#novel translations

[witchhuntress]

I will get back to translating the new Orphen novel vol 1 too. I’ve been meaning to get back to it.

Something funny about the official translations from manga to the recent novel ones is that they could not just agree on one spelling of Cleao’s name TT I think, however, “Cleao” is the most accurate if we romanize it. In the Orphen Encyclopedia tho, they spelled it as “Creao,” so yeah that’s good too. Majic is still Majic as intended.

[ffcrazy15]

Someone needs to do an analysis on the way the Kung Fu Panda movies use old-fashioned vs. modern language ("Panda we meet at last"/"Hey how's it going") and old-fashioned vs. modern settings (forbidden-city-esque palaces/modern-ish Chinese restaurant) to indicate class differences in their characters, and how those class differences create underlying tensions and misunderstandings.

[intothedreamverse]

White Nights, Fyodor Dostoevsky

[guzhufuren]

gay poor little meow meow confirmed (pt. 2/?)

Uncensored wuxia BL Meet You At The Blossom (2024)

[dbs-scans]

Narisokonai Snow White / Not Quite Snow White — English Translation

Links: download // website

Plot Synopsis

Long ago, in a country named Engelland, there lived a beautiful — yet somewhat selfish and narcissistic — princess.

"Hey Esterio! Who's the fairest of them all?"

"That would be you, Princess."

The princess was the prettiest girl in all the kingdom, so she was adored by all...

...until one fateful day, when her father, the king, announced his remarriage. His new stepdaughter, Princess Nocsia, was much more beautiful than the other princess—both inside, and out.

"H-hey, Esterio... Who's the fairest of them all...?"

"That would be..."

This is the story of a selfish princess and her servant, who is as honest as the reflection of a mirror.

Characters

What is this?

Long, long ago, in February of 2011, AidaIro (under the pseudonyms Tokuna and Hano) released a visual novel game, and our team has finally translated it for English-speaking audiences to enjoy!

We'll spare you the details. It's best to go into this as blind as possible! We hope you like it. 🍎

[arrothededushka]

for @littlekhada ☕️

[unproduciblesmackdown]

Lackadaisy Enrichment

[mxtxfanatic]

While flipping through mdzs to verify some stray thoughts of mine, I happened to fall into a translation discrepancy that I feel really, really emphasizes how important it is to have a proper grasp on the language you are translating before translating for a public audience.

Now before we get too deep into this, I want to reiterate that I am someone who does not understand Mandarin in any form but has been reading translations (both by humans and machines) for a few years now. However, because I have been reading translations that tend to follow the Mandarin more closely in grammar and because I haven't shied away from reading machine-made or bad human translations, I have noticed some places where mistranslations from Mandarin to English are common: pronouns, verb-subject matching, negatives, prepositions, and conjunctions. For this post, we will be focusing on the latter two.

In the lead-up to the Wen invasion of Lotus Pier, we are given a scene where Madam Yu whips Wei Wuxian, and in this scene, we are given a glimpse as to Madam Yu's average punishments towards the young ward.

While Madam Yu always pelted him with hostile words, she’d never really hit him hard before—two or three lashes at most, or being made to kneel or confined indoors, and it never took Jiang Fengmian long to release him from that.

—Vol. 3, Chapt. 12: Sandu: The Three Poisons, 7seas

In the past, although Madam Yu had always come at him with harsh words, she had never truly been cruel to him. The most that he’d been through were two or three strikes and being grounded. He’d also be let out by Jiang FengMian soon later.

—Chapt. 57: Poisons, exr

Reading these back-to-back, it should be very clear that though the same section is being translated from the same exact source, these translations do not say the same thing. The official stresses that Madam Yu had never hit Wei Wuxian "that hard" before, as well as saying that his punishments were a few lashes OR being made to kneel OR being confined, three separate punishments never taken together according to this diction. The exr translation, however, states that Madam Yu had "never truly been cruel to him" (emphasis mine) and that him being whipped was in addition to being confined. The emphasis on the strength of her lashings is absent, but an emphasis on the intent behind her actions—that she never meant to be honestly cruel to her ward—is established in its stead. (While this section as translated by exr does not mention kneeling, later scenes reflecting on Wei Wuxian's childhood in Lotus Pier do.)

Both of these translations... are wrong.

