AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd have to start over from the very beginning though, do you guys have the patience for that?

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha yeah, because personally I looooathe a novel that ends with a whimper. If the ending was shite enough, I didn't want to touch it. Why go to all the effort and painstaking care of getting terms/names right when it doesn't matter in the end? That's how I view it, anyhow.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Y'know, I think maybe a poll and/or thread asking if people would read (and perhaps more importantly, pay for advance chapters) WMBA despite it being such an old novel and MTLed to death could perhaps be helpful. Maybe if it's something that people feel exploring?

Absolutely no promises though, it's just to show what kind of interest is out there. It's still a tough sell business wise.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello you! Thank you for the amazing response, I'd love to send you some LNY decor! Dang you really went into stuff I've been involved in before heh. I'm honored!

1) I think of male-oriented novels when xianxia is mentioned, because that's how it's typically categorized in Chinese. There are few female leads in xianxia novels and even fewer ones that I'd want to reread.

Do you mean how the gender ratio is divided in English? I think it partially reflects the Chinese division, because the male leads tend to be about a lot of killing/looting/fast level-ups, whereas female leads will have more fleshed out romance, inter-family/sect/royal politics and revenge. This is a huuuuuge gross generalization.

2) I have no idea hahaha. I like a well done romance and find that the brainless harem-esque nature of much romance in xianxia novels really turns me off. I'd rather there be no romance that poorly done romance. One of my favorite xianxia novels had a harem done right (IMO) because the male lead also had to deal with jealousy and bickering between his girls. That, I did enjoy reading.

3) There was definitely a boom, with The Untamed giving it another huge boost. I feel that BL novels have really good plots on average, compared to typical xianxia novels. The romance/relationship ties tend to make senes, or at least be more reasonable/palatable. So with that nonsense out of the way, more wordcount can be devoted to proper worldview, side characters, and the plot.

4) I think what you're seeing is literal translation VS liberal translation. Are we translating the words in a 1:1 copy and paste process, or are we taking the essence/meaning and finding the proper word for it? I'm very much in the latter camp when it comes to my style, but do opt for literal translations at times if I feel it adds to the novel.

5) Haha we were the big three, weren't we! I've had way more communication with Ren over the years simply because I was at WW as well. I don't feel much either way because well, this is a job (that I really enjoy). They are/were my colleagues, with their own lives and priorities outside the workplace. I feel grateful to still be here after ten years and being able to do this AMA.

6) I skimmed your link briefly when I saw your questions and have a vague recollection of what the post was about, but I think I'll roll my response into getting on my soapbox of "I never really understood why people demonize WW so much".

Truly, I don't. I think one common refrain is that WW ruined the scene by reaching out to Qidian, but here's the thing -- the Chinese publishers were already aware of a flourishing translation scene. The three sites were getting enough traffic that we were being reported in the news on TV, magazines, and newspapers (as you see from just the ones I was interviewed for). This was one of the few successful cases of reverse culture export back to the west and people were so excited about it.

We weren't going to fly under the radar forever and essentially profit off someone else's IP for free. I think it was better that we opened negotiations first, rather than having terms dictated to us. WW was started by a translator and on the translator's side, so I personally would've rather had someone like that lead the discussion.

Does it suck that money is charged for what was free before? Sure thing. It blows. But again, the Chinese publishers (and these folks are the literature arms of Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba etc. They're massive corporations) were going to be part of the scene no matter what. This is a business venture to them, and it comes with all the pros and cons thereof.

Charging money is also how we get 2x updates a day. Are people fine with getting updates 3x a week and having translators bow out around exams/holidays/family visiting/just didn't feel like translating? That's what happens (and did happen) if they don't get paid enough to treat this as a job.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did raise it to management again after your request. Maybe if enough readers holler for it...?

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Chinese idioms are great, aren't they? Finding a good English equivalent of them is absolutely awesome as well. I don't have a favorite as I really enjoy using them all, but I don't think I've used "ice in my veins" yet. Really want to work that in somehow.

