Majikoi S Translation Project Discussion

[dowolf]

It was a close race, but Agave has won the poll for the next route.

 

Better luck next time, Yukie and Koyuki fans.

 

(It's okay, Happy Birthday. I still love you)

[Muvejit]

I think it's better to leave Koyuki's route for last, since you will need to read all the main routes to open Childhood/Koyuki route.

[twdarkeh]

I think it's better to leave Koyuki's route for last, since you will need to read all the main routes to open Childhood/Koyuki route.

[FSZ]

I guess my main question is sort of related to whether or not there are going to be changes to the editing/QC process.

 

While going through the Miyako route there are some lines that a good process would have caught and I think while doing the translation for S you might want to check in and make sure that you're confident with editors/QC. Even the best editors and translators get tired/sloppy/etc, it's pretty human.

 

Specific lines at issue:

 

- Many issues with plural/non-plurals towards the beginning of the route. There's a series of exchanges where the word "equipments" is used over and over again (at least 7 times). It is not an actual word so it makes the translation look really childish.

- Specific line "They're saying whatever they want...!! These premium ears can hear their talks." That's something editors or QC should see immediately (the part at issue is "can hear their talks").

- Wrong Word  "Could you right a more feasible dream?" Right should be write. 

 

I think you guys are doing a lot of great work so spending a bit more time on polishing it would be good.

[dowolf]

I guess my main question is sort of related to whether or not there are going to be changes to the editing/QC process.

 

While going through the Miyako route there are some lines that a good process would have caught and I think while doing the translation for S you might want to check in and make sure that you're confident with editors/QC. Even the best editors and translators get tired/sloppy/etc, it's pretty human.

 

Specific lines at issue:

 

- Many issues with plural/non-plurals towards the beginning of the route. There's a series of exchanges where the word "equipments" is used over and over again (at least 7 times). It is not an actual word so it makes the translation look really childish.

- Specific line "They're saying whatever they want...!! These premium ears can hear their talks." That's something editors or QC should see immediately (the part at issue is "can hear their talks").

- Wrong Word  "Could you right a more feasible dream?" Right should be write. 

 

I think you guys are doing a lot of great work so spending a bit more time on polishing it would be good.

[twdarkeh]

As dowolf said, much of the route was done before we started, though I'm not sure as to an exact percentage. We only QC'd and edited the unfinished portions, and touched nothing else. If it occurred before the beach scene, it wasn't us.

 

As for the errors that slipped through after, yes, there are many. Most do not take away from the readability, and many have been fixed post-release as people have reported them. If you have specific examples, mail them to Ouraibaa, and he will pass them on to the rest of us to fix should they need fixing. Screenshots/full text of the lines is preferable, since it makes them easier to search.

 

As for the process itself, there is the TL(dowolf), the QC(ouraibaa), the tester(a secret), and me, who fixes misc problems the tester finds, as well as the spot fixes for the errors such as you mentioned. NhK and Crying also review the script. However, even with six people reading it, things are going to slip through, especially when you remember that several of us have read the whole route 4-5 times in the process of testing, so our minds begin to autocorrect things(there is a term for this, but hell if I can remember it). Kazama(the first route we edited) was read once by dowolf and ouraibaa, 5-6 times by the tester, twice by me, and then once each nhk, crying(I think?) and ouraibaa again. And still a few errors slipped through. Such is the nature of fan TLs.

 

Eventually, you just have to release it with the knowledge some things aren't 100% fixed, because nothing short of fresh eyes will spot them. This can be seen as either a failing or a blessing of fan TLs. A failing, since an imperfect product is released, but a blessing, since 1) it's free and 2) crowd-sourced error-spotting will spot more than a professional team, let alone a team collected from a fan-forum, could ever hope to pre-release.

 

Sorry for being long winded, but felt it was worth explaining.

[Kouki]

oh, I missed the poll voting session.... oh well, Agave it is 

 

Eventually, you just have to release it with the knowledge some things aren't 100% fixed, because nothing short of fresh eyes will spot them. This can be seen as either a failing or a blessing of fan TLs. A failing, since an imperfect product is released, but a blessing, since 1) it's free and 2) crowd-sourced error-spotting will spot more than a professional team, let alone a team collected from a fan-forum, could ever hope to pre-release.

 

"I think what is interesting in life is all the cracks and all the flaws and all the moments that are not perfect." - Clemence Poesy

 

As always, good job team~ 

[Lolrider]

Not trying to suggest you guys aren't working fast enough or anything like that, but I was wondering why the project page hasn't been updated yet?  My assumption was that the character polls were to determine which routes to translate next, so would it be safe to assume that Momoyo's route is finished being translated, or close to being finished?  That assumption could be wrong, but I was just curious if the UI was really proving to be a challenge, or if you guys were just waiting to have a big chunk finished before updating the page.  I see you guys posting on here so I know it's not an issue of you just not working on it or disappearing. 

Or maybe Kazuko's route was just way short?

[CryingWestern]

Just because we don't post something, doesn't mean it isn't being done. As for the UI, the challenge was done long ago, now it's just working some images here and there.

