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wStuff You Don't Wanna Know But Are Reading Anyway |
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I dunno how you found this, but alas, here you are. So enjoy the frightening fruits of my troubled little brain.
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wSunday, December 31, 2006 |
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feeling: sleepy
listening to: Linkin Park - By Myself
So now that it's the end of the year, I suppose it's time to do the year in review meme that I've sort of made an annual thing here and on my LJ. Annual for three whole years. Huzzah for traditions.
Year in Review meme: Go to your Calendar and find the first entry (excluding memes) for each month of 2005. Post the first line of it in your journal, and that's your 'Year In Review'.
Here's a survey thing, cause I was bored. Dude, I am in such a good mood right now. I was reading some of the really really early entries in this blog and came across mentions of a couple creative pursuits I was... um, pursuing... but completely forgot about for 4 full years. In case it wasn't apparent by the weeks-long absence of posts, this blog is on hiatus. I doubt anyone bothers with this anymore. Prepare for a rant. Ok, just for the sake of posting something, here's a survey. The game is down again, so I listen to the BGMs in Winamp because I'm a dork... Ok, time for something less depressing. I have noticed that I experience a lot more bitterness on Sundays than any other time. There are a couple things I've been thinking about for some time but never felt like actually talking about. Ever since I started my translations blog, I entertained the goal of one day moving all the translations I put there to a real website and starting my own translations database.
Boy, talk about a thrilling year. I love that random and completely out of place February line.
And now it's time for my nap, if I can drown out the toddler bangs and thumps and screams coming from downstairs...
comment! (1)
dragged from Becky's stream of consciousness at 12/31/2006 01:07:00 PM
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wTuesday, December 26, 2006 |
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feeling: hot
listening to: Matsutoya Yumi - 7 Truths 7 Lies
Eheh. I'm amused.
Was just doing my rounds a few minutes ago and checked Myspace bulletins, and found one from BLOOD announcing that they now have an account at mixi, which is sort of like a Japanese Myspace-like community site thing. So I went there and was just going through the process to add them to my friend list when Kiwamu pounced and went into "Hey, do you have mixi?! I just added you to mine ^_____^" (only slightly paraphrased). I dunno, it just amuses me to no end that he actually hunted down my profile there and added me before I even had a chance to add him. Dork.
Anyway. Remember a couple posts ago when I had the idea to delve into the world of fansubbing? Well, not long after that I started translating episodes of the no-longer-running Japanese variety show D no Arashi. I've finished 8 episodes now, not counting one frickin' line in #5 and a couple in #7 that refuse to be perceived as intelligible over various background noise. Currently about halfway through episode 9. To give you an idea, in my first 2 days spent obsessively translating these things, I finished 2 episodes. Wonder if I'll ever have a prayer of finishing all 116 of them? Heh. Yeah. I'm just looking forward to getting up into the 20s or so when they start getting really goofy and amusing. But yeah, if I can actually motivate myself to finish a good chunk of these and turn them into fansubs, I'll be really darn proud of myself.
Speaking of time-killing stuff, I now have the sixth and final season of Xena on DVD, the first two volumes of Death Note, a legal copy *cough* of Advent Children, the first 4 eps of Haibane Renmei, and *gasp* Final Fantasy X. Indeed, I now own a PS2. I'm finally human! So yes... I have much to keep me busy for the next several weeks. Assuming I can manage to tear myself away from translating these videos.
I miss kitty, though. WOW better have her back online soon.
Oh, I discovered something cool yesterday. Apparently AZNTV is actually running J-dramas again, Sunday nights at 11. I can't even remember the last time I saw one on that network, but I know it was back when they were still the International Channel. The one they're running now is Nodame Cantabile, and I'm not sure how hard I should try to get into it since I'm sure the one I caught yesterday couldn't have been the first episode, and I have an annoying aversion to watching things out of order.
