The cnet128 Thread

[cnet128]

Who knows if anyone will actually post in here, but I might as well make a thread; it can't hurt.

So, er, to introduce myself, I'm cnet128. You can probably see that. Carlos Net, which is the name I use in my translation thread titles, is just a random name that I came up with many years ago; I thought it sounded cool at the time, but now I just stick with it because I'm used to it. That and the fact that I've used the cnet128 username, which was derived from it, for pretty much everything I've registered for since. You can find me under the same name anywhere from Gmail to IGN.

If you're familiar with me here on Mangahelpers, at least at the time I'm writing this, it's probably because of my Hitomi no Catoblepas translations. When the series started, my Japanese was just reaching the level where I felt confident enough to try translating a series regularly; HnC seemed the perfect opportunity, so I leapt at it and got a translation out for the first chapter before anybody else. Evidently somebody liked it, because Phase 3 recruited me to be their regular translator for the series soon after.

I'm very particular about translation. I'm pretty particular in general. I suppose you could call me something of a perfectionist. When it comes right down to it, I feel compelled to do these translations for two reasons.

The first reason is simple: to prove my own skill, because I'm just a damn showoff when it comes right down to it, and, though I haven't studied Japanese for nearly long enough to call myself truly proficient in the language, I'd say my natural linguistic skill is second to none. I like to prove that to myself and anyone who will pay attention.

As for the second reason, well, as I said, I am a perfectionist. This may come across as arrogant, or even plain obnoxious, but the fact of the matter is that I'm always spotting flaws - incorrect spelling and grammar, inaccurate translation, sub-standard style - in other people's translations. I don't mean this in a mean way - I appreciate the work all the translators put into providing this service - but the majority of translations I see are nowhere near the excessively-high standards I hold them to. Seeing translations like that just irritates me, that's all. Hell, even if they don't have flaws per se, if I look at at a translation and think "Hey, couldn't that be better phrased like this?", it irritates me. So the second reason I feel compelled to write translations is because it's the only way I can make sure the translations out there are being held to those standards, the only way I can scratch that perfectionist itch. Sure, I'm not flawless either, but I have the conviction that, at least by my own standards, my translations are superior to a lot of others I see around. And though I know that my own translations too can have flaws, and that too irritates me to no end, at least when I do take issues with my own translations, I can just go and sort them out myself.

Anyway, that's enough for now, I could probably keep on ranting about my perfectionism forever - I have plenty left to say all bottled up in my head - but I daresay I'd end up talking round in circles and never really getting to a point. And frankly, this post is long enough and I'm sure I'm boring the hell out of anyone who's actually reading this.

Feel free to ask any questions of me if you feel like it.

That is, if anyone actually made it to the end of this post.

Which in turn is assuming that anyone actually looked at this post to begin with.

 

[Houjou]

I'm sure I'm boring the hell out of anyone who's actually reading this.

Hell no, it's always interesting reading about the reasons all the translators have to translate, and some way funny :P

I understand your position about perfeccionism, I often feel the same way as you when reading other spanish translations, many people translate too literally often so a lot of phrases sound strange when I read them.

I have two questions for you: when did you start learning japanese? And what's your favourite manga (and anime)?

See ya

PD: Excuse me if my english is bad :P

 

[cnet128]

Well, as for learning Japanese, I believe it was, like, two years ago that I started an evening course in it. I think the evening course was for a year. And then last September I started my first year studying it at university. But I've always felt somewhat ahead of my classmates in terms of language ability in both settings, both because I have a strong natural aptitude for language and because I've been taking a strong interest in the language for a pretty long time before I even started the evening course - I've read a ton of online resources on the grammar, picked up plenty from all my anime-watching (and more recently, manga-reading, since I took to reading the RAWs before reading the Edited Mangas), as well as listening to Japanese music and that sort of thing. Challenging myself to attempt to translate things like song lyrics (Bump of Chicken FTMFW) or any interesting Japanese text that I come across is just something I find enjoyable, and I learn quickly.

As for my favourite anime and manga, that's always an extremely difficult question. I think at this point I've got to say that One Piece ranks pretty damn high on both scales, especially the anime; the manga is just so inventive, well-written and generally feel-good entertaining, and has kept that up consistently for so long that it's incredible, and the anime adaptation of it takes all that greatness and adapts it absolutely perfectly. Most anime adaptations these days, I watch and find the experience a kind of double-edged sword - I keep watching because seeing the excellent canon material animated is brilliant in and of itself, but there are always animation issues, irritating, badly-done filler, toning-down, pacing problems, and all those sorts of things making me cringe at the same time as I enjoy the good stuff. One Piece, I can actually say is just brilliantly-executed by comparison. Even the minimal amounts of filler that is contains are pretty damn entertaining and don't feel out of place.

So yeah, if I had to pick a favourite anime it would probably have to be One Piece at the moment. But favourite manga is much more difficult; they don't suffer from the same execution issues as anime, and they're all much more closely-matched. I couldn't single one out. I enjoy all the manga I'm reading at the moment - which is basically the usual suspects: Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, D.Gray-man, Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC and FMA. I'm particularly enjoying Tsubasa at the moment (and eagerly anticipating the OVA, which is pretty much the best thing that could have happened to the anime after its collapse into endless filler). And of course there's Hitomi no Catoblepas, the series I'm translating, which I'm thoroughly enjoying at the moment and I hope its potential plays out well.

 

[Koen]

Hey,

I saw you doing translations on the newest series: sket dance, Hitomi no Catoblepas,... Do you like these ones? Are there other wsj-series you like?

