Editing Talk:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1 (section)

===Page 17===

(1) "Louise stared at Saito's face as if it was troubling to her." -> "...it was troubling her."

(2) "Hey," -> "Hey."

(3) "It usually never happens, a thing like this, done by a noble." -> "It usually never happens; a thing like this carried out by a noble."

--[[User:Da~Mike|Da~Mike]] 14:08, 21 August 2006 (GMT)

お前らはただの変態コスプレ新興宗教野郎じゃないかよ。
* omae-ra wa tada no hentai cosplay shinkyou-shuukyou yarou janai ka yo.
* you(plural) only abnormal cosplaying new-religion freaks aren't?
* Aren't you just a bunch of abnormal cosplaying new-religion freaks?

Used "freaks" for "yarou" ... example sentences give it the meaning of anything from "guy" to any bad name you can think of. Some of those example sentences made me question the integrity of that database...

Still, that long string of name-calling was kinda fun to decipher, especially "hentai", which I, unfortunately, used the tamer interpretation for. So that's what I'm thinking of, for the new version of that sentence.

[[User:The naming game|The naming game]] 02:47, 23 August 2006 (PDT)


The original translation that was provided did connote the original meaning (literally) but I think your change is better, except for how you chose to interpret 変態 (hentai) I think. The individual kanji constitutes of (unusual, change, strange) + (condition, figure, appearance, attitude) and based on what little I know about the usage of the word and its implications, I would think that the word "abnormal" is perhaps too gentle a description.
I would instead suggest using harsher words such as: aberrant, twisted or even queer (this word has numerous colloquial definitions though).
However, by interpreting 野郎 (yarou) as freaks, you've effectively covered both words at once. The supposed definition of "yarou" that I've seen in several dictionaries is "rascal" yet the manner by which this word is used, it would probably be more appropriate to interpret it as an obscene or blasphemous word.

--[[User:Da~Mike|Da~Mike]] 12:48, 23 August 2006 (GMT)

(I already discussed this with Mike on MSN, so I may be repeating some points as far as he's concerned.)

I agree that the original translation is mostly correct, but it does omit one point of tone, which is:
:唯(P); 只(P) 【ただ】 (adj-pn,adv,conj) (1) sole; only; mere; usual; common; (2) free of charge; (P)
In context, the current:
:A noble? How stupid. Give me a break, a noble?
:You are a warped bunch, a cosplaying new religious group.
with the addition of just, and some retranslation:
:A noble? How stupid. What nobles?
:Aren't you just a bunch of twisted cosplaying new-religion freaks?

(Mike suggested the more extreme interpretation for "hentai")

That kind of wording makes the motivation for his disbelief a little bit more clear. That is, it's not that he doesn't believe nobles exist, that only warped people would suggest such. It's that he can't believe that THIS twisted group could possibly be nobles.

One more difference is just a wording subtlety "new religious group" -- in other words, a religious group that is new, but may follow an old religion. Or it could be (wrongly, to my mind, but I've seen it used that way) a group that follows a new religion.

The Japanese shows that it's the latter that is meant -- a group that follows a new religion. Thus the rephrase takes care of the ambiguity.

--[[User:The naming game|The naming game]] 19:36, 25 August 2006 (PDT)

*貴族？　アホか。何が貴族だ。お前らは...
*kizoku? aho ka. nani ga kizoku da. omae-ra wa ...
*Noble? Are you an idiot? What nobles are there? You (plural) ...

This is just a quick add to justify my change from "Give me a break, a noble?" to "What nobles?" -- also note that nouns in Japanese, by default, have no number. You have to explicitly add either singular or plural, or infer it from context. I chose plural for the second, as he immediately uses that sentence to contrast with a group.

--[[User:The naming game|The naming game]] 19:46, 25 August 2006 (PDT)