Gundam 00 — Nyoro~n Translation Errors
I was quite alarmed by a comment posted by tsuki_Yomi in my previous entry. His understanding of the relationship between Ptolemaios and Gundams in Gundam 00 appears to be the complete opposite of what episode 3 revealed. I decided that some fansub group must have done everyone a huge disfavour and since Nyoro~n is the only group that has released so far (as of this posting)…
So yeah, here’s a comparison of all the major translation errors in episode 3 released by Nyoro~n Fansubs. Of course since I do translation checking for Mendoi-Conclave, you can say that I have a vested interest in doing this comparison. But keep in mind that I didn’t make anything up and all the errors are really there when you watch their release. Enjoy.
Original: よもや君に出会えようとは
Nyoro~n: Oh come now, this is just like when I first saw you.
Menclave: Who would’ve thought… facing you like this…
Original: おとめ座のわたしには、センチメンタリズムな運命を感じずにはいられない
Nyoro~n: You’re not going to end this fated battle without returning my sentimentalities.
Menclave: Being a Virgo, I can’t help but feel this is a sentimental destiny.
Comment: Completely missing out the first half of the sentence (Virgo part). I agree that “sentimental destiny” sounds really stupid, but at least it doesn’t alter the meaning.
Original: それとも、光の粒子を出していなかったから見つけられたのか……
Nyoro~n: Or perhaps you thought I hadn’t noticed that light that’s streaming out of you?
Menclave: Or was I able to find you because you forgot to send out those glowing particles?
Comment: An honest mistake, I’m sure.
Original: 手土産に…破片の1つもいただいていく！
Nyoro~n: I admire your strength… So I’m going to take you back in one piece!
Menclave: As a souvenir… I’ll take a piece of you with me!
Comment: WTF?
Original: いやはや、本当に予測不能な人だよ君は
Nyoro~n: Goodness gracious, you’re certainly someone who grasps your shortcomings far too late, aren’t you?
Menclave: My, my, you’re such an unpredictable character.
Comment: Nice…
Original: 今回の戦闘で得られたガンダムのデータは、フラッグ1機を失ったとしてもおつりがくる
Nyoro~n: We got some battle data on the Gundam, and your Flag was unharmed.
Menclave: Considering the data we obtained on the Gundam during this fight, even losing the Flag would have been a good trade.
Comment: Hey, at least all the important keywords are there!…This time~nyoro~
Original: それにしても若かったな…ソレスタルビーイングのパイロットは
Nyoro~n: I just did this to better understand… that Celestial Being pilot.
Menclave: Besides all that, he sure was young… Celestial Being’s pilot.
Comment: LOL~!! wakai (young) != wakaru (understand)
Original: モビルスーツの動きに感情がのっていたのさ
Nyoro~n: When you’re moving a mobile suit, you tend to lose yourself.
Menclave: I could read his feelings from the way he moved his mobile suit.
Original: 10分以内に速報配信！次のニュースは現地からの中継だ！3時間以内に人革主席の公式声明が出るぞ！
Nyoro~n: There’s got to be something that’s been leaked. Just run a recap for the next newscast; this time tomorrow you all better have something to give me!
Menclave: Send out this news flash within the next 10 minutes! Do a live on-site broadcast for the next news segment! The head of the Human Reform League is making an official statement in less than 3 hours!
Comment: Okay, Nyoro~n, now you are just making shit up.
Original: 枠を空けとけ！
Nyoro~n: Get your asses in gear!
Menclave: Keep that time slot open!
Comment: Mmmm…ass…
Orignial: 21世紀のセキュリティはあってないようなものだからな
Nyoro~n: Besides, there’s no way a man from the 21st century could be around today.
Menclave: Security in the 21st century was almost non-existent, after all.
Comment: Not even close.
Major WTF Errors
Actually I am sick of this. It’s only 5 minutes into the episode and a quick glance through the rest of Nyoro~n’s script reveals that the entire thing is full of nonsense. But I’ll just highlight a few more MAJOR MISTAKES, some of them which totally changed the entire plot. I have doubts that the translator speaks any Japanese at all.
Original: 僕たちに弱点があるとすれば、ガンダムがないとプトレマイオスの活動時間が極端に限定されてしまうと
Nyoro~n: If there was one weak point for us… It would be that our Gundams are severely limited by the need to periodically return to the Ptolemaios.
