before i would've said that the translator notes were annoying. now, i think they're annoying, hypocritical at times and seemingly performative. but if i could choose between having the notes there and having them erased, i would still choose to leave them there. i'm not saying that going to the extent of the translator was necessary, but i'm just gonna focus on the notes picking apart alot of things for a moment and why i think those aren't so bad instead of the weird demands/promo the tl is doing
i know that people will say "we already know what we're reading, it's not necessary to state the obvious" but i think that u guys forget that not all readers consume this content with the same level of awareness or critical thinking. like without these reminders, it’s easier for them to get caught up in the plot or characters and unconsciously downplay the harm being depicted. as annoying as they are, those notes actually help some people maintain a critical perspective and help create a clear distinction between what the story is offering and the misconceptions some people might unintentionally form. i see some of the topics (with alot of likes) complaining about people misinterpreting this as romance and romanticized and i think that actually shows just how different our perspectives are and that not all of us read things the same way.
i know that people will also say that others should take responsibility for what they choose to read. but even then like, having ppl know what they're reading doesn’t always protect them from subtle shifts in how they perceive what's going on. even if the story doesn’t romanticize it, sometimes the way the characters interact make readers overlook or downplay certain behaviors without even realizing and some people wont even realize that the story isnt trying to romanticize it, and i think "it's not our responsibility to ensure that they maintain a critical perspective" is very valid, and i'm not saying that we should even be writing paragraphs and lecturing readers on stories like these, but the truth is the truth no matter how you try to gift wrap it and sometimes, for some people it's needed.
before i would've said that the translator notes were annoying. now, i think they're annoying, hypocritical at times and seemingly performative. but if i could choose between having the notes there and having them erased, i would still choose to leave them there. i'm not saying that going to the extent of the translator was necessary, but i'm just gonna focus on the notes picking apart alot of things for a moment and why i think those aren't so bad instead of the weird demands/promo the tl is doing
i know that people will say "we already know what we're reading, it's not necessary to state the obvious" but i think that u guys forget that not all readers consume this content with the same level of awareness or critical thinking. like without these reminders, it’s easier for them to get caught up in the plot or characters and unconsciously downplay the harm being depicted. as annoying as they are, those notes actually help some people maintain a critical perspective and help create a clear distinction between what the story is offering and the misconceptions some people might unintentionally form. i see some of the topics (with alot of likes) complaining about people misinterpreting this as romance and romanticized and i think that actually shows just how different our perspectives are and that not all of us read things the same way.
i know that people will also say that others should take responsibility for what they choose to read. but even then like, having ppl know what they're reading doesn’t always protect them from subtle shifts in how they perceive what's going on. even if the story doesn’t romanticize it, sometimes the way the characters interact make readers overlook or downplay certain behaviors without even realizing and some people wont even realize that the story isnt trying to romanticize it, and i think "it's not our responsibility to ensure that they maintain a critical perspective" is very valid, and i'm not saying that we should even be writing paragraphs and lecturing readers on stories like these, but the truth is the truth no matter how you try to gift wrap it and sometimes, for some people it's needed.