“Miss Stake” would only have been good localization if the character’s name was “Chigau.” “Shimau” is a form of the verb “shimasu” and as a result, the choice of translation is irrelevant and annoying. Ironically, one of the few instances left that *really* bugs me is in Yotsuba, by the exact same author. The fans have mostly won this now, although there are still pockets of resistance among publishers. And they listened, as we can see with the lovely translators’ notes, explaining the choices made (and the personal touch they provide) for later volumes.Īzumanga Daioh manga was the first real battlefield where this particular war was fought. As ADV learned, when we all wrote to tell them so.
It’s perfectly respectable for her mother to call her Yukari-chan and perfectly not respectable (or respectful) at all for her students to do so. Why honorifics? Because Yukari-sensei, Yukari, and Yukari-chan all mean completely different things. However, Kaorin is a nickname, and therefore doesn’t really need to be translated. For example, try thinking of a cute way to translate “pig in a poke” to another language.) It doesn’t really matter if you write “staring off into the middle distance” or “staring off into the day after tomorrow.” Readers will get it, whichever way you chose. This is a subtle, but critical difference.Ī literal translation of an idiom won’t kill us (unless it’s a particularly bizarre or obscure idiom. What we want is an authentic reading experience. Once again, allow me to clarify – I do not believe that fans want “literal” translations. By calling Yukari-sensei “Miss Yukari” and when the students called her Yukari-chan, “Yukari baby,” they would make it easier for a non-manga fan to follow the comic. And in many ways, I agreed with those choices, as they made the manga more accessible to a wider audience outside the core fandom. I understood why ADV made the choices it did. And that afternoon, the English-language Azumanga Daioh Omnibus was delivered.ĭo you know, I have never read the English edition of Azumanga Daioh? Well, not entirely true – I scanned the first volume when it first came out, shuddered with distaste, and didn’t buy it. Last week I said to myself – y’know, I haven’t read Azumanga Daioh in forever, let’s crack open the old Japanese editions and re-read them.
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