Translation of comics: about the localization of ZenPencils. The Marvel app will translate comics into Russian How to translate comics into Russian

So, good day everyone, Kant is with you again with a series of educational articles “The Magical World of Comics”. Anticipating various kinds of stupid questions and idiotic jokes, I will say that I am not at all trying to seem like a comics guru (which I am not), but I am quite capable of talking about some banal things.

This time I will try, to the best of my ability and ability, to talk about such a phenomenon as the translation of comics (here the guys are indignant, they say that comics are not only translated, but also designed, so to say that we “translate” them is pure chauvinism , but we will not pay attention to their cries). Of course, I understand that not everyone who visits the Translation Database will be interested in the following stream of consciousness, but if you have already decided to start translating (okay, okay, you can decide and design it, but that’s your problem) comics, then you’re welcome. A set of common truths and little secrets of our idiotic hobby.

First, let's get the basics out of the way. Comics are a completely independent medium, the culture of which has not been instilled in our country by anyone (we don’t take any hapless would-be popularizers like Hikhus into account - of course they do, but somehow it’s painfully unsuccessful). It is for this reason that, until relatively recently, the “ticket to enter” the world of Western comics was (and still remains to some extent) the opportunity (or, in extreme cases, the desire) to read in the original language. They were translated, for the most part, either by the well-known publishing house “Comics” (famous for its focus on a very young audience) and, in fact, by that same young audience who actively skipped Russian language classes and read, at best, three books in their lives (primer, second and the blue one). Thus, the canonical conflict “Translations are crap, only originals, only youth”, characteristic of movies, books, TV series, and the notorious manga and anime, has become very acute for comics. What I mean is that no matter how hard you try to do something good, there will always be dissatisfied people who will find something to complain about. So, since you’ve decided to translate comics, treat this with the proper amount of self-irony.

Secondly, the question often comes up: “Why do you translate comics if they don’t even thank you for it, but just whine and beg to translate something else?” In principle, this question can generally be considered rhetorical, and not answer anything, but I’ll try anyway. Translating comics is just that, a hobby. Quite dreary, requiring time and effort.

And what is typical is that it is not profitable at all. Well, feel free to laugh in the faces of those mercantile bastards who think only about the benefits of this kind of activity. Guys who work six hours a day on the most complex tapping guitar solos, unlucky graphomaniacs who write about everything that comes to mind, audiophiles trying to solder the coolest sound system with their own hands - also spend a lot of notorious time and effort not for the sake of profit. Here. In short, we just like translating comics and we like that someone reads our translations. I hope everyone who decides to do this realizes this. You are unlikely to get any benefit from this. Thirdly, in order to translate comics, you must first of all be a realist.

For some mysterious reason, people who have just plunged into a new medium for them (there are usually only two options: “I watched cartoons about Spider-Man back in the day /

In the West, comics, also known as graphic novels, have long been a part of culture, but in Russia they appeared relatively recently, but are gaining a stronger position. If earlier readers associated comics with funny cartoons and superheroes, now comics are increasingly being published on serious topics: from the problem of fathers and sons to the Holocaust. Comics have also penetrated into popular science literature: they tell the biographies of great people or explain scientific topics. Both publishers and readers gradually began to develop an understanding that comics are simply a form (text + graphics) with which you can express almost anything: from funny adventures to tragedy. Comics are no longer considered exclusively entertaining reading for children and youth.

In Russia, publishing houses have even appeared that specialize only in comics, such as Jellyfish Jam and Bumkniga. The overwhelming majority of comics published in Russia are translated, because our country does not yet have its own established school of graphic novels.

Just like there is no established school of translators of comics into Russian. There are plenty of people involved in translating graphic novels - from amateurs on the Internet to certified translators collaborating with publishing houses. But, judging by the negative reviews on the Internet, many readers are dissatisfied with the quality of Russian translations of comics.

