Hey so

wrong page to post on buddy, but i will say what i think

noo, its not romanticzed or whatever, those words (noona, hyung, oppa, unnie or dongsaeng [this last one is not that used but well] ) have their own meanings in the korean language, and when translated to english or any other language it would lose its meaning and context it was mean to put on

for example, hyung is used when younger males talk to older males, but the translation would be brother, and it wont make sense because im only referring to an older guy with an honorific, and not calling him my brother

same thing with unnie, im not calling her my older sister, its just a way that a younger female would call a older female

and then it goes with oppa and noona too, same thing old

i think the only thing that could be translated about these terms would be sunbae and hoobae, its literally veteran and freshman, but then it loses its meaning when used on workplaces

and yes, its confusing, but its not hard to learn at all, its pretty easy tbh

I think that not translating terms that have direct equivalents in english is a bit annoying but I'm fine with keeping japanese and korean honorifics because those don't really have a equivalent translation in english. Like you used the example of onii san being changed to big brother, but imo that's really clunky as a translation since most english speaking people will use their siblings name instead of an honorific. You have to take into account the cultural background of the work you're reading with stuff like this.
I also don't think that translators are trying to be cute or anything when keeping honorifics, most of the time when I've seen translators use honorifics like san or sensei, it's more them trying to be respectful towards the language and it's many rules rather than finding it quirky or whatever. It's the reason why so many translators will add 3 page TL notes, because they want to stay true to the source material.
I get why some people might find it cringy though, a lot of peoplr use the terms ironically so it becomes hard to see when people are being mocking or just translating it normally.

It doesn't really bother me because in my country we do the same. Like I cant be on first name basis with people right away unless we're the same age because theres this unspoken hierarchy rule and you have to refer to older or more experienced people a certain way

I like that they keep the "hyung" because it shows their dynamics and it might imply that they use formal speech. It just kinda adds context to their relationship? English and western culture is just really different. English doesnt have direct translations for "hyung" and other honorifics so it might not be very relatable

I actually feel the opposite because when I see translations that really put "brother" instead of the "hyung", it feels so forced and out of place when you think of how "brother" in place of "hyung" doesn't really retain the tone of cultural and social deference basing on age in this case.

That's exactly my point though
Since in English there's not exactly a direct translation then you'd call them by their name. As would dramas/animes do in dub
Also you only mentioned the Korean terms, I also mentioned the Japanese honorifics


And learning them has nothing to do with this here

You prefer the English translation?
"Hyung I love you" = "brother I love you"
"Ahjussi i love you" = "uncle i love you"
I mean I know people here are into incest but

What do you mean by clunky?
Also exactly that. Why not just use the character's name? The entire manga is translated into English and the only time you want to actually use Japanese words is to use the terms that are romanticized. Idk but ig im starting to find that weird
It's different when you actually stick to the honorfics throughout the entire manga. Because obviously then it's clear you are trying to stick to the cultural background. But like I said....entire manga is translated go English and just because some people find "baka" cute they'll say "baka" instead of "idiot. Like at that point just use the actual Japanese instead of the romaji

I don't even see that many TL notes. The only time I see TL notes nowadays are when they're being annoying with little details. Sharing their thoughts and screaming in lowercase.

I don't remember the group name but there was one that actually had informative notes with their TL at the ends. Which is ones I'd actually read. And it makes sense anyway because they're not at all what I described. They stuck to the honorifics/terms throughout and not used it for only certain scenes just because they thought it seemed "cute"
Probably the only TL I actually read because I liked learning about the background stuff


And respect seems like such a forced justification? If that makes sense..

Sensei would usually translate to teacher. There's nothing wrong with saying teacher. Because at least we're I'm from, we don't go around calling teachers by their first names in the first place. And just like with Japan it's usually sensei followed with a surname or just sensei. Which would translate to "Teacher" which is what younger kids say when calling on a teacher or "Teacher [Surname]. Only time this changes is as they get older and saying "Mister/Miss" [surname] seems more mature.

Adding "baka" rather than "idiot" doesn't seem respectful to the culture if it already translates to stupid/idiot/[insert insult here]
Idk if mocking is the right term but at the same time, it fits. Something along the lines of "weeaboos" just being too obsessive

Someone already pointed this out but that's also ignoring the whole context thing.

Words like "Hyung" are words that indicate a certain degree of intimacy. Not any pair of men with an age gap go on calling the other hyung, there's gotta be some closeness. Same with honorifics like "-chan", "-kun", and even "-san" or "-sama", because they provide with a lot of insight about the chracters' relationships.

