#to understand! And they don't even translate the parts that are subtitled in Japanese so if you can't read the Japanese subtitles you'll

[deadsince1973]

I've just finished episode 5 of Vivant, and I have to say, I really love and appreciate the mix of languages on this show. You just KNOW that if this show were American, all the "Balkan"/Mongolian characters would be speaking English with a foreign accent for the convenience of the audience. So I absolutely love this show's choice to have huge chunks of the show's dialogue delivered in Mongolian, including lines by the Japanese main characters, and to simply subtitle it in Japanese. No handwaving about how the main characters' foreign contacts just happen to speak Japanese with no expectation that the main characters might also speak Mongolian. No, instead, all the main characters speak Mongolian and English (and Arabic maybe, in Nogi's case?) in addition to Japanese, none of the Americans speak Japanese, only the Balkan/Mongolian characters for whom it makes sense that they would speak Japanese speak Japanese, and the language of the scene is chosen based on what language would most likely be used in that situation in real life. Convenience for the audience is simply not a consideration. And I love it!

#Vivant #original #P.S. Do not watch this show if you can't speak at least some Japanese. The English subtitles are machine-translated and they are IMPOSSIBLE #to understand! And they don't even translate the parts that are subtitled in Japanese so if you can't read the Japanese subtitles you'll #miss like 20% of the story! Not that my Japanese is good enough to understand every word or anything but I can at least get the gist. And #the horrible subtitles are at least able to supply some important words I otherwise wouldn't know. #Anyway. I wish Japanese dramas were more popular in the U.S. so we could get more of them available with English subtitles! #Good professional English subtitles I mean. #As it is I think it's pretty much just whatever Netflix produces in-house and whatever Viki has isn't it? And Viki seems to have their #biggest focus on Korean dramas. I mean they do have dramas from a lot of Asian countries and they have subtitles available in a lot of #languages and that they have that learning mode that lets you watch a show with native-language subtitles with a built-in dictionary which #is awesome. But I am not at this point in my life interested in dramas that don't come from China or Japan so I wish it was easier to watch #Japanese TV in America!

[jimmy-dipthong]

A prime example of words being only translatable within a given context is the word 国語. It's the word for the literary studies subject in Japanese schools, similar to the subject called "English" in english speaking schools. The question is - when you translate it, which part is more important? The fact that 国語 means "literary studies" or the fact that it means "japanese studies"?

Similarly, with the word 英語 (which literally means "the english language" and is the name of the english language subject at Japanese schools), you could choose to preserve its literal meaning as "english studies" or its meaning from a Japanese student's perspective as "foreign language studies".

Imagine the following exchange, where character A is being characterised as liking foreign language learning.

A: 次の授業なんだっけ？ B: 国語だよ。 A: えー　まじ？英語かと思った、国語は最悪。

Translation where 国語＝ "japanese studies", 英語＝"english studies"

A: What's our next class? B: Japanese. A: Seriously? I thought it was English, I hate Japanese.

Translation where 国語＝"literary studies", 英語＝"foreign language studies"

A: What's our next class? B: English. A: Seriously? I thought it was Spanish, I hate English.

It is impossible to choose which of the above translations is better without context. Even worse, without context, one of those translations will be objectively correct and one will be incorrect!!

Let's say the above line is from an anime set in a Japanese high school, and we're translating for subtitles. In that case, doing the literal translation of 国語 -> Japanese/英語 -> English is the only option - the characters are clearly Japanese, in a Japanese school, and literally speaking Japanese. This makes sense.

But on the other hand, let's say the above line is from an anime set in a US high school, and we're translating for dubs. In that case, translating 国語 -> English/英語 -> Spanish makes sense: these words don't represent the literal ideas of "Japanese" and "English", they represent the US equivalents of "literary studies" and "foreign language studies". Plus, since it's for dubs, the characters are speaking English - here 英語 means "foreign language" so it wouldn't make sense for it to be translated as "english".

This creates a weird situation in which a word can have two equally valid translations that are the complete opposite of each other, and which one is correct is entirely dependent on context.

The above two scenarios are quite unambiguous as to which translation should be used. But what are you supposed to do when it's less clear? What if the anime set in Japan was being dubbed instead? The characters and setting look Japanese, but they're literally speaking English. Does it make more sense to translate 国語 as "English" or "Japanese"? What if the setting isn't on earth? What if the characters aren't even human?

This word is an extreme example, but I wanted to use this to show how no word can be translated properly when taken out of context. Words ALWAYS appear in some sort of context, and you need to know this context to understand what the word means. Something to keep in mind when using multilingual dictionaries - in a dictionary every word is out of context, so tread carefully and make sure to check example sentences.

#linguistics #language learning #langblr #japanese language #japanese #language acquisition #language #learning japanese #semiotics #sorta #jimmy blogthong

[soupthatistohot]

why it's called Meursault and why that's the correct spelling

(plus other related thoughts because I'm a nerd)

BSD s4 spoilers ahead!

With s4 of BSD airing, we've finally arrived to the point where Dazai has been arrested and is imprisoned with Fyodor in Meursault. With this, I noticed that depending on the streaming service people are using, in the subtitles, Meursault is spelled differently (Mersault vs Meursault).

There is a correct spelling. It's Meursault. I know this because (surprise, surprise!), this name is a literary reference!

The Stranger is a story by French-Algerian author Albert Camus (1913-1960), and one of his most well-known works, the main character of which is named Monsieur Meursault (hence the spelling). I don't think there would be any spelling discrepancy with this name because it's French in origin, meaning that it's spelled using the roman alphabet. There would be no reason to eliminate that extra "u".

Other names that are translated from languages that use different alphabets having multiple spellings are more understandable. For example, Chuuya's name in Japanese hiragana (one of multiple alphabets the Japanese use) looks like this: ちゅうや. I don't know much about etymology or anything, but I assume the fact that because Chuuya's name doesn't originally come from the roman alphabet is why it has multiple spellings in English (Chuuya vs Chūya). This would not be the case for Meursault, though, because there's no discrepancy there. French and English use the same alphabet.

Okay and now I wanna be a literary nerd for a second — spoiler warning for The Stranger in the next paragraph, if you care about that.

At the conclusion of the story, Monsieur Meursault is arrested for murder and goes to prison, where he accepts his death as inevitable and is at peace. I suspect that the fact that in the BSD universe Meursault is a French prison has to do with the character's fate, but I wonder if the part about accepting death will somehow play into it? I don't know how much Asagiri is letting the inspiration for the prison's name influence his storytelling....

And on that note, I also think it makes so much sense that Asagiri would have an interest in Camus' work! Albert Camus was an author, yes, but also notably a philosopher who believed strongly in absurdism — the idea that life is meaningless, essentially.

This point of view isn't quite as dark as it seems, because for some absurdists, it just meant that it was up to the individual to create meaning within their own life. One of my favorite quotes from Camus is "The literal meaning of life is whatever you're doing that prevents you from killing yourself.”

Part of the reason I think this makes sense for Asagiri is because BSD is very much about its characters searching for a meaning of life. Dazai is searching for a reason to stay alive by helping people as Oda told him to, Atsushi is slowly overcoming the idea that his meaning of life is solely to help others, Akutagawa is slowly overcoming the idea that Dazai is his reason to live, etc. etc..

It also makes sense because Kafka Asagiri is a pseudonym. The given name Kafka is taken from another famous absurdist author, Franz Kafka (1883-1924). He wasn't a philosopher like Camus, and actually, he wasn't really even known in his lifetime for his writing. He worked a day job as a banker, which he hated, and at night he wrote. His stories often touched on the absurdity of bureaucracy, and were far less realistic and more ridiculous than Camus' work (ever read The Metamorphosis?). But they were similar in that they called out hypocrisy and the innate absurdity of life.

