[Burakku Gaijin]

I was wondering are the curses really in the show or just added to sub's?

Cuz I hear baka a lot on Sentai but it's always translated for different words on the subs.

[Dr Kain]

Technically speaking, Japanese does not have actual swear words in it that are as bad as "Fuck" and "Shit." Baka can obviously be translated as "Fool", "Idiot," "Stupid," etc. Bakayarou can be translated as "Bastard" because that word is heavily frowned upon being used, and Kuso is usually "Damn," but that is about it as far as it goes. I do believe they have an equivalent for "Bitch," but those are more up to the translators own interpretations of the word.

However, whenever you see "Fuck" or "Shit" in the subs, it's because the translator wanted to be the cool kid. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but that is how it has been explained to me by a friend who lives in Japan.

[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burakku Gaijin

I was wondering are the curses really in the show or just added to sub's?

Cuz I hear baka a lot on Sentai but it's always translated for different words on the subs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Technically speaking, Japanese does not have actual swear words in it that are as bad as "Fuck" and "Shit." Baka can obviously be translated as "Fool", "Idiot," "Stupid," etc. Bakayarou can be translated as "Bastard" because that word is heavily frowned upon being used, and Kuso is usually "Damn," but that is about it as far as it goes. I do believe they have an equivalent for "Bitch," but those are more up to the translators own interpretations of the word.

However, whenever you see "Fuck" or "Shit" in the subs, it's because the translator wanted to be the cool kid. Correct me if I'm wrong though, but that is how it has been explained to me by a friend who lives in Japan.

^^^ What Kain said. (one note: "kuso" does literally mean "shit," though because of the lack of intensity of the word, translating it as "damn" or "crap" is probably more appropriate.)

The good thing is, this is pretty much only a problem with TV-Nihon's subs. Over-Time's subs are generally free of profane exaggerations.

EDIT: here are some good links for understanding more about Japanese swear words.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HenshinTrouble

That said, I am curious about whether I should go look for other sub groups. Overtime, maybe? Something else?

If you're interested in accuracy, TV-Nihon's subs are garbage. Sure, they're flashier, but their translations are often so flat-out wrong it's offensive. Oftentimes it gets so bad, their translations will mean the exact opposite of what's actually being said. I implore you to seek out other subs. Over-Time is usually your best bet for newer stuff, and for older stuff the first post on the "where to find your fansubs" entry lists all the options for each series.

[Dr Kain]

Yeah, I pretty much only watch Nihon's subs at this point if there are no alternatives.

[Suzu]

The problem is that TV-Nihon often lacks a basic understanding of certain aspects of the language. You can get where they come from, but they often don't know some more metaphorical terms and phrases. Mishearing is also a huge problem with their subs.
They sporadical left-in Japanese words with translator's notes also show that often times, they are not quite enough into the language to find a suitable translation. They're basically lacking on the meta level. And that sucks because the meta level is a key to understand the Japanese language.

[Zaragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suzu

The problem is that TV-Nihon often lacks a basic understanding of certain aspects of the language. You can get where they come from, but they often don't know some more metaphorical terms and phrases. Mishearing is also a huge problem with their subs.
They sporadical left-in Japanese words with translator's notes also show that often times, they are not quite enough into the language to find a suitable translation. They're basically lacking on the meta level. And that sucks because the meta level is a key to understand the Japanese language.

I was always the impression that the reason some words were left untranslated was that there was a lack of understanding or disdain for the English language on their part, not just their lack of Japanese skills.

[HenshinTrouble]

I'm going to post some examples for subtitle comparison on this thread.

[HenshinTrouble]

Is there a way to delete your own posts?

[HenshinTrouble]

If not, I'm sorry about this, folks.

[HenshinTrouble]

Anyway, just to go back to general Super Sentai discussions, I just watched the first three episodes of Timeranger. Seems pretty intriguing, and I can sort of tell that they're building up the characters slowly, unlike Dekaranger (halfway through episode 7) where broad strokes at the beginning do a quick job of introducing viewers to the members of the team.