If we give exr the benefit of the doubt by virtue of being the original completed English translation of mdzs, then the official 7seas release should automatically raise red flags for the ways it seems to directly contradict the narrative that has existed for a few years before the novel was licensed. It doesn't help that the official has been riddled with many mistranslations and omissions from the very first volume, lowering any credibility it would otherwise have to stand on. But if we were to examine the rest of the exr translation, then the emphasis on Madam Yu's intent also rings false given the fact that we are told over and over again in this same translation that 1) Madam Yu is, in fact, unnecessarily, illogically, and erratically mean-spirited and cruel, and 2) Wei Wuxian knows this even at this time in his life (shoutout to the Lotus Pod Seeds extra) and understands her actions as targeted cruelty. What does the actual text say, then?

Although Madam Yu always spoke ill of him before, her hand had never been this viciously cruel. At most, she whipped him two or three times and ordered him to kneel down and be confined to his room, and he would be released by Jiang Fengmian sometime later.

—@jiangwanyinscatmom (emphasis mine)

Madam Yu has never been "as cruel" as in that moment when whipping Wei Wuxian, because normally she only whips him 2-3 times. She would whip him a few times and send him to the ancestral hall to kneel and be in confinement, which matches up to the memories that Wei Wuxian reflects on in other parts of the novel. This translation gets rid of the character inconsistencies that the other two translations create. So how did we get here? Remember how I pointed out those common Mandarin-to-English translation mistakes? Well, both the exr and 7seas translations fall into the trap of confusing conjunctions and prepositions. That's how we get a list of punishments rather than an order of events for a singular punishment type. That's how we get "not truly cruel" instead of "not as cruel." That's how we get these sections contradicting what we know about Madam Yu's personality and behavior from the rest of the novel through those two translations. Unfortunately, both translation teams just happened to flub in the same area in slightly different ways, and while I'm willing to give a multi-lingual grade-school student translating in their spare time the benefit of the doubt, a paid translator with a translation team hired by a professional publishing house should have better quality control than a spare-time hobbyist.

Also, just in case anyone wants more proof on what mxtx meant for us to take away about Madam Yu's treatment of Wei Wuxian from this scene, it was also apparently so important to mxtx for readers to know that Madam Yu was truly cruel to Wei Wuxian during his childhood that the act of her routinely whipping him whenever he was in her presence was something that was added into the revised mdzs. It was not in the original unedited version of the novel.

In the past, although Lady Yu always insulted or patronized him, she never laid a hand on him. At worst, she’d make him kneel for prolonged periods of time, but he’d always get bailed out by Jiang FengMian after a while.

—Chapt. 57. Act 12: Sandu/Three Poisons, Part 2, qinghe-nie

[yingandzhan]

A lot of stuff floating around about the Chinese concept of hun and po souls in reference to MDZS at the moment, as well as the usual stuff concerning WWX's cultivation, yet again.

Very, very brief explanation on hun/po: When a person dies po souls stay with the dead body and eventually go back to the earth. The hun souls go up to the heavens to face retribution and eventual reincarnate.

Firstly, before I continue, this is not the same for all xianxia novels and beliefs around hun and po. But, from what I can see in the Chinese text, MXTX has it that the hun souls that usually go off to eventually reincarnate when someone dies are trapped on the earth and form ghosts/various types of moving corpses when they possess resentment. Hun is mentioned in a number of places and the most compelling evidence I've found is the name of the Gusu Lan's "evocation" song which is aptly named 招魂 (zhāo hún) - this is the song they play when they are trying to contact a restless spirit using a part of it's body or a beloved item.

This shows us that it is not the po souls they are trying to save or suppress, but the hun souls - they are actively trying to help people move on, unless they have to suppress or even destroy them (preventing them from reincarnating ever again) if they refuse to see reason and pose a threat to the living.

WWXs cultivation gives the souls trapped on earth another chance to move on if 'liberation' does not work. Rather than suppressing the soul and prolonging their time trapped on earth or completely destroying them as is the third and final option available to cultivators, he has invented a fourth option - to help the souls use up their resentment (in a safe and controlled manner) that allows them to move on and reincarnate also. WWXs cultivation method is NOT EVIL and does NOT DISRUPT the reincarnation cycle - he's helping the souls that would usually be suppressed or exterminated. He is saving hun souls by using guidao, he is helping them move on and live again where most cultivators would hunt and destroy them instead.

[murasaki-cha]

There is going to be a TCF Audiobook!?!?!

You're telling me I am going to be able to HEAR Cale Henituse coughing up blood!?!?!