So basically, that's why it didn't surprise me at all that Asagiri was also familiar with Camus' work, and liked it enough to include a reference to it in BSD.

I was also just genuinely delighted to learn this as someone who is really interested in Camus! I read one of this other works, The Plague, in high school and this past summer I read The Stranger. His work is really cool to me, and though it's dense at times, I like that it's thought-provoking. It was also interesting to see the parallels between The Plague and the Covid pandemic... it's quite spooky how not much really changes.

Anyway! Thanks for reading my nerdy little ramble! I hope you got something out of it and please share your own thoughts if you have any, I'd love to hear them :)

#bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd s4 spoilers #bsd s4 #meursault #literary reference discussion #kafka asagiri #albert camus #franz kafka #absurdism #soup rants

[mementoboni]

[part 3/4] DIR EN GREY WOWOW Interview & Document (2020)

"But looking at these, seeing Diru's behind-the-scenes production process, I still feel it's not easy, DIR EN GREY is really amazing." — Shinya

Notes before reading:

The whole interview is divided into 8 topics, and the translation is divided into 4 parts. This is the third part, including the 5th topic. The details of all topics and time markers are 👉 here.

I have added Chinese subtitles for this video in 2021. The whole interview was very meaningful, and I hope that with the English translation, more people can understand what they're talking about.

The five members were interviewed separately and then edited into a video, so the words spoken by each of them are not necessarily coherent.

Repost and share are welcome.🙌 I translated it all by my ears, so please feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing parts.☺️

— — —

05. Member Feature

[ 薫 Kaoru ]

►Memories of the Band Formation

Kaoru: Even ONE MAN LIVE, we still didn't have the budget to decorate the stage. But we still wanted it, so we went to TOKYU HANDS* and bought Styrofoam, flower decorations, and wire or something like that. It's fun that we all made  stage decorations in the house together. (*Note: "TOKYU HANDS" is a Japanese chain of home-based department stores specializing in selling DIY products.)

►Something of Recent Interest

Kaoru: I am often asked, but I can't think of anything. I don't want to do anything when I get home.  This month, in June, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (the movie) will be released, and I really like it. Kaoru: It's almost over, of course I also want to see it earlier, but after watching it is really over. I'm a little happy that it's going to be postponed, that it won't be released this year (2020), and that I won't be able to watch it. (Staff: Emotionally, you still can't accept it.) Kaoru: Yeah, yeah, it will feel like it's not the end yet.

►Opportunity for Solo Exhibition

(*Screen caption: Kaoru held a solo exhibition”ノウテイカラノ”in 2019.) Kaoru: The reason for the exhibition is that a few years ago my hands started to become a bit uncomfortable and I couldn't hold the pick properly to play the guitar, so I had to put the pick on my fingers with tape*.  As a kind of rehabilitation, I started to draw and try to show some random things, but the story is not yet that rich. (*Note: Around 2014, Kaoru's hands began to show signs of abnormalities, which were diagnosed to be the occupational disease, caused by relaxation of the ligaments of the muscles or joints.)

►The Origin of「ノウテイカラノ」("nouteikarano”)

Kaoru: When I was a child, I often had a dream. I don't know if it was the sky or the ground, but there was a pure white place, and from far away, I could see a lot of dots, as if there was a large group of things coming closer and closer, and in an instant, they all swarmed towards me. Kaoru: Every night I would dream about it, and then I woke up with a start.  I wake up every time I dream about it, and what happens after that? I imagine what happens after that, try to draw a picture like this, go back to my mind at that time and imagine it. (*Note: According to Kaoru’s scend book “Dokugen ni” (published in 2018) P.85, "ノウテイカラノ" means "脳底からの" (born from inside the head), just written in katakana.

►Influence on the Band

Kaoru: At first, I wanted to draw with a different feeling, and I felt that my creative power was stimulated, so I thought I could compose with a different feeling. But, rather, it seems to be more difficult to make a song. (laughs)

...

[ Shinya ]

►The Person You Admire

Shinya: I've been in a band since my first year of middle school. X was very popular in the class, and YOSHIKI-san's presence was very strong.  At that time I decided to become a drummer like him, and I've always looked up to YOSHIKI-san since then.

►Memories of the Band Formation

Shinya: We used to compose in a studio in Osaka. There was a container-like studio, and I remember we stayed there for 3 or 4 days, composing the song together.  The studio was rented, and we slept there under the blankets. Shinya: I never understood why we had to share a room*. The studio was in Osaka and we could just go home, so why did we have to spend the night there?  I guess other members might have felt the same way. (*Shinya used the word "gashuku, 合宿")

►Reason for Not Changing the Style

Shinya: There are people who have liked me for a long time. Also, I can feel the beauty by keeping my old look, and that's why (I don't change my look).

►Opportunity to Start Solo Project

(*Screen caption: Shinya established the music group "SERAPH" in 2017.) Shinya: The concept was already there many years ago, but I felt that it was a bit taboo to have other band activities, so I didn't do anything.  But around 2012 or 2013, I started to think that it was okay, so I went into it with the intention of trying it out.

►The Concept of "SERAPH"

Shinya: The theme is the various things that I see from heaven, about human beings, and that's what I'm expressing.

►Influence on the Band

Shinya: The drum part is the same as DIR EN GREY. After all, it's an expression of my own creation.  In this respect, when I think of the drums of DIR EN GREY, there may still be some influence.

►Things learned from "SERAPH"

Shinya: I have to do a lot of things by myself in SERAPH, booking all kinds of things and so on.  I'm quite happy to do it myself, or maybe I'm doing it because I like it. But looking at these, seeing Diru's behind-the-scenes production process, I still feel it's not easy, DIR EN GREY is really amazing.

...

[ Die ]

►Opportunity to Go into the Band

Die: I wasn't that interested in music itself before. I like listening to music, but I don't know anything about the bands. After entering high school, I saw the performance of senpais' copy band at the cultural festival. I was dragged there by my friends, and it was a shock to me. The first time I saw a live performance, I realized that it's the band. Die: Although I had no interest in it, I wanted to do something while watching it, and I formed a band with my friend immediately after the show was over. There was no one else (in the band). I was a drummer at first. (laughs)  But it's boring to play rhythm all the time at home.  After all, guitar is a melodic instrument, and there is an amplifier. I guess the guitar is more attractive to me.

►Memories of the Band Formation

Die: When we first debuted, we spent the whole day in the conference room of the record company, signing posters, changing signatures, and so on. Filming also started at 6 a.m., and it took about 3 hours for a person to put on makeup, it's usually over time at the end. I remember these things very well.

►Something of Recent Interest

Die: In my daily life, I naturally see and hear things like the Japanese music industry, and it feels really peaceful.

►Opportunity to Start Solo Project

(*Screen caption: Die founded the rock band "DECAYS" in 2015.) Die: As far as music is concerned, it's something I can't do at DIR EN GREY. I wanted to try and see how far I could go without the DIR EN GREY label. There is a part of me that wants to do it myself, or to challenge it.

►Things learned from "DECAYS"

Die: At first I felt like I had to make some changes, but instead, I felt like I was losing myself. In the end, I found that it is best to be myself, in the next process.

...

[ Toshiya ]

►Opportunity to Start Playing Bass

Toshiya: Originally, I just wanted to be a guitarist, but I didn't think I could play very well. At that time, I was thinking about what to do, and then I was attracted to the bass. I felt like I could see my future. Toshiya: There are many people who are called "Guitar Heroes", but few people remember "Bass Heroes". That means there is still room for me to develop, so I thought I would play bass.

