Shel

@shel

The Transsexual Chofetz Chaim

she/her
shelraphen.com/

Mutant, librarian, poet, union rabble rouser, dog, Ashkenazi Jewish. Neuroweird, bodyweird, mostly sleepy.

I write about transformative justice, community, love, Judaism, Neurodivergence, mental health, Disability, geography, rivers, labor, and libraries; through poetry, opinionated essays, and short fiction.

I review Schoolhouse Rock! songs at @PropagandaRock

Website (RSS + Newsletter)

shelraphen.com/

Website League

soc.lizard.tools/@shel

Shel @shel4/19/2023, 3:51 AM

Mags!@RatBaby

Shel @shel4/19/2023, 1:57 AM

Reading manga fan translations and it drives me crazy every time they say "read the atmosphere" like I know they're literally saying "read the air" but we have an English idiom for the same thing and it's "read the room" just use "read the room" it'll work like 70% of the time and not sound so strange

Shel @shel4/19/2023, 3:51 AM

"Could it be... that person??? In that place???"

Yo like sure you might not know Japanese perfectly but do you know English??? "Is that him over there?" like come on! We have pronouns for this! Or like, if it's very obvious who or where is being referred to just use the noun! "Could that be Taiko Waititi??? On Europa???"

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in reply to @shel's post:

Gay Eminem on 9/11 @DecayWTF4/19/2023, 2:02 AM

All according to keikaku

Slifter @Slifter4/19/2023, 2:07 AM

(Translator's note: Keikaku means plan)

in reply to @shel's post:

Annie D @ann-arcana4/19/2023, 1:01 PM

the obsession with weird literalism among fan translations is a plague

generations of weebs producing unreadable nonsense because they've wildly misunderstood how translation works

Lotte 'just an idiot' May @LotteMakesStuff4/19/2023, 1:08 PM

Forever grateful for fan translations, every single one is a precious gift but DANG your 1000% right. I guess editing (heck even writing) is its own skill

Erys @chaoticevilspacewitch4/19/2023, 2:36 PM

I don't think this phenomenon is entirely confined to fan translations. I've been reading the official translations of the Otherside Picnic novels, and figuring out where Sorawo's weirdness ends and poor translation begins can be an adventure.
Which is extra sad, because it makes me a little hesitant to recommend the books to more normal people who might otherwise enjoy them.

the yuri sorcerer @fearful-presence4/20/2023, 1:43 AM

I used to help QC scanlations and I quit because most people who do the actual translations are weirdos obsessed with "preserving the purity of the original language" and actively refuse any line rewrite to make the English easier to understand.

As a manga fan you eventually get used to these quirks, but they shouldn't exist in the first place. They are purely a product of deliberately botching translations.

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