On the contrary i find it a little upsetting when I'm reading something and those words have been completely lost due to the translation. Words like "brother" or "mister" are too vague an non-indicative of the actual context that is inherent to its place of creation. If it bothers you it isn't particularly wrong but it's also a little ridiculous because it's a different language and culture you're reading from (taking into account the creator's original intentions and culture), so being a little bit open to adapt to their environment and way of living shouldn't be too much.

That's how I feel with what I said lol

Ew don't project your shit kinks here.

This was a genuine topic discussion. If you have nothing good to add just ignore it.

Fair enough with the first bit but the end you completely ignore the rest of my comment.
It's the same for other languages.
The entire manga is translated in English for English viewing.
But because you think "puta" sounds cute or "nein" you'll use those instead of just saying "bitch" or "no". It's not just limited to Korea/Japan.
I think it's more ridiculous people find doing stuff like that cute
Doing it for cultural appreciation is completely different and easily recognizable rather than doing it for the "cutesy"

Also mb the question/answer thing confuses me so bad I struggle working it.
And I see anybody be posting stuff here so I thought I'd inquire here

I'm talking specifically about honorifics & things such as that. The fact that you're assuming people do it for that reason is a little rude, by the way.
It's a phenomenom that happens in everyday life, anyways? I'm from a spanish speaking country, and yet people use english words on a daily basis like it's nothing—because it's nothing. It's a natural thing. Haven't you heard people from the States talking? They do too, mixing words from different languages into their speech. The fact that you show such strong rejection towards that doesn't mean that it's not normal and that it doesn't happen.
You're free to dislike it. You shouldn't judge the translators' on their choices based on what you feel, though.

It's not rude at all. It's weird and should be confronted more. Because their intentions are clear. Actions speak louder than words

And do you see how you strayed off from the point? I specifically stated the use of it in manga and not the general terms. Meaning people using it in an actual speech from your country≠the same thing I'm talking about.
That was one of the very first sentences stated. Because people will do this specifically in mangas but not take the same energy outside of the mangas because of their weird mentality. If you're too sheltered to notice that then welcome to reality. This happens a lot and is called out a lot. But apparently mangago users normalis it

Atp I believe it's you who's so close-minded that you refuse to understand what anyone else is trying to say. I won't entertain you any more because it's like talking to a wall but you're really weird. I don't see how any of this affects you negatively in any way and yet you're out here calling out people for their translations.
If it bothers you so much you might as well go on and learn japanese/korean/chinese/etc so you don't have to rely on translations that you might find annoying. Learning languages is also very fun and I recommend it a lot. ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~

You're actually projecting your own mindset but that's cool. It's common when talking to others on the internet.
Why wouldn't I call out weird when I see weird? I asked for others people's opinions for the exact reason of thinking "maybe it's just me".
Given other people's responses except yours...they're just talking about the translators who actually stick to proper translations throughout the manga, adding the meaning behind whatever terms they would've used in TL notes and not just randomly insert words because they find it cute and leaving it at that.

But I can safely assume you're only saying this because I confronted you about missing the point entirely the second you brought this up OUTSIDE of manga.

I kinda agree with you....
Like it was years back when I first strted reading, there were words like "noona, hyung" which I thought were their names only to find out that it was actually words addressing to brothers and sisters. I was quite shock to know the real meaning bcoz I kept on thinking it was their names (there was no tL notes).....
And then I thought to myself as exactly how you said, like 'if it's translated in English, why is their kr words?'
Then I found out that they use it to try to put some ahhh you know.....mmmm understanding?? To the conversation, to make it sound okay okay type. But sometimes I also feel like, why other languages if it's been translated into English!┐(´ー｀)┌. Just my opinion bruh, not tryna argue乁༼☯‿☯✿༽ㄏ

I agree with stupid stuff like not translating nakama or whatever but I was mostly referring to honorifics rather than actual words that have an english equivalant. About the onii chan thing, I've never seen anyone use "big brother" or "big sister" to refer to their siblings. Most people I know, including myself, will use their siblings name to refer to them. Usually whenever I see dialogue like "Hey, sis!" I find it weird because no one I know talks like that to their sibling. It differs for everyone of course, but it's become a bit of a cliche that people who write dialogue like that don't have siblings.
For the second point, it depends on the translation group, I guess? I read a lot of non romance manga so usually TL notes will be carefully explaining jokes lost in translation or location and history details. Two examples I can think of right now that do this is Golden Kamuy and Kaika Apartment. Romance manga tranlsators tend to not care about stuff like this because the mangaka won't really be alluding to tiny details like that.
On your third point, I guess that might be true for Sensei and Senpai and stuff, but I

Finally someone who gets it
Everyone else is like looking at the glass half empty half full