►Memories of the Band Formation

Toshiya: When our band first formed, four members came to my hometown. It was winter and there was still snow on the ground. They all came from Kansai and rarely saw snow*. I was very impressed by how excited they were to see snow. (*Toshiya's hometown is Nagano. It is said that Toshiya's mother took the picture at the time and still keeps it at home in Nagano :D → TOSHIYA AT JOE YOKOMIZO CHANNEL 4th FEB TRANSLATION/NOTES 2/4)

►Favorite Artists

Toshiya: I like painting. Vincent van Gogh and Francis Bacon, I like both of them very much.  The world of painting is usually a mixture of truth and fiction.

►Opportunity to Start the Apparel Brand

(*Screen caption: Fashion brand with Toshiya as creative director - DIRT) Toshiya: I think music and fashion are inseparable and both are very attractive. Music should be free to express itself, and in the same way, fashion should be free, too. Toshiya: When it comes to expressing oneself, everyone chooses what is acceptable to most people*. I don't like that, I think we should listen to our own thoughts more. (*Toshiya used the word "migimuke migi, 右向け右")

►Influence on the Band

Toshiya: Even if I'm designing clothes, I end up having something to do with music. Although this is a completely different field, it will eventually return to music and bands.

...

[ 京 Kyo ]

►The Person You Admire

Kyo: There are a lot of them.  Now I'm not just targeting one person. When I was young, there were a lot of senpais that I wanted to become like them.  But it's been more than 20 years, so now I don't take them as a target, just be myself.

►Interested Artists

Kyo: Haven't there "Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃)" recently?  I haven't read it yet, it's super popular, isn't it?  Generally speaking, if the sales are so good, it is difficult to end the series, right? There will be a variety of entanglements, such as the life afterwards, there are many to consider. Kyo: I think it's great to end the series like this, to end it at this time, with a sense of strength and determination. So if there is a follow-up manga in the future, I would like to read it.

►Opportunity to Start Solo Project

(*Screen caption: Kyo founded the rock band "sukekiyo" in 2013.) Kyo: The things I want to do often keep popping up. I think it's a shame not to do it, and I don't want to regret it.

►Influence on the Band

Kyo: I don't think so, but I feel less stressed (after the solo project).  People who like DIR EN GREY say to me, "Don't bring sukekiyo to DIR EN GREY!" Sometimes people say that, and I'm not going to do that. Kyo: I was asked why (I want to form a sukekiyo), "Diru can do it, right?" It's because I can't do it (in Diru) that I want to do it!  I don't know what criteria they used to say that Diru can do it, but I didn't do what I could do (in Diru).  If you finish what you want to do one by one, you will be less stressed out.

(To be continued…)

--- --- ---

part 1. & part 2. & part4.

topics & time marks

中文翻譯 (My Blogger) part 1. & part 2. & part 3.

#dir en grey #kaoru #薰 #kyo #京 #die #toshiya #shinya #interview #interview 2020 #translations #video translation #diru translation #translation by yinfu #diru wowow 2020 #WOWOW interview #long post

[tinyozlion]

Addressing the Troubles: Part 3 / 3

English Dubs and the Early Years of Figuring Out Anime:

Back in the 00’s, the television industry was still figuring out anime. At the time, there was still a general prevailing attitude in North America that cartoons on TV were for children– even the more “mature” cartoons of the 90's like Batman: The Animated Series, Reboot, Gargoyles (actually, the Gargoyles voice acting fuckin' ruled), Beast Wars, etc., as a loose tendency, were the realm of bombastic voices and over-the-top, scenery-chewing performances. And god bless those performances! Where would we be as a nation, as a culture, if not for Mark Hamill’s Skeletor, his Joker? 

But this approach was less suited for dubbing anime. Sure, if you put that kind of sauce on a Sailor Moon villain, or a fun little DBZ alien guy, it works out okay! But it falls apart when you get to the serious stuff, and even the average 90’s goofball anime had *serious stuff*. When those moments weren’t given the requisite amount of sobriety, the dub very quickly became a disservice to the spirit of the original, and even young audiences could tell. 

Different studios took different approaches of course, and some of them caught on more quickly than others-- but in a large number of cases, the Japanese voice acting was just guaranteed to be better. They had an industry of professionals that took that job very, very seriously, and for the most part Western shows hadn’t gotten that degree of legitimacy yet.

There's a massive divide between Japanese and English drama-- separated not just by language, but by hundreds of years of theatrical traditions that share no common ancestor. There are whole character archetypes we don't have a direct equivalent for in the West, levels of intonation that don't translate, portrayals of sexuality and gender expression that we had no cultural context for, types of dramatic timing we had no idea what to do with for a couple decades. North American television studios simply didn’t have enough experience with those cultural and theatrical differences to handle the conversion well. There are plenty of famous examples of early dubs trying and failing to find substitutes for Japanese terms, idioms, honorifics, foods (“donut” from “onigiri”, and so forth).

These were the years when the “dub vs. sub” war had any kind substance to it– because kids, you only got to buy whatever language was on the VHS tape that Suncoast or Blockbuster was selling. And if you didn’t show up for the subbed version of an anime, the less likely you were to ever get it. DVD’s, with their selectable audio options and subtitle tracks, were still on the horizon. 

This is also why fan-subs started showing up, because the kids were smart and wanted a better understanding of their favorite shows; they were fed up with these butchered attempts at localization. “All according to *keikaku… *Keikaku means: Plan” is hilarious in retrospect, but it was proof that you could show new words and concepts to English-speaking audiences, and they would learn and appreciate them rather than changing the channel. Fans were dedicated enough to the source material that they were doing this shit themselves– literally making blurry VHS copies with their dubs and distributing them like mix-tapes. It created an underground fan culture of anime in the USA that became a substantive market for less tampered-with Japanese media, and I don’t know what the media landscape would look like today if that hadn’t happened.

--Voice actors work with what they're given; sometimes, that’s limited to just what’s in the script of the day, and in the early years of American localization, it would probably NOT have included any background from an untranslated manga, or the original director’s notes, or from cultural inference that was lost on unfamiliar Western listeners at the time.  So they’d be left to their own devices when it came to choosing character voice and intonation and what to do with pauses and interjections, and they’d be doing it without the benefit of the original cultural framework or context from the adapted source material. Then of course, there is the ubiquitous challenge of ADR: matching syllables to lip-flaps and the timing of a given scene, which I can only imagine has improved with more modern software.

All this lead to some memorably wild and incongruous readings that today strain belief, are unintentionally humorous, or in worst cases, ruin a scene. 

--This is the landscape we find ourselves in with early dubs. One's expectations must be modified to suit the medium and the times. It's all part of the challenge, the experience, the charm, the je-ne-sais-que of early dubs. It is the spice of life. Sometimes we all need a weird little background guy with a stupid voice to say the dumbest shit you ever heard. I find joy in this.

The English localization team on Gundam Wing was working with a very limited crew; almost everyone pulled double duty, and most “additional voices" are just the main actors wearing different hats. This led to some real big swings with the one-off character voices– because there are only so many ways to shout “IT’S A GUNDAM!”, and sometimes you gotta put some extra mustard on OZ Grunt #47 so you can tell him apart from OZ Grunt #46.

They were trying their very hardest to make it seem like there were more than twelve people inhabiting the universe, and the results… were mixed. But the effort was admirable.

