Category: Issues regarding teenagers/Societal Issues
Subtitles must be done accurately: Censors
(link: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/209169.asp)
Subtitles are one of the things that I rely most on while watching movies and TV shows. Even more so for anime, which is usually kept in Japanese dialogue so that it sounds authentic. Nothing is more frustrating than watching a film when you can't make out what the characters onscreen are saying, and you turn to the subtitles for help, only to find them useless. I have had many similar experiences, such as when I was watching a Chinese film and the subtitles for "I don't know" became "soyabean cake". I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
However, on the issue of inaccurate subtitling, I have much to say. Firstly, I agree strongly to the statement "It is also the distributor's responsibility to ensure that subtitles reflect the true content of an anime (that is, animation) especially its dialogue and commentary. If subtitles are not accurate, they can mislead the viewer and also make it difficult for the BFC to classify an anime accurately." From my personal experience, inaccurate translations can have a world of difference from the actual intended meaning. For example, I have seen two translations of the same scene. Translation #1 says: "Do you feel you're responsible for my injuries?" This is the accurate one, while translation #2 says: "Did you even feel a speck of obligation to help me out when I was hurt?" That means a whole lot of difference.
Secondly, I feel that subtitles being accurate in reflecting the true nature of the anime is really important. I feel that the ends do not justify the means in this case. Tweaking anime subtitles just so that they will conform to the Board of Film Censors' requirements does not in anyway justify the ends, which is the result of misleading the audience. I quote the article "the young who may be misled into thinking that an anime is suitable for them when it could be meant for a higher age group." This could be disastrous. Children could be exposed to mature content and usually it will create a deep psychological impact on them. Contrary to popular belief, anime is not all that similar to Western cartoons, which are meant more for younger age groups. I have come across anime that can be extremely violent, and that contain mature themes. There are also the occasional profanities that can appear in them.
In conclusion, I would like to quote a forum user as saying, "One of these things is not like the other. Show some respect to the works of foreign authors and artists-- support accurate translation. Because a bad translation is infinitely worse than none at all." How true.