Note that publishers sometimes improve the translation. For example, when the ABC Atticus publishing house decided to re-publish Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, it not only acquired the rights to the already existing Russian translation (published by the Amphora publishing house), but released a revised translation by this translator. Some inaccuracies of the first translation were taken into account.

The comic may seem deceptively simple: there is little text, and these are mostly lines from the characters; there are no long descriptive structures, as in fiction. In addition, since the volume of the actual text is small, publishers, as a rule, pay translators little too. All this creates a frivolous attitude towards translating comics - as if it is easier and less responsible than translating “traditional” stories or novels.

However, translating comics has its own characteristics. Among them are:

the text and the image form a single whole, and the translator needs to make the translation in such a way that it reveals the essence of what is being depicted, focusing not only on the text, but also on the picture;
There are many bright characters in comics, often with their own speech characteristics. The translator must convey this;
The lion's share of the text consists of dialogues, and colloquial speech and slang are often used. Consequently, the translator must be well versed in these layers of language;
comics are often published in series, and to translate just one comic, the translator needs to familiarize himself with other issues in the series;
There are established options for translating character names and other realities that should not be ignored. On the other hand, it makes sense to replace established versions with new ones if the previous translation was less accurate;
There are many allusions and references to events, persons, and phenomena in comics. Only a broad-minded translator is able to grasp them;
There are a lot of interjections and onomatopoeias that need to be found in their native language.

It is fair to say that translation of comics is a separate type of literary translation. Vasily Kistyakovsky, founder of the Jellyfish Jam comics publishing house and translator of graphic novels, is sure that translating graphic novels is similar to translating not prose, but poetry. Just as in poetry, each word is strictly honed by the author and stands in its place, so in a comic book, each phrase is as succinct and clear as possible, and the translator needs to try hard to make the translation just as polished. It is precisely because many of those who undertake translations of comics do not understand the peculiarities of this type of translation and its complexities that the market is flooded with low-quality translations of comics, believes Kistyakovsky. In his opinion, many comics in Russia are hopelessly damaged by translation, and there are few real professionals in comics translation.

So, the demand for comic book translators is growing, but there are few professionals in the labor market. For a good translator, this situation can be an opportunity to prove himself. Unfortunately, publishing houses are not always ready to adequately pay for quality work. But the reader is gradually becoming more discerning and picky about translation, which may prompt publishers to begin to value the quality of the translation.

§0. Basics

The rules of conduct are completely standard: we don’t swear, we don’t be rude, we don’t use “author’s” jargon.

Criticism and suggestions are welcome, flooding is suppressed.

The community is moderated, we really hope that this will not scare anyone.

Membership in the community is limited to comic book translators. To join the community, you must leave a comment stating that you want to translate a certain comic (if it is not already being translated, yes) and apply to join. Any questions and comments are welcome there. Comments are hidden, don't be afraid.

So, the general (or better said: generalized) scheme of the translator’s work: even if the comic is already completely ready, to begin with, it is laid out scene by scene in the community, where readers identify typos, errors, etc., which were not noticeable to the blurred eye of the designer/translator /editor. Then, when the comic is completely laid out, all the difficult points are discussed in principle, an archive is created. Which is posted on websites.

And now - in detail. First the technical points.

Posts

§1. General design

Posts with translations should look like the following code for consistency and beauty:

Comics first page address">Any text like "The beginning of the comic"

Original image address">

Translation image address" border="0">

Original image address">

Translation image address" border="0">

Those. By clicking on the translation, the reader should see the original, and the picture should be located in the center of the screen. (A sign was used for ease of adding other things around the page - so this rule is not mandatory, as long as it is in the center. Yes, even with divs.) The recommended width of pages for laying out is 850 pixels.

The title of the post should include the name of the comic, as well as the issue number and page numbers.

Since the pages are generally quite large, they should be hidden under a cut indicating the weight of the picture. In the case when the translated comic touches on “adult” topics, it is worth hiding it under a cut indicating this particular fact (for example, the word “adult”).

