The only way I could see the mess up is if he forgot that the "r" should have been made a "l". Even then it's unforgivable since he's supposed to be professional.

Just going through the third volume, it seems like the translation's becoming a bit more awkward. I don't know if it's just me or if it really is becoming that off.

Quote :

The only way I could see the mess up is if he forgot that the "r" should
have been made a "l".

Yeah but even then, there's usually a ・separator between words.

Spark Ring Wide Pressure would look like:
スパーク・リング・ワイド・プレッシャー

and Sparkling Wide Pressure looks like:
スパークリング・ワイド・プレッシャー

To an outsider the difference between the two looks miniscule, but a translator instantly knows where the syllables break into words because of where the ・ appear.

Flanagan just doesn't know what he's doing, lol.

(PS: My favorite word *ever* in Japanese is "nakapochi", which is the word for "interpoint" - this little thing right here: ・)

Looking forward to see what happens to the Witches 5's names X3

Eudial, Mimete, Tellur, Viluy, Cyprine, Ptilol X3

Ugh, I wanted to try to defend Kodansha's release. I tried. I gave them a chance. But no. I'm officially disappointed. Some of the small things didn't bother me as much as others. I like honorifics.

But the Spark Ring Wide Pressure and several other typos and errors I've come across...just disappointing. After this release I'm never buying a Kodansha release again. I truly wish they had really doubled checked themselves before release this print.

So I'll have to retract anything I've said in the past about the new manga. I'm happy to have a new (and intact, not falling apart...) version of the manga, but I'm very disappointed with the piss poor translation and editing job.

All in all, I'll probably keep buying the new releases and collecting the old releases whenever I see them at Half Price Books (which isn't all that often, unfortunately). The old releases annoy me just as much, because I hate the name change "Bunny."

I actually want to write a complaint, but I can't find a "contact" button on their website. That's not cool. I did find one e-mail, but I don't know if it is correct. It is referenced on their website, but never in the contact of general comments or complains (only publicity or copyright). publicity@kodansha-usa.com

I already sent a complaint to that e-mail, but I'm not sure what response I will get it.

Please keep discussing the nuances when you can, Elly. I love this stuff, even if I am not a translator myself.

To me, even the layman Sailor Moon fan would have enough sense to know the name of the attack is Sparkling Wide Pressure. Look how many other translations have produced that result! How could you not second source or reference other translations with respect to a possibly disputed phrase, which, in this case, is not even the issue? It boggles the mind.

To be fair I've seen fans of the series put things like

"Venus Lovely Chain" and "Shining Aqua Illusion"

Fair enough. There are some butchered translations. Perhaps second sourcing through fan media is not always the best idea...

Nevertheless, is it too expensive for Kodansha to staff multiple translators, or at least semi-competent editors?

Thereisnospoon303 wrote:

Fair enough. There are some butchered translations. Perhaps second sourcing through fan media is not always the best idea...

Nevertheless, is it too expensive for Kodansha to staff multiple translators, or at least semi-competent editors?

Speaking of Kodansha, they are fairly quiet about all of this. I'm sure several people have complained to them about it. Like we get nothing about the translating process.

Small Lady wrote:

Thereisnospoon303 wrote:

Fair enough. There are some butchered translations. Perhaps second sourcing through fan media is not always the best idea...

Nevertheless, is it too expensive for Kodansha to staff multiple translators, or at least semi-competent editors?

Speaking of Kodansha, they are fairly quiet about all of this. I'm sure several people have complained to them about it. Like we get nothing about the translating process.

Not to get too far off topic, but as a Star Wars fan, I can only be reminded of George Lucas and his painfully slow destruction of the Star Wars franchise.

Accountability to fan bases seems so difficult these days.

I don't think its actual a question of "them" reading the translation I get the feeling its one guy who doesn't know Sailor Moon and he's just a little cocky about it and has rushed. And to boot, they haven't bothered to get anyone to proofread it, that's all... personally I think its coming down to laziness more than anything =\

If it is laziness, it's still incredibly unprofessional. People pay money for a product, and they expect to get their money's worth. It's as simple as that.

Not to kiss up to Elly or the staff at Miss Dream, but they do a wonderful job of meticulously working on both the translation and presentation of the manga. To the best of my knowledge, nobody is paying them a dime for that work, and yet it is now proving to be head and shoulders above what Kodansha is providing currently. Quite frankly, I would expect a well-funded company to at least provide comparable material.

I'm no manga "purist," so to speak, but the mistakes being made are inexcusable and something of an insult to English speaking Sailor Moon fans in the US who have waited a long while for official translations of the manga.

Personally I think, if youre that unhappy with Kodansha, you should just read Miss Dream. Whats more important is getting a new generation into Sailor Moon :3 and I certainly dont think they care about these errors...

OH MY GOSH >.< I TAKE THAT ALL BACK I JUST REALISED TYPING THAT THERES GOING TO BE A WHOLE GENERATION THINKING "SPARK RING WIDE PRESSURE" T.T

I don't know what to think anymore *sits in corner and cries to self*

But then again... about 97 out of 100 sailor moon fans don't know about Lilith of Darkness... and I'm sure alot of people will just call it Jupiter Wide Thunder Clap or whatever it is in the dub...

I'm so conflicted right now T.T *needs hugs*

*hugs*

There, there. Welcome to the perils of fandom.

For the record, I'm still buying the Kodansha releases with the naive hope that the success of the manga will prompt the continued spread of Sailor Moon media in the United States. That, and I can point at my collection now and go "lol".

or you can buy them all. put them on a shelf and then think "look at how they match"!

