INTERVIEW MARIA FERRER (TRANSLATOR DA THE FIRST EDITION OF RG VEDA IN SPAIN) His interest in manga and Japanese culture led her to become a translator of Japanese, and has now been 10 years translating comics, manga and anime. Develops various lines of academic research through Kaika, study circle on the latest Japan, and occasionally teaches Japanese.
www.grupokaika.org
www.traduccionesimposibles.com
Links:
Japanese manga for people
Works of David Ramirez
Works of Mary Ferrer
How did you start in the field of manga?
From small one of my greatest passions is drawing and, upon discovering the Candy Candy anime , and later Champions, Saint Seiya , etc. when I was about 13 years, fancied the idea of \u200b\u200bgoing to Japan to learn how to draw to become a professional illustration.
So I started studying Japanese when I was 15 years with the idea of \u200b\u200bgoing to study in Japan, but eventually got the better of the interest in the language that my artistic side. Studied at the French School where in addition to giving their all in French, you are taught from an early English and German, which I have always lived in multilingual environments, and now at the stage of BUP (uffff, how the years pass!) subjects had translation between English, French, German and English ... and I am passionate about.
When it came time to decide what to study, I chose Translation and Interpretation. I continued with the Japanese, complemented with intensive classes in Japan and I left everything I collect from my collaborations with Metro (made articles and e) in Japanese studies. When I finished the race, the Ministry of Education and Science of Japan gave me a scholarship to go to study in Japan. I chose the University of Tokyo (Tokyo Daigaku, known as Todai in manga and anime series), which developed the content of my first research on manga and translation.
What has translated manga and anime?
My first professional manga translation was RG Veda, and then I have translated many series Norma Editorial in the ten years I have been a translator. Notable among the recent manga: Chobits , xxxholic , Akira , Zatch Bell! , Yotsuba!, Azumanga ... Anime: Karekano, Fushigi Yugi, Love Hina, Chobits, DNA2, Louie the Rune Warrior and more.
Two years ago I have a company (Translation Imposibles.com) and a team of translators and hardworking entregadísimos: Tsubasa Reservoir they sign Chronicle, UFO Baby, Hellsing, Ah, My Goddess!, Kneading Ja-pan, once upon a time we Gekka no kimi ... and other non-manga comics. Anime, RahXephon, Ranma 1 / 2, Saiyuki, Wolf's Rain, Kenshin, Ultramaniac ... To learn more about what's going on "Impossible office" at this time: www.traduccionesimposibles.com
Have any manga that I have been particularly difficult or challenging to translate?
Rather than a single sleeve which in itself poses a uniquely difficult, I think that all manga has several complicated issues that can pose challenges, including the translation of humor, the adaptation of cultural values \u200b\u200band the interpretation of the content. Sometimes you meet everyone and it is when we most need to squeeze the neuron.
RG Veda is an example of content difficult than it was for me the litmus test and my first translation (horrors cost me, I suffered, cried, got angry with myself for not going faster .. . it took me a month!! translate the first volume. Go Clamp summer gave me that year I spent in Osaka). Besides having a record of Japanese hard and difficult, archaic language and very formal, difficult kanji and expressions that even the Japanese themselves found it hard to understand, there are many cultural references from Hinduism must be understood to accurately interpret and rewrite in English. Akira content also has a dense and difficult even for a Japanese reader, psychic powers, secret military maneuvers, political and social content, scientific terms, etc..
The translation of humor is not a problem if only used to make people laugh, because then there are several possibilities while implementation, to make people laugh, but when combined with a cultural element is more tricky, because to play function a play on words (for laughs) and maintain the elements that make Japanese grace and be very rooted in their culture, you have to juggle.
