Ninetales · Fusion Strike (FST) #031

2 comments

1. 

   Jiří z Poděbrad

   (2 years ago)

   Tying into the conversation over on Rapid Strike Kangaskhan…. I wonder if this card has the longest-named –Ability–??

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2. 

   Ambassador

   (2 years ago)

   The original name of this LOT Vulpix‘s Ability, Secret Alleyway, is ひみつのうらみち [𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐍𝐎 𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈],
   and this card’s Ability, Byway of the Nine-Tailed Fox, is originally きゅうびのうらみち [𝐊𝐘𝐔𝐁𝐈 𝐍𝐎 𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈].

   I think there’s a number of interesting comments and divergences I could make here, but I just want to briefly touch on something I feel got lost in translation. It’s probably already obvious, but the decision to translate うらみち [𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈] as Alleyway here and “Byway” on Ninetales makes it less obvious the two Abilities are “related” to each other. I don’t know which translation is better, and I think it’s a bit context-dependent¹, but I suspect the main reason for the change in translation is because there might not be enough room to fit “Alleyway” onto the card.

   ¹ I’ll allow myself a divergence here to ramble about the translation of うらみち [𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈], which could be translated as anything from “back path”, “secret route”, “back way” – here “way” has a dual meaning not unlike how it does in English, so either back path/route, or back[handed?] method. The kanji of uramichi [裏道] can give you the broader idea;
   · 裏 – back, amidst, in, reverse, inside, palm, sole, rear, lining, wrong side..
   · 道 – road-way, street, district, journey, course, moral, teachings…
   What you might notice is that there is already an implied sense of secrecy/obscurity in うらみち [𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈] even before we get to LOT Vulpix’s more explicit qualification of it as “Secret” – which is a typical translation of ひみつ [𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐔]. In other words, ひみつのうらみち [𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐍𝐎 𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈] is almost a redundant phrase – “Secret Thing [which is in and of itself implicitly secret]”.

   So if you’re following where I’m headed, you might be surprised to find out I’m sympathetic with the idea of translating the the うらみち in Ninetales’ きゅうびのうらみち differently from the うらみち in Vulpix’s ひみつのうらみち. Ninetales’ URAMICHI doesn’t have a “redundant” qualifier of being a secret, and on its own nothing about an “Alleyway” necessarily suggests it’s secret. On the other hand, byway *does* have an implicit sense of secrecy to it – dictionary.com currently defines the word as follows;

   1. a secluded, private, or obscure road.
   2. a subsidiary or obscure field of research, endeavor, etc.

   So while the search to find an alternate translation for うらみち [𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈] was probably borne from necessity, they ended up stumbling on a better word. Still, I think consistency is important …but to spare the reader a post that is 10 times longer than it currently is, I’d suggest it’s still early enough to consider a precedent to have not yet been set in stone – stick with “byway” for うらみち [𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈] from now on (so that if LOT Vulpix’s Ability ever shows up again, it should be translated as Secret Byway, rather than flip-flopping on it).

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