Translation Review: [kdfss] Nourin – 02

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This post was written by kokujin-kun. He is not Dark_Sage.


FUNi’s release was soo bad, it spawned new fansub groups.

Table of Contents

Release Information

Translation

Other Observations

Final Grade

Release Information

Episode details.

Release format: MKV (287MB, 10-bit)

Translation: Original Translation

Wap Level: Full Wap

English style: American English.

Speed: Slow (>48 hours)

 

External links.

Group website: Hi~mi~tsu❤

IRC channel: None, because they’re awesome like that.

 

Translation

Karaoke.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_02.12_[2014.04.02_16.57.24]

The OP. It’s accurate. It’s readable. It’s kawaii. What more do you want?

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_22.48_[2014.04.02_23.10.15]

ED. So that’s how you translate “gap moe.” Anyway, the lyric translations were handled so well, it made me take notes.

Main Script.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_03.21_[2014.04.02_17.00.45]

Unlike all the other groups, kdfss actually made an effort to make Kousaku sound weird in this scene. However, I would argue that his speech patterns aren’t quite equivalent to broken English. I say he sounds like an professional interpreter doing an impromptu translation of a speech made by Obama regarding the latest slap on the wrist he’ll give to Russia  for establishing the Independent Republic of East Ukraine. Whenever English is translated directly (yet competently) into Japanese, it’ll sound like too many unnecessary words are being used. Or to put it simply, he sounds more like Mojo Jojo than Google Translate.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_03.37_[2014.04.02_17.03.03]

“Buildings.”

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_05.33_[2014.04.02_17.06.04]

Finally, I get to see “free-range” instead of “locally-raised” in my script.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_05.55_[2014.04.02_17.07.03]

Very good. They made it just as hard to read as it was to hear hear (that was a compliment).

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_07.33_[2014.04.02_17.10.15]

kdfss can fertilize my eggs without rubber anytime (^з<)ー☆

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_07.52_[2014.04.02_17.11.27]

I never even thought that this would be a way to render the “red balls” line. Good work.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_08.02_[2014.04.02_17.12.28]

Yeah, I guess this line is ecchi enough.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_08.24_[2014.04.02_17.13.25]

Pffffft.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_09.28_[2014.04.02_17.15.33]

Correctly types out and censors the “Furby” in this line.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_11.07_[2014.04.02_17.17.36]

Holy god, this joke is so tryhard, they might as well stick this picture in a corner:

imameme

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_11.14_[2014.04.02_17.18.09]

Missed a “Twist!” here.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_13.37_[2014.04.02_17.21.45]

He actually says, “I was just thinking how great Ghibli was,” but they knew what they were doing.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_16.29_[2014.04.02_17.36.43]

I LOLed at this line XD

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_16.52_[2014.04.02_17.37.42]

Only group to get this line right.

 

 

Other Observations

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_00.31_[2014.04.02_16.54.42]

I wish they split this line the same way Becky has split her personalities.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_02.22_[2014.04.02_16.58.49]

This was in the OP and it was only on screen for a split second. They didn’t have to do this, but they did 0_o

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_03.39_[2014.04.02_17.02.11]

Once again, this sign must’ve taken quite a chunk out of someone’s weekend.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_15.33_[2014.04.02_17.34.08]

I say they succeeded in rendering Minori’s dialect in a way that’s not (too) distracting.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_10.31_[2014.05.02_20.56.30]

I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be a question mark… I guess it works.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_17.34_[2014.04.02_21.17.26]

This, however, doesn’t, so chalk this one up for the batch.

[kdfss] Nourin - 02 [720p-Hi10P][596414BC].mkv_snapshot_19.59_[2014.04.02_21.21.22]

Your mask is slipping.

Final Grade: A

Say what you will, the secretive and biased cabal that is the Nyaatorrents mods was absolutely right in giving this Nourin release a blue, even if these releases pretty much prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an A+ rating will never equal more downloads. These subs were well made and it actually boosted the enjoyment factor for this series by a few magnitudes. Indeed, this is the type of release that every group should strive for.

 

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29 thoughts on “Translation Review: [kdfss] Nourin – 02”

  4. kdfss had a really polished release. I really would hope they so seeing as they were two through three weeks behind on every episode.
    Hell I’ll even say they deserved the A+ more seeing as our first four episodes were so rough.

    However, I don’t know who the editor was or if the TL is more the culprit here… I could not personally watch this style of editing. The second I saw Google Translate, I got a sick feeling in my stomach that only got worse. I personally can not stand when fansub groups decide to write script which is what alot of this felt like.

    Anyway, good job kdfss.

    Reply

    • lyger started working on this like 3 weeks into the season. You’ll notice he put out a release about once a week.