In Azumanga Daioh, for example, I ran into strips where they played a guessing game. The easiest were only amused by a pun. What I did was find a riddle in English, a popular guessing game of words, which were the elements that were in Japanese. Was "the fruit that matures later: the pear, because it is" pear "was not a Japanese pear, was another fruit but the joke was the same and amused (how bad it is, as in the original Japanese). The strategy was clear (although mine cost me think of the quiz). In contrast, translate and provoke laughter when Japanese play with the manzai (try the theme in the article that is included in the first volume) is much more difficult, because if you only translate the meaning, not funny, the way is very important, and as we do not have a similar tradition, grace is not get any easier. If you also combines a cultural reference to laughter, it is normal to have to rethink rather than leave the word as it is, because if it continues, the reader does not understand at first, slows down the reading, not is achieved the desired effect, which is laughter.
In Yotsuba! Adapt the confusion of words also brought me some difficulty. In Japanese, Yotsuba confused expressions because they do not understand, does not quite know what he is saying. In English, the problem was that the reader realize that the term evil that is actually a phrase, for example when he welcomes guests to "sit like home" instead of "you're in your home. A formula of courtesy, as in Japanese, but with grace. Because it's funny, right?
And in general, I usually pose as a challenge the style of the characters. Always try to keep the tone of each one, gaining recognition of who is talking on his dialogue as in the original Japanese and, when they have a specific feature (or dialects, or tagline or vulgar) is difficult, because you have to abstract and create "a way of talking" to each character traits that you mark the original ... is fascinating and challenging. And it is precisely those details that complicate the lives of the translators are, for me, the more interest you give a translation.
Do you think the passion for manga can make you learn Japanese consume power in its original version?
Japanese manga for people not to "teach Japanese" as a classical method, has a different approach and different objectives: to teach to read and understand texts manga. Does not give you grammar rules for the practice with examples or exercises, but it gives you a text to learn to interpret the guidelines to give you the theoretical part. And that can be applied to other manga.
is not learn to "consume power" just like that, but taking into account a number of linguistic concepts the reader is discovering internalize because while reading manga strips. It explains grammar, how sentences are related to each other, why have a specific structure and what things mean from a manga text, is taught to be aware of the context and nuances, and how it has to interpret it all together.
That is what makes Japanese for People Manga: the reader provides a "toolkit" reading taking you to know how to interpret a text sleeve. Reading is a guide that can be applied to any manga, but in this case the reader needs the support a dictionary (we have provided the vocabulary of Manga People strips).
How did the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a course targeted at Japanese manga readers?
The idea of \u200b\u200ban approach that I have always believed as a translator: we read, understand and reformulate the text in English, so that you understand and fulfill a function. For that you need to know all the features of this text: grammar, syntax, conjugation, etc. But why not learn through a "guided reading? The reader reads the manga strips, and we explain what are the elements that found in the dialogues (and not), what they are in the text and how they are interpreted. Also completed the contents of the tongue with notes of culture, so that the reader understand better why certain things happen in history, why go to certain places, or why they behave in a particular way in specific situations.
Think you start in the English market have too much manga? What perhaps there are already enough collections which could be dispensed with?
is obvious that the public can not absorb all the manga out there. But there are titles that go unnoticed and are very good, and that, if there is such abundance, they would come to our market.
Of course, the reissue of the classic seems like a very successful bid (the fans now have to meet certain works "required reading" as Akira, Urusei Yatsura and Ah, My Goddess! know who was Osamu Tezuka, etc.). Although in the end, the otaku of today know what you like, find what interests you, exhausts, and beyond if you want, it consumes or rather manga "manga culture" differently, and the classics seem to have been far behind for these young readers. Sure you want to know who Katsuhiro Otomo will look in the Wikipedia (laughs).
addition to translating, I dedicate to teaching through the association Kaika. Tell us more about it.
Kaika now is part of conferences and conventions such as the Chamber Manga, where he organizes activities related to the current Japanese popular culture or Japanese language, such as exposure Tokyo subcultures showcase organized in the last edition. We also "practice" of writing the name in Japanese kanji workshop, and other things related to the J-culture. I myself write research articles for academic publications, and I teach translation students to supplement their courses in schools that we request Japanese courses. Announcing the news regularly on the web www.grupokaika.org where we also have information on our activities, summaries of the articles and details of the issues we are interested in spreading through the web or in workshops and conferences .
