Every year on September 30, on the feast of St. Jerome (considered the patron saint of translators), we celebrate International Translation Day to show our appreciation for translators worldwide! It is especially important to us to say a huge “THANK YOU!” to our own translators who make anime accessible to so many people and help shape the industry. Without these hardworking people, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy anime the way we do today!
So here’s a chance to get to know the wonderful folks who translate our shows! The International Federation of Translators’ theme for this year is “The Changing Face of Translation and Interpreting,” so that’s the theme for their bios, too. Take a moment to leave a kind word or show your appreciation!
*Please note that since many of our translators are contract workers, some of the titles they have listed below are ones they have worked on outside of FUNimation projects.
Name: Nora Stevens Heath
Year I started translating professionally: 1999
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: The Internet, by leaps and bounds! No amount of dictionaries and other offline resources could hope to provide as much in-depth and niche info on so many aspects of the things I translate–and so quickly. Online communities of devoted fans can be a real boon, too.
My favorite old-school anime: Urusei Yatsura
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: Assassination Classroom
Name: Duane Johnson
Year I started translating professionally: 2001
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: The biggest differences are technological. Communication with clients around the globe has become faster and easier, and turnaround times have decreased since fewer physical materials have to be shipped. This has brought with it a number of challenges, for example the hectic pace and narrative uncertainties of simulcasts. It’s also introduced new modes of translation work, such as machine translation post-editing. There are pros and cons to any major change, but overall I’d say the onward march of technology has helped the art and industry of translation more than it’s hurt.
My favorite old-school anime: Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: I’d have to give this to Genshiken. While the original TV series is over a decade old, all the sequels fit the criteria, so I’d say that as a whole, it technically counts.
Name: Jo-Ann Lieu
Year I started translating professionally: 2015
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: Since I’ve started translating, I’ve noticed more captions, even when I’m watching a show for fun.
My favorite old-school anime: Digimon Adventure 02
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: Shirokuma Cafe (Polar Bear’s Cafe)
Name: Nita Lieu
Year I started translating professionally: 2008
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: My brain is on a simulcast schedule now…
My favorite old-school anime: Cardcaptor Sakura
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: It’s a toss-up between Ouran High School Host Club and Princess Jellyfish.
Name: Sarah Alys Lindholm
Year I started translating professionally: 2003
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: Simulcasts have changed everything. Before, I could watch an entire series (or at least a good chunk of it) before translating, which allowed me to come up with very nuanced solutions to problems. Now it’s all about finding ways to dodge the problems waiting for me six weeks from now that I don’t even know about yet.
My favorite old-school anime: Revolutionary Girl Utena
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: I guess I have a favorite timeslot rather than show–I love the noitaminA block.
Name: Angela Tamae Liu
Year I started translating professionally: 2007
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: When I first started I was so worried about translating everything literally. I was always worried someone would point out, “Hey! That’s not what the character technically said!” I thought that any deviation from the original sentence would mean I was a bad translator. Now I focus mostly on getting the idea across and having the conversations make sense. I still struggle a lot, but I am happy with the way I am developing.
My favorite old-school anime: Yu Yu Hakusho
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: This may be cheating because the first episode aired in 1999, but One Piece, because I still keep up with it and often have it on loop from episode 1 on Hulu.
Name: Clyde Mandelin
Year I started translating professionally: 2002
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: My earliest work was done with VCRs and VHS tapes – it sure was unwieldy! Now everything is digital and computer-based. It’s like living in the future, but without the space zombies and giant spider mechs.
My favorite old-school anime: Berserk, Dragon Ball, Shin-chan, Outlaw Star
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: Rage of Bahamut Genesis, Soukou no Strain
Name: Masako Ollivier
Year I started translating professionally: 2003
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: Because of the Internet, it’s a lot easier to find hints and answers when I don’t understand a reference.
My favorite old-school anime: The Story of Perrine
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: PSYCHO-PASS
Name: Nobuaki Taguchi
Year I started translating professionally: 2007
What’s changed about being a translator since I started: Back in 2007, I was a localization producer at a major gaming publisher. I worked on a plethora of video games, but moving on to anime translation has shed a new light on the challenges of handling translations for timely anime broadcasts. Both anime and video games have their difficulties, but each day of translation is a learning experience for me, so I guess in that sense, nothing really changed?
My favorite old-school anime: Dr. Slump
My favorite anime from the past 10 years: Too many to list, but if I had to choose one, Black Lagoon (close runner-up – Ushio to Tora, honorable mention – Barakamon, guilty pleasure – Diebuster).
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your hard work!
