These would be the best. There are Korean- Greeks, obviously, but I don’t think there are any on Viki. Especially since our grammar/ syntax are very different from both Korean and English, a direct translation would make a huge difference.
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Not just for translations.
They would be a great help at editing the translated subs, too. Just like english editors do.
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Are you including translation editors in this appreciation? Because a good translation editor makes it so much easier to do general English editing. It obviously depends on who did the original subbing, but sometimes things don’t translate as well, I need an explanation for an idiom or cultural reference, or I just have a question to make sure a change I’d like to make is going to stay faithful to the original sentence. A good translation editor is worth their weight in gold.
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Amen to that! Translation editors are the key for an editing team to run smoothly. I’ve been lucky to have encountered a couple of amazing ones. They are crucial to the overall editing process.
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For Imperial Doctress I found it hard because I did not have the analog experience. If I had perhaps subbed Heo Joon or Jewel in the Palace it would’ve been much easier because I would have the background experience. It’s not a must but… it’s much like having someone jump into calculus without a good foundation in graphs. It’s not mandatory, but very very useful.
I stopped because I realized bad subbing would be worse than no subs at all.
Although it is not mandatory to know the language, I think in my case knowing the sentence structure may be helpful so that the nuances are translated properly.
It’s hard to do from the English because… then the Korean becomes very rude. There is very specific court terminology used in both languages.
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Abso-viki-lutely!
It’s much, much easier to write a new sub accurately, than to correct a slightly incorrect/unnatural-sounding sub.
While I’m myself decent in English grammar, I would never in a million years consider being an English language editor just to correct someone’s grammar. A good editor needs to be well-acquainted with the culture of expression of both input and output language.
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Generally, an Editor position would be nice and I think easy to implement for editors not only of English but of other languages as well. Their role may not be source-important (as for English editors), but as for the end result in other languages, they are often the saving grace. Especially considering the fact that most translators are amateurs and sometimes overestimate their skills both in English and in their mothertongue/output language.
I’m speaking as an editor here. If often happens that it takes me more to edit than to translate the x*%&%#@ thing myself.
Having an official “designation” means other people could easily spot people who edit from their profile, whereas now they are listed as subbers or moderators and you don’t know who has done the editing, unless you go to the specific drama cover page, after changing the content into the desired language, otherwise you see only the English cover page which only lists the English editors.
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It is often difficulty to achieve this balance. One interesting footnote–sometimes the literal translation gives a fascinating and enlightening insight into the mindset and culture of native speakers from countries other than our own. As an editor, I am prone to leave some translations as they are–Aigoo–we just intuitively know the meaning and it can’t be said better.
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I have lots of fun in TD actually making notes and such. I do hope all moderators read them. It’s fascinating!!
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I actually almost never go into TD because thus far I only saw stuff there that appear to be for the English team. So, I gave up.
For every project I have my own file with names and songs and such, and that’s about it.
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It is only for the English team. (The Spanish team uses it too). But, exactly because of that, you learn many useful things there that can help with your own translation. I also ask any questions I have, when the English is not clear, and people are very helpful most of the time. So i think it’s good to lurk there.
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German Moderators work with their own google doc, and very often the Kakaotalk App, but I still tell my team to visit from time to time Team Notes, it can help when a name appears to be misspelled in a segment and a quick check in TN can help.
The other times for example Team of Legend Of Condor Heroes is using mostly the TDiscussion board (even with the google doc where they can read the rules and OST) for the progress since it’s not timely and they work on their own time… TD is very helpful for the progress and depending on CM who wants to know about progress in other languages as well.
Now in other cases I use TD when asking Kor/Eng subbers whether some people in drama have changed their formal/informal addressing as I can’t tell it well or when we encounter funny English sentences that don’t make sense, perhaps a word is wrong or missing. There is also communication going on about changes like from Unni to Unnie and that sort and the announcement when episodes are released (it’s faster than waiting for that email).
But the majority of communication is by the Eng and Spanish Teams.
