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tsukikageI said at the beginning that despite the skill of the translation it still wasn't perfect. Here's why. As you fix the really big things, it becomes easier for us to see the small things. ^_^ So, yes, we have honorifics and names and you did your best with the puns, but now we can see things like the problem with Osaka's accent.
The problem with Osaka's accent:
Osaka is a big city, with a lot of businesses and is well-known for being a "foodie" town. It's not the political capital of Japan - it's considered the business/finance capital of Japan. The people there speak very fast and very loud and are seen as being really wacky and money obsessed. If anything, Osaka sounds more like New York than anywhere else, IMHO. (And having been there for a total of like 2 hours, so obviously I'm an expert /rolls eyes/ I'd say that isn't far off. I liked Osaka a great deal and I want to get back.) So, the joke is that Ayumu, who comes from this crazy, energetic, loud, wacky, busy city is kinda loopy and slow and not at all like "an Osakan." Got that?
So, when they brought Ayumu over to America, they translated the *wrong part of the joke.* Yes, Ayumu is slow and laconic. But her accent isn't. The joke is not that she's slow and loopy - it's that she's from *Osaka* and is slow and loopy. Imagine you're a kid in Iowa and the teacher says, "Hey, we have a transfer student from New York City" and everyone panics because they'll be CRAZY and probably pack heat and deal drugs and graffiti and gangs and OMG!!!! And then they walk in and they are like, "Hi....my...name...is....Terry." and they sort of wander off in the middle of their sentence. That's Osaka.
By giving Osaka a Southern accent Yen has blown that joke completely to hell, thanks. But, hey, we're all still working on this translation thing, so I give them credit for trying. Just - get a comedian on staff, okay? You're obviously all too literal. ^_^
- from Okazu's review of Yen Press' release of the Azumanga Daioh omnibus
Anyways, speech is stupid. Of course I don't mean that literally - we're learning lots of valuable things, and I honestly wish I were working harder in the class so I could truly internalize more of what we're learning. However... There's lots of things the teacher wants us to do that simply don't make sense to me, and make me feel like I'm making my speech worse rather than better. Just one example: our closing statement, "the bow" which "close[s] everything togehter nicely", needs to be a single sentence. Which in my mind feels nothing if not cheaply tacked on. Anyways, I don't know if my distaste for some of her requests is because I'm actually misguided in what makes a good speech (which, for one, is different from what makes good writing) and she's trying to guide me in a new direction, or if it's because she teaching this very much as an introductory and, in her words, "paint-by-numbers" class, and doesn't want me confusing myself before I've mastered the basics, or something along those lines.
[ETA: Furthermore, I resent that I have to chop off the better half of my conclusion because, apparently, people won't know how adoption can aid NPG? The half that's left is just... shit. So I think I'm gonna come up with something else entirely.]
The problem with Osaka's accent:
Osaka is a big city, with a lot of businesses and is well-known for being a "foodie" town. It's not the political capital of Japan - it's considered the business/finance capital of Japan. The people there speak very fast and very loud and are seen as being really wacky and money obsessed. If anything, Osaka sounds more like New York than anywhere else, IMHO. (And having been there for a total of like 2 hours, so obviously I'm an expert /rolls eyes/ I'd say that isn't far off. I liked Osaka a great deal and I want to get back.) So, the joke is that Ayumu, who comes from this crazy, energetic, loud, wacky, busy city is kinda loopy and slow and not at all like "an Osakan." Got that?
So, when they brought Ayumu over to America, they translated the *wrong part of the joke.* Yes, Ayumu is slow and laconic. But her accent isn't. The joke is not that she's slow and loopy - it's that she's from *Osaka* and is slow and loopy. Imagine you're a kid in Iowa and the teacher says, "Hey, we have a transfer student from New York City" and everyone panics because they'll be CRAZY and probably pack heat and deal drugs and graffiti and gangs and OMG!!!! And then they walk in and they are like, "Hi....my...name...is....Terry." and they sort of wander off in the middle of their sentence. That's Osaka.
By giving Osaka a Southern accent Yen has blown that joke completely to hell, thanks. But, hey, we're all still working on this translation thing, so I give them credit for trying. Just - get a comedian on staff, okay? You're obviously all too literal. ^_^
- from Okazu's review of Yen Press' release of the Azumanga Daioh omnibus
Anyways, speech is stupid. Of course I don't mean that literally - we're learning lots of valuable things, and I honestly wish I were working harder in the class so I could truly internalize more of what we're learning. However... There's lots of things the teacher wants us to do that simply don't make sense to me, and make me feel like I'm making my speech worse rather than better. Just one example: our closing statement, "the bow" which "close[s] everything togehter nicely", needs to be a single sentence. Which in my mind feels nothing if not cheaply tacked on. Anyways, I don't know if my distaste for some of her requests is because I'm actually misguided in what makes a good speech (which, for one, is different from what makes good writing) and she's trying to guide me in a new direction, or if it's because she teaching this very much as an introductory and, in her words, "paint-by-numbers" class, and doesn't want me confusing myself before I've mastered the basics, or something along those lines.
[ETA: Furthermore, I resent that I have to chop off the better half of my conclusion because, apparently, people won't know how adoption can aid NPG? The half that's left is just... shit. So I think I'm gonna come up with something else entirely.]
