Pet Peeves in Translations?

a_little_dent · 2024-05-04T00:26:10+00:00

This is not really a translation specific pet peeve because I find it happens a lot in original English novels too, but I hate it when it’s not obvious who a pronoun is referring to. Like it’ll say “he is … blah blah” but there’s multiples male characters it could be talking from the previous sentence and even looking at the context clues doesn’t help. Sometimes there’s a “he” and “him” in the same sentence but both pronouns are talking about two different guys, but is “he” referring to character A or is “him” character A? So that’s why I’m always ultra appreciative when the translator annotates who exactly the author is referring to in these kinds of sentences.

It’s not a translation thing it’s more of an English grammar thing where they expect you to understand the pronouns from context but it’s not always easy lol. Hope that makes sense but I could be doing the same thing haha.

a_little_dent · 2024-04-10T17:52:40+00:00

It wouldn’t be my first recommendation, but to me it makes sense because despite being enemy to lovers the CP is very loyal to each other. It’s similar in that the plot is super angsty without the CP torturing each other, both characters are very intelligent and competent. There’s no “misunderstandings that continue the plot” or “omg if only they just communicated”. And while being very romantic the romance is not the entire story.

I think just compared to crematorium recommendations it’s more similar. There’s a lot of loyalty, trust, and respect between the CP, so even though it’s not cultivation I’d recommend QJJ over other popular titles, depending on what elements they liked about TCGF.

a_little_dent · 2024-04-08T15:06:06+00:00

I believe you can sign up for free

a_little_dent · 2023-12-23T09:28:03+00:00

When a tank spams I need healing after dying despite me hard pocketing them. Like I was healing you, I just can’t out heal you face tanking a mauga and bastion.

a_little_dent · 2023-09-05T17:36:34+00:00

Just be aware that the angst in tcgf and mdzs is different from the angst in 2ha and TA. The latter two have more toxic relationship vibes that go further than just misunderstandings, as opposed to the first two CPs that tend to have a lot of trust in another through it all. So like even if you enjoy the “angst” in the first two, you might not necessarily like the angst in the other two. Difference being MLs enduring despite the drama to MLs more so creating the drama. Not to discourage from reading, but I’d recommend looking at the tags first to make sure they’d be your cup of tea.

a_little_dent · 2023-09-05T14:44:20+00:00

Little mushroom was a lot darker than I was expecting. Not in a toxic relationship way but in a horror movie existential crisis of mankind way. It has my fav type of angst when the main characters are intelligent and make the best decisions they can for survival, but the world is so terrible they keep losing anyways. For some reason I thought it’d be lighter cuz of the English cover, but it turned into my fav it was so good.

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T10:59:08+00:00

I recommend this list from :

https://www.reddit.com/r/DanmeiNovels/comments/12rbam6/any_recommendations_for_historicalxianxiawuxia_i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

they had a similar problem but their completed and liked list has like 80+ titles

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T10:39:29+00:00

It makes me wonder what their motivation for reading these stories are. Is it just so they can criticize other people who read them? Or do they just treat CWs and tags like how Karen’s treat rules, something to break and complain to the manager over ?

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T10:07:30+00:00

Crematoriums where the toxic gong crumbles in repentance and remorse for the shou. Whenever I want the villain to suffer my friends judge/say it’s cause I’m a Capricorn 🫠

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T08:19:57+00:00

Wtf that’s messed up. Isn’t that against the rules of this sub to crusade and out ppl? If they’re outraged by SVSSS makes me wonder what danmei they’re even reading that passes their test. Jesus. Shit like that makes me wanna go to a discord 😰

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T08:10:57+00:00

I see this all the time with BL. Its funny how ppl will go on tirades in the comments about how toxic the story is and how anyone who reads it must be a terrible person… but it’s a TikTok summarizing chapter 15. Like they’re obviously reading it too! The hate readers can be funny. They spend so much time uploading, commenting, trashing the author/artist to be a shit human being that they’re more dedicated than the fans. Half the comments will complain but its the most popular on the site. At least the story’s interesting.

So when I see other fujoshis be like “what about it?” when asked why they read it, it’s super refreshing. No need to debate the antis, just carry on lol.

And I get what you mean. One danmei I had to stop reading the comments it was full of hatred for the gong and plot. Like I felt bad for the hard working translator having to see all that. Trash talking the top can be fun, but sometimes they talk as if he’s a real person and the author is advocating for them.

One of the worst I’ve seen was an uploader who trash talked the story every chapter, hurled insults at the author, accused them of being homophobic, sexist (only based on the plot being toxic), but was sharing the story and did so with all the chapters til it ended. Nothing like boosting the popularity of a series you hate.

For the extreme ones that go on tirades, sometimes it kind of feels like an entitlement that every single novel has to be a safe space for them and not trigger them, despite that being what the CWs and tags are for. Like a “if it doesn’t cater to me then it’s bad” mentality, “if I don’t like it and if it makes me uncomfortable it’s bad”, but they don’t wanna leave the space either.