My Humble Defense of the English Dub:

Okay so listen-- I’m not gonna force anyone to listen to the English dub. Your mileage and tolerance for all of the dislocated strangeness and over-the-topness mentioned above may vary. And obviously, the original Japanese audio has artistic authenticity and charisma of its own.

-- SO ALL I’M GONNA SAY IS: if you tap out early, you’re gonna miss out on some of the rawest, coolest, emotionally pitch-perfect deliveries of all time.

Brian Drummond is absolutely heart-stopping as Zechs; it’s one of my favorite VA performances of all time. Enuka Okuma is by turns a chilling, ferocious, and sympathetic Lady Une. Mark Hildreth’s Heero Yuy conceals a depth of nuance and attention to detail beneath his superficial monotone. Kirby Morrow’s Trowa is a well of quiet empathy, his stoicism sometimes the vehicle for a tinder-dry sense of humor. Lisa Ann Beley as Relena runs the full dramatic range between naivety, to heartbreak, to conviction. Saffron Henderson’s Noin has a smoky sensuality that overlays her formidable competence, and moments of incredibly touching vulnerability. Michael Dobson’s cold eloquence as Duke Dremail brings the amount of aristocratic dignity and arrogance needed to lend legitimacy to the Romefeller Foundation and its terrifying power. And of course, Scott McNeil as Duo is utterly indispensable, a bright, bouncing point of contrast in a grim troupe, with the deftness of touch to deliver glimpses into the nihilism, the weary kindness, that his up-beat attitude belies. 

I could continue to embarrass myself and go on this way about the whole cast. I love the English dub very much-- I also, truly, deeply, understand that it is wacky as hell. But I still believe it's worth grinning and bearing the NPCs and occasional dud lines to get to the good stuff. And sometimes, honestly, the good stuff IS the wacky stuff.

 Side note: a fun game I like to play is Spot That Voice Actor! Take a drink every time you identify one of the main cast in a secret, secondary role! Take a drink every time you catch one of them putting some extra English on an unnamed character who dies immediately after they speak! Expire from alcohol poisoning by episode 20! Example: Did you know that Brian Drummond voiced both Zechs AND Doctor G? Now you know! And you can't unknow it! Ha ha! I've done this to you!

#Parsing Post #Gundam Wing #Addressing the Troubles #Gundam Wing Meta #Gundam Meta

[lizzybeth1986]

Headcanons: Kiara the Polyglot

Learning Languages

• Both Theron siblings grew up learning French, Darija and English pretty much from the cradle. Joëlle and Hakim spoke often in these languages at home, they sang lullabies, whispered soothing phrases, read out books to them.

• Greek and English were the national languages of Cordonia. Joëlle and Hakim made these tongues a more prominent part of the kids' childhood when they reached 3 and 4 years of age. In this way, all members of this Great House are fluent in four languages regardless of interest and ability.

• They used the OPOL (one person, one language) strategy with all four languages but especially with Greek and English. There were close friends who were regularly involved in the Theron household and work, and who agreed to speak only in those specific languages to increase Ezekiel and Kiara's comfort with them. While the parents themselves continued to speak French and Darija.

• Kiara's interest in learning more languages began, indirectly, through her father. Hakim was a huge fan of the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. Her most famous love song, Alfi Leila w-Leila, was one that Hakim claimed always reminded him of Joëlle.

• Often, while sitting with her Baba, Kiara would notice that the Arabic he was listening to sometimes sounded a bit different from the Darija she was used to. Logically at 7 years, she was old enough to know that different places spoke the same language differently...but it wasn't until she connected the dots post a lovely Umm-Kulthum listening session that she realised what that meant. She lost no time trying to learn different dialects of Arabic after that.

• Later on, she would try to do the same for French too. As an adult, when she meets Lady Esther DuPont of House Beaumont, who was born in Louisiana, she would be very interested in the French Esther had learned growing up.

• Other languages like Italian, Spanish, Turkish, German, Amhiric, Swahili, Mandarin, Dutch and Japanese Kiara learned through various sources. All kinds of music would be played in the house and Kiara found that music and watching regional dramas really helped to understand vocabulary and speech.

• Telenovelas, for example. The reactions were often so huge and larger-than-life that it was almost impossible for Kiara NOT to identify words that elicited those reactions the most! Which is why Kiara often says, "I love people being dramatic in languages I don't know! You'll come out knowing at least 10% of the language that way!"

• While the Therons kept an interpreter around on foreign trips like every other noble did, they always made sure the kids would be familiar with at least essential phrases and vocabulary. Hakim always told Kiara that the local people can always tell when someone is a tourist - so when that tourist makes the extra effort to interact with them in their mother tongue, that effort holds great value.

• This was true. Kiara was known all over Cordonia for being a real charmer abroad, and many stories were spread about how glad people in other countries were when this little girl tried to speak to them in their language.

• After her marriage to Hana and mastering Icelandic, Kiara takes the opportunity to learn Farsi.

Translation

• There's a home theater system in the Castel residence with a library of films from the world over. Even when she understands the language well, Kiara still prefers to have subtitles on. As she grows older she watches certain movies on repeated rewatches just so she can figure out how far the translation captures what is being said and identifies the gaps.

• Translations begin to fascinate Kiara around the age of 14.

• She kept editions of Le Petit Prince in at least 3 languages and could sometimes be found looking at them side by side

• What she loves most when she watches film subtitles is to figure out where a language-specific idiom or proverb is being used by a character, and the subtitles say something close to the meaning of the phrase because it doesn't entirely translate well directly.

• Her first translation project involved looking up whatever obscure texts there were in the main Castel library, and translating them. The project was a great success and a lot of those published translations made waves not only in Castel but all over Cordonia too. This got her recognition just the year before Liam's social season, and several people approached her during that time for projects.

• Kiara thrives on challenges, which she often finds in doing literary translations. Direct translations can result in losing out on the essence and nuances of a text, so on some projects Kiara has to find creative ways to preserve that essense and ensure she doesn't lose sight of the source author's voice.

• As the head of the Royal Diplomatic Liaison, she also engages in a bit of diplomatic translation and interpretation work.

• Not translation related but I had to put it out there: Hana doesn't know Parsi Gujarati too well (though she knows Farsi) even though her mother was from the Parsi community in Cordonia, and really wanted to for the uncle and aunt she had grown closer to - Francesco and Perizaad. So Kiara gifted her a copy of the book Parsi Bol which contains all sorts of Parsi Gujarati idioms.

#kiara theron #kiaratheronappreciationweek #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #KTAW #KTAW Day 2 #KTAW Day 2: Polyglot #lizzybeth1986 #content: headcanon

[absolutebl]

It is hard to translate honorifics in general, but I have always appreciated when translators treat them less loosely. In Thai, for example, I don't mind seeing P', Nong', Hia, Je, and Ai' in front of names on subtitles (if it's an instance where we'd address the person by name in English rather than using a pronoun). Not translating them at all, essentially, is totally fine with me and probably won't throw most viewers. I think translating Khun, Lung, etc as Mr, Uncle, etc is also reasonable and won't trip up English speaking viewers. I think the harder problem is Korean! How would a translator quickly show the difference between Sunbaenim and Sunbae, for example? Both mean Senior, but one is slightly more formal and respectful. And literally nothing annoys me more than translating a name spoken in a polite register, like Jiwoo-ssi, as Mr Jiwoo and only dropping the Mr when the register drops to Jiwoo-a. Yet there is no English equivalent in modern day. The closest we have is the Victorian practice of address, which most of us still inherently understand even if we don't use it ourselves. Formal register would be Mr (or their Title, like Dr) and the surname (Mr Bingley). Polite but friendly register would drop the title, and we'd just call them by their surname (Bingley). And informal and intimate would be to use their given name (Charles). This method of address is really only still used in sports or the military, but not in the day to day life of the rest of us. Yet we all still inherently understand it, so I wouldn't mind seeing translators experiment with it! That still leaves the problem with how to convey the familiarity of Hyung or Noona (or Oppa and Unni). I personally wouldn't mind if those remained untranslated, particularly in romantic relationships. After all, sometimes Bro or Brother really is an adequate translation, especially in relationships between close friends or with actual siblings. The place it starts to go wrong is in intimate relationships that are moving towards romance, because nothing about those dynamics feels like a sibling relationship to us. I think in those cases, it's probably best left untranslated to let us viewers infer the new level of intimacy. Sorry if this got a little long! I just think it's fascinating, and nothing makes me more disappointed than watching a drama with English subtitles that completely gloss over all honorifics.

