'The Higher-Ups Didn't Want the F Word': Dandadan Translator Opens up About Adapting Series' Provocative Content

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'The Higher-Ups Didn't Want the F Word': Dandadan Translator Opens up About Adapting Series' Provocative Content

The English translator for the hit Shonen Jump+ sequence Dandadan mentioned the issue of adapting the sequence’ most obscure references and risqué material for an American viewers. The anime, which premiered on Oct. 4, 2024, will return for Season 2 in July 2025.

Gizmodo lately interviewed Kumar Sivasubramanian, the present English translator for the Dandadan manga, about the strategy of localizing the sequence for Viz Media. In the interview, Sivasubramanian revealed how he turned concerned with the sequence and if he knew it might blow up in reputation following the anime. However, maybe the most fascinating a part of the interview was Sivasubramanian’s dialogue of how he and Viz Media dealt with the sequence’ most controversial elements, resembling its explicit juvenile humor and exploration of some dark themes.

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Shonen Jump Hit Series Dandadan Had Almost No Cursing in Translator’s Original Scripts

Okarun successfully gets a ball back on his body in Dandadan — Image through Science SARU

“My general sense of the language in the series is that it’s not really that rough or obscene,” Sivasubramanian informed Gizmodo. “Despite the sexualized attacks in the early chapters, the language was ‘light,’ if you know what I mean. And my feeling is that a word like ‘schlong’ is going to be funnier than something ruder. Maybe it’s just me, but I find ‘turd’ funnier than ‘shit’ for some reason. So, there was almost no cursing in my original scripts.”

However, Sivasubramanian wasn’t the just one engaged on Dandadan’s English translation. An alternate translator labored on the sequence’ early chapters and inserted F-bombs into the dialogue — an excessive amount of for Viz Media’s liking. Despite not being the translator who inserted the F-bombs in the script, Sivasubramanian acquired a memo saying the “higher-ups at Viz didn’t want the F word in the series anymore.” Sivasubramanian mentioned he did attempt to insert the phrase after the loss of life of an vital character however wasn’t positive if it made it into the finalized model.

He additionally acknowledged that despite the fact that Dandadan is printed underneath the older-skewing Shonen Jump+ model (Chainsaw Man, 2.5 Dimensional Seduction, Chained Soldier), the name to restrict the sequence’ English profanity might not have been directed solely by Viz Media and was probably influenced by the unique writer and artist. Some have speculated that the risqué and juvenile nature of Dandadan might need been why Crunchyroll refused to promote the series as a part of its Fall 2024 lineup whereas new episodes had been additionally premiering on Netflix. Crunchyroll acquired intense criticism for its heavy advertising of Goblin Slayer in 2018, which featured a gratuitous assault scene in its debut episode.

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In addition to the heavy material, Sivasubramanian additionally mentioned the issue in adapting obscure references to Japanese popular culture in Dandadan. Ken “Okarun” Takakura referencing an ’80s espresso business that featured the Japanese actor he shares the identical title with (who additionally occurs to be Momo Ayase’s celeb crush) isn’t one thing many worldwide readers will acknowledge, however as Sivasubramanian places it, “What can you do?” As he explains, “Translation is approximation. I changed it to ‘I am a fellow,’ but no reader from any other country is going to get a nostalgia hit from it.”

As Gizmodo noted in a previous interview, the job of an English translator is sophisticated and turning into tougher as on-line toxicity continues to rise. Ignorance relating to the occupation, intentional or not, has led to translators being harassed over accusations of inserting their private beliefs into a preferred sequence. It additionally doesn’t account for tight publication deadlines, which typically lead to lesser-quality translations, as publishers try to beat online piracy. Even when examples of a translator going rogue on a series are extremely rare, it’s cause sufficient for poisonous followers to demand the firing of human translators in favor of sterile and often inaccurate AI translation.