It is advisable to post several pages in one post, together making up a certain plot-complete scene/episode. For example, a duel with a stranger in "Aliens: Stalker" You can post it in one post.

The design rules are not strict, but it is still advisable to follow them - you don’t want to turn the community into a waste paper warehouse.

It is also highly advisable to specify page navigation. It can be made either text or graphic (indicating the text value of the button in the text parameter, for example, “beginning” or “entire comic”).

§2. Tag system

To the post with which you post the cover (and, usually, the first pages), add such type labels as possible:

1. Publisher (marvel, dark horse, ...)
2. Cycle (spider-man, aliens, ...)
3. Storyark (civil war, ...)
4. Title of the comic series (amazing spider-man, supreme power, ...)
5. Number in the series (necessarily with a name!) (the amazing spider-man #531, supreme power #2)
6. The name of the comic, if it does not belong to any series and has no number (apocalypse, carmageddon)

Attention, we add only THOSE tags that make sense.

Examples of recording labels for covers:

Example 1: marvel, civil war, spider-man, the amazing spider-man, the amazing spider-man #531
Example 2: dark horse, aliens, apocalypse
Example 3: dark horse, serenity

And once again, we add these rows of tags ONLY to posts where the cover is located.

And to all other posts in the issue, we add only the number or title, if there is no number (the amazing spider-man #531, apocalypse, serenity).

In total, if someone wants to see all the comics of a particular tag, he will not be given half of the community’s posts, but will only be shown a page similar to the main page of the community.

§3. Banners

Any comic allows the presence of a banner. But if comics form a series, then they should have a common banner.

The banner should be no heavier than 50-60 kB.

Banners with two types of restrictions are allowed:
- if a banner is hung in the top of a post, then its height should be no more than 100 pixels;
- If the banner is hung on the side of the links to the pages, then its width should be no more than 200 pixels.

§4. useful links

Comics

§8. Comic selection

If you decide to translate a comic, first make sure that no one here has translated it before you. If you already have translations, but the desire for something still persists, negotiate with the translators and designers. It is possible that they could use translation assistance.

If no one has translated the comic, you can also make sure that no one has laid eyes on it. And then, you know, there were precedents.

Also, when choosing a comic, you should take into account that in the community there is also such a thing as “monopoly”, when a person says that he wants, for example, to translate all the comics about Iron Man. This does not mean a complete end, you can also offer him cooperation, but if a person copes like that, then it is better to choose something else.

There are practically no restrictions on the topic. The only thing is that all kinds of exclusively pornographic comics have no place here. Absolutely. Calls to incite blah blah blah must be decided on a case by case basis.

Posting full-page parodies is also not prohibited.

Although the community in the direction is mainly translation, it is not a sin to post your own page comics if they are done at a good, decent level.

Taking on a lot of comics at once is not recommended.

§9. Order of translation of comics

If your comic is related to other comics that are being translated in the community, there is a lot to consider. For example, if some “World War Hulk” #5 is being translated in the community, do not rush to post “World War Hulk: Aftersmash”, because The events of this comic take place after the events of the previous one, which means - spoilers! They must be avoided.

If your comic is an ongoing series, then there are several options. When a series is small enough, you can start translating it from the very beginning. If the series is large, but there is no desire to translate it from the beginning, then you can get by with selective arcs. Well, taking into account, of course, the spoiler nature of one arc in relation to another - it is not good to post a future arc before the past one, unless there are special reasons for it (such as tie-in arcs translated to a certain time, etc.).

If the comic is a mini-series, then without question you need to translate it all and from the very beginning.
on translating comics from RU-PG-COMICS and links to various font sites (posts are visible only to translators).

10 cool comics that don't need to wait for translation

Everyone loves Sarah Andersen's comics and many people like Horace the horse, but waiting for new translations can be boring. No problem! the site has collected 12 regularly updated comics for you, which you can run to watch immediately after publication, without waiting for translation. Because they are written immediately in Russian!