I think you're correct and that's how Korean should be standardized into English. 

And I also agree that hyung or, heaven forfend, oppa are translation minefields and should be left as is. 

It's okay, with Hallyu in particular, most people reading the captions will learn/know the basics if needed. It's part of the point of the media going out into the world, IMHO. Spread cultural knowledge, broaden minds, encourage travel. It happened in geekdom with Japanese via manga/anime, lo these many years ago.

Someone loves Kdramas or Kpop, why not learn a little Korean, nothing wrong with that? Eat some Korean food, say hello and and thank you in Korean. It's the nice thing to do. 

I do this in Thai (and Korean) markets/restaurants now and most places are utterly shocked and totally delighted (no one in my part of the world speaks Thai). Or they think I’m a dork and are laughing at me. And that’s fine too. 

(I like the meaning and premise of Itadakimasu so much, I always say that one even if it’s just to myself over ramen and no one is listening.)

Back to Korean honorifics.  

I mean I basically live and breathe for the moment we get an out femme gay boy calling his BF oppa - just for the goddamn shock value of Korea dealing with the sheer linguistic queerness of that moment. 

Who’s with me?

And before you bring up Mark & Yuta being little shits (affectionate) during NCT’s beginnings... I KNOW. 

I also like the idea of using Regency/Victorian modes of address for Kdramas because the formality of the manners and family social structures in Kdramas reminds me of Austen and Gaskell. And most watchers are passing familiar with such things, the tenor would be sound. 

#honroifics #korean honorifics #thai honorifics #modes of address #korean language #thai language #asked and answered

[what-if-nct]

hiiii today's reminder is my Korean is actually pretty decent now, like enough that i can understand like 80% of their content without subtitles and gather the rest from context (eg yuta+maknae line's live today which btw adorable i need more of that combo) but that doesn't work with wayv because i don't understand any mandarin/cantonese BUT i was watching xiaotenkun's live today and there was a bit where ten said he's been studying japanese lately so Xiaojun was like "then translate this: wayv is working really hard on preparing a comeback right now" and Kun did a microscopic 'that bitch needs to shut up' face but ten was too busy actually trying to translate it to realise that they haven't really announced anything yet. and then when he couldn't translate it, xj kept throwing more sentences at him and Kun started Google translating them to tease ten and ten kept saying the sentences were too hard, and at one point xj gave him a sentence and ten just went "do you wanna fight? let's go fight". the timing was just chef's kiss. anyway this is probably all the wayv content we get this week so i will hold on to this for dear life

Hiiii, oh that's great you can understand them for the most part. Soon you won't even need to round up with context. And I caught both lives like a few minutes in but my head hurt so bad I had to leave and I'll watch it on YouTube later. And Xiaojun and Kun teasing Ten, things never change but Thank you Xiaojun for that very important information it's enough to hold us till that time comes, hopefully really soon.

[thesecretoflivereactions]

I can... absolutely understand that feeling. But What a sad way to start the show.

(Its always nice when the subtitles don't really fit with what is actually said. The meaning is the same tho, but the wording is different. Thats why I switch to Japanese audio, otherwise its going to be a nightmare.)

Oh, this looks really pretty. Tho the titel sounds like the Anime was made by someone who was like me, raised by the episode titles of 90ths animes ^^' Seriously, back when I was still writing fanfiction, my titles were always that simple and easily gave away the most important part of the chapter, because these are the kind of titles I grew up with. And then there is my friend, who is currently writing a book and she comes up with titles like: "Pancakes with sugar" were you have no idea what going to happen in this chapter, aside from that someone appearantly eats pancakes with sugar XD Or a chapter were a war starts, she doesn't call "War" or "The beginning of the war" or something easy like that. No. She called it "Call from hell" or something like that. (It was a german title, so I might took some liberty with the translation here...) In any case the title from this Anime makes it absolutely easy and clear to see what we have to expect as the biggest and most important part of this episode. And it isn't per se a bad thing. So... lets go!

I would say they are trying to be misleading here, but we already saw the back of "that man" she was talking about in the beginning and it sure as hell wasn't him. But maybe it is just to show that not everyone is unkind to Miyo.

(It's a bit weird to be honest, that the maids call her "same" even tho by the family she is treated like a servant too and even works among them... I would have expected her family to ask the servants to treat Miyo like every other servant.)

I mean... to be fair... the guy she wanted to marry is forced to marry her awful sister, so it is surely easier for her to move out than live with them. It would also be... kind of dangerous if you get me? The guy loves her and she at least likes him. She doesn't seem like the person and I don't think he is the person either. But under certain circumstances, having an affair might be inevitable. So this is like the second reason why it is better for her to marry and leave the house. Even tho I do understand, that its not exactly something she considered right now, given that she will be married off to some random stranger, instead of the guy she wanted to get married to.

So the reason they marry off Miyo to a relatively famous and powerful guy, while Kaya gets a relatively normal-looking plain guy, is because the man Miyo is supposed to marry is known for... uh... not being too nice to his wife I guess?

Never hurts to let it rain when the main character is devastated and sad.

How cruel. While every other woman had run away from him... Miyo can not run away from him, because she has nowhere to go, as she is certainly not to be welcomed back into her family's home. What an awful family.

It seems like for some time her father did care about her tho. It makes you wonder... how can a father stop loving his own child?

What is there to hear about her? She was locked up in her home for like 15 years or so and treated like a servant. She barely had any contact with anyone outside her family who treated her badly and the servants who could do nothing for her. I am sure all that does give her some good wife qualities, but... how does one explain that? Its not like the man who arranged the marriage could say: "She has been treated like a servant for years, so she will make a fine wife for sure." ^^'

Uh... I get that you are a busy man and all and that you are probably tired of this bullshit after some of your former fiances ran away from you, but could you at least say a few words to her?

At least they didn't marry her off to an ugly, old pervert XD I mean, this is all in all a good first impression, right? He might be cold, but at least he is hot ;P

#My happy Marriage Mona Version #MhM Mona Version

[seeminglyseph]

I'm like. having a brain blast like. "My ADHD is taking me on a journey I do not fully understand" kinda thing.

And I'm definitely still caught up in the idea of this horror film called Temple that was covered by a podcast, and they were like "Ugh this movie is bad why is it like this" and I watched it and it's fully a Japanese movie that had large English segments and should be watched as a Japanese film, in the context of a Japanese film. and the fact that they watched it as like.. an American film made in Japan because there were Americans attached to the film making process and there were large parts of it in English... but a lot of the Japanese audience understand English well enough that, if they subtitle the movie they'll find it entertaining. It was a film intended to watch subtitled in Japanese, probably. There's subtext probably missing because the English dialogue wasn't subtitled with like. a Japanese script that explained what it was intended to mean and the English was just really simple translations that the Japanese audience was more likely to be able to understand from mandatory English lessons.

