Comparing Official Translation and Scanlation in Manhwa: A comparative study of Omniscient Reader

This thesis forms a comparative study of the manhwa Omniscient Reader, the original web novel is by singNsong, it was adapted by UMI, and the art is done by Sleepy-C. The manhwa received an official English translation in 2020 and is currently available on WEBTOON. The main goal is to compare the official translation to a fan-made translation (also referred to as scanlation) in order to find out what differences exist between the two works, and how these differences came to be. The translations were compared and marked based on eight categories: general translation strategies and procedures, background text, honorifics, translator’s notes, taboo / swearing, mistranslations, cultural terms, onomatopoeia and mimetic expressions, and other. Examples in each category were analysed, then discussed to find out why the target texts differ. The results showed that the translation differences come down to translation ideologies (literal versus natural, preserve culture versus accessibility),...Show moreThis thesis forms a comparative study of the manhwa Omniscient Reader, the original web novel is by singNsong, it was adapted by UMI, and the art is done by Sleepy-C. The manhwa received an official English translation in 2020 and is currently available on WEBTOON. The main goal is to compare the official translation to a fan-made translation (also referred to as scanlation) in order to find out what differences exist between the two works, and how these differences came to be. The translations were compared and marked based on eight categories: general translation strategies and procedures, background text, honorifics, translator’s notes, taboo / swearing, mistranslations, cultural terms, onomatopoeia and mimetic expressions, and other. Examples in each category were analysed, then discussed to find out why the target texts differ. The results showed that the translation differences come down to translation ideologies (literal versus natural, preserve culture versus accessibility), target audience considerations, and institutional differences. The professional translation leaned towards a domesticated approach, and can be described as a polished and natural translation, but with a lack of cultural preservation in favour of market reach. The scanlation aimed for foreignization, and can be described as culturally rich and ‘for fans by fans,’ but contains more mistranslations and errors.Show less

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Comparing Official Translation and Scanlation in Manhwa: A comparative study of Omniscient Reader