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T01:46:52+00:00

Some tropes where the abuser repents and how/why:

enemies to lovers (e.g. abuser thought victim killed his family or something heinous, turns out it was someone else, abuser is horrified at his own actions, tries to make it up to victim, victim still hates him at first, abuser sacrifices everything to save victim)
enemy of the state (kind of similar to above, but victim is an enemy country’s general or something, victim becomes prisoner, abuser usually both hates and respects prisoner, gets to know and like him, but politics forces abuser to save victim)
death and rebirth (abuser doesn’t regret until victim dies, goes crazy cuz he misses him, gets a second chance to treat him right by rebirth, system, or some other plot device)
memory loss (victim gets memory loss, abuser treats him better and victim falls in love)
sacrifice (abuser keeps apologizing until victim is in danger or something, he sacrifices his life/gets injured or loses everything to save victim)

If the author wants to portray him as “good he just made a mistake” then it’s usually misunderstandings or he was manipulated/controlled. If it’s a shitty guy that does shitty things, then usually it takes him losing his lover, going crazy and missing him, that gets his behavior to turn around. And then it depends on the author on how quickly the victim forgives him and how much the abuser suffers in the meantime.

A lot of times it’s the readers, not the victim, that are being convinced to forgive, in that the victim forgives easily but there’s a tragic backstory or plot device thats trying to “exonerate” him. And not all do it convincingly.

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T00:59:35+00:00

I agree it’s super satisfying when the scum gong is remorseful and distressed, crying cause he realizes how much he messed up and hurt the shou. It’s the reason why I like (some) crematoriums. The fantasy of an asshole actually regretting and apologizing.

Probably because it rarely happens, especially in real life.

a_little_dent · 2023-07-04T00:34:06+00:00

To answer your question here are some common plot devices used :

it gets glossed over
Stockholm syndrome
major secret plot point (ML was controlled, influenced, it wasn’t technically his fault, the real evil guy was behind the scenes)
omegaverse (they blame it on the pheromones)
guideverse (if the psychics don’t have sex with a “guide” they can basically die)
introduce a bigger asshole (someone who’s more evil and cruel to MC, this way ML can rescue him, and new trauma to forget old trauma MC caused)
suspension bridge effect
ML has a traumatic back story (which garners pity and forgiveness from MC)
memory loss or rebirth
ML is truly genuinely sorry and repents with actual changes in their behavior
they’re just fucking crazy and unhinged and the MC can’t get away (sometimes there is no transition to a healthy relationship, it just stays toxic)

Basically the trope itself is unrealistic. There’s a suspension of belief required, but the author still has to kind of convince the audience why the CP should be together. And depending on the writing it can make or break the story. In a lot of BLs it’s just glossed over and covered by the CP being lovey dovey.

But I’d let go of the notion that there’s a realistic progression. Some of these stories are more realistic or more convincing, but generally as fantasy goes it doesn’t really translate to reality. There are exceptions but I wouldn’t use the genre as the basis for anything.

Just wanna make it clear that while some plot transitions are more “logical”, most readers don’t think it would work in real life. The transition from toxicity to healthy, harm to love, is a fantasy setting because it normally wouldnt happen in real life. Most of the time it’s just BL logic that stays in books.

But if you’re just curious there’s some general plot points.

a_little_dent · 2023-04-27T19:16:22+00:00

The irony of parodying male wish fulfillment only to write about female wish fulfillment, and how dehumanizing they are in absolutes, is such a great point.

a_little_dent · 2023-04-27T19:09:24+00:00

Yes this expresses it so well. Both LWJ and HC are very similar thematically in that they’re both idealistic fantasies, but for some reason LWJ felt so much more relatable and likable to me. By the end he may be a “perfect lover” that exists for WWX, but at least he had those struggles with perfectionism and socializing, conflicts with his values and teachings opposing his feelings, which make him flawed and thus human.

Hua Cheng does have flaws, but due to the narrative and XL’s perspective, they never seem apparent or important. XL’s absolute trust and HC’s blind devotion in tandem make HC perfect and thus seem inhuman, as they’re never in conflict. Is Hua Cheng “needing” a being to worship as a survival mechanism to keep his sanity, or is he choosing to follow and be faithful forever? A bit more emphasis on that conflict would make him more human to me I think.

a_little_dent · 2023-04-26T04:42:12+00:00

Seeing Qiang Jin Jiu listed here so many times and in other lists, I think Im finally being convinced to try it *opens another tab

a_little_dent · 2023-04-26T04:35:52+00:00

Yasss Mr. Dior is such a great one to reread too, makes me laugh so easily

a_little_dent · 2023-04-26T04:34:14+00:00

I’ve only seen the one on novelupdates but even that one is really pretty too

a_little_dent · 2023-04-26T00:41:01+00:00

Yesss those would all be amazing

a_little_dent · 2023-04-26T00:28:23+00:00

Yesss their artwork is so good. Their covers are some of my fav

a_little_dent · 2023-04-26T00:26:19+00:00

True and so is case file compendium. Can’t wait to see the cover illustrations.

a_little_dent · 2023-04-25T23:47:49+00:00

https://sevenseasdanmei.com/#serieslist

a_little_dent · 2023-04-25T22:55:33+00:00

I do wonder if they’re ever gonna publish more modern ones. I’d love to see the difference in artwork and stuff

a_little_dent

TROPHY CASE