KR ROFAN Butchered By MTL Reviewed by a Human TL
KR ROFAN Butchered By MTL Reviewed by a Human TL
As a non-mtl translator, i have a curiosity when I come across translations of novels I've read. I'd check the chapter (usually just one chapter is plenty to know if its mtl or not, anyways) sentence by sentence against the raws just to see how they do.
You read, but know what you're getting into. If you're a discernable reader, i hope this helps you. DON'T GET RIPPED OFF PAYING FOR SHODDY MTL
You read, but know what you're getting into. If you're a discernable reader, i hope this helps you. DON'T GET RIPPED OFF PAYING FOR SHODDY MTL
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Created: Dec 14th, 2023, Updated: Oct 18th, 2024
Created Dec 14th, 2023
Updated Oct 18th, 2024

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Comments (20)
Reading your reviews is interesting... shocked to see some of my fav sites here bc i didn't expect them to use mtl at all. Looking forward to see more reviews
I'm glad this at least maybe will help you in some way towards being able to discern better. While this list is only limited to the stuff I've personally read, the scope of how much MTL has proliferated into fan translation scene is scarier and larger than you think (real human translators like me are now a very small niche in this community). And also, even though MTL itself offends my sensibilities as a obsessive language learner, it's kind of alarming how many people are falling into the trap of paying to read shoddy stuff like this (DON'T GET RIPPED OFF BY MTL!).
Like,it's one thing if you're a reader that only cares to read something and don't care if what you're reading is accurate or what the author intended to present or not... but I certainly do as a translator
@motokare personally, i don't mind mtl as long as it's not google and it actually makes sense haha. Figured a lot are using mtl because a bunch of "TL" groups popped and sometimes i check the raws. Back then it was so hard to find fantranslations due to limited ppl
and yes! I dont get where are they getting the audacity to ask money from readers when they're not even exerting an ounce of energy as a "translator"
@seikagojo yes… some of the so called translations on this list are required to be unlocked with currency… or seeking easy donation money like novellatte, who seems to get all their raws from the pirated site so they aren’t even paying, and simply put the raws through google translate, but is like, donate me for my ‘effort’
Something is inherently wrong with this culture
Hi, sure (luckily the novel available on Naver) so I can check it for you. I'll get back to you on it.
@myichiaa
I have to split my reply because it exceeded word length.
https://www.novelupdates.info/series/regrets-of-a-second-male-lead/
Is this the one? Luckily it's on Naver (because I don't use Kakao since I cannot purchase chapters as a foreigner).
Well, first off in the prologue:
RainofSnow:
“Is that so? It seems that father was mistaken. The Empire’s sword isn’t able to reach an ostrich, much less my leg*.”
[*E/N: he’s calling him short :P]
Source:
“그래? 아빠가 잘못 봤나 보다. 제국의 검이 타조한테 가까이 못 다가가고 내 다리에 매달릴 리가 없지.”
How it should at least be:
"Is that so? Dad must've been mistaken. An Imperial Sword would never cower near an ostrich or cling to my leg."
There wasn't anything to hint at someone being short... The dad was saying if Abel really wasn't scared, then why was he clinging to his legs rather than getting close to the ostrich.
Right after the first *** in the prologue, they missed a sentence. It wasn't translated, but that could just simply mean either they didn't check thoroughly or they don't know the source language and any MTL they uses didn't translate it so they didn't notice.
RainofSnow:
As the end of the social season approached, the whole family moved from the estate to the Capital due to the Marquis’ busy schedule.
Source:
가을 사교 시즌이 다가오면 바빠지는 남편 때문에 온 가족은 이맘때쯤 영지의 후작 성에서 수도의 후작저로 넘어오곤 했다.
How it should at least be:
As the autumn social season approached, burdening the husband with busyness, the family would typically relocate from their territory to the Marquis residence in the capital around this time.
This '다가오면' the conjugation of the verb '다가오다' and ~면 is "when/if" There wasn't anything in the source to indicate anything ending. It's such simple language structure with simple nouns and verb '가을(autumn) 사교(socialising) 시즌(season)이 다가오면(approaching)' even putting it into MTL churns out the correct translation, I cannot even comprehend now the RainofSnow version veers off so far away. I mean if you read the next sentence from RainofSnow, it doesn't even make sense. first they claim social season is ending, then the next, "there's still plenty of time until the social season".
Having arrived earlier than usual this year, ample time remained before the social season commenced. The Marchioness resolved to oversee renovations throughout the residence during this period.
So, I got lazy, what's left at the bottom half of their 'translation' of the prologue is so freaking weird. The chapter prologue ended with "oh, the poor marquis" but the source actually goes, "오(oh), 불쌍한(the poor/pitiful) 후작(marquis) 부인 (wife) aka marchioness."
How desperate you are to read depends on yourself. If you decides to pay for MTL, well... Unfortunately i checked the "P-free" novel site, and this novel isn't posted there, yet. if not I'd suggest you just mtl it yourself since it might actually be better in a lot of parts (at least as far as i'm concerned comparing prologue and chapter 1 MTL to RainofSnow's edited mtl)
@motokare ahh i see so it is an MTL, this is exactly why i still deciding whether to donate to them or not, as you said on one of your reply, i too doesn't want to get ripped off by an MTL, now i feel more at ease after reading your detailed reply and explanation on this novel.
I thank you really, thank you for taking your time and energy on my request! ♡ may you always find a good novel that is not being MTL-ed.
Fixed 'I Didn't Particularly Want To Farm!', thank you!
If you have anything else you noticed, please do share in DMs or somewhere, so I see!
@motokare If we were to remove MTL Translated Novels from NU, roughly 80% would be gone. At least we don't purposefully upload unedited novels (unlike some, smh) without care and try our best to make it good. Well, it's still on you if that's something you can't accept though, but what you said still helps, so thanks!
Oky I understand all that, I didn't want to stop you, I just said we fixed it and will make sure to do a better quality from now on. Also, please don't be too mad, its not like every actual translator knows the language perfectly either. There are a lot who are still learning and are using MTL too to educate themselves and be better (we have 2 of them like that). Even worse, there are a lot who are not native English speakers, meaning their editing process doesn't even make it better.
Once again; I understand what you wanted to say, and I don't want to stop you. Most of what you said are true in my opinion as well, but there are a lot of things to be considered and we can't just slap on the "omg its so bad MTL ew be careful if u read!" sticker on everything if there is an actual human trying their best behind it, to bring it to the western audience. (Same could be said about a human translator of course, they do a lot more work, but most either don't care or basically work for hire). This is my final message.~