Swear words in Subs

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Swear words in Subs

Post by takenoko »

Just a reply to a fan who wrote in with concerns about the use of swear words in our subs:
>First off, let me say thanks for subbing all those Kamen Rider episodes; I've really enjoyed them, and I've started sharing them with my kids, who love the shows, too.

You're welcome man, glad the whole family is enjoying it. Sorry about the late reply, September has been a tough month for me.

>Which brings me to my concern; what's up with the harsh language? Isn't Kamen Rider a kids' show? The occasional "bastard" or "damn" doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but are they actually using words like "shit" or even "fuck" in a show designed for children and shown at 8 AM?

Rider is aimed at teens, so that might explain it. I mean the subject matter can range from death to torture to other things. The other thing is, I feel like swear words are the same thing in Japan as it is in America.

>Maybe I'm just a wet blanket killjoy or whatever, but I'd just ask that you consider that part of your audience isn't adult, and maybe reconsider some of those translation choices.

I think it's always best to translate in a way to best fit the context of the scene. Rest assured, when we use swear words, they aren't added in arbitrarily.


>I understand that this is a labor of love for you guys, but please spare a thought for the next generation of fans.

I appreciate your concern, but am afraid I don't agree. Call it differences in parenting styles.

Again, sorry about not being able to help with your request, but I hope you can understand my position as a writer and artist.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by Runba »

the show isnt aimed for teens sadly. It is for children. It comes on the sunday 8am time slot, which is for kids. They have kids clothing and they market it towards kids. The CMs all have kids in it. I've never seen anyone older a teen on those CMs either.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by wisdomcat »

I think this is more about ethics. Would I want to show this to my kids one day? Sure. But swear words rarely appear in the show. Its really rare. My girlfriend showed Kamen Rider Gaim to her cousins and they didn't mind the swear words. You'll be surprised to what kids these days are tolerated to.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by Skull Rider »

The shows might be targeted for children (for merchandising purpose), but the audience most likely come from all sort of ages. Even there's no bloodshed/bloodbath, people do get killed in this kind of kid show.

And I don't know if swearing are acceptable in Japan culture, but come to think of it, it's been there even in anime or drama. Perhaps it's intended to show how serious the situation that swearing are needed for that scene.

So maybe the translators might want to get the sub as accurate as possible when they do the translation for us to enjoy.

Of course, this is just my opinions.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by Lunagel »

I believe the problem is twofold - First, that the Japanese language itself has very few "bad" words, to the point where some people tend to use English words instead because they are stronger. The words for "shit" or "damn" or "asshole" are never censored on TV and even children's shows have them. In fact, the only words that are actually censored are usually "penis" and "vagina".

Second, there's not really much of a culture of insults. English has a large repertoire of clever or innovative insults such as "douchecanoe" or "asshat" or more complex "The last time I saw a face like yours I fed it a banana." or the ever popular Yo' Mamma jokes. These are all very common on American sitcoms and yet absent from Japanese media. Partially it's because, again, there are few "bad" words, but even when those insults are translated, sometimes the humor in them falls flat because they are not used to it.

Personally I try to steer away from "fuck" in subs, but "shit" and "damn" I think are perfectly usable, especially in tough situations in KR/Sentai. If it's a serious scene, I'm more likely to use stronger language like "shit" but if it's a funny scene? Sure, I'll use "crap" or "poopie". It's not a one-size-fits-all situation.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by archer9234 »

I also find it odd people complain about swear words. But are okay with seeing death torture in KR etc. Weather it's on or off screen. It happens in every episode. If KR/SS were rated R. They show what goes on, in the streets, as the mecha fights the bad guy. Or the buildings they crash into. Wizard's back story. All those people being turned into monsters. They're own bodies were ripped apart, alien style. And what about the monsters? If it weren't for the lack of blood, and age rating limit. Their bodies are being detonated. So You just need to think about it for a few minutes. These characters are killing lifeforms. And some use to be human/friends.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by Catastrophe »

Maybe it's just me, but I don't really mind curse words at all. I know in America people can get pretty upset with language on shows, which is why basic cable is always censored.

I don't mind. I reckon in the heat of the moment that these words would be used in real life would warrant there use.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by mantis »

I don't care for the use of swear words either and I don't see the parallel in comparing parental styles rather a decline in ethical discretion. Taking sentence structure and making it fit is one thing but to throw in a word that really doesn't "exist" is another. Am I surprised at some of the violence that is shown in these programs? Sure. But I find it very distracting when a word pops up that not only doesn't belong but doesn't really serve a purpose other than for possible shock value. You can also look at certain American video games where even though there is violence they do have options for taming language and some sexuality. I think some of the words make sense in shows like Garo but not all Japanese programming that is aimed at an older audience blatantly use swear words - Heyx3! when it was on the air often bleeped swear words as do other variety programs. And to go a bit further American programming, unless paid premium channels, don't use shit or fuck. So really, I do find the usage to be arbitrary.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by Krahn »

I'm kind of have a mixed reaction to this thread. I definitely don't mind the swear words, especially in the context of conveying the emotion properly, which is already hard to do in translating, without limiting yourself. That said, I kind of disagree that it's aimed at teens. While I agree it's demographics are likely slightly older than Super Sentai. The first and second graders I teach all love Kamen Rider, well especially the boys, but by around 5th grade, it becomes hard for me to find even a couple boys who still watch it. I try to bring in Kamen Rider references and it often falls flat, especially so once you get to Junior High. I only have my personal experience to go by, and others may be completely different, but in my area, interest seems to fall off around 10 or 11.

But also consider that while Kamen Rider may not be targeted to Japanese teens. I suspect TV-Nihon's target audience IS teen or above. The two do not have to be the same.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by archer9234 »

Also, you can't except a fan sub group to cater like a full company would. Take the Kamen Rider V3 DVD. It has two subtitle options. One with the light swearing. One without. TN always does a ton a stuff as it is. They have to translate, fix possible mistakes, encode the episode multiple ways. All while it being free. You can't expect them to do two versions of subs. People need to be happy you guys go back and redo shows that come out on BD. Or fix old shows that where done poorly before.
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Re: Swear words in Subs

Post by Bluntasaur »

Forgive my impertinence, but after reading this thread, I feel I should intervene here.

If you wanna keep the swearing in KR, that's fine. It's slightly more mature and there are occasions where you can get away with it. But In my humble opinion, you should at least try to keep it out of sentai. Both it and PR are directly aimed at children, and I don't really think swear words are really appropriate.
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