That reason trumps everything else

UndergroundSources wrote:

OH MY GOSH >.< I TAKE THAT ALL BACK I JUST REALISED TYPING THAT THERES GOING TO BE A WHOLE GENERATION THINKING "SPARK RING WIDE PRESSURE" T.T

*joins her in the corner* I... I never even thought about that.
Maybe... Maybe we can think on the bright side. Even with younger readers, eventually they're going to check things out online and see that it's a mistake, right? ... ._. 'spark ring wide pressure' doesn't even sound cool, it sounds like broken English or some weird attempt at.. at... I don't even know what. The sad part is that, since it's an official release, there will be new 'buffs' raised on this translation that might fight tooth-and-nail that 'spark ring' is the true attack. ._. oh jeez.

If I did a similar poor performance at my job, I'd be reprimanded/fired. I don't see why various people feel the need to let sloppy work go, when they themselves would receive negative implications if they did their job as sloppy. If Kodansha doesn't want to spend the small amount of money to hire/contract a proofreader, then I'm taking my hard-earned money elsewhere.

I hope "Spark Ring Wide Pressure" becomes synonymous with failure and/or the ability to perform a basic, fundamental task.

Elly wrote:

Quote :

The only way I could see the mess up is if he forgot that the "r" should
have been made a "l".

Yeah but even then, there's usually a ・separator between words.

Spark Ring Wide Pressure would look like:
スパーク・リング・ワイド・プレッシャー

and Sparkling Wide Pressure looks like:
スパークリング・ワイド・プレッシャー

To an outsider the difference between the two looks miniscule, but a translator instantly knows where the syllables break into words because of where the ・ appear.

Flanagan just doesn't know what he's doing, lol.

(PS: My favorite word *ever* in Japanese is "nakapochi", which is the word for "interpoint" - this little thing right here: ・)

Thanks for pointing that out. I almost forgot about that little ・ separator. That just makes it even worse then, even more so than forgetting to change the sound pronunciation.

That's a very basic Japanese I mistake right there! My teacher would have smacked us upside our heads for that! (Okay not really ) I can't fathom how this is a professional translation.

Quote :

I can't fathom how this is a professional translation.

Me either. D:

Ugh! I just got the third volume today, it looks beautiful and everything. Up until now I had no problems with the Kondansha releases but straightaway this one had a MAJOR, HUGE, EPIC MISTAKE. Well it was awful for me being a big Sailor Moon fan.

Queen Metaria? Really?

Oh and the binding is atrocious - I have to almost rip the book in half to read some of the words, not too mention I can't see Nephrite and Makoto's face on the chapter title page - you know the one of the Shitennou and the senshi? Sigh, and I like to really look at Naoko's art you know? Lol.

Let's not forget a page I found where half the words were cut off at the bottom. I also think the paper is of a lesser quality compared to the first two volumes I received.

The biggest bummer is this one I paid the most for... I know we've been through this before with how crappy the re-releases are but I mean, I feel like Sailor Moon and her fans are being disrepected. It makes me sad.

Funny thing about the binding of the Kodansha releases too.

RANDOM TRIVIA #28

Kodansha books are easier to take apart than Tokyopop books.

For as bad of a reputation Tokyopop books have for falling apart, I think we'll start to see that happen with the new Kodansha books within a year. The quality of the binding glue is really terrible, and it "seizes" with temperature change which is what I think caused some of the books to arrive over-tensioned.

The main thing I find ironic about all of this is how at the beginning of it all there was the stuff about "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS WOULD ILLEGALLY TRANSLATE THE MANGA YOURSELVES YOU ALL ARE BAD FANS FOR NOT WAITING PATIENTLY!!!" You know, on Moon Chase?

You'd think that if they didn't want us reading Miss Dream they'd strive to have a better translation? I don't know.

I haven't bought the Kodansha manga yet, and I don't think I will. I do want to support Sailor Moon's return though, so I will buy other merchandise.

There is a lot of new Sailor Moon merchandise. I just got back from Ohayocon, and they had a wide variety of newly released material (which can be identified by the new artwork and title font) which was nonexistent the year before. Hopefully, they'll keep releasing new material in order to make up for the lackluster effort in the manga.

Nevertheless, I intend to buy volumes 2 and 3 in spite of their glaring flaws.

Quote :

The main thing I find ironic about all of this is how at the beginning
of it all there was the stuff about "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS WOULD
ILLEGALLY TRANSLATE THE MANGA YOURSELVES YOU ALL ARE BAD FANS FOR NOT
WAITING PATIENTLY!!!" You know, on Moon Chase?

Yeah I don't know what ever happened to that. I have still to this day never received any communications from Kodansha regarding anything. O___O

I've been buying the new Kodansha books because I collect all Sailor Moon books, period, but that's really it.

Quote :

Queen Metaria? Really?

To be a 100% fair. Naoko DID write "Queen Metaria" in English somewhere once, though I personally think she was probably not thinking in English but rather just doing it for stylistic reasons, I mean I personally disagree with the common fan terms "Prince Dimande" "Tellu" and "Shiva Shingetsu Astarte"

!! Just got #4 in the mail, and they've fixed Sparkling Wide Pressure! ♥

I just got my volume four today, but this is how I see it: se are getting new sailor moon merchandise out of all this. I wont complain because the volumes look really nice and glossy. I just hope the next volumes get better as they progress or they fire their translator one.

I will still buy it, plus who knows they might go back and "fix" the mistakes and then we will have collector pieces of "mistakes" and them "fixed"

Oh when was 4 due out? *Is gunna have to check the book store on this coming up payday!*