#international translation may clash with the 'low profile' mindset of doujin work idk. someday i'll ask people if they want me to do this

[burinazar]

this is the opposite of how things are usually done but i've sort of wondered if, the way ppl commission folks to translate japanese fanwork into english for them (usually individual doujin pages), i could ever commission native-speaker-level people to translate some of my fic into japanese

i really, really want more of the interested parties in the world to be able to read my fanwork, but most of the ones that still actively love the same charas aren't english speakers and probably only read fic in jp. (there are a scattering of people in other places as well, but mostly japanese people.) i won't be able to write in their language in a way that meets my standards for a very long time, most likely never, and certainly not within a timespan where i believe people will still be interested in reading it (hell, maybe my own interest/fixation will wane in coming years). i'm not being defeatist when i say that -- it's more that i have very high standards for prose.

it is highly likely that -- even realistic to assume that -- even when i become pretty happy with my ability to read and speak japanese, in maybe five to ten years, i realistically will literally never approach the level with writing prose that i consider acceptable/aim for in english. like, to be an immodest asshole about it, it's not just that i'm a fluent english speaker... it's that i am, i think, someone with an above-average grasp of english vocabulary and above-average skill in prosecrafting and other craft aspects of writing in english, built over a lifetime of lots reading and writing, and i just can't really see myself approaching what i have in english in japanese (or even hindi which i'm way better at understanding and is technically one of my mother tongues). it'd take another entire lifetime. i'd much rather pay someone good at writing in japanese to do it lmao.

since the author would be involved and is also a person who thinks about language a lot the translator would also receive a lot of hopefully-helpful notes about what i hoped would be kept in, what i was trying to imply in certain parts, and some of my thoughts and research on any parts i'd tried to look up translation for myself, so that we could create something that hopefully still Hit and kept in some of my sneaky writing tricks and craft bullshit, rather than just being comprehensible. but it'd need to be someone really confident with the language (which i wouldn't even really be able to assess myself. i have no damn idea how to tell if someone is a good prosesmith in japanese. 良い言葉センス。。。).

one thing they DON'T necessarily need to be is actually that good at english (just enough to understand the work and me, and even then, if there's a gap being filled with translation tools so they can comprehend some of my english, that's fine as long as their *output* is well written in jp). and the absolute ideal would be someone else interested in the same fandom but to be honest as long as i'm able to explain my vision of characters and events to them this isn't really necessary. but i don't know that such a person exists or how the hell i'd find them and determine they were up to the job. also given my entire mindset regarding the Point of fanwork this may go without saying but i wouldn't want to hire a career translator or company/professional service of some kind but rather find someone taking individual work thru the fandom/indie creative community

in the future though maybe i'll seriously look into this, or see if any of my friends on that side of the fandom know about anyone who might be interested in working with me on this...