Re: [manga] Skip Beat! (anime adaptation in oct 08)

Miles Bader wrote:
Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers <usenet-2008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
Read vol. 2 of the US edition, and now I have to decide whether to wait
half eternity for the next volume, but have honorifics preserved, or get
timely updates without honorifics. Man, this sucks. Why are there still
translations that don't preserve honorifics in this day and age? >_<##

What do you mean "honorifics"?

-Miles

One imagine he means the suffixes added to Japanese names indicating
the respect paid to individuals in the formerly(?) extremely hierarchical
society though I understand the younger generation has more trouble with
this. San is the all purpose Mr., Miss., Ms., etc. Sama is the respectful
term equivalent to Sir, Dame, Lord or Lady. Chan is the term used for
indicating affection toward children, and Kun is the term used for
more adult children especially males and among equals in business
circumstances. Dono is even more respectful than sama. Besides these
terms we have kohai and sempai(or senpai) and the first indicates a
junior relationship to the second in some respect. Most likely one
could be junior to another in one activity but senior in another.

Well that is what I understand roughly about honorifics in Japanese and
I prefer them in any story where their use is justified. For example in the
translation of the anime, Maison Ikkoku, Godai early on addresses Kyoko's
father as oji-sama or honored father. This is mistranslated to lose the
sense that Godai is indicating that he wants to make the old man
his father-in-law. This is just from memory as I am in no position
presently to check the passage. The reason I know this is that I watch
the anime with subtitles and listen to the Japanese dialogue so it is
clear that the simple term is ignored. I like honorifics left in translated
anime or manga because it indicates the relationship implied between
the speakers. And I happen to like historical stuff where this use
of honorifics is very deliberately done as in the Yagyu Ninja Scrolls
series or the Satsuma Geishiden series.

If you have other questions regarding honorifics you should consult
a decently translated manga which nearly always has a page outlining
the use of the more common honorifics. Beyond that you can check
Gilles Poitras's Anime Companion books either by purchase or loan
from your library.

later
bliss -- C O C O A Powered... (at california dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

Ningen banji Human beings do
Samazama no Every single kind
Baka a suru Of stupid thing
--- 117th edition of Haifu Yanagidaru published in 1832
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: [manga] Skip Beat! (anime adaptation in oct 08)
    ... timely updates without honorifics. ... Man, this sucks. ... translations that don't preserve honorifics in this day and age? ... `...the Soviet Union was sliding in to an economic collapse so comprehensive ...
    (rec.arts.manga)
  • Re: addressing someone without -san or similar
    ... having seen _Hikaru no Go_... ... in the anime I have seen (cue the "anime ... honorifics are omitted between siblings, ... than being haunter and haunted, ...
    (sci.lang.japan)
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