My Ramblings:

While I have no right to say who is better in which aspects. To me, the uttermost important factor of an encode is the translation. It takes a lot of life experience, knowledge in the language from both the source and the target, as well as a good amount of creativity when choosing the right words to use for each anime genre (and in many cases, for each scene).

It is an undeniable fact that while we may be confident in the knowledge we currently have, we all still have much to learn about people and life and are constantly learning. The experiences we go thru each day allows us to see, interpret, understand, and then apply what we have acquired (SIUA). In the discussion of encoding japanese anime, one's work greatly shows how much of what one knows about people and life. While two different translators may have the same goal of a translation in mind, the results vary greatly in how the meaning of the aforementioned translation is applied (Example of SIUA: "That of which is beautiful may not always be good, but that of which is good, is always beautiful." <--- Different experiences in life will affect the level of understanding and application from the above sentence; One can come up with shallow interpretations or one may form a totally different meaning, which strays from the context of the original. Right or Wrong, is then, a matter of opinion.)

Sometimes, it is very understandable to not be able to choose the best word/s when forming a sentence that involves a lot of meaning; I often end up seeking the company of a good thesaurus when I run into writer's block. I can not speak for everyone, though I can safely say that many fans does not expect the translators to have an unparalleled amount of knowledge in both the source language and the target translation. As long as the sentences are translated properly and get the meaning across, most of us are quite content. The editing, typesetting, and timing process is very important as well. But again, how well the aforementioned processes can be done has to do with the level of knowledge one has about people and life (yes, I do sound cheesy. thank you.) All it takes is a little consideration and the effort in finding the best words to use when you feel that you have the right meaning in mind, but are unable to express them into proper wordings right away. I am sure many of us had seen sophomoric levels of translations being done simply because the translator lacked the understanding to make it "better".

Creativity is a very good example of " a matter of preferences ", and this makes fansubbing very difficult to satisfy fans of all walks of life and cultures. Yea, sure, as a professional fansubbing group, they will be glad to listen to the opinions from their fans, and make changes here and there according to the fan's needs. While that is the case, the final say on how things end up are still up to the staff members to decide. So... just what is creativity anyway? The ability to make stuff up that attracts a good niche of fans? Tiny thoughtful additions such as translating background texts or having a reference translation for traditional japanese foods/riddles? It really boils down to what the involved members decided to do, whether it is based on additions from fan feedbacks, or fansubber's personal preferences, or even thoughtful touches of adding some style to a specific scene - We will just have to accept it or leave. But first ask yourselves...do I fully understand the differences in how each group fansubs? do I fully understand the differences in how each group fansubs, and actually appreciate it? The better you get at understanding, the better you get at analyzing. (I could be wrong as well, I don't deny that.)

End Rambling.


Summary:

For those that had used up their time in reading my ramblings, I apologize. What I had rambled about are a few of the issues I had noticed during my more than half a decade worth of following the fansub scene. They are solely my personal opinions and are in no way intended to offend any one individual directly/in-directly. In short, they can be summed up to these:
[*] Not everyone truly appreciates what fansub groups do for scene.
[*] One's SIUA level determines how well one's work are presented.
<A good example would be the comparison of subbing done in both the ANBU's and AONE's episode 95-96 release of Naruto: Timeframe between 22:50 and 23:35>
[*] Quality over Quantity. Some chooses one over the other, and some chooses a combination of the two.
In the end, you can not satisfy everyone.
[*] Fansub groups come and go, Fans come and go. One must appreciate the other no matter the differences or preferences. The assholes outnumber the kindhearted - That gives birth to the ironfisted my way or no way at all attitude while the truly kindhearted diminishes in the fansubbing scene. New groups will eventually take over if older groups dies. Those truly Good fans will remember Good fansub group members.
[*] One has to get all the facts straight and take the time to analyze the situation before mouthing off at any given topic just to show unproductive support. (yes, that includes me.)
[*] Not everyone truly appreciates what fansub groups do for scene.
[*] Respect your elders for they had done shits and lived thru shits you have yet to speak of. (I will end my ramblings here because it is becoming vulgar and out of topic)

P.S. I am 24 years old and I already sound like a grumpy old man.

P.P.S It is never too early to start eating more fiber. I shit you not.

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