I'm still trying to figure out a new J-drama to download too. Last one I finished was Kisarazu Cat's Eye, which was... not a masterpiece, but had its amusing moments. Interesting cast, too... ahem. Anyway, I know I want to see Majo no Jouken soon, and of course the rest of Stand Up, but a certain fansubbing group hasn't finished fansubbing them yet and, the way things are going, probably won't for several more months. I've also been wanting to see Yasashii Jikan, Yoiko no Mikata, and Minami-kun no Koibito, but they're not subbed at all. Grr. Maybe I'll break down and get Gokusen 2 after all, even though I heard it sucked compared to the first season... or that Kindaichi Files thing, though the only one I've found downloadable is the third season and I was hoping to see the first two before that... bloody elusive oldskool series. Hmm, I guess there's also Itoshi Kimi E and Koori no Sekai... and stuff...
How have I bounced around between topics so much? Guess this is what happens when I don't post my rants often enough. Pardon my thinking out loud.
I'm tempted to watch Mukodono and Hana Yori Dango again, though... evil addictive things...
*slaps self*
I think I'll go start playing with my new Xena box. Too tired to concentrate on translating but it's too early to sleep.
comment! (2)
dragged from Becky's stream of consciousness at 12/26/2006 01:06:00 AM
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wSunday, December 03, 2006 |
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feeling: half tired
listening to: Ninomiya Kazunari - Konseki (Traces)
I don't know why, but when I listened to this song for the first time just now, I think I almost cried.
Anyway. I guess I spoke too soon about the quality of the Nobuta wo Produce fansubs in my last post. I had just watched the "zero episode" special that night, which was some separate thing the network had aired a few hours before the drama itself began in Japan. But the next night I started watching actual episodes, and their subs are much better. Guess the special was just screwed because the translator did it him(?)self, without the benefit of timers and editors and all that jazz. Anyway, I'm now 5 episodes into the series and it's... interesting, to say the least. Funny and sad and stupid and sympathetic and even sort of spooky all at the same time. Addictive as well, of course.
In other news, today has been weird. It started early in the morning with some of the strangest dreams I've had in a while. Nothing depressing or scary for once, but just... I really don't know where they came from or what to make of them. Been trying not to think about it too much, but they sort of set the tone for the whole day so it's hard to avoid.
And now? I dunno. I'm putting off sleep because I am tired, but in more of an achy way than a sleepy one, I guess. Not looking forward to going to bed anyway because I know I won't sleep. It's Saturday night; I never sleep on Saturday nights. Sundays are nothing to look forward to either.
But then again, if this mild lightheadedness is any indication, going to bed might be a good idea after all.
comment! (0)
dragged from Becky's stream of consciousness at 12/03/2006 03:34:00 AM
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wFriday, December 01, 2006 |
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feeling: grumbly
listening to: Arashi - Kotoba Yori mo Taisetsu na Mono (Something More Important Than Words)
Ever since I started my translations blog, I entertained the goal of one day moving all the translations I put there to a real website and starting my own translations database. One of my biggest inspirations, and one of my favorite places to look for rare translations or even to look for help on ones that I was stuck on, was Centigrade-J. They've translated so many songs that most people would never even think of, and they even fansubbed some popular videos like Gackt's appearances on Utaban. I learned so much from the translations there and even referred to them at times for projects of my own that weren't lyrical in nature. I still hope to create a site similar to it someday and host all my translations there, and take requests from people so that a much larger variety of English J-music lyrics will be available to the world.
Then, as some people know, America's first ever J-rock magazine, Purple Sky, came into existence. For some time while it was still very new I had the idea in my head that I should ask them if they had any need for another hired translator. Honestly, while I do plan to seek a career that will utilize my Japanese, nothing would be as enjoyable to me as translating for just such a magazine. After being BLOOD's translator for almost 3 years I've become quite familiar with the Japanese music world and its language; I guess you could say it's my specialty. As opposed to, say... electrical wiring language or technical automotive industry language. Other people have suggested that I translate for a manga or anime company in the states, but I'm not really into that stuff as much as I once was. But a J-rock magazine like Purple Sky would be the closest thing I could imagine to a dream job. The timing was perfect too, as I'm going to be in desperate need of employment within the next couple months and, honestly, probably should have secured something months ago. I don't know why I didn't ask sooner if Purple Sky wanted another translator. Probably because I knew the odds were high that I'd have to move to their base in New York. But maybe not?