      There was no editor, so the dialogue is pretty much all straight from the TL, which he then QC’d himself for the most part. I can see why you and other people might dislike the result, but I don’t think it’s fair of you to call it “scriptwriting.” If a culturally significant reference makes sense to Japanese viewers, but doesn’t carry over that meaning when translated straight, then I think adapting that reference to evoke a similar reaction from your target language audience is part of a translator’s job. I don’t want to jump down your throat with this because you seem to be perfectly reasonable and I can respect your having differing preferences when it comes to the subs you watch. I just wanted to clarify the thought process that goes behind these kinds of things.

      Reply

      • I completely understand the thought process. Just personally don’t like it and so my group’s subs reflect that. And considering the reactions I saw on foolz archive after kdfss started releasing, I’d say many of CDY’s downloaders stuck around for the same reason (plus time to release).

        My point about being behind is that, regardless if it was released weekly, rizon is a gossip hub. In three weeks, it’s pretty easy to hear how a group made this or that mistake even without searching for it. On top of that, a week allows for a lot more leisurely pace which may or may not result in better subs. CDY released usually within 16 hours of translation beginning. If kdfss released at a similar pace but three weeks late, then ignore that.

        Reply

        • >My point about being behind is that, regardless if it was released weekly, rizon is a gossip hub. In three weeks, it’s pretty easy to hear how a group made this or that mistake even without searching for it.

          You have nothing but my word to take it on, but I had absolutely no input from any of the other translations for this show.

          People who have worked with me will tell you that I prefer to puzzle through difficult translations on my own brainpower. Nor was I privy to any of this gossip you mentioned; I don’t think anyone happened to be discussing translation errors in Nourin in any of the channels I hung around.

          Besides, I had the light novel scans and Google. For 99.9% of the show, that was more than enough to go on.

          Oh, but I’m slow as hell. I’d have one or two “break” days every week, but I’d be working on the release on and off for all the other days. So while I kept to a steady pace, I never ended up catching up on my three-week-late start.

          Reply

          • >I really would hope they so seeing as they were two through three weeks behind on every episode.
            He probably meant that he’d expect better quality from a slower release. Don’t forget he never said that you may have possibly actually listened to any of the randomly-timed gossip.

            Reply

      • Forgot to add this:
        I don’t watch subs to have the jokes adapted 90% of the time. I want to enjoy what is in the anime. Not what the fansubber thinks is relevant unless it’s literally untranslatable as-is. But, again, that is personal preference.

        Reply

        • >I want to enjoy what is in the anime. [i]emphasis mine[/i]

          This sentiment I understand, to an extent. I vaguely remember having to go over the ‘Inception’ line a few more times just to make sure if it was really mentioned. But I’m a right greedy bastard–I want to understand what is actually being said *and* what the joke (or hidden meaning, or reference) behind it is. Which was why I found the TL notes for their version really useful.

          Reply

      • “Traduttore traditore.”

        (Reading discussions on this site made me wish I’d listened to my translation prof more–though I couldn’t stand him looking down on us German majors just because he’s from the Romance language section.)

        Reply

        • Of course translation is an imperfect art. You cannot be completely faithful to the source material when adapting it to a different language.

          However, a translation must be meaningful to the target audience or it’s useless. How many people watching this with English subs are going to get why the Ghibli reference was made? It’s a line that makes a lot more sense to the Japanese audience as it’s part of their popular culture. Now, one can argue whether or not Inception was the right icon to replace it with, but it’s undoubtedly effective in conjuring the correct image for this scene.

          Obviously, lyger was pushing the envelope somewhat with these releases, and he himself admits he did things in a slightly more exaggerated fashion than he typically does, but I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with his translation.

          (And again, I can respect why people aren’t thrilled by his relatively avant-garde approach for this series, but I firmly believe in the importance of adapting subtitles to be meaningful to your target audience.)

          Reply

            • MC-kun dreamed of Ringo looking over him, then fell out of bed and realized it was just a dream. He then tells the wombat about how he had this crazy dream where he thought his favorite idol had transferred into his school. Immediately as he says this, he comes across her in the laundry room, so he becomes unsure whether he’s still dreaming or not.

              The original Ghibli reference is apparently to some line the MC in Totoro utters about her not being sure whether she’s in a dream or not. Inception is all about dreams in dreams, which is what he thinks this is (since he already woke up from the first dream, and he’s not sure if this is another layer of the dream).

              Reply

  5. >kdfss actually made an effort to make Kousaku sound weird

    The hyperlink doesn’t lead to a screenshot showing Kousaku sounding weird.

    Reply

  6. >that an A+ rating will never equal more downloads

    You only need to see the download numbers for everything ripped by HS to know that most leechers care more for speed than quality.

    Reply

  8. I just want to say that the kara effects in this release were some of the best I’ve seen. They managed to be readable, interesting, and fitting to the theme. Nicely done.

    I do have one question though: is “numskull” a common spelling? Google tells me it’s valid, but I have to say I’ve only ever seen it spelled as “numbskull.”

    Reply

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