It's what I've wanted all my life🥹🥹🥹🥹

[amandamadeathing]

Social media post for Eli Vanto.

Original by @cemeterything

[childrenofcain-if]

We already know how C feels like when an academic rival is flirting with MC, but how different would the scenario be if they were in a will-they-won't-they relationship and saw somebody hitting on MC 👀🤡

C sat rigid in the bar, their jaw clenched so tight it felt like their teeth might shatter. across the room, you were animatedly talking with somebody else. and not just anyone, but an interloper. a crimson (harvard student) of all people. someone who hadn’t spent sleepless nights with your voice echoing in their head. someone who hadn’t memorized the cadence of your breath or the way your lips curved when you said C’s name. it was infuriating. no—suffocating.

it was subtle at first, the way C’s gaze sharpened when that person approached you, a light touch on your arm, the laugh that spilled too easily from your lips. the stranger stood too close, their eyes lingered too long. and then there was C, like a storm gathering at the edge of a summer afternoon.

for a while, C tried to play it cool, to swallow the jealousy curling hot and vicious in their chest, but the knot in their throat tightened, and they couldn’t stop staring. every second stretched longer than the last, their pulse racing, mind clouding over with a thousand thoughts they couldn’t control.

C had been trying to keep a distance. god knows they’ve tried. it felt like gravity itself bent around you, pulling them into your orbit whether they wanted to or not. every stolen glance, every touch that lingered just a second too long—none of it was supposed to matter. but seeing you with someone else, looking so engrossed in the things they were talking about, made something primal and uncontrollable twist inside of C. they’d been teetering on the edge for months, but this—this is way too much.

they sat just far enough away that no one would suspect anything unusual. your laughter rang out, clear and light, the kind of sound that felt like nails being driven into C’s skull. C’s grip on the edge of the table tightened, knuckles pale as they tried to suppress the storm brewing beneath their skin.

the crimson player was touching your arm now, fingers lingering in a way that made C’s jaw clench. they leaned in closer, whispering something that drew another laugh out of you, and it was like a white-hot wire snapping inside of C.

they couldn’t do this. not anymore.

without a second thought, C crossed the room in exactly eight determined strides. you barely had time to react before C was there, hand wrapping firmly around your wrist.

“come with me.”

“what in the— lacroix? wait, i—”

but C wasn’t hearing it. they were already tugging you toward the hallway, away from the party, away from the prying eyes. you struggled for only a second against their surprising strength before deciding to go along, more out of confusion than resistance. C’s grip tightened, the heat of their touch searing through you both.

the second you were both in the narrow corridor by the washroom, C shoved open the door, pushing you inside before closing it with a thud. you were against the wall now, blinking at C with wide eyes, breathing hard.

“what the hell was that back there?” you asked, voice sharp, but your breathless tone gave you away. you weren’t angry. just… thrown off. “you can’t just drag me around—”

“i can’t do this anymore,” C cuts you off, voice low and trembling with frustration, barely held back. “do you know how hard it is to pretend i don’t want you? to act like i haven’t memorized every inch of your being in my mind?”

you froze, caught off guard by the rawness in C’s words, the crack in their voice.

“lacroix…” you began, softer now, unsure.

“i look at you, and i can’t even think straight.” C stepped closer, crowding you against the wall, eyes burning with something close to feral. “being with you, it’s like—like breathing. i never even knew i needed it until now, but i’d die without it. do you understand that?”

you swallowed, chest heaving, your back pressed against the cold tiles of the washroom. the tension was electric, almost vertiginous in its intensity.

“you’re overreacting,” you tried, weakly, your heart hammering in your chest. “we’re just… we’ve been playing this game for so long—”

“game?” C laughed, a humorless, bitter sound that echoed in the small room. “tu penses que c’est un jeu? do you think i’m fucking playing when i look at you and feel like i’m losing my goddamn mind?”

they stepped even closer, until your faces were inches apart, breaths mingling. you could almost taste the raspberry bubblegum on their breath. “do you know how it feels, watching someone else touch you? flirt with you? when all i can think about is how much i want to chop off their fingers?”

“lacroix, you’re being ridiculous—” you tried to keep your voice steady, but it was faltering, breaking under the weight of C’s vehemence.

“i’m being ridiculous?” C’s hand slammed against the sink beside you, their other hand still holding your wrist in a bruising grip. “you’d bewitched me from the moment i laid eyes on you. you haunt me even in my dreams. and i’m supposed to watch someone else try to sweep you away? act like it doesn’t tear me apart?”

your lips parted, but no words came. you could feel the heat radiating off C, their chest rising and falling with barely controlled emotion.

