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 24th, 2007 at 3:18 am
haha, good times. yeah, i remember that.
October 24th, 2007 at 3:54 am
Wow, epic drama.
Speaking as someone who has done something like what Nyoro~n has done, darkmirage is doing them a huge favor. Someone’s having a good day.
October 24th, 2007 at 4:51 am
wow…
October 24th, 2007 at 5:05 am
If DM didnt put this post out I, and I guess many others would not have known that we were downloading a poor low quality sub. However I still plead you to use your influence at your sub groub to make a HD avi version. Nyoro~n is the only person offering the HD avi.
October 24th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Well first I want to personally thank you for revealing to us the ugly truth. I had downloaded 1 and 2 from GundanS and 3 from Nyoro~n. I have deleted all those now and downloaded Menclave’s superior subs. So thank you. And don’t get discouraged at the few people who defend the crappy subs. Most who have seen this blog (and so, so, so many have already, it spread like wild fire across most anime forums) believe everything you said.
I have a question concerning mkv. Why? I prefer anything other than that, avi, mpeg4, ogg, rm, rmvb. I mean, I can view it just fine and I will take what ever you give. Nor do I ask that you change what you are doing. But I want to know the advantages of mkv vs avi or even ogg.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:17 am
@Fear: MKV allows for softsubbing, where we don’t have to encode the actual subtitles onto the video - it’s just like another video codec that runs simultaneously that overlays the properly styled text onto the video. That way, people who choose to do so can turn off the subtitles, among a host of other things. It also makes the video more compressable, as you don’t have any text intersecting with flat areas that make the encoder think they’re “details” that require more bits.
The list goes on.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Thanks for opening my eyes. I would have never guessed that such crappy fansubbers exist…. Shall be more careful from now on. o_0
October 24th, 2007 at 6:41 am
There is a formal apology on Nyoro~n Subs website. Seems like they are releasing v2 of the gundam episodes, they have subbed so far.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:47 am
I wish DM doesn’t get put off and maintain your stance. I vouch for you, and to me, quality fansubs mean = accurate translation and good quality video. Speed is a factor, but I’d rather be watching accurate translations. Yes indeed there are shows I want to watch immediately, but I rather be patient.
Trackback from
Kurogane’s Anime Blog » 2 cents: The DarkMirage vs Nyoro~n case.October 24th, 2007 at 7:06 am
[...] yes, fansubber dorama. DarkMirage isn’t a newcomer to this, and I will say I agree with his post and most of its [...]
October 24th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Once again, how many times do I have to tell you that Lolfang has been told of this by many people countless times. He KNOWS it fully and he is doing this KNOWINGLY.
THAT is the reason why I did this. I’m not picking on other groups because I have not watched a fansub this bad. Ever.
And Hinano, I don’t agree with you. You are telling me that I can’t say how bad Nyoro~n is because there are other bad fansubs out there? Stop for a while and think through your logic. Have you never complained about a bad movie for wasting your time before? Bad is bad, if you show me a worst one I will be happy to do a comparison for it. :)
I wouldn’t even have bothered to download their subs (I didn’t for ep 1 and 2) if their viewers hadn’t commented on my blog to correct me on plot details that I know for a fact that I am right about. Nyoro~n’s releases are ruining the series.
If I didn’t do something about it, sooner or later we will have two groups of people following two very different stories: Sunrise’s G00 and Lolfang’s G00.
And if you think that I am doing all this to get more downloads for Mendoi-Conclave, you are hugely mistaken. When I did it for Doremi, people accused me of being a keyboard commander who should fansub the titles myself instead of complain about Doremi. Now others find fault with the reverse. People will always find something wrong with what I do. But FACTS do not change even if you despise the messenger. And as long as the facts get through I am being more constructive than you.
But let me ask you again, keeping in mind the fact that Lolfang did NOT repent in the past after numerous corrections, would you preferred if I still kept quiet about this and said nothing. Can you honestly find a reason to say “yes” other than “zomg he is being a meanie T.T”?
Could I have done it in a less sarcastic way? Sure. But I don’t care what you think about the way I blog. If you look at the rest of my post, you will see that the sarcasm is inherent in this blog and has nothing to do with Nyoro~n.
I agree with Omo. AnimeJunkies was way better than this.
Trackback from
World of Anime » 2 cents: The DarkMirage vs Nyoro~n case.October 24th, 2007 at 7:25 am
[...] yes, fansubber dorama. DarkMirage isn’t a newcomer to this, and I will say I agree with his post and most of its [...]
October 24th, 2007 at 7:28 am
DM> Dunno if you saw my follow up comments before you responded but I did read that you attempted to tell their translator about mistakes and they refused to listen. Also I didn’t realize people commented on your blog telling you that your story telling is wrong. Wow well in that case I can see why you’d get annoyed! :D
Also I don’t think Anime Junkies was better lol. They ran their translations through babelfish from like Korean to English lol. Even if these guys are making it up at least it makes some sense hahahaha. Come on MASS NAKED CHILD EVENTS!
Also I am saying nothing about your blogging o_O; I don’t really care how you blog lol, it’s your thing. I’m only referring to this specific post I guess.
October 24th, 2007 at 7:33 am
P.S. For the reason of bad fansubbing, I haven’t actually watched fansubs in like 4 years, so I don’t even know who’s Nyoron to be honest or who fansubs what, nor do I really care lol. Like I said I saw the whole thing as a smartass picking at a moron, but when I read deeper into your post and saw a few comments who corrected me, I realized that was not the case.
Chill out, I am on your side. :P
October 24th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Its a speed sub, its supposed to give the general gist of the episode, not be an exact translation.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Hm huge thanks to DM for pointing this out. When I watched Nyoro’s subs I was thinking “Only fat one needs to recharage?” so I simply assumed it used more power. I thought the yaoi refrences where a bit akward as well as the “loosing oneself in passion” thing. I don’t know japanese so I would have been tricked into thinking his translations were somewhat accurate. I’ll be dling the other groups versions now. Althought my computer can’t play MKV files due to bad proccesser speed.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:51 am
v2 Nyoro~n subs released!
October 24th, 2007 at 11:40 am
@VinceC: I hardly call the opposite meaning a ‘gist.’
October 24th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I wish this kind of pointing out everything wrong about nyoro~n existed back at the start of the spring season, when they first showed up to butcher Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Thank you very much, DM.
I’m not JLPT tested, but I’ve taken enough Japanese to know an okay sub from a shitty one. Sometimes speed subbers miss the mark, but usually they do okay.
Not nyoro~n. Nyoro~n couldn’t translate worth a dime back in the spring and they certainly can’t translate now, it seems. It took me four episodes of their crap to finally be fed up with their nonsense and watch raws until the groups that actually took at the least first level japanese got around to them.
I normally don’t get so passionate about condemning a group as utter garbage, but I make a strong exception in nyoro~n’s case.
For all those talking about speed subbers, you know who else are “speed subbers?” Dattebayo was when they first appeared, they sort of still ARE, but not only were they okay to start, they GOT BETTER. Their drama with tweaking the fanbase is irksome, but at least they can translate. These anonymous blokes that are becoming an increasing presence in the fansubbing community? They’re speedsub. They still understand the language.
Nyoro~n not only DOESN’T understand the language, it’s clear from DM’s and others efforts to inform them they have no intention of improving. I fully and entirely endorse this message to stop downloading the filth they are dumping on the net.
October 24th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
You mean he is not gay…oh boy…