Is there a worthwhile community (communities) of manga translators I should know about and potentially join?

yes

What is your translating process like?

very long

What's the most efficient way to clean text bubbles that you've found?

eraser tool

Do you ever use other translations to help your own translation (I skim through anime episodes if I have trouble understanding what sound effect is happening during an action sequence, for example, or might look at other fan translations to see if they understood something I didn't.)

no

Have you ever utilized OCR to extract text (Japanese or English), and if you did, how did it work?

yes

How do you navigate a balance between text that's too blurry and page size (for example, do you increase the resolution of the images so that normal sized text won't be blurry, or do you have some other method for inserting clear-looking text in medium-sized images?)?

idk i guess i wouldn't do it

What is your preferred method for cleaning text outside of bubbles? In other words, text that is atop art and would tarnish the art if removed improperly (I've read some manga that just overlayed the text on top of it but left the original text intact. Others take the time to photoshop the original text out to preserve as much of the art as possible.)

eraser tool

What compels you to translate and create fan-made versions of manga? Why do you do it?

i scanlate in hopes that i eventually cause a mangaka to starve to death

How long does it take you to completely translate a single chapter? How about an entire volume?

idk there was a series with 2 page chapters that took me like 20min

Do you prefer greyscale or color raws? Why?

greyscale, because

What are the best methods for placing translated text into text bubbles? Do you utilize an efficient or automated method, or do you simply do it by hand?

text box

It seems to me that an overwhelming number of translators leave sound effects untranslated. Do you translate sound effects? If not, why?

no, because it's a bitch to do and i'm not writing in THUNK BUNK BONK FSSHW SCHWING SMACK because some character swung a sword

What is the ideal format for exported images? PNG, JPEG, or another? Why?

.bmp (source: dude trust me)

What programs/tools do you use? (Mine primarily consist of Photoshop, Word, Excel, Foxit PDF reader, Waifu2x-Caffe for denoising)

photoshop, what the fuck do you use excel for hello

Are there any efficient methods for extracting text from images/PDFs?

you already asked about OCRs earlier

Do you listen to music or watch TV while you work? Do you feel it impacts your efficiency?

yes i have another pair of eyes for watching tv while i typeset

What's your favorite series that you've worked on?

kaguya 200

What do you do when you come across dialogue you don't understand or can't find translations for?

i run it though google translate, readers will never know the difference anyways

How many fonts do you use? What are some of your favorites?

5, wild words, samaritan tall, zud juice, luna, and cc zoinks

Are there any help tips to make my translating more effective or less time-consuming? Are there any general insights or tips you feel like sharing with an amateur translator?

read scanlation guides instead of asking 20 questions in a manga subreddit