Do you think the manga reader today is not the same as ten or more years? What's more prepared, knows more about culture, language and traditions of Japan and therefore can absorb more typically Japanese manga years ago would not be as viable in Spain?
I think it's more eclectic, and goes beyond the manga and anime, explore areas outside the classical or pop culture and Japanese current itself, because it is perceived through the latest manga and you inspires curiosity. To quench it, has at its disposal a great tool for documentation, which is the Internet. In general, there are now more aware of the original versions of the original culture, and viewers and readers are more exposed to the bombardment of information. The anime has contributed to a cultural background that gives today's viewers a certain advantage over the spectators were ten years ago. The series was adapted, the interest in manga and anime is limited to a particular story and characters, but did not go as far as now. Today, how to translate and can be changed respect of the original things that then would not have been viable to keep. It is normal to see words like futon, yakisoba, onigiri, conbini, etc. in translations without having to put footnotes, because the reader is already accustomed. The support of the image in the anime that have passed through our television has been vital for the public to unwittingly assimilate cultural elements, so you only need to adapt or explain when "used for something else" other than show culture (making people laugh, etc..). Today, no longer a series adapted by changing the names of characters clearly Japanese, where Japanese brands that are important for local names such as Jane and Sergio, unless they are very radical adjustments motivated by the aim of reaching a wider audience general through a more local humor, like Osomatsu series, which includes references of our television culture and humorous (The character named Pozi, double meanings in the names as Tetoko, etc.).
From pioneers like Geni Bigas (translator of Dragon Ball) to people like yourself or the duo Marc Bernabé / Veronica Calafell, and numerous translators are specialized in manga in Spain. Do you think the quality of translations of manga in Castilian (and Catalan) has been more from the start until now?
Yes, since the manga volume has grown, there are more titles to be translated. Prior also provided some translations from European editions (in French or English). Now Japanese translators enough so that publishers do not have or that others consider translated versions. We not only do manga, not only do Japanese, although that is what most do and now fills me with excitement to say that I'm giving work to a team of people who live on the translation of comics and cartoons or movies. It is very satisfying to know that so many years effort and struggle each day served for at least a few people besides myself live by the work they have always dreamed of.
Can you give us a foretaste of what will be on volumes 3 and 4 JPGM?
If all goes as planned, we fit all the explanations that go with each strip, and Angel did not cut me content for lack of space (laughs), our idea for Volumes 3 and 4 is the following:
manga strips of the third volume will cargaditas new language elements: letters appear where you see the writing style, formal honorific language situation, subordinate clauses (Yuju!), intermediate verbal modes as conditional and the subjunctive and in the speech, see how to deal with specialized languages \u200b\u200bthat can appear in the manga.
In the fourth, the reader (if it has been taken seriously) and have some control of linguistic structures across the strips and learn more about the expression of emotions, the ways to give their opinion nuances, ways more advanced verbal and, finally, characteristics and uses vulgar language dialect we find in the stories of David Ramirez and can appear in any manga.
addition, from Volume 3 include highlights of culture, but we can not tell or you lose the excitement ... just a hint: the word tells you something matsuri?
And finally, a typical and topical question: What author or authors of manga (Japanese, of course) are your favorites?
More than a series favorite author is particularly interested me as xxxHolic by CLAMP, the most recent, and Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo), the traditional. Adolf (Tezuka) is a masterpiece, Zatch Bell (Raiku Makoto) is the peel ... Nirai Kanai (Megumu Okada) is quite attractive from a visual point of view and its content, and Urusei Yatsura (Rumiko Takahashi) I break out laughing. Oh, and do not forget the memory lane: Candy Candy (Kyoko Mizuki and Yumiko Igarashi), a sleeve of 76 years, a melodrama, but I liked both the anime when I was small, to find the manga years later, I could not avoid including it among my favorites. In summary, I believe that not all the works of an author have to be good just because they sign, so instead I am enchanted by a particular story and content than a name.
Thank you for so kindly revealed the secrets of your collaboration, and good luck with this and your other future projects, joint or separately!
what else matters? 
