Translating names from Chinese... (Mushi to Medama)

[cakemanofdoom]

Worst part of translating from Chinese T.T, especially since I don't have the Japanese originals...

So... is someone capable of helping? The only thing I can think of is running the Chinese through online kanji romanization sites, but not every character gets a transliteration.
I put my current guesses next to the Chinese, but due to amount of stuff I made up (and the general unreliability of online stuff, and the fact that I used translated names...), I'm at least 99% sure they're all wrong.

杀菌消毒 - Sakinoko Shoudoku.
手长鬼 - Tenagaiki
阿藉 - Aseki

For the record, these were in the prologue of volume 2 of Mushi to Medama.

[larethian]

no, even we need the raws and read from the furigana, since kanji can have multiple readings. we can make educated guesses however, but it's best to check the originals. and I'll let others do the honors.

[kimoota]

殺菌消毒 - Sakkin Shoudoku
手長鬼 - Tenaga Oni

[cakemanofdoom]

If you're gonna help, can you please give some of your reasoning and/or how sure you are? I can't tell if you really know what you're doing or if you're just trying to make educated guesses like me...

[kuroi_shinigami]

Which page is that from? Since you're using the simplified Chinese han-zi, I have no idea which one you refer to. The first one doesn't seem to be a person name though since it's used as the title of the 2nd book, so most likely the reading 殺菌消毒 - Sakkin Shoudoku is right since it's a word with meaning instead of just a name(both Sakkin and Shoudoku means sterilization, it's some kind of pattern of speech where you use 2 synonymous word to make a new word with the same meaning. I'm sure English also has some, but I can't think of one now. On a technical level, the two word has a little difference in meaning but I'm not sure if the light novel delve that deep in the word meaning.)

2nd one seems to be a criminal nickname(correct me if I'm wrong, I just get this from flash reading the Japanese wiki), so again 手長鬼 - Tenaga Oni seems to be a correct reading(Tenaga means kleptomaniac, so literla meaning will be kleptomaniac demon).

3rd one I absolutely have no idea. That's why I'm asking which page it originated from, and if possible which paragraph/sentence it first come out in the volume.

[cakemanofdoom]

Okay, I think you're right on the first one, that's basically what it means. Both the first and second ones talk about the meanings of their names. Speaking of which, the name of the second one means long-armed ghost. 手长鬼 made that pretty clear when talking about her own name and the fact that she has long arms that she uses to grab people from a distance. So Tenaga Oni doesn't seem right...

Exact text:

Spoiler! :

对啊——因为是手很长的鬼，所以叫做手长鬼!
怎么样?手长鬼的手臂很长、很长吧?

The last one seems to be 手长鬼's boss or something. 手长鬼 talked about getting in trouble with that person if she didn't do her job properly. It seems like a nickname to me.

Exact text:

Spoiler! :

不可以逃哟。要是让你逃走的话，我会被阿藉处罚
我本来还很期待不知道你有多强的说，真无聊，阿藉是大骗子，一点也不好玩嘛!
And used a few times later

But I still don't know how to translate that one. Considering 阿掘 was Guriko, I doubt whatever I have is right. Still, I might have to go with that temporarily, since I have no idea how to translate it.

[kuroi_shinigami]

Uh, I don't know Chinese so I will need the page number, besides, it seems I'm unable to find a raw of the novel, so I will only use the japanese wiki as sources for now.

Tenaga(手長) could also means long armed, Tenaga Oni could also means "Long armed Demon" so I don't think it's completely wrong.

[larethian]

sorry for being out of touch, what novel is this? and can you give the volume, chapter, page of the text as well?

[kuroi_shinigami]

It's from mushi to medama vol 2 prologue, or so the TC said. I don't have the original book so I can't check the spelling XD

[cakemanofdoom]

Tenaga Oni and Sakkin Shoudoku seem to be right, so that leaves that last one. Thanks for the help on that. Didn't think of looking at Japanese Wikipedia for names...

From what I can tell, this is a free preview of the Japanese book given by the publishers. I found it after a bit of hunting by myself. Anyways, the name in question seems to be on page 10, somewhere in the line directly to the left of the gap in the middle. Can someone who knows Japanese take a look at it?

http://www.mediafactory.co.jp/cgi-bin/t ... 4840114706

[kuroi_shinigami]

it's Katsumi(克美) Or Zeki-kun(ゼキーくん). Not sure which one you mean, but that's the 2 name that appear on the first line after the gap.

[cakemanofdoom]

Ah ok, I was wondering about Zeki. Thanks!

[cakemanofdoom]

I'll add this here since I don't wanna make a new thread and it's sort of related.

A character refers to herself as 身为黑龙的我. All I can tell is that it's supposed to sound fancy, and it probably has something to do with her name, 黑木龙惠. Any tips on translation?

And not really related, but I might as well put it here: what exactly is 义弟/义妹? I can't seem to find it.

[kimoota]

And not really related, but I might as well put it here: what exactly is 义弟/义妹? I can't seem to find it.

Assuming that it's the same as in Japanese, it's stepbrother/stepsister, or brother/sister-in-law, or someone else that you aren't related to but treat as your brother/sister for whatever reason. Or the kanji that "imouto" is written with in eroge. (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

[larethian]

kimoota is entirely right. though in Chinese culture, it extends to sworn brothers (not sure about Japanese since I don't read old Japanese literature & history in Japanese like Nobunaga and stuff)

in Japanese we call it 義理のxxx --> xxx-in-law; foster xxx; or step-xxx. you would have to infer from the story which is it.

ok need to take off now. peace.