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ie. I care.
I've been reading a lot of scanlated manga recently and I've noticed a common theme and a common error in translation. Actually it's just an miss-typed English turn of phrase but getting it wrong awkwardly changes the meaning, so please bare with my pedantic ways.
You know that bit were the arrogant bad guy underestimates the main character and shows his uber-cool careless attitude by stating his complete lack of interest in anything to do with the character who's about to get an against-all-odds victory? Yes? Yes, I know you do, we've probably read that scene a gazzilion times.
I don't know what it is in Japanese or Korean but I can tell you what it's not in English;
“I could care less”
The correct phrase is “I couldn't care less”. Could. Not. Caring and not caring. The difference between the uber cool bad guy status and My Little Pony.
To say “I could care less” is to say “my carelessness quota has not been exceeded – I still have some care left!”. This is not remotely cool. Nobody says that, unless what they actually mean is “I'm emotionally involved with you”. And we all know where that leads, depending on the rating.
Lots of love,
Ijen
I've been reading a lot of scanlated manga recently and I've noticed a common theme and a common error in translation. Actually it's just an miss-typed English turn of phrase but getting it wrong awkwardly changes the meaning, so please bare with my pedantic ways.
You know that bit were the arrogant bad guy underestimates the main character and shows his uber-cool careless attitude by stating his complete lack of interest in anything to do with the character who's about to get an against-all-odds victory? Yes? Yes, I know you do, we've probably read that scene a gazzilion times.
I don't know what it is in Japanese or Korean but I can tell you what it's not in English;
“I could care less”
The correct phrase is “I couldn't care less”. Could. Not. Caring and not caring. The difference between the uber cool bad guy status and My Little Pony.
To say “I could care less” is to say “my carelessness quota has not been exceeded – I still have some care left!”. This is not remotely cool. Nobody says that, unless what they actually mean is “I'm emotionally involved with you”. And we all know where that leads, depending on the rating.
Lots of love,
Ijen