Morning Cup of Comics

Vladimir Khaetsky is known not only for the fact that he is the son of the famous Russian science fiction writer, but also for the comics about his family life with screenwriter Anastasia Garbuz. By the way, he also teaches classes on creating comics. But that's not why we love him.

Cynic Mansion

These comics are something like the Russian equivalent of Cyanide and Happyness: poorly drawn, disgustingly cynical and incredibly funny. It is drawn by a team of three artists known under the nicknames killallhumans, Pchelka and Magarych.

Milk. Stories in pictures

Vika Moloko is a St. Petersburg artist who works together with Vladimir Khaetsky. But they draw different comics. We have already made a selection of comics from Vika before, but repeating them is never a sin.

Guardians

An acutely relevant “civilian” comic, which, nevertheless, is nicely drawn and sometimes hilariously funny. The main characters of the comics are personalized phenomena of Russian life: Censorship, Sberman, Captain Post, Incredible Alk, Fashionable Punisher and Bureaucrat Man.

Cat and mouse

“People are cool - they are like gods. And animals are atheists, you know...” - this is the motto of a simple at first glance, but cute and addictive comic book from the young Yakut artist Evgeny Fedotov. In this series of comic strips, the main characters are a spoiled and almost peaceful domestic cat, equally spoiled mice, a world-weary animal death and the cat's owners. We say “in this series” because Fedotov previously had amazing comics “Yakutia for those who are not there,” but they are no longer updated.

Nastenka's comics

Anastasia Lemova can be called the St. Petersburg version of Sarah Anderson, except that her comic strips are deliberately drawn more roughly. But it's still the complexities of a big girl in a big city. I want to subscribe to every second comic trip.

I have a hobby: translating comics Zen Pencils from an Australian named Gavin Aung Than. He draws short, self-contained stories on various motivational or social topics: human rights, discrimination, relationships, and, of course, creativity. As a rule, based on quotes from famous people. Even to the words of Tchaikovsky there is one !

I liked these comics so much, and their Russian translations on the Internet (especially on Pikabu) were so annoying that in the spring of 2015 I advocated localization myself. For a while I myself posted on Pikabu, but then I created a separate thematic group ZenPencils in Russian. It helped me meet Maxim Khramtsova, an excellent and accurate enthusiastic translator, who is responsible for at least half of 127 translated issues.

How not to translate

There were a whole bunch of problems in other people's translations, both technical and linguistic. The first included crooked fonts, JPG compression artifacts, and inaccurate blurring of the source text. The texts themselves contained not just typos, but incorrect transmission of meaning, misunderstanding of idioms, and simple tongue-tiedness.

Localization of realities

When the text or background mentions things that are specific to another country and not entirely understandable to compatriots, it is not a sin to adapt them to our reader. For example, in Russia there are practically no Catholic schools, and classes in secondary schools range from 9 to 11.

Issue #116. But we have parochial schools.

Creative Localization

This may seem unnecessary to some, but sometimes I can’t resist! For example, “holy scripture”.

Issue #136. "Beatlia" in the Church of the Beatles' Witnesses

Well, you can’t write “Beatles Bible” or “Bitlia” in Russian ( Beatles + Bible)! Of course, this would preserve the pun, but it sounds so-so. Moreover, not everyone would have guessed at the root " beatle", written in Cyrillic, British group.

I took a different route, with a new play on words: I used the construction “ Gospel according to...”, adding the original name of the group to it. Well, our Holy Scriptures are formatted differently. Look at the examples below.

Please note the difference in fonts between Russian and English editions.

I was carried away, and I went on to adapt further. Under the stained glass window with John Lennon there is an allusion to “In God we trust”. For those familiar with American culture, this phrase “rings” because it is printed on every US dollar and is their (the states’) official motto. Instead of translation, I wrote “Johnny save and preserve”, this is much better suited to the Christian temple in our understanding.