Talk:Umineko Volume 1: Chapter 0.2

Prayer

On this line:

こりゃあ、ぽっくり逝っちまったかなぁ、ナムナムナム。」

Heeey, maybe he dropped dead, namunamunamu [buddhist prayer for the dead]."

Wouldn't be better to switch to something like. 'Amen'. '*starts praying*' or something akin?

Except for the part where the the Japanese are for the most part not christian and it's not a christian prayer? By the same token, why wouldn't it be better to switch to a Jewish or Islamic prayer, since we're having fun changing things in the script? What's wrong with a translator's note? --Tobiast88 16:14, 13 April 2008 (PDT)

Given how cosmopolitan Japanese religion practices are in the end I don't think it wouldn't be out of place. (at least I don't see another place in the world where the bride can actually choose between having two types of weddings so nonchalantly , when the types refer to different religions. Moreover *amen* is something understandable by almost everyone in the world thanks to our dear massive media. Heck, I'm an atheist so for all I care I'd change it to some of my native sects mantra's, but I think this way would be more understandable, specially in the western world.

Regarding using translators notes, *I* think that Translator's notes should only be used as a last resort technique, since they are normally disrupt the flow of the story and require the reader to refer to an append in order to understand what is happening. From my very personal POV they should only be used as a substitute for something that would be irremediably lost in translation, or that is crucial to the story. Neither is the case in the line I cited, so unless the team is taking a literal translation approach, localization would be better for this case. --Prto

In your opinion. I have no problem with localization, when it is applied well. In this case, it's so trivial and understandable on its own that I really don't think putting *amen* in its place would be a good way to do anything. And yes, Japan is cosmopolitan - and vaguely agnostic as well, which is why religion there is so malleable. Translator notes are invasive, true, but in this case (I don't mean to be rude) I feel justified in teaching something through notes about Japanese culture (where else are you gonna find this if it's localized all the time?) and keeping this intact, since I feel fans don't WANT stuff to be localized. --Tobiast88 19:33, 13 April 2008 (PDT)

まぁた、母さんと俺の悪口を言ってたろぉ。 "Once again, I heard you being rude to me and your mother. [... heard you talking filthy about me with your mother. The と refers to the subject, not the object.] Not necessarily. The Japanese is ambiguous. The subject can be 俺, Rudolf, with Battler talking filthy with Kyrie (母さんと), or 母さんと俺, since Battler was being rude to both. That's the interpretation I chose, since Rudolf seems a bit conceited about what's due to one's parents.