought MG retranslated KiraKira for the release of the expansion?  Or maybe that was Edelweiss?  There was a forum thread about it on the MG forums but...

I also distinctly remember hearing that KiraKira's translation was fixed up. Edelweiss certainly was, but I'm pretty sure KiraKira got that treatment as well.

[RikiSanic]

I read Kira Kira earlier this year and I can confirm that the translation is indeed a leftover of MangaGamer's early bad translations.

And yes, I bought and downloaded it through them, so it was the newest possible version.

[Fred the Barber]

1 hour ago, RikiSanic said:

I read Kira Kira earlier this year and I can confirm that the translation is indeed a leftover of MangaGamer's early bad translations.

And yes, I bought and downloaded it through them, so it was the newest possible version.

Sigh. I was looking forward to reading this one and Deardrops both, but that kind of puts a damper on it...

[RikiSanic]

It's readable, but that's about the best I can say about it. It's full of awkward English and overly literal language. Some parts are better than others, but expect to be editing while you read along if you want something that reads well.

[Kabu]

I don't remember the translation being that bad aside from the prologue and even that was only a little awkward due to the third person narrative.

Maybe it's just because I'm not overly critical but it read just fine to me. I had no problems at all and had very thoroughly enjoyed it, the true ending being one of my favorite endings ever.

[RikiSanic]

All I can say is that I didn't have the same experience. It's legible and makes sense for the most part, but if you have a critical eye you can spot many errors—and I can be pretty forgiving, so I'm sure there are those who will take greater issue with the translation. It just didn't seem like the translator had a good command of English. I remember a number of times when it'd drop the article in "a little," as in "that's little strange" instead of "that's a little strange." Tons of little mistakes like that. It's not a total disaster or anything, and you can read for a while without coming across any errors, but it pulled me out of the story more than once. I could definitely tell a difference in translation quality when I started reading the fan disc.

I wouldn't call it a good translation by any means. It wasn't awful, but it needs some work before I'd call it good.

[MercyZombie]

Get ready for typos. Poor Kashiwara especially gets her name misspelled a lot.

I would still recommend reading it though, just don't have high expectations of the translation quality. At least there is no "they mustervate or they become lilly" in KiraKira 

[Limerence_]

Thanks for the advice.

There hasn't been any announcements for any potential re-translations, right? 

[ChaosRaven]

7 hours ago, Limerence_ said:

Thanks for the advice.

There hasn't been any announcements for any potential re-translations, right? 

Unlikely. MG's Kouryuu made a statement about that topic about a year ago on his ask.fm account.

In short, they don't release Kira Kira on Steam because they consider the translation not good enough for it.

But a re-translation or re-edit would probably not be worthwhile because the time would be better spent on a new release.

[MercyZombie]

There hasn't and I wouldn't hold my breath. Re-translations are rare and usually reserved for the real train wrecks. As bad as KiraKira is at times it's still readable. Edelweiss was a rare (but very needed) exception. 

 

Edit: Ninja'd. ChaosRaven said it better than I did

Edited August 20, 2016 by MercyZombie

[WinterfuryZX]

2 hours ago, MercyZombie said:

There hasn't and I wouldn't hold my breath. Re-translations are rare and usually reserved for the real train wrecks. As bad as KiraKira is at times it's still readable. Edelweiss was a rare (but very needed) exception. 

 

Edit: Ninja'd. ChaosRaven said it better than I did

The old Higurashi TL wasn't that bad...

[Okarin]

About the translation, I don't remember, but I enjoyed the game in spite of it. So it can't be that bad. And I notice cringey grammar/spelling errors.

About the games, Kira Kira and Deardrops, I fully recommend them. It's true that they talk constantly about music (especially in Deardrops, that's a great insight into a band's day-by-day), but music is a topic much more accessible than gliders. Almost everyone has some taste on music. The games focus on rock music (punk in the case of KK, alternative and edgy rock in case of DD -DD's protag learns to play the guitar by doing a Nirvana cover), so if that isn't your cup of tea, the experience won't be complete. Yes, rock music permeates these characters, but in the end they're just VN characters, although very well made. You'll find some perverted scenes (such as the topless scene in KK). Nothing to fear, it's everything you can enjoy in a VN but with good quality.