Tag Archives: Translation

Free Translations

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Ever since I’ve been in this class, it seems like these things keep finding me. My friend (who did not yet know I was taking this class) sent me a link to show me “a bubbling pot of stupidity.” Degree of intelligence aside, the page regarded IP and copyright. The article writer talks about a game translation that was being done by a group, and how they asked to not have their work taken and used for an illegal patch of the game. The writer then states to ignore that due to being hypocritical. “You cannot disrespect someone else’s intellectual property and then turn around and stamp your feet at others who disrespect yours.”

This statement incited an argument between the writer and and readers who felt insulted by the statement. Due to the nature of people on the internet, the argument quickly decayed to insults and name calling, but the point still stands: should the free translation made by a group of their own free will be protected from stealing through respect, or does the lack of actual copyright make it free game to take and modify?

For those interested, and to get a better idea of the debatess that occurred, the page is here, with the long list of comments/arguments at the bottom.

Licensing and Translation

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Now, I am someone who is a big fan of things like anime and manga, and naturally the issue regarding them is finding a translation that I can understand. Nowadays, many companies exist solely to translate and distribute the media. However, for a large consumer such as myself, I would say they do not license and bring over enough. This essentially forces me to rely on fan translations, which at essence, is pirating: taking a book, translating it, and distributing it for free around the internet. At heart, pirating robs the possible income for a company and creator. However, also DUE to it, a wider audience is reached, thereby creating a GREATER possible income.

Despite being a clear violation of IP rights, online distributors are more or less left alone to their own devices while consumers blissfully increase their digital collection. This leaves me to wonder if pirating, while still giving credit (but not profit) to the authors, can actually serve as a functional, international advertisement method.