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Translated name policy--some questions

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SamCurt Since: Jan, 2001
#1: Jul 7th 2018 at 10:18:28 PM

It\'s an extension of a previous ATT query, but since I am asking an additional new question, I think it\'s better to start a new thread.

To summarize and generalize the background here:

  1. In the past 1 or 2 years there has been more instances of translated manga being issued slightly ahead of of the anime, which is nearly always live-streamed by one provider or the other. If the anime is licensed by Funimation, subtitled version will be generated by Crunchyroll while Funimation handles the dub script. This mean, in North America alone, there can be three concurrent official translations.
  2. I have noticed some translators using the eastern name order when translating Japanese names even in these situations, even for most Japanese the western order should be used (see Name Order Confusion).

From what I know, the general policy in that area is to use the \"most recent official translation,\" but I see there are gaps to fill here:

  1. Does name order apply to this rule?
  2. In the case of more than one concurrent official translations, which translation has priority? In the case of page titles, the source media has priority—but does it apply there?
  3. Does there exist a readability argument that, regardless of the outcome of the above, the name of any Japanese born after 1868 should be romanized in the western order (maybe with some exceptions)?

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#2: Jul 8th 2018 at 1:38:09 AM

As a participant in the ATT thread, I'll answer as best I can:

  1. I don't believe there's an official ruling on name order, but it makes sense that the name order should match whatever translation's in use.
  2. Again, no official policy—but because the page is about the manga, the manga's translation should be used if there's a conflict between concurrent translations.
  3. I doubt that "given name first for Japanese people born after a specific date" is a workable policy, because it would often result in fancruft arguments over birth years.

Because so much of the translation policy is unwritten and/or based on precedent, it's sometimes seen as an "anything goes as long as you can justify it" policy. I'd like to get some more written rules down eventually, even if informally.

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