Menclave: If we have a weak point, it’s that, without the Gundams, the operational time of the Ptolemaios would be extremely limited.
Comment: This may sound counter-intuitive, but yes, the Gundams really are Ptolemy’s power source. The original Japanese dialogue made it very clear.
Original: アイルランドのアルスター地方では、散発的ではありますが、テロ行為が4世紀近くにわたって続いています
Nyoro~n: Ireland’s Ulster Volunteer Forces are scattered across the country, though those factions who engage in terrorist activities remain hidden.
Menclave: In Ireland’s Ulster region, though sporadic, terrorist acts have been occurring for approximately four centuries.
Original: 材質はEカーボン。最新素材ではありますが、構造上、目新しい技術は確認されていません
Nyoro~n: It’s well-reinforced with carbon, the technology on the inside is cutting edge, some of it’s unheard of.
Menclave: It’s made out of E-carbon. It’s made out of the most up-to-date material, but, in terms of design, we cannot find any new technology being used.
Comment: The whole point of this dialogue is to show that CB are really careful not to divulge their technological secrets. Great job missing the whole point, Nyoro~n.
Original: あの特殊粒子は、ステルス性のほかに機体制御にも使われている
Nyoro~n: If we obtain a sample of that special particle, we can achieve the same results.
Menclave: Those special particles, besides their stealth features, are also used for controlling the suit.
Original: おそらくは、火器にも転用されているじゃろうて
Nyoro~n: So you’re going to give a Flag the firepower to match him?
Menclave: They’re likely to be applied as weapons too.
Original: 恐ろしい男じゃ、わしらより何十年も先の技術を持っておる
Nyoro~n: He’s a wicked man. 70 years ago I learned of his deceit.
Menclave: A dreadful man… having technology that’s several decades ahead of us.
Comment: STOP MAKING THINGS UP!!!
Original: わしは麻薬などというものが心底嫌いでな！焼き払ってくれるというなら、ガンダムを支持したい
Nyoro~n: That’s not the role you’re meant to fill, you need to be remade before then. I want to teach you what you need to blow the Gundam away.
Menclave: I hate narcotics from the bottom of my heart. If they intend to burn that down, I’ll support the Gundams.
Comment: Uh… How the fuck did you even get that?
Original: エネルギー、ヴァーチェからトレミーへの転送準備完了、転送開始します
Nyoro~n: Virtue now drawing energy from the solar furnace.
Menclave: Energy, transfer preparations from Virtue to Ptolemy complete.
Comment: Once again, Nyoro~n totally fucks up the relationship between Ptolemy and Gundams. Oh well, at least they are being consistent about it. :)
Original: ソレスタルビーイングを利用する国。その国すら利用する国
Nyoro~n: Celestial Being begins to be received by countries. These countries become host nations.
Menclave: The nations who make use of Celestial Being. The nations who use those nations.
Comment: Once again, I admit the shortcomings of Menclave’s version. It sounds a little weird in English, but at least that’s what the original dialogue is saying. We didn’t make things up! Yay!
Conclusion
Keep in mind that beyond the first 5 minutes of the episode, I only chose to highlight selective mistakes because it would probably take me a few hours more to document the whole thing. There’s something wrong with at least 70% of the lines. The translator goes to great length to make it sound like he knows what he is doing, such that his so-called “translations” sound reasonable to someone who doesn’t speak Japanese. That is, in my humblest opinion, dishonest and disturbing.
If you don’t understand a single word of Japanese at all, it’s better for you to watch the raws than to watch Nyoro~n. I hesitate to call their release a “translation” because in reality it is closer to being a parody sub. It’s as if the “translator” decided to write his own story because he didn’t like Sunrise’s scriptwriters. If you are a Gundam fan, please, for the love of Haruhi and all that is good, wait for some other group to release. It doesn’t even have to be Mendoi-Conclave…
If my experiences are anything to go by, some commentators will start accusing me of being “elitist” and “not helping the situation” just about now. But this time I learnt my lesson. Rest assured that Nyoro~n’s translator has had his mistakes pointed out to him many, many times before I typed this blog entry. He continues to insist that he knows what he is doing. Fine, here’s my proof otherwise.