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Anyone who knows me knows the TD is my main hangout. The Unni or Unnie topic is because there’s KRS and Mc-somebody spellings. I was taught to rely on the KRS spellings because it’s closer to the actual sounds. So I constantly have to look things up. But the TD is good for explaining why you went crazy in the edit box. Most times I use it to encourage the team and cheer them on. Also since I make more mistakes using PMs (No Edit Button), I use the TD for updating the team’s progress. I would encourage everyone to make friends with my favorite tool.
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I would absolutely volunteer to be an editor! I can’t translate any languages that would be any good here but I often see subtitles that I know could be better worded and my fingers itch to do it. Needless to say it does interrupt my viewing and distract me.
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I just added your info to the English Editors thread.
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Since this came up, I just added it to this thread from this one
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Sounds almost like bulk translation at work.
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Hmm… Actually I’m only a beginner in Korean. The sort of level when you know five ways to say “I love you” but wouldn’t know how to ask for directions on the street.
I do understand many basic sentences and expressions, a lot of verbs and all the different politeness forms and have acquired quite a large vocabulary, but I still couldn’t watch a drama without subs.
But… That’s what the T.E. is for, right? The T. E. may not know perfect English, but she ensures that the meaning is correct. Then, trusting that the meaning is correct, I come and fix the English, the consistency of flashbacks, job titles, spelling and other things, I put the cultural notes (learned a lot that way), turn the sentences around to make them sound human… and while doing this I have a dozen or more questions on how something doesn’t sound right and can’t be right according to the context, but I am not sure because I don’t know enough Korean: then cgwm808 comes and answers all my questions, also does editing of her own because she knows excellent Korean.
At first I had misgivings because I thought that all editors must know excellent Korean. But then I understood that sometimes knowing the source language can be a handicap instead of a help. There must be someone in the editing team who knows it, surely. It is essential! But it’s useful when there is one who doesn’t know it. Because the one who knows, understands the English output no matter how weird, because they translate back in their minds into the source language. Understands and sometimes may let pass something really awkward. You may have seen that sentence circulating on the Internet, where all words are wrong but only the starting and ending letter is correct, and yet you understand everything because the human brain fills in the gaps.
But a person with a virgin ear/eye can tell if a sentence sounds like… Martian, because the subber translated word by word keeping the Korean sentence order, Konglish meanings etc., resulting in monstrosities such as
A long, long time ago, a man called Legendary Go Nan Gil lived.
sub 1: Among these bamboo, mountain and water, portrait, birds and animals, or flowers and greenery
sub 2: you must draw two of them and submit it within the time limit.Sub 1: In order to sell the fabric,
Sub 2: if I have to study it with as much effort as Han Seok Yool has put into studying it …
Sub 3: I will just sell it together with Han Seok Yool.
(Uh?)
Koreans (and those who understand Korean well) don’t have a problem understanding this sort of sentence, but all the others would scratch their heads. Especially those from Other Languages who then have to translate this “English”.
So, little by little, I became convinced that what I considered my handicap could actually be of use. I hope I won’t lose that “virgin eye” when I will have become better in the Korean language. Anyway, it won’t be tomorrow, so let’s worry about that when it happens.
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Exactly my point!
A long, long time ago, a man called Legendary Go Nan Gil lived. --> A long, long time ago, there was a man called ‘Legendary Go Nan Gil’.
Among these bamboo, mountain and water, portrait, birds and animals, or flowers and greenery, you must draw two of them and submit it within the time limit.
—> You must draw two paintings, choosing among bamboo, mountain and water, portrait, birds and animals or flowers and greenery. Then submit them within the time limit.
In order to sell the fabric, if I have to study it with as much effort as Han Seok Yool has put into studying it, I will just sell it together with Han Seok Yool. --> If, in order to sell fabric, I have to study as hard as Han Seok did, then I prefer to just sell it together with Han Seok Yool.
If you want to keep the verb at the end, you have to add another one at the beginning, to give structure to the first sentence. For instance:
“You said you wanted to go to eat. Let’s do it”.
(depending on context, of course it could be “you wanted” or “you suggested” or “we said we were going to eat” or whatever is more suitable)
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I would be great for that position. I catch errors in what I am watching all the time I have asked a few times in help if I could forward someone the info on spelling errors or wording but never really got a answer other than join the boards and Ninja Academy to help out as a segmenter since I only know one language.
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