It is creeping in my brain constantly that this podcast wrote this movie off immediately as bad without even knowing the target audience or context or what it was about. The research gal did no research into it and was like 'there's no trivia available at all, so weird' and compared the *Shinto Shrine* to the podcast *Tannis* because she thought it moved, not realizing the actual story was about curses. And I understand that like. *I* am a fucking weeb freak who knows too much about shit and people that don't care about Japan or Japanese culture don't know anything about Shintoism or curses or Youkai or Kitsune or Tengu or the chaotic neutral alignment way trickster spirits work or how the whole 'tourists keep to the assigned tourist destinations' is like. a point the movie is trying to make and an issue in Japan (and around the world) and there's a lot of subtlety being overlooked based entirely on the fact that no one is realizing it's a Japanese movie instead of an American movie. And Research Gal even said "it's cheaper to make movies in Japan." to complain about bad looking special effects work??

And I feel so fucking petty and stupid for still being bothered by this. Why am I still in my feels about this? Help me. I need to have normal emotions right now. What the fuck is my brain doing right now?? Aaaa.

#navel gazing

[pantherazuredevil]

Preface to my Japan Trip 2023 Posts

I'll be prefacing my posts about my trip to Japan in mid to late April 2023 with a small introduction about the circumstances I went there in and the stuff leading up to it.

First off, I had been to Japan but I was only 4 years old at the time, so this might as well be my first ever trip, since it's been a whopping 36 years since I last went. Things have obviously changed a ton, and I won't deny that they've not been, for the most part, for the better either, both in Japan and here in Singapore.

In 2018, I was supposed to make a trip to Kyuushuu, the southernmost island (and one of the 4 main islands of Japan) for EVO Japan 2018 (a fighting game competition), but I basically chickened out at the last minute since I was just disinterested in heading there for a competition. I even got sick on the day I was supposed to fly. My aunt lent me a luggage that I would eventually use for this 2023 trip.

Since 2003 or so I've been interested in anime and Japanese culture, though it was after some 8 years or more of watching anime and learning slowly by picking it up via subtitles and matching them to the sentences and sounds in scenes that comprised the bulk of my learning. I learned Hiragana and Katakana and practiced them a little in actual writing as per Nama-sensei's Youtube series on Japanese, and quite frankly I would recommend this route as a free and probably better method to learn at least the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets.

In 2015 I managed to barely pass JLPT N2 and also practiced it in typing and conversational skills with Japanese players in Final Fantasy XIV over a number of years from 2014 till 2023. There are still Japanese people with whom I randomly became friends with and still remain online friends till today. Unfortunately, I could not get to meet them this trip due to real-life concerns on their part.

This does mean I'm at least able to hold a conversation in Japanese for the most part, I just didn't practice speaking at all as it's not required for JLPT, so my intonation is, as you might guess, quite off. I had no problems understanding people for the most part in Japan, however.

This solo trip was more motivated in part with an attitude of "if you don't do it now, then when?" I'm not getting any younger in years - I'm hitting 40 this year. Since I've been interested in Japan for so long, I figured it was high time to just throw caution to the wind (or at least where going there was concerned) and simply plan a solo journey to the places that I've seen online (rather recently I might add) or places of interest I've heard from friends who have gone. And that's what led to this solo trip to Japan in April.

I kept a journal of the things that happened there because I know memory is a fickle thing, and thus by writing down what happened each day and the thoughts that I had in a journal, it would make it easier for me to recall what I was thinking of or doing at the time, and on each day as well. This also allowed me to be able to not have to post about every day at the end of each day as I was there, alleviating some of the stress that would otherwise be accumulated by having to update social media about the day's happenings before I forget.

There might still be some lost information due to memory loss here and there, but the gist of most of it should not be lost in translation, if you get what I mean. I must thank TheFuzzy for assisting me greatly in planning my entire trip, especially with regards to booking accommodation and making sure I had time for whatever I wanted to prioritize the most, and other friends who have chimed in with advice.

This has ended up being a long introductory post, but I hope it has given you the information you require before I begin posting about each day as it happened. Be reminded that I've already read a lot and learned a lot about Japan and its culture before I went, and was thus very aware of the acute problems I might face in some way, which will tie into some of the thoughts that you will see in the posts, some of which will not be very savory, as you might guess.

I hope you will enjoy reading about the trip and my comments as I take you through the journey. This is also my first blogging in a large number of years. I'm hoping to get back some semblance of the spirit of writing as I've been out of touch in terms of writing and blogging for years now. May you enjoy in some small way what I have to offer. My posts will come daily or sometimes twice a day, depending on the volume of things I have to write for the day(s). Cheers.

#Japan #Japan Trip 2023 #blogging

[sparrowsabre7]

So I'm not really a Gundam fan per se, I love the series Gundam 00, but otherwise my only real exposure has been via pop cultural osmosis and seeing Gundam Wing figures in shops in the 90s as one of the few anime to break into the mainstream in the UK. That being said, I doo like sci-fi and robots so when I saw that Gundam Versus was on sale for £3.19 I figured, why not? Even if I only play as the Gundam 00 characters that's still worth it for that price.

I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised by the game. Combat wise it's an arena fighter, more like Custom Robo or Final Fantasy Dissidia than a 2d fighter like Street Fighter or Tekken, allowing players to make use of the movement and flight capabilities of the mobile suits to great effect. The gameplay is simple enough to learn though tough to master. Each suit (usually) has a two melee attacks, two ranged attacks, and a special action which can be a unique weapon, mode change, or movement. Mercifully the controller layout can be fully customised too, which was a godsend for me as having ranged attacks mapped to a face button over a trigger was giving me palpitations.

Although the buttons and combos are largely similar, the variety in weapons and suit abilities (across 100+ suits from more than a dozen different series) mean that most suits play differently enough to not feel like there's only a handful of unique characters. I found it a lot of fun to use the Free Battle mode and just set the suit selection to random to try out various different ones to get a feel for.

However, while the number lf playable characters is commendable, the rest of the game is a little barebones. The actual number of game modes is sadly a bit limited essentially boiling down to ranked and unranked multiplayer matches, and for single players a wave survival mode, arcade mode, and the aforementioned free battle, where you can play splitscreen or against the cpu with personalised settings. Although the menus have been translated into English, there are no English subtitles for any of the dialogue aside from the "Battle Navigators", essentially pseudo commentators for each side. This is quite disappointing, because they made the effort, to my knowledge, of using all the original Japanese voice actors where possible it's just a shame we can't understand them. From Gundam 00 I certainly recognise the Familiar voices and the odd phrase, but the rest is lost on me.

Given the number of Japanese titles that don't make it to the UK, presumably in part due to localisation issues, I guess I should be thankful we have it at all, but it does limit some of the enjoyment even though there's no story mode. Fortunately the combat is very enjoyable, and just trying out all the suits offers hours of entertainment, for the sale price it was more than worth it, but even at the full ps classics price of £15.99 I think it's worth a look. It should be noted that it has essentially been superseded by  Gundam Extreme vs Maxiboost On" but as a newer title that's more than double the price (and allegedly with a steeper learning curve, as well as fewer of my Gundam 00 faves) Versus remains an attractive option for a casual fan.