 

[cnet128]

If you read my last post in this thread, you would know that I do indeed like plenty of WSJ series; indeed, I translated pretty much all of them last week. And of course, I wouldn't be translating Hitomi and Sket Dance if they didn't appeal to me - though of course, it's still early days with both of them, especially Sket Dance, so there's no guarantee that I'll continue to like them as much. But here's hoping!

 

[ssjasper2003]

What type of an accent do you have?

 

[cnet128]

Accent? Well, being from England, an English accent, naturally. More specifically, an odd hybrid between northern-English and southern-English. I've lived in southern England - in Surrey - from the age of about six, but I lived up north until then, and I have a ton of northern relatives, so although I'd say my accent's mostly southern, I've never shaken off the northern accent completely.

 

[patrick_tambu]

Yo!
Do you know if there is any trans/scans of the Naruto char's databook?

If not, have you ever valued the idea of taking the job?

 

[cnet128]

*blinkblink* Databook? I wouldn't know. I have never seen any databook.

Translating a databook sounds like crazy hard work O_o

 

[patrick_tambu]

Are you kiddin' me?! C'mon! There's no way you couldn't have at least heard of them!
There are two of 'em: Naruto Character Ofiicial Databook 1 & 2

Btw, i can tell by just reading 'em, it would be a hell of a hard work....
I'm now loading the two files on MF, so at least you'll take a look at 'em.


Here they are. I'll wait for your op on translating!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?astdnscy0ws - Character databook 1

http://www.mediafire.com/?ftyxjbdtjzi - Character databook 2

 

[cheekymonk3y]

Hey dude, nice long first post :P
I heard from shrimpy that Phase3 are no longer doing the HnC series and now your HnC translations are open to any scan group. Is this only new translations or are all your old one open as well? cause i'd like to do the whole HnC series since its so new.

 

[cnet128]

I'm not sure that it would be right of me to open up the translations that I did exclusively for Phase 3, the ones that they actually used. However, all my translations from Chapter 8 onwards are free for use - indeed, I'd be grateful if somebody would use them in a Edited Manga, I don't think any Edited Mangas have been made using my translations of Chapters 8, 9 or 11 - and the first chapter translation, which I did before Phase 3 scouted me, is free-use as well.

 

[unluckyaaron]

How tall are you?

Have you read Death-Note? If so thoughts?

How tall are you?

Are you any good at drawing?

 

[cnet128]

I couldn't tell you my actual height without, like, checking somewhere, which I can't be bothered to do. I'd say a little below-average.

Yes, I read Death Note. Its quality for the first part of the series was phenomenal, and I was one of those who enjoyed it hell of a lot right through to the end. And the outcome was a little disappointing, but it was always inevitable. Either way, Light, L and Near were incredible characters, and Misa was So. Damn. Cute. I need more ****** of her. >.<

Oh, and Matsuda was awesome. Matsuda for president!

Oh, for the record, I also watched the Death Note anime. It was very well-done for the most part, but could have done with a lot less rushing in the Mello/Near arc (it was still entertaining, mind). Oh, and I still haven't got around to watching the last few episodes ~_~

Er, I still haven't found out my height since you asked the question the first time, shockingly.

And as for my drawing skill, well, I've drawn a few fanarts and stuff. Just sketches really. I'd say I'm not bad, but by no means am I particularly good. I'd really like to get better, but I never really get around to doing any drawing, any more than I get around to doing some of the other things I'd really like to work on - such as the multiple novels that I have so many ideas for in my head, but struggle to actually mould into anything concrete. My real dream is to be an author... well, a manga-ka would be perhaps even better, but that's just a pipe dream ~_~ Best I'm likely to manage is maybe, just maybe, starting a webcomic at some point if I ever get off my ass and work on my drawing.

 

[alex_melkor]

hi! i´m new, and the phrase ask anything could have so many interpretations that it´s hard to know what do you mean by saying that. so please don´t insult me if I ask something stupid. my question may be very easy to you but I´ll ask it anyways. when Kabuto say in naruto´s chapter 302 "if I keep this up I´ll probably be told how someone with blood type A would have made a better servant..." what did he mean?

I know this chapter seems old but, it´s something I can´t understand. please tell me!

sorry for my english, ´cause I have more than 3 years I learned it, and may look strange, or made by a little kid.

 

[cnet128]

Well, the thread's really more for asking questions about me, but hey, what the hell, I'll give this one a shot

That's connected to the Japanese superstition that a person's personality is determined by their blood type. It's a popular superstition in Japan, to the point where manga authors who do profiles for their characters tend to give their blood group as one of their statistics.

Kabuto is apparently a type AB, which corresponds to his personality, as you would expect - AB people are supposed to be cool, controlled and rational. Type A people, however, are supposed to have more gentle, introverted, submissive personalities.

Anyway, Kabuto's comment here in chapter 302 is related to a little conversation Kabuto and Orochimaru had back in Chapter 300, when Kabuto was complaining about how his ordered collection of corpses had been messed up, and Orochimaru asked if his blood-type was A. Presumably, obsessive orderliness would also be a personality trait associated with A-types. So Kabuto's comment in 302 is just a little snide remark at Orochimaru's joking around about blood types. Logically speaking, the A-type personality does seem like the most suitable for a servant - organised and submissive. But of course, Orochimaru doesn't exactly need ordinary servants.

 

[richvh]

Alex_melkor:
In Japan, a person's blood type is considered an indicator of his personality.

Edit: Oops, didn't see that cnet128 had already answered this on the next page.

 

[cnet128]

Yes, I believe that's what I said

 

[richvh]

Sorry, didn't notice it had been answered on the next page. Just trying to be helpful, not trying to steal your thunder.

 

[cnet128]

Eheh. Yeah, I figured that was what had happened.