Anyway. Then just last night, I found out that a couple of the guys who alreay work for Purple Sky just happen to the the very same guys who created and maintain the Centigrade-J website. So much for the one thing I've ever encountered that I'd consider calling a dream job. :P
I might still ask eventually, I guess. Apparently the Centigrade-J guys are so swamped with Purple Sky work that they've been forced to neglect the site a bit this year. Maybe they wouldn't mind having someone to take some of the load off their shoulders. I wouldn't mind commission pay for just an interview or two every month. But again, I don't know the legal workings behind payrolls and all that junk, so I don't know if I could get away with working for them without moving to NY...
Oh well. I guess after the first of the year I'll go put in an application at YSK like everyone says I should. Will be the first time in my adult life that I've ever done what everyone says I should. If I'd done that during college I never would've even become interested in Japanese language and culture, and would probably have no skills now other than drawing or maybe writing. What a disaster that would've been. I already knew by the time I started college that I didn't have the inspiration or creativity to pursue a career in those fields. Languages turned out to be the one thing I both love and excel in. If it wouldn't take me the rest of my life and take too much time and concentration away from my Japanese, I'd try to learn Chinese and Korean too, and probably a handful of other languages. They just fascinate me. All of them. Even English, in a sadistic sort of way. I blame the linguistics classes.
Another thing I've thought about recently is that I'd really like to start my own little fansubbing operation. Only problem with that? It takes a group of at least three or four people to have any kind of success in fansubbing, and at least two of those should specialize in the translation itself. As well as I understand most of the videos I watch, there are always some things that I just can't figure out, either because they talk too fast or because it's some local slang or pun that I'd never know without living in Japan for half my life. There's also the need for people to code the subtitle files themselves, and time them, and attach them to the video files... etc etc. I don't know anything about all that. And since fansubbing is not a paying job, it would probably not behoove me to dedicate the majority of my time and resources to learning it. It's hard enough to motivate myself to learn the HTML I would need to put together my lyric translations website. I've only been putting that off for 3 years. Oh well... we don't live in an ideal world, do we?
I guess that last rant was brought about because last night I started to watch Nobuta wo Produce, and I'm actually nervous about finishing it and afraid I won't like it solely because it has THE WORST fansub job I've ever seen. Whoever did it knows Japanese better than I do, I'll give them that, but gah... to be a good translator you need to be proficient not only in the language you translate from, but also to the language you translate TO. And for Bob's sake, if you can't manage halfway intelligent English, you shouldn't be fansubbing. Seriously - no capitalization, no punctuation, typos in every other line, and in some places the idiot even used CHATSPEAK. You do NOT use chatspeak in a fansub for one of the most highly rated dramas of the past 2 years. Or any video for that matter.
Now, allow me a self-righteous moment. I believe I would make a good fansubber because I have a good understanding, if not fluency, of both Japanese AND English. I have excellent grammar. I know how to spell. And while my experience is limited, at least it's enough that I've come to learn where there's a line between translating Japanese directly and taking some linguistic license to mold the language into something that makes sense to English speakers. All that's holding me back, as I said, is that I'm not a coder or a timer - only a translator, and admittedly not a very fluent one. And unfortunately, as this Nobuta wo Produce fansubber apparently never realized, it takes more than fluency to produce a good fansub.
...Well, that was an annoyingly long and primarily aimless rant. Now I guess I need to go back to debating whether or not to ride along with mom when she goes to pick up my nephew in about an hour. She's been doing this on an almost weekly basis for a good couple years now, but for some reason she still always tries to guilt trip me into riding along with her. Can't understand it. I prefer my long drives to be embarked upon alone, personally.
comment! (2)
dragged from Becky's stream of consciousness at 12/01/2006 01:44:00 PM
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