Reader Poll - Romanji vs katakana · 12:07pm Dec 23rd, 2015
EDIT: Nevermind. I have been informed that if a reader is not using a unicode complaint platform that using Japanese symbols means they will not be able to see them. This means that people using their phones or ereaders likely wont see Japanese text. Thus, I will be using romanji. I apologize for any translation headaches.
So everyone, you know that thing I do where i write snatches of dialogue in other languages besides English to help you remember a character is foreign? Well, minor spoiler, next chapter you will meet a Neighponese pony. Now, if you're a bit of a geography/history nut you'll realize that's a pun on Nippon (the Japanese name for Japan. No idea why we dont call it that... Same with Germany, they call it Doitchlund not Germany.). Thus, obviously, Neighponese speak Japanese.
I can do this one of two ways while using Japanese dialogue. I can write using katakana, which are the symbols Japanese use for writing. You know, these "こんにちは！これは日本語です。" If I do, it means google translate will be able to translate anything I write. However since there is probably like, ONE of you who reads Japanese reading this, no one will know remotely how that's pronounced.
I can also use romanji, which is a form of Japanese that uses English characters, and is what you see anime subtitles written in. You know, this stuff "Kon'nichiwa! Kore wa nihongodesu." The problem is that while Google Translate will ALWAYS give you the romanji for a string of Japanese, it wont always translate romanji into English. It will sometimes, like when it's in the full mode (aka https://translate.google.com and not the search results page version.) but in browser translator apps may have trouble with romanji. The one I use doesn't.
While my poor Editor will have more say than most in which one I use, I also want your preferences so I can pick the most enjoyable option for my readers.
Oh and that bit of Japanese is "Hello! This is Japanese."
I would prefer the romanji. Keep in mind though that I don't run a browser translate app.
3638028 I know most people don't run one (for some inexplicable reason... It's not like it consumes any noticeable amount of resources). I however assume that aside from a few people most are not translating at all, hence why I only use a word or three 90% of the time. Here though, the question is "Do I use only English characters for uniformity of reading, or do I go with katakana for ease of understanding?"
Well at least with romanji I can put those hours of watching subtitled anime to good use.
Sadly, the only thing I can say in Japanese is "Sumimasen, eigo ga wakarimasu ka?"
3638057 Mochiron, watashi wa yaru. Kore wa, bijinesu no kokusai-tekina gengodesu.
3638141 GT will work if you go to the full page. It's just the app version on the search results page that dosent work properly for this. Since plugin usually use the app version, they also wont always translate romanji. Also, if it's important for the audience to know what is being said, I switch to English only. I only use otehr languages to add character to individuals, and because only one character in this story has a universal translator. Settings with only one language are total BS.
3638277 Ah. I'll do a translation guide later. Or you could just copy pasta them into GT, because I make sure it translates back and forth properly before using anything.
3638323 I find that detracts from the narrative flow, and also ruins the point of using any other language in the first place, which is to help readers have a better sense of the character.
3638359 No, you can ask the author. And she will happily provide you with the correct translation.
3638463 I always make time to reply to comments here.
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3638500 This is not a response.
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