Official vs. Fan Translation

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria (light novel)

May 7, 2019 4:09 AM

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Jul 2011

As the title says I am wondering whether I should go for the official Yen Press translation or the Baka-Tsuki one because I've heard the Yen version is somewhat lacklustre and I know a lot of people are generally not that happy with Yen translations but it's the only available source for a lot of LNs(kinda goes for me as well - bought the 1st and 2nd volume of OregaIru but I thought the fan translation was far superior)

May 7, 2019 8:58 AM

removed-user

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Jul 2018

562233

From personal experience, fan translations are better with most manga and novels. Fan translations are mostly done by people who genuinely care about the series they are translating or typesetting and they often explain the meaning of things that are lost in translation, such as Japanese jokes and cultural practices. Industry translators really don't care about this and westernise a lot of things probably because they aren't paid enough.

May 7, 2019 9:33 AM

Zefyris

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Apr 2013

7971

Most fan translations for novels are terrible. Many of them are barely better than google translation, when they're not REALLY google translations.
OF course there's some awesome amateur translators out there as well. But there are amazing professional translators just as much.

I don't know for hakomari precisely since I read it in japanese so never cared for the translations, but yen press translation = supporting the industry. amateur = pirating.
So when official translation is available, i heavily suggest you go with that one, except in cases when the editor REALLY did terribad with the check and the result is nowhere near acceptable levels (which isn't the case for hakomari as far as I've heard).

Aug 1, 2020 8:30 AM

SomeGuyWithHair

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Jul 2019

1305

I usually read the fan translation whenever it's available. I heard that Baka-Tsuki picked this up but then dropped it because Yen Press started translating it. Now I don't really like Yen Press that much, some of their translations are questionable and lack effort, my experience when I reread Index with the Baka-Tsuki translation.

Except this time, it's pretty good. You can feel the atmosphere and the way they talk is realistic. It doesn't westernize shit and retains the Japanese vibe it has. Volume 7 still made me cry and that's a good thing.

You can pick either of them, I really don't see anything wrong with both of them. But if you want English illustrations, then pick the official.

Aug 1, 2020 9:27 AM

-Frost-

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Feb 2019

234

Always go with the official translation lol. Fan translations are extremely hit or miss and shouldn’t be relied upon.

To judge others by your own standard is the height of folly.

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