fractured

not necessarily sane

[fracturedvu]

Status: I DESPAIR

What is it that convinces translators that they can change the text however they want.

I'm not talking about pure fidelity of translation.

- I don't care WHICH shade of blue as long as it's BLUE.

- Wording can change to fit a different language.

- Things will shift around because sometimes language you're translating into just... Does Not Work Like That.

- Sometimes you REALLY have no choice but to add So Much Text when trying to convey the original meaning.

I can forgive a Penguin English translator for using the WRONG Type of Wood in a room description in The Count of Monte Cristo (I went and checked text in original French and Translation Was WRONG). I wouldn't normally care maybe. Except I've read that same passage in a different language and remembered There Was Different Type of Wood For Sure. I can forgive this. I Will Not Approve, but I can forgive.

THE SINS, THOUGH.

NO.

NO FORGIVENESS.

Translation out of context. Translator, you clearly cannot possibly check against your own translation which you have in front of you. Absolutely not.

Wrong attributions. Translator, this does Not relate to This Person, literally Somebody Else is speaking/acting/whatever here. You said so in the previous sentence, or even sometimes in Previous Phrase in This Very Same Sentence. What the actual hell. Do you not read your own words.

Hey, translator, why do you mention this other person who Isn't Even There, No, Not Even In Context, Any Context. Please check the literal original text you are translating AND your own translation as well.

Translator, I do indeed care about the Correct Pronouns. Why does this person keeps changing gender when they only ever refer to themselves as one. (excluding everyone non-binary for this one bc that's a whole other can of worms, and heavily depends on a language, and is also A Problem often heavily compounded by Truly Terrible Translation Choices)

Yes, some things can be mitigated by a good editor. But I feel like not being able to translate 2 consecutive sentences is Actually A Problem. And adding something that does not exist even in the most removed context is certainly A Terrible Horrible Choice.

I will definitely include my Many - SO MANY - grievances in my book reviews. I WILL TELL ALL.

You do not get to sell me a Horrible Product when I know It Is All YOUR Fault!

I know for a fact that the original is So Much Better than this Vile Thing you put out. Because I've read several translations in other languages and They Were So Much Better than yours!

The worst part is, I was thrilled to find a local translation of a something I adore! And it turned out to be A Horror! Because translator could not be bothered to consult the source and their own translated text! Because editor -if there was one, I really fucking hope there's at least one- apparently could not be bothered to do their job.!

I'm disappointed and disillusioned and disheartened. I know for a fact that Language is Hard. But hot damn, you people signed up to deliver stories from other languages. You had One Job and you failed so hard.

The worst part is that I'm no longer inclined to support these publishers because of this. Because a bad translation is so much worse than none - it's ruined reputation and lost sales.

[catchymemes]

[sunderwight]

Shen Yuan who transmigrates into what seems to be a fairly standard and generic isekai harem story (not one he's familiar with), and yet every time it seems like he might add a waifu to his harem, things veer off at the last minute and she either leaves or gets paired up with someone else.

Ning Yingying, initially reluctantly betrothed to him? Yeah she doesn't actually warm up to the idea of marrying him, even after they become friends, and still breaks off the engagement when he arranges the option for her instead of insisting that she's fallen in love with him.

Liu Mingyan and Sha Hualing fight over him? You'd think that would mean they both want him, but if he's not around they'll just pick another guy to fight over instead. He's starting to think it might not even be about the man at all!

Little Palace Mistress, stuck in her unwanted betrothal to Gongyi Xiao? Actually she warms up to her betrothed when Shen Yuan gets involved and ends up inviting him to the wedding, instead of dumping Gongyi Xiao to pine after him.

Qiu Haitang, who claims he's a dead-ringer for her long-lost fiance? Actually seems to genuinely not like him because of it! Not even in a tsundere way!

