Idolm@ster Manga, Chapter 2

Got a text translation of the second stage. I might go and edit it later, but for now, here it is.

http://rapidshare.com/files/425462022/_Hinata_Yaya__The_Idolmaster_-_Chapter_2.txt

Why am I using RapidShare? Well... I don't know. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

I should probably talk a bit about the sort of translation this is, though. I generally don't like word-for-word translation, especially from Japanese, because everything really starts sounding stiff, and just by the limited wording you can get with such a translation, it really looks like you're pulling stuff from a dictionary. Add to this the fact that most online dictionaries use the same base... and with this stuff, nine times out of ten, I can tell when someone's using the same dictionary I am.

If you've ever played the English edition of BlazBlue, though, I find the translation of that very amusing. I think they go overboard at times, but the fact remains, I just like reading it. It's fun.

So, I take a few liberties here and there, and stick in some references because I can't help myself at times. It's not like I like throwing away the meaning behind what they're saying, though... I mean, every sentence is comes from some sort of thought, and so sometimes, you gotta get down to that thought so you can translate what someone means. But you have to do it in such a way that it would make sense, if it were worded in English by a native English speaker to begin with. The only problem is that everyone is going to interpret what that thought is differently, so it's inevitable that someone might disagree with a few points. I don't mind this, though.

There are right translations and wrong translations, and some translations are more right than others, but there is hardly any single best translation. In fact, what makes one translation better than another, when you get to a certain point, is going to vary from person to person.

And just for fun, try to spot the references I throw in. ^^;