#mobile suit gundam #gundam versus #games #reviews

[mooifyourecows]

moo in so conflicted

eventually i want to at least try to be fluent in spanish korean and polish but i wanna start learning at least 2 now

i’m learning spanish in school and i’m going to have my friends mom teach me because she’s actually fluent and my teacher is not and he’s a horrible teacher i can’t stand him

BUT i also wanna learn a second language simultaneously because i’m bored out of my mind and it looks good on college apps

so i’m looking into korean because hangul is so fun and i consume a lot of korean media, plus since it’s a different alphabet, most americans (at least non-korean americans) don’t choose to learn it so it’ll stand out

i think the standing out thing also applies to polish and i have a more sentimental connection to it since i’m very polish and i really wanna go visit one day and see where my great great grandparents lived and i also just think it’s a beautiful language, and a big part of wanting to learn korean is the media and being able to understand what i’m enjoying, but i also want to start listening to more polish music and watching more polish tv so i’m not sure

also! if you have a second (or third or fourth and so on) language you can speak what is it? do you have any languages you wanna learn? i think i want to learn romanian as well but that’s for the future for sure

I hear that after you learn your second language, it's much easier to learn more. If I were you, I'd focus on learning Spanish. Really get the hang of it, immerse myself in learning it to the point that Im practicing it every day. I wouldnt want to overwhelm myself with multiple languages at once, especially languages that are SO different from each other. I don't want to mix up rules, right?

Then, once I feel like I've got a good understanding of it, maybe to the point of being able to hold conversations, I'd maybe consider dipping my toes in another language.

I don't think learning one language at a time should be very boring, unless you're some kind of language learning machine and its not challenging enough for you. If that's the case, then you should learn it quickly enough that you can move onto the next one easy peasy without having to juggle two at a time. If it is boring, then maybe you should find new ways to make it interesting? Find some podcasts to listen to or do some fun writing/reading exercises/games. Listen to Spanish music and try to interpret it as you do, even write the lyrics down and then check the official translation online to see how well you did! Watch Spanish media with the subtitles off and see how much you can understand!

Find a way to make it fun!

After you get the hang of the act of learning a language, the world is your oyster! Learn Korean and Polish and German and Japanese and Cantonese or even Tamil!

Don't get too hung up on trying to achieve everything all at once. Learning languages is hard. It's something that you never really stop doing, even with your native language. It's gonna take time and for a while its going to be so frustrating, but eventually, if you stick with it, it'll all come together

And to answer your question, nah I don't know any language other than English. I took a semester of Spanish in college but it was at like 7 am in the morning and I didn't do like 100 of the online exercises. I'm pretty sure I only passed because my partner and I took it together and sat at the front of the class and participated with every lesson as a way to suck up for all the.... not doing of the homework.

I'd love to learn more languages some day though! Spanish would be my top because it seems the most useful here in America. But I'm really interested in Arabic and African languages. Like maybe Yoruba or Igbo. Japanese and Korean are obviously two that I'd really like to learn because of the whole media consumption deal. I would love to be able to watch anime or Korean media without subtitles. Oh and also ASL. I would looooooove to know how to use ASL

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in learning! Stick to it and don't give up! You can do it, I believe in you! 🌈🖤

[mementoboni]

[part 4/4] DIR EN GREY WOWOW Interview & Document (2020)

"I hope not to go (overseas) as much as I can. In this day and age, I can sing even at home, like when my younger sister asks, 'Can you sing for me?' I will sing seriously at home, really." — Kyo

Notes before reading:

The whole interview is divided into 8 topics, and the translation is divided into 4 parts. This is the last part, including the 6th to 8th topics. The details of all topics and time markers are 👉 here.

I have added Chinese subtitles for this video in 2021. The whole interview was very meaningful, and I hope that with the English translation, more people can understand what they’re talking about.

The five members were interviewed separately and then edited into a video, so the words spoken by each of them are not necessarily coherent.

Repost and share are welcome.🙌 I translated it all by my ears, so please feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing parts.☺️

--- --- ---

06. Overseas

►Opportunity to Go Overseas

Die: I think the biggest reason is that the Internet has become so popular that people overseas can learn about Japanese culture. Kaoru: Someone in Germany told us that there are many people waiting for DIR EN GREY to come. Toshiya: To be honest, I was skeptical about it. Of course, I appreciate what they say, but I still think to myself, "Eh, do you really know us?” Kaoru: I refused several times. That person came to tell us that they were ready for a venue of about 3,000 people.  No, wait a minute. "We can't go to that kind of place," "Wouldn't it be too exaggerated?" "You value us too much," even though I said so. Die: I heard that all the tickets were sold out in a few minutes and there were so many people gathered in places we had never been. I wonder what the hell was going on? Toshiya: We went to Germany in such a half-believing state and were greeted by a very, very large number of people. Kaoru: Not only from Europe, there are people from  all over the world as well. It was the first time we held LIVE overseas, in Asia, and the audience came from different places, so I felt a bit numb. Shinya: Isn't it easy to go abroad now?  This was not possible at that time.  Maybe that's what people overseas think. If you miss this time, you don't know when you'll see it next. (*Yes Shinya, you’re right! 🥺) Kyo: It's just like "If there are people who support us like this, let’s go there."

►About Overseas Fans

Toshiya: Whenever I saw the audience singing in Japanese, I felt that they are really conveying frankly. Kyo: I don't know how to convey what I'm singing, and I can't sing in the local language, I can only sing in Japanese.  But when I think of the people who try as hard as one can, studying and looking up information to find out what I'm singing, I think it would be nice if they could pass some time. I guess that's how it is. Kaoru: Although we don't intentionally aim for overseas, people who will like us will like us.

►Life on the Overseas Tour

Die: In the case of the U.S., the tour bus can accommodate up to 12 people including members and staff. We had to go all over the U.S. with one bus, but of course the Japanese managers and staff were hardly there. Shinya: Basically, it's "Bus→Venue→LIVE", and then "Bus→Venue→LIVE" keeps going on. It's much better than in Japan that I'm already in the venue after getting up. Kaoru: We don't talk much in Japan. It has been like that for more than 20 years.  But when we were on the overseas tour, I could talk to the members quite often because I stayed with them all the time. After all, there were only members.  It's nice to be able to talk to the members, so I think it's good to have overseas tours regularly. 🤣🤣 Kyo: I don’t get out of the tour bus. I was in my own bed, about a tatami space, the height is probably only this way (Kyo gestures with his hand), like a box, but separated by a curtain. I stay in it almost all the time, even when I’m resting. Kyo: I'm still interested in some history, and although it's nice to see all kinds of scenery and live a healed life, I don't really care... If I'm in the mood for a short trip to enjoy myself, it's not DIR EN GREY. (*Screen caption: Unlike European double-decker tour buses, American tour buses are single-decker.)

►Future Approach to Overseas

Shinya: Even if we tour overseas now, we can't reach the scale that we have in Japan. That's why I want to try a Hall Tour like the one in Japan, but it's really hard to do that. Die: Now we're mostly touring on our own. I'd like to do a tour like Fes, a tour with several bands, and so on. Personally, I'd like to do that again.  It's not impossible, right? Kaoru: But compared to the old days when we went overseas, when we performed in larger venues and had a large audience on stage, there is almost nothing like that now. Of course, it's the same in Japan. It's very rare. Basically, as long as there are fans, we'll go there. (*I think Kaoru is trying to say that they rarely go to big music festivals these days.) Kyo: I hope not to go (overseas) as much as I can. In this day and age, I can sing even at home, like when my younger sister asks, "Can you sing for me?" I will sing seriously at home, really. Kyo: It doesn't mean I hate fans, Daisuki desu. ❤ 🤣🤣 Toshiya: There was an interview during our underground period, and I still remember very clearly what I said then. "Anyway, I want to keep stumbling forward". No matter what happens, I/we will not stay there forever.  Even if I/we really can't move forward, at least I/we will fall forward and feel like I/we can move forward again. Toshiya: I won't do it if I don't have to. Hahahaha, I'll quit.  But there are people still waiting (for us), so I will continue to do it.

