I used to work part time as an editor of translated novels. One thing I never liked and had a difficult time doing in those jobs are changing the names of people and places to "cater to the western audiences" which was the huge reader base of those platforms. What never sits right with me are parts of the stories that become confusing after the contexts disappear due to changing the names. Though I understand the point of wanting to cater to the readers, I also don't understand why not just stick to the original, use original words that don't have exact translations, and briefly explain them through context clues. I began to love Chinese novels because of the heavy significance and addition of culture- and language-based contexts. Such as the play on the words, characters, names, and the history. It was sad for me whenever I had to change the name of a place into something American sounding, and though I could try my best to retain the meaning, it's just never quite the same as the experience of realizing something once you connect the dots between the name and it's implications and importance to the story.
I don't even know why I'm rambling. I'm probably just tired, it's dawn, and it broke my heart when I read that some readers didn't like how this translation isn't using the English names. Please read the official if you prefer that one. :< Let the others enjoy this version.
I used to work part time as an editor of translated novels. One thing I never liked and had a difficult time doing in those jobs are changing the names of people and places to "cater to the western audiences" which was the huge reader base of those platforms. What never sits right with me are parts of the stories that become confusing after the contexts disappear due to changing the names. Though I understand the point of wanting to cater to the readers, I also don't understand why not just stick to the original, use original words that don't have exact translations, and briefly explain them through context clues. I began to love Chinese novels because of the heavy significance and addition of culture- and language-based contexts. Such as the play on the words, characters, names, and the history. It was sad for me whenever I had to change the name of a place into something American sounding, and though I could try my best to retain the meaning, it's just never quite the same as the experience of realizing something once you connect the dots between the name and it's implications and importance to the story.
I don't even know why I'm rambling. I'm probably just tired, it's dawn, and it broke my heart when I read that some readers didn't like how this translation isn't using the English names. Please read the official if you prefer that one. :< Let the others enjoy this version.