It's starting to hurt Shen Yuan's self-esteem a little, honestly. Not that he wants all these women necessarily but he knows the tropes, he can see quite plainly that he's in a situation where he should be building a harem, and yet for some reason it's just not coming together. The problem must be him, but he's also read/watched enough isekai to know that even some pretty rancid guys manage to accumulate harems. He doesn't think he's so bad that he should be failing this utterly! Is he?

He'd ask his good male friends (which he has accumulated many of on his journey, having helped a lot of them with their various problems, quests, emotional difficulties, revenge arcs or mysteries) what they think, but he has no idea how to frame the question without sounding either insane or utterly egotistical.

[sunderwight]

#oh my god he would... 3 seasons and a movie before he clues in for real#He picked up Binghe early on after stopping some other teens from messing with the boy and giving him medicine.#listened so kindly to Binghes woes & helped him make a gravemarker for his adoptive mother? give or take a few headpats and binghe was sold#Saved Liu Qingge and acquired a life-debt. Also unaware of his feelings but just needs to know that SY is safe and likes being around him :#Yue Qingyuan also thinks hes a dead-ringer for his childhood friend and isn't entirely convinced SY isn't just him happy with amnesia#Even LPM's betrothed warmed up faster to Shen Yuan than she did! Shen Yuan is so confused (GYX is also confused. for sexuality reasons)#SQH joined#and got close with sy FAST. but also whatever they have going on is arguably worse for it. SQH is debating if he can pull of#a threesome with SY#himself and the big hot royal ice demon#zzl is a given. TLJ might be a character that pops in every dozen episodes to shoot his shot#and through all of this SY hasn't quite clued in to how devoted and very male his whole party is#Shen Yuan worrying aloud if he's really that undesirable and pathetic and theres just a small hoard behind him like... hes joking right?#honestly its giving My Next Life as a Villainess in that all the boys are fighting over him and he hasn't noticed and is like#'oh no this isn't following the script! I don't really even want a harem really but thats why I'm here isn't it?'#absolutely hilarious (peer reviewed tags by @thesadisticsiren)

[maidenvault]

Not “Only my reading of canon is correct” or “Interpretations are subjective and all valid” but a secret third thing, “More than one interpretation can be valid but there’s a reason your English teacher had you cite quotes and examples in your papers, you have to have a strong argument that your interpretation is actually supported by the text or it is just wrong and I’m fine with telling you it’s wrong, actually.”

[mooncustafer]

If the text says the curtains are blue you can argue about what that means; but if you’re going to claim they’re actually yellow you’d better have a really good argument.

[xwilltruman]

i know the curtains better than the author. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[maidenvault]

Fandom has such unresolved mommy/daddy issues about authors. If you apply a little reading comprehension skills to my original post you’ll see I didn’t say anything at all about the author. You guys always make “interpretation” about your beef with the author. You’re all obsessed with the author. This post is just about deciphering what is there in canon. Figuring out what is being communicated by the canon itself with all the words and images and basic formal elements that are there in canon. That’s all it’s about. It really doesn’t matter if the author intentionally put all those things there in a pattern that might support the idea that this one character’s queer. That’s not what this is about. What matters is if you can compellingly argue there’s a pattern of evidence there. Or not. Everyone is conspiring together to make me go insane still adding shit about authorial intent on my post.

[sindar-princeling]

(it's still July 29th somewhere)

[dubiousculturalartifact]

The new Odyssey adaptation has inevitably gotten people talking about a Muppet version of it, and they’re frequently suggesting Kermit as Odysseus, Miss Piggy as Penelope.

I’m sorry but that’s thinking way too small, hear me out:

We need to have Miss Piggy as Odysseus, and Kermit as Penelope.

Think about it… who’s the more fickle, prideful, warlike one in that relationship? Who is absolutely ready to go ham, at a moment’s notice?

It ain’t Kermit

[anyroads]

Miss Piggy tied to the mast while Statler and Waldorf heckle her from the sea

[aetherograph]

Given Miss Piggy being who she is I think the sirens are just. Advertising chocolate, jewellery, and luxury goods.