That said, Nyoro~n’s release does offer hours of quality entertainment for someone who speaks Japanese. It’s hilarious. :)
This has been a public service announcement from a guy with too much free time on his hands.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:15 pm
lol…well, im capped atm so i cant dl nething, at least itells me their translations are shifty….
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:15 pm
omg… i just wasted 23:46 mins of my life watching Nyoro~n subs… T.T
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Gyahaha.
This is just pure fun. Totally hilarious, especially the part that goes “wakai”= “wakaru”.(burst out laughing) Whatever that’s going into my Eyes doesn’t fit anything that’s going into my Ears. It’s just pure comedy effect.
Well, thanks DM ^_^ i’ll be looking foward to your group’s releases.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:21 pm
@Soulshift
Indonesia~ slow unlimited 20kbps for 75US$ sweet huh T__T and mine is time based~ cant afford unlimited~
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:30 pm
IS THIS THE DORAMA I’VE BEEN WAITING? WHERE’S THE FLAME? DAMNIT.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 pm
With episode 1 I first downloaded GundamS.net one. Even though I don’t know much japanese (just the random word here and there), I could tell the subs where off by a mile. Decided to try Nyoron’s, and halfway through the download another Gundam translator told me it was also bad. Since then, I wait for the Mendoi-Conclave one.
Sad thing is, a lot of spanish groups are basing their subs on the Nyoron one.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Dang… *adds nyro~n to ignore list…*
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:23 pm
I first noticed their problematic translations from the first episode, picking up errors in their translations that even a pseudo-Japanese-literate twit like me managed to find. I suspect that they are basing their translations on Chinese subs or something — makes no sense for such a huge warp unless, as you say, they’re making stuff up.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:30 pm
AJ >> Nyoro~n.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Lol. This shows that there’s a fansub group which can top odex’s bad subs.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Instead of criticizing their mistakes why not help them with them? I don’t see you doing anything DM since you obviously know Japanese a lot better than they do.
Though, some blame does rest with the fansub groups because to be honest I wouldn’t even get into fansubbing if I wasn’t 100% I wouldn’t make mistakes.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I believe I already said that I am doing translation work for Mendoi-Conclave’s release of Gundam 00, so accusing me of “not helping” won’t work this time.
Anyway even if I were not involved in translating Gundam 00 at all, why couldn’t I still criticize a bad fansub? Is that not the whole point of critics? Are movie reviewers obliged to “help out” lousy directors to make their next movie better? I think not.
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Well helping them to admit their mistakes is 50% of the problem solved.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:16 pm
My Japanese isn’t stellar (although I have this vague notion/delusion that it gets better over the years), but those are some huge errors. Gundam’s not my thing but thanks for detailing the issues here. I just started watching Oh! Edo Rocket and I’m glad I didn’t start with theirs.
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:46 am
Damn…what a waste of time ;-; But my biggest problem is, my computer can’t handle Mendoi-conclave’s subs! It does the frame skip thing. (I guess my video card is too lame to handle it? *shrugs* I don’t know…) *sighs* Anyone want to point out an alternate sub for me? Typically, I can watch raws with minimal problems, but keeping up with Gundam jargon just makes me lazy…
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:47 am
holy cow… No wonder I’m all confused…. one thing’s obvious, people form nyoro isn’t a natural English speaker. ‘better understand’ sounds like a east Asian direct translation to me.
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:51 am
great, now i gotta rewatch episode 1 because i only picked up conclave’s releases after episode 2,
*smacks nyoron~n* >3
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:54 am
‘for the love of Haruhi’
Jokes.
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:56 am
Wow, i was midway thru the episode when a friend contacted me about a #chan being down. Pausing gundam, I hopped on another to see wtf is going on and was linked here o_O. Coincidence?? Hell if i know, but Nyoro~n really screwed up that bad? I already watched 2.5 episodes of it and most of it is wrong? D: You have left me in despair! Cuz now i have to wait for another subber to pick it up.. if they do…. I guess I’m glad i caught this… Creepy how I found it at the right time…
October 23rd, 2007 at 1:09 am
The best thing you guys can do when you realize that Nyoro~n’s release is so bad is the SPREAD THE WORD.
Speedsubbers generally have the advantage because of how widespread the ‘first file out’ mentality is, and many forums rarely if ever know about any other versions that come out a few days afterwards. If everyone helps to spread the word, then maybe… just maybe we can turn the tide and get some real subs that are properly translated into those poor souls’ hands.