[Lolrider]

Just because we don't post something, doesn't mean it isn't being done. As for the UI, the challenge was done long ago, now it's just working some images here and there.

I figured it was something along those lines.  Just wanted to satisfy my curiosity more than anything else.

[pcmacattk]

hi, I was just wondering what routes are currently available because I don't know if the homepage has been updated recently and if there aren't any what would be a guess time for another route release if thats okay, thanks.

[Decay]

There are no routes available other than what is done in Wairu's patch released a couple years ago. There will be no additional partial patch releases until it is done.

[Crosskid]

good luck guys, i'm waiting for koyuki. yaaaay

[FSZ]

Thanks Dowulf, twdark, I think your explanation was really good. Also I finished reading the rest of Majikoi and other than a really rough patch in that route, everything else is great. You guys did an amazing job and we're really lucky to have you.

 

I'm going to find all the incorrect lines from that route, screenshot them, and provide recommended fixes for them.

 

Other than that, the only work I think you guys should consider is harmonizing "Kri" and "Crit". It's sort of jarring that her nickname is consistent in the prologue and 2.5 routes but then changes.

 

But you guys did an amazing job and after seeing the rest of your work, it's all very good. I'm happy to help out with Post-Production stuff if you need a volunteer, but I'm really confident Majikoi S is going to be great. You guys are awesome and its great to see that.

[sdarkpaladin]

Thanks Dowulf, twdark, I think your explanation was really good. Also I finished reading the rest of Majikoi and other than a really rough patch in that route, everything else is great. You guys did an amazing job and we're really lucky to have you.

 

I'm going to find all the incorrect lines from that route, screenshot them, and provide recommended fixes for them.

 

Other than that, the only work I think you guys should consider is harmonizing "Kri" and "Crit". It's sort of jarring that her nickname is consistent in the prologue and 2.5 routes but then changes.

 

But you guys did an amazing job and after seeing the rest of your work, it's all very good. I'm happy to help out with Post-Production stuff if you need a volunteer, but I'm really confident Majikoi S is going to be great. You guys are awesome and its great to see that.

[dowolf]

I think the reason behind Crit is because the joke with chris' nickname "kuri" can mean chestnut in japanese or a shortform for clit. 

[benny]

*i would totally translate Wanko as "Lassie" if I thought I could do so without having a literal riot on my hands

[Decay]

*i would totally translate Wanko as "Lassie" if I thought I could do so without having a literal riot on my hands

[sdarkpaladin]

This precisely.

 

Specifically, "Kri" was one of the things I absolutely hated about Yandere's translation--sacrificing the joke to preserve the pronunciation is just dumb*--so... >_>

*i would totally translate Wanko as "Lassie" if I thought I could do so without having a literal riot on my hands

Well, i guess the joke on wanko's name is harder to explain and yet everyone still uses wanko. So maybe it is fine? Personally i'm fine with either as the i have a certain standard of japanese knowledge. Although it's not enough to be able to understand difficult kanjis to read the game raw. That and reading moonrunes make me sleepy.

[dowolf]

There's a really interesting balance there. This game is chock-full of puns and references that, if translated literally, basically demand fluency in Japanese to understand: "Wanko" being an punny reading of 一子 (Kazuko), where "wan" also means "woof"; puns based on Momo meaning "peach" (ももよもももももものうち, "momoyo mo momo mo momo no uchi" is a fun line that just sort of keels over and dies if I translate it literally as "Momoyo and peaches are both members of the peach family"); Takuya becomes Takuyo when he's crossdressing because "ya" is a masculine name-ending while "yo" is a feminine one, which is especially confusing to Western ears because we're used to hearing -a endings as feminine; "Until you cry I wait / Oh cuckoo" in English sounds more like the words of a crazy person than the literary allusion it is; the phrase "a punch with the intensity of a rising dragon" is going to lack a certain oomph if you don't know that's the literal translation of "shouryuuken." Determining which ones to change and which ones you're stuck with is... fun.

 

 

I generally side with changing more things because I feel that makes the final project more enjoyable. But I digress.

[Decay]

I'm usually in favor of rewording things or even inventing new jokes if the original just does not work at all in english. That was the secret to why the Grisaia translation was so good, the translator is a good writer and a funny guy so he was able to make the humor work in english to a surprising degree. But I dunno, Kri -> Krit works because it still sounds similar, but Wanko's different. I don't like the idea of changing a name, even a nickname, to something completely different, especially when fans will have exposure to other products like the anime where the name will be kept. 

 

Just curious, but what did you translate that Momoyo line to?

[dowolf]

Names is basically the line, yeah... But I dunno. Making up names for people on AAI2 was so much fun; I kinda miss it >_>

 

As for the Momoyo line, it became: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peaches and placed them perniciously in my purview."

[sdarkpaladin]

Well, you could reword and let those who are fluent in Japanese language and culture pick up the joke from the audio. It'll be a slight annoyance for them but it's a compromise.

[dowolf]

I mean, people who are fluent in Japanese are presumably not reading it in English >_>

[sdarkpaladin]

Not really, i can understand Japanese when i listen to them but i can't speak nor read and write. Or i may the unique case.