“tell me you don’t feel it,” C murmured, their voice softening but no less desperate. “tell me this doesn’t burn you the way it’s burning me.”

your eyes flicked down to C’s lips, the space between you closing with every breath. you could feel it too—the unbearable pull, the inevitability of it all. but you didn’t know how to respond, didn’t know how to unravel the tangled mess of feelings between you two.

“C…” you whispered their name, your voice barely audible. “i—”

that was all it took for C to surge forward, their lips crashing into yours with a force that took the breath out of you. the kiss was ferocious, messy, all teeth and heat, a collision of mouths that was anything but soft. you gasped as C’s hands slid up to your sides, gripping you like they were afraid you might disappear if they didn’t hold on tight enough.

your fingers tangled in C’s hair, pulling them closer, deeper, giving into the moment. they tasted like sweet raspberries with a hint of alcohol. both of your breaths came fast and hard between kisses, the kind that made everything spin out of control.

the space between you crackled with energy as you kissed like the world was ending, like you’d both been starving for this. C’s hands were everywhere now—on your waist, on your back, in your hair, holding you as though you were something fragile and sacred, but the kiss itself was nothing if not the very definition of sin.

when you finally broke apart, both of you were gasping for air, foreheads pressed together, gaze wild. under the fluorescent lights of the washroom, you could see their chalcedony green eyes turn completely dark.

“i’ve wanted you for so long,” C whispered, their voice wrecked, barely a breath between you. “i’ve wanted you for so long that i don’t even remember what it’s like not to feel like this.”

your chest heaved as you stared at C, lips swollen from the kiss, mind dazed like their kisses were their own brand of drugs.

“i’m done pretending,” C murmured, brushing their thumb along your jaw, voice soft but intense. “i’m done acting like i can live without you.”

your pulse pounded in your ears, your thoughts scattered, and your body still buzzing like crazy. the pure passion with which C was looking at you now was a whole other category of addicting.

“say something,” C urged, their voice raw with a mix of hope and fear. “tell me i’m not alone in this.”

you swallowed, your own voice rough from the weight of everything unsaid between you two. “you’re not, C. i promise.”

that was enough. C’s mouth crashed into yours again, harder this time, more frenzied, like they were trying to make up for all the moments they hadn’t had. your hands bunched up C’s shirt, pulling them closer as the world around you disappeared into a haze of searing heat and hunger.

nothing else mattered anymore.

[otpadsis]

damn he really wants to know

[deadbeatadmirer]

Xue Yang, “They say when Xue Yang attacks, he leaves behind not even the chicken or the dog. Do you have any other misunderstandings as to how clean my work is?”

Jin GuangYao, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard this saying?”

Xue Yang mocked, “So many restrictions. I’m not scared of these people.”

Jin GuangYao, “You’re not, but I am.”

Xue Yang being such an edgy teen and making shit up about himself, meanwhile Jin Guangyao trolling him a little, but overall being "he's so annoying, God bless"

Jin GuangYao coughed, “Daozhang Song, you don’t understand. He… has an odd personality, and he’s still quite young. Please excuse him.”

...can't believe he's successfully pulled "He's literally neurodivergent and a minor" card at SL and XXC

[firstkanaphans]

The Eclipse - English Translation

My translation of The Eclipse novel is finally here! Although I had originally planned to post it on AO3, I have a bad feeling that it's going to get taken down before I can actually finish it, so I’ve decided to post the chapters individually to a Google Drive instead. I’m sorry. I know it’s not ideal, but I will post the finished product on AO3 once I am done, so feel free to wait for that if you would like to!

The whole novel is ~120K words and there are 13 chapters total. Updates should come quickly as the translation is already complete—I simply have to edit it. I will reblog this post with translation notes for each individual chapter every time I update. 

Full disclaimer: I am not a native Thai speaker. I am simply a fangirl doing my best. If I’ve fucked anything up majorly, I do apologize. Just let me know and I will correct it as soon as possible.

Feel free to share the link to the Google drive with other fans privately, but I do ask that you not post the link publicly on any other social media site as I really would like to avoid getting sued. Reblogs are perfectly fine!

If you enjoy my translation, please consider purchasing the Thai version of the novel on Meb to support the original creator.

Link to Google Drive

[lazycranberrydoodles]

chapter 2 - reincarnation (masterpost here)