I guess as a person who added recent updates on this series on it's page I must answer on this one.fantwell wrote:Hi all,
I think this is the right place top post this, as I can't ask directly on the translation project wiki page since apparently my IP is a proxy (??). Anyway, what in the world is the status of this series?
I've been following this project for.... I don't even know how long but at least since 2011 when all that was available were the first few chapters of Hitagi Crab. It's obviously one of the most popular franchises out there right now (look at all the seasons of anime it's gotten), and has been for a while, and yet there seems to be essentially 0 progress or motivation by anyone to actually translate these novels? Am I missing something here?
I read Neko white and black over 2 years ago and today I come back to BT to check in and they still seem to be the most recent fully translated novels? Should I just give up hope that the remaining 10 books will ever be translated? What's the point of having such an elaborate project page if no one is actually updating anything substantial? Why are like 3 or 4 chapters out of 40 translated for every book instead of consistent progress with no gaps?
Sorry if I come off as an accusatory free-loader, but it's seriously baffling to me. It doesn't make sense that such a popular, amazing series with such great material is languishing untranslated with hardly anything but a bunch of chapter numbers in a bullet list to show for the last several years. I really just want to know if I missing something.
Thanks if you know anything.
> what in the world is the status of this series?
It's being translated. Aaaand it's not. You see - there are such things as loss of interest to the series, not much of self-confidence, laziness and lack of knowlege. These things are usually the main reasons why translations of this series are dropped. They are time-consuming, sometimes hard to translate because of Nisio's puns which understandable ONLY for Japanese readers and it's hard to translate it to english. And when translators faced with this sort of problems - they tend to prefer something less difficult, like fan-service VN about Mahou Shoujo (yeah, I'm taking a dig at Ougi Formula translator) or just read books and lose interest in translation (some of my acquaintances). And it's common not only for Monogatari Series - but for other Nisio Isin's books as well, like Zaregoto (and it's prequels), Himeiden, Risuka and Katanagatari (and also it's audio-novel prequel).
Ah, and sometimes there is this "It's will be animated/was animated, so there is no point in translation after all".
So, for now only one book is still being translated - Koyomimonogatari. It's not my translation, I'm just uploading it on this site, because it's the most famous among people who seek translations of Japanese LNs, with permission of the author of this translation, of course. Everything else - is dropped.
>I don't even know how long but at least since 2011 when all that was available were the first few chapters of Hitagi Crab.
And I was looking for this series since then.
Every day I look for any new translation of Nisio's works. Sometimes it's a big luck like it was with Otorimonogatari (Yeah, I will upload the rest of the book soon) but as a rule - there is nothing. And occasionaly I stumble upon some half-translated chapters (like Owarimonogatari 3) or even short stories (Princess beauty) and upload it here on this site (which is difficult, because in my country it's in a black list because of some of the covers of the LN's, so it's hard to get here).
>that such a popular, amazing series with such great material is languishing untranslated with hardly anything but a bunch of chapter numbers in a bullet list to show for the last several years.
A number people were trying to translate it, as far as I know - during their study of Japanese. Monogatari Series is very good when you want to study language with it. Difficult, but good.
You should not give up hope. One day they will be translated. Once there will be a big, faithful translator who will translate them, like Oregairu Series has, with Kyakka - we will be able to read them. But it's now even more difficult - with this series being officially translated, starting with Kizumonogatari. Some people just say 'Nah, they will delete all of my work" and turn around, and go to translate some more fan-service novels and games. Or some will be smart and translate the last books of the series and short stories which will never be officially translated because of lazy and lacking Aniplex US releases.
I hope I explained everything. And sorry for my horrible english.