Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation #4 – March comes in like a Lion

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Hey guys! Time for another Lost in Translation! This entry comes from episode 16 of March comes in like a Lion, where we are treated to a bit of Japanese culture in the form of the Hinamatsuri a.k.a. “Girl’s Day”.

Now if you’ve watched enough anime at this point, you’ve probably already encountered Girl’s Day and are familiar with the idea of how the Japanese celebrate young women and wish for their good fortune in life, marriage, and fortune by putting up dolls that mimic the formation of the imperial courts during the Heian period. But what I’d like to share with you today has more to do with the food items that were tossed left and right during the discourse. WARNING – I will not be responsible if you suddenly have the urge to go out for Japanese cuisine. Continue reading →

Lost in Translation #2 – Shôwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjû

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I was originally planning to save this post for a later date, but I was just so excited when I saw it that I couldn’t help but share it immediately! This entry comes from Episode 4 of Shôwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjû: Sukeroku Futatabi Hen, where the classic Jugemu story serves as the focus of this particular episode. Continue reading →

Lost in Translation #1 – Sound! Euphonium

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Hi guys!

I thought I’d start a new segment featuring short tidbits on things I’ve seen being “lost in translation”. Now take note, there’s a reason why simulcasts tend to have translational inaccuracies. The most common is due to the timing of release in that streaming services usually rely on professional translators that are not directly members of the Japanese production team. In some cases, there can be multiple translators, and even multiple translation groups commissioned on a single airing show depending on how the agreement is set up between the home (Japan) broadcast company and the online streamer. This is the reason why official translations on DVDs/BluRays are far more polished, because the transcripts are actually worked on from the ground up with cooperation between the publishing company/distributor and the home office.

Another reason is partly due to the language itself. There are many nuances in Japanese that don’t filter through as succinctly as they should given the format of subtitles. So that being the case, I figured I’d share some of those nuances with you in these posts.

To kick things off, let’s start with a show from last season, Sound! Euphonium. Continue reading →