Like manga, I hate it when they, for example, transliterate さん as -san, when there is an “equivalent” word for it, like Mr. but would it carry the same connotation as the source material? I cringe when I buy translated versions of Japanese literature due to this (which is why I stick to the source material), it just… does not sit well, I mean instead of writing -sensei, -senpai, or -sama there are “equivalents” in English for those but the catch is that would it work well upon translation?

  • apistograma@alien.topB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    That’s my opinion too. Besides, sama is literally untranslatable. You could use “lord” but it doesn’t fit at all because most of the times you’ll be addressed in extre polite jargon like this in restaurants and hotels.

    • CookieSquire@alien.topB
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      It’s possible to replace the stock customer service keigo with similarly stiff English. There is a distinct register that customer service folks are expected to use in the US, so that does feel translatable. Of course it’s not a perfect match, but maybe that’s the price of translation.