...

07. Transition

►The way to convey music in the future

Shinya: There was no change in the way the music was produced. However, even if Corona has subsided afterwards, I think there are a lot of issues that need to be considered when it comes to the way that LIVE is organized. Toshiya: In any case, the rules will probably become stricter and stricter in the future, both for music and film. That way, there is a clear distinction between what we can and cannot do.  On the contrary, what we really want to show and what we own will be shown on the internet.  Negotiating with each other, and then continuing to create. We can only move forward in that direction. Kaoru: If you say that the production itself has changed, I think it has not changed.  But what's the point of making a song if you can't do LIVE? There are a lot of voices like that, but basically I still think that in the end. Kaoru: In this case, what we create is definitely different from what we did before. Isn't the value of "wanting to convey something" a bit tiring?  I sometimes think so.  Well, but we have to adjust step by step and move in this direction, and that's all we can say now.  We have to create a place where we can express ourselves. Kyo: After the Corona is over, you probably won't be able to go back to your old world, whether it's in terms of feelings or anything else. So you have to be flexible to deal with all kinds of things.  If you think about it positively, it might be a good time, a good opportunity. After all, we never know when something is going to happen, and there is no such thing as an absolute, everlasting thing.  Because of this, I often think that I must do everything 100%. Die: We've done this before, with members picking their own lists and then playing on video sites*. Of course, the members are listening at the same time, with fans and members, this is also a form of LIVE, very LIVE-feeling. "I want to see LIVE" and "members also want to do LIVE". I listened to the songs chosen by members with the same feeling as the fans. However, I really want to be on stage because I can only feel the atmosphere like that when I am there. (*Die is talking about the "Audio Live Stream 5 Days" broadcasted on YouTube from 2020.05.02 to 05.06.)

...

08. What does DIR EN GREY mean to you?

Kaoru: Maybe it's the property or the value that I've been holding on to. Among everyone who listens to our music, I think this is the time to confirm our existence.  In the case of Corona this time, we did make some rules using the internet. But the response I got at that time made me realize that DIR EN GREY is a part of our lives, and I felt that there are many people who consider DIR EN GREY as an important presence. At that time, I also understood our value and existence. Kaoru: I can't quite tell you what DIR EN GREY is when I’m asked. But seeing that everyone is watching us, I think it's great that I can keep going. Toshiya: I really started out alone, but I have since met many people.   So, to me, DIR EN GREY is, in a word, a medium that connects me to the world in a big way. Shinya: More than half of my life is spent in DIR EN GREY, it is my life. Die: It's like the meaning of living.  It is...  It's what I've bet everything I have. Kyo: It's already part of my life, and now it is. (*Edit: Although both Shinya and Kyo said that DIR EN GREY is his "life", Shinya actually used the word "人生" (jinsei), which means the process from birth to death, more like "lifetime"; while Kyo used the word "生活" (seikatsu), which is closer to the meaning of "daily life".)

(END)

--- --- ---

part 1. & part 2. & part 3.

topics & time marks

中文翻譯 (My Blogger) part 1. & part 2. & part 3.

#dir en grey #kaoru #薰 #kyo #京 #die #toshiya #shinya #interview #interview 2020 #translations #video translation #diru translation #translation by yinfu #diru wowow 2020 #WOWOW interview #long post #overseas

[cheesomaru]

Forget Feudal Japan, using -sama for a crush is common even in anime set in other time periods or settings. It's just to show max adoration for a person. Heck, in Dragon Ball, Gohan calls his wife "Videl-san" which is weirdly formal but is made to show how respectful he is even to his literal love. It's just linguistics things non-Japanese speaking ppl don't understand. Antis are so ignorant I swear

Yeah also "sama" and "san" aren't a 1 : 1 translation to a common prefix in English. "Sama" shows respect in a way that in feudal Japan makes sense, because Sesshoumaru is a daiyoukai.

I'm into Sk8 the Infinity and my favorite ship is Tadaai, which is a boss/secretary relationship where one calls the other "-sama". The funny part? In the subtitles, "sama" gets translated to "Mr"! So Rin could be calling her husband "Mr. Sesshoumaru" and it would still fit LOL.

#ask box #anonymous #my post

[noona96n]

Was there anything from this wbl ep that the Japanese subs worked better than the English subs? Like easier to understand or fit better?

anon!!! i was about to make a post about this!!! thank you for enabling me!!!

i would say that, in this ep, i like the wordings of the japanese sub better. but i guess that's because im a but of a 'wordy' person?

BUT!!!! i feel like the 'because it's you' part makes more sense to me in japanese. although,,, it's very influenced by my interpretation

「たくさん食べたら悩みがなくなるよ」 (takusan tabetara nayami ga nakunaru yo) which i personally, and dramatically, translates to 'if u eat a lot, ur sorrow will lessen' but like... the normal (?) translation would be 'if you eat a lot, you won't have to worry' lol im a food enthusiast okay,,, lemme have my food moment haha

this is just a language thing... in japanese, when we miss someone, we say 「会いたい」 (ai tai) but this phrase actually translates to 'want to meet/see'. here, Yu Xin says 「会いたいのなら会いに行って」 (aitai no nara ai ni itte) and it literally translates to 'if you want to meet him, go and meet/see him'. ik it means 'if u miss him then go and meet/see him' but i just- the wording~

here, Yu Xin says 「だから最近 学校であちこち回って 偶然の出会いを作ろうとしているじゃないの」 (dakara saikin gakkou de achikochi mawatte gūzen no deai o tsukurou to shite iru janai no?) which translates to 'so, lately, u went around the school trying to create the chance to meet him, right?'

as opposed to the english sub 'u've been running around school lately, just to meet him, right?'

the jpn subtitle just hits different in this scene bcs Shu Yi DID went around campus waiting for Shi De to show up. my kokoro...

this here!!! Shi De says 「僕たちの距離を縮め」 (bokutachi no kyori o chidjime) which is 'to bridge the distance between us' T-T i can't!!!!!

and this. OH BOY. T H I S.

so... this is after Shi De says 'i thought you said you didn't like boys'. Shu Yi's response is interesting...

in english, he says 'because it's you, i have no choice'. it doesn't really sit well with me bcs it reminds me of the shit that bl characters usually say, which is along the line of 'i don't like boys, i only like you'

BUT! in japanese, the line is 「好きなのは君だから　好きじゃなきゃならない」 (sukina no wa kimi dakara suki janakya naranai). this translates to 'i like you, so I have to like it (the fact that you're a guy)'

it gives the sense that Shi De's gender doesn't matter. Shu Yi likes him so he will embrace Shu Di's gender, and his flaws and shortcomings and whatever else that come with it.

it goes back to how Shu Yi said 'you even like their flaws, it must be true love' ofc Shi De's gender isn't a flaw, nope, no, never, but i hope u get what i mean. it also kinda echoes what i wrote about Shi De liking Shu Yi even when he's aware of Shu Yi's flaw.

they see each other, like, literally see each other in every aspects, they acknowledge all the goodness & the 'flaws' and love each other anyways.

i kennot-

#thank u for being my enabler #wbl #wbl: no1 for you #wbl系列影集第一季 #we best love: no.1 for you #we best love series #we best love: no 1 for you #we best love #noona96n #ask #mine #meta #language #永遠的第一名 #wbl ask #wbl musing #wbl language