[norcumii]

Meanwhile Kermit's back in Ithaca, organizing a talent show/contest to judge the merits of his suitors, only to sabatoge them each night so the next day is a disaster....

[strombolicious]

[teathattast]

reblog to do this w your mutuals

[alleesaur]

[ ArtFight 2026 ] [8] Doomsday Fih

for aafish

[shamesonlydaughter]

it doesn’t have to be good it just has to be done

[fiyero3305]

The phrase "They don't want it perfect, they want it Friday" does wonders for my productivity.

[blueindeed]

I tell this story all the time but I'll tell it again! When I taught kindergarten full time, we had a working bee one weekend where we did a bunch of gardening/landscaping in the outdoor area. One of the dads put up a bit of fencing, then stood back and had a look, kind of frowning like he wasn't sure. His wife then came along, and the following conversation ensued:

Wife: GETMO? Husband: (after a moment, with a sigh) Yeah, GETMO. Me: GETMO? Wife and husband, in perfect unison: Good Enough To Move On

Absolutely LIFE CHANGING acronym, friends and enemies.

[ckret2]

would you look at that, fandom.com has started adding completely content-blocking popups to their page that totally prevent you from using the site unless you turn ad block off.

it sure would be a shame if people went to their URL bar and typed "anti" in front of "fandom.com" in order to go to the antifandom.com mirror of the page they were trying to reach, which shows all the same content but without any ads,

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[lostsometime]

ok sorry to double reblog BUT I just looked him up and he does these fantastic videos where he breaks down HOW he actually mimics the other artists’ styles. Like for ed Sheeran, he explains how he brings his voice forward in the mouth, while Adam Levine sings in the back of the mouth, stuff like that. It’s SO COOL, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone actually break down how to do this sort of thing, as a skill, instead of just treating it like a neat trick they just happen to be good at. https://www.tiktok.com/@justinjmooremusic

Check him out he’s so cool

[elljayvee]

I'm impressed at how quickly he's shifting where he's singing. I sure as hell can't.

[luna-azzurra]

Something neuroscience-y that helps with prose: attention is selective. A character will not notice everything in a room. They will notice what matters to their goal, fear, desire, training, wound, or obsession. A jealous character notices hands. a hungry character notices food. A soldier notices exits. A lonely character notices pairs. Description becomes character when attention has a bias.

[captainhaterade]

Found this on instagram and now I’m gonna be singing it all day:

(@thepacificpals on insta)

[luna-azzurra]

The thing about a good character flaw is that it has to be the same thing as their greatest strength just turned up too high. the person who loves deeply and therefore controls. the person who sees everything and therefore trusts nothing. the person who is so loyal they lose themselves. there are no clean villains and no clean heroes and once you understand that in fiction you can't unsee it in people. everyone is just their best quality at the wrong volume.

[alphacrone]

i don't really want to weight in on the "using big words in your writing is ableist" discourse happening on tiktok because i'm like 90% certain it's an anti-intellectual psyop to stir up drama in online circles to promote the use of ai to summarize literally everything and thus feeding the LLMs and lowering the populace's mistrust of such tools but i also have to say: dictionaries and thesauruses are the most accessible they've ever been. if you use an e-reader of any kind you can look up a word without leaving the page. there's a plethora of online dictionaries and if you just type a word + "meaning" into google it'll usually give you a definition. we used to have pocket dictionaries we used when reading in class. i have two on my shelf right now that i used in high school. stop letting the fascists purposefully misuse anti-ableism rhetoric to trick you into never thinking again.

[herpsandbirds]

Indian Courser (Cursorius coromandelicus), parents and chick, family Glareolidae, order Charadriiformes, Bhigwan Grasslands, Maharashtra, India

photograph by Shiva Kumar

[sleepnoises]

boyfriend's quail photos have reached perhaps a lifetime peak today