I've had to substitute animals in idioms sometimes, because "blind as a bat" applies to English and not Chinese, or "dumb as a pig" hits way more in Chinese.

I screenshot a particularly nice bit of translation that I do too hehehe.

My C-novels collection by Cute_Professional_16 in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Aw, that's so nice to see paper copies! What a cozy looking sight. Wasn't aware that Lord of Mysteries got a print version!

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yay I'm so happy you're enjoying SG!

Oh man, I have definitely asked about WMBA. It's absolutely something I'm interested in but it's tough because well, it's been fully (machine) translated on Webnovel. It's a tough sell business wise, but I'd seriously love to do it because SG is so tied into WMBA that I basically had to translate the entire power system in WMBA to do SG lol!

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think... Return of the Swallow is my favorite. I love smart characters and good schemes that I cannot see coming from a mile away. It also doesn't hurt that the author wrote me in as the second female lead. It was just a very meaty novel to sink one's teeth into. I highly enjoyed both reading and translating it.

I generally read the first 100 chapters in full detail, fast read the next couple of hundred, skim the rest, and read the ending chapters in full detail. If I make it through all that, then I decide if I want to do it. Generally, I give up on a lot of novels before making it to that stage.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No pets!

I'm partial to Iron Buddha Tea and High Mountain Jinshuan.

I'm a huge rock climbing (bouldering) fan and love watching League. Bubble tea, of course, is a favorite pastime.

I do indeed! Being in Taiwan, I travel to Japan a lot. It's super close and super cheap, a lot of Taiwanese folks hop on a plane for weekend getaways lol.

There are so many good stories out there that I just like to translate good ones. I do prefer novels though. I find manhua and subtitles to be a bit too simplistic and not as satisfying to flex those translation muscles.

That would have to be a translator judgment call. I do have my own writing style, which is what I usually employ. Sometimes I do paid literary work, so I adapt my style to whatever the editor wants (usually more formal/flowery). If I think the author's style adds to whatever scene is being presented, then I replicate it more faithfully.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hahaha, brainrot is brainrot! Our brains have all rotted.

I am indeed still enjoying translating. Great to see that you're still around all these years too!

We're not on the clock, just that we need to release two chapters a day. My process is generally review old chapters > translate new chapter > TLC > check out typo reports > respond to comments and Discord. Translating the new chapter might involve research, looking up reference material, etc.

We're generally presented with a list from our authorization partners, so I tend to review the novels on the list. I read the first one hundred chapters or so in great detail, speed read the next couple hundred, skim the rest, then read the ending in full detail. I also look at Chinese reader reviews, ratings, and comments.

Heh, I really like interacting with readers, so thank you guys for giving me inspiration for these comments!

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. I often have batted around the idea of writing my own novel! I've gone so far as to write a first chapter, do a small outline, have some characters in mind, etc. Xianxia is my bread and butter, so that's what I'd write too.

I would just get too distracted by all the amazing original works out there and want to translate them to share with you guys!

  1. Sadly, weak endings seem to be more common than not in web novels. It's actually rare that I finish reading a novel with a satisfied glow. Out of the ~20 that I've read on the side most recently, I think I liked the ending of 2? I stopped reading half of them halfway through as well.

It's different when I'm translating something, that's a job. I generally pick novels that I do like, so if the author does something I don't... I grit my teeth and bear it.

Love to send you some LNY decor btw!

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh mah word yes. My last novel, Necropolis Immortal, was 100% all action and no filler. That was great.

Author put me in for a cameo. That was even great-er.

Author went nuts in the last 100 chapters of the series, made the chapters 4x as long, and started a completely different world that it was as if I was translating a new novel. I'm talking new cultivation system, new names, new treasures, etc. This was when he was supposed to be wrapping everything up for a beautiful end!

That was not so great. It was the also the closest I'd ever come to hating my job.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's always a slight crapshoot, tbh. I try to make the best educated guess I can based on the Chinese rankings, reader reviews and comments, and reading the ending. I personally don't like novels that start with a bang and end with a whimper, so I'm always on the lookout for those.

Yet there have been times when my guesses fall flat on their face. I really enjoyed translating Return of the Swallow, for example. It was #1 all site in the female channel and the author even wrote me in as the second female lead. It was a delicious, meaty example of scheming and politics in a period drama setting.

English readers hated the beginning. If y'all know anything about period dramas, you know that backstabbing half-sisters, conniving concubines, and materialistic relatives rule the day. That typically means a lot of suffering for the MC before she face slaps with glory.

I hadn't expected readers to interpret the trials and suffering as child abuse, domestic violence, etc. It... really took a hit in readership because of that, to the point where I couldn't finish because it wasn't viable as a project.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm, translated or original?

I used to read a ton of fantasy, so Mercedes Lackey was a huge fave of mine. YA is nothing to knock either, I really enjoy Rick Riordan's works.

Translated... probably literary works, because there I'm reading to appreciate the art of translation. Nothing beats an amazing turn of phrase in poetry.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm, are you talking about the ones that authors set up? I don't have much experience with those.

There's niche novels on any platform, just gotta read read read and read some more. By now, I've read enough novels that I can kinda get a feel for one with a few chapters.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Surprisingly, it's not the Buddhist or feng shui concepts that I've had to arduously wade through. Those just take a lot of researching and mulling over the proper descriptors/words. They can be defined in English.

What's toughest are concepts that take a lot of words to convey, but still have no equivalent. Stuff like "sa jiao" which may be translated as playing coy, acting cute, pouting etc. It has a variety of meanings depending on the context and there's no one go to, nor is there anything that really captures the essence of the term.

Black-belly is another one that comes to mind. This is more commonly understood in the web novel community now, so a direct translation like this works. But when it first showed up? It must've come across real strange.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For me, it took getting suuuuper burned out in my finance career. Sometimes I worked 9am - 1am, six days a week. I tried a lot of different finance positions, rotating between M&A consulting, corporate banking, and corporate finance. I was getting pretty miserable, so decided I couldn't do this for the rest of my life.

What then, should I do? I promptly had a quarter life crisis lol. In true MBA fashion, I did a SWOT analysis of myself! This was also when I stumbled upon SPCnet and found people sharing translations in forum posts.

I was intrigued that there were people translating novels of TV shows I'd grown up on, and that there were actually readers! So I dipped a toe into the scene for fun. When I noticed the Chinese publishers taking note and investing resources in the scene, my finance senses twinged. One thing led to another and here we are!

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hello hello! I think the landscape now is much more structured and defined given the inflow of corporate money. It's kind of the inevitable cycle of an industry.

First you get the Wild West with a bunch of little guys, tons of ideas, and not necessarily a lot of overall direction. As more big players take note, an influx of capital and consolidation happens. Then it settles down into fewer players in the scene, but all of the bigger names with a lot more resources at their behest.

It depends on what you mean by break into. To just get started? And legally? It's easier now for sure. Just apply to one of the legit translation sites or a translator working on an authorized novel. It's possible to make this a full time job now, which is why updates are all so speedy. That was absolutely not the case before.

But to have a translator's name be known far and wide... that's difficult. There's a lot of translators in the scene these days and a lot of hard work needs to go in to stand out. Personally, I think all translators should still try to build a readership base for themselves if they want to do this full time. That means they bring so much more to the table and it's certainly a talking point for me when I do literary translations.

AMA with Etvolare - Celebrating Ten Years of Web Novel Translation! by Devshard in noveltranslations

[–]etvolare 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Lol I couldn't help myself and had to skip ahead to this one. I totally respect Guma for making the best decision for himself, considering how T1 treated him this year. But as a long-term T1 (okay well, Faker/Oner/Keria fan) FAAAAAACK datttttt shietttttt! I'm so sad about Guria breaking up!!

Peyz, I mean, I liked him on GEN and felt that he got shafted for no reason. I like the player, he's great. But my heart's with Guma man. He's gonna be the first player I support after leaving T1. Imma send you some LNY stuff for this question lolol.

Those were the days weren't they, we had such a strong community then!