I’m a fan translator currently part of gg fansubs, UTW Fansubs, and a bunch of other groups on a per-project basis. This blog was created in an effort to reduce the language and cultural barriers in anime by providing further information for shows that I translate, and to help you select subtitles that would preserve what is actually being said in anime. I will also provide in-depth analysis of each scenes for shows like Mawaru Penguindrum, and speculations for original shows like Ano Natsu de Matteru, so read these as you finish watching each episode!
I grew up in Japan, and I was fluent by the time I left the country. I loved Japanese music and TV shows, and that was how I managed to retain and continue to build my Japanese vocabulary over time.
By 2005, I was starting to get concerned about forgetting the language because it was getting harder and harder to absorb new terms. At the same time, there was a live-action dorama series that I really liked, but wasn’t being translated by any of the (only handful of) fansub groups and independent fansubbers around at the time for dorama. I took the opportunity to become a fansubber myself, and the rest, as they say, is history. Back in the day, I did translation, timing, typesetting, QC, and encoding all by myself… the only help I got was editing, which you couldn’t really do by yourself.
Over the last 6 years, I have translated an estimated 140 hours of J-E fansub video playback time in dorama, film, music, anime, and written over a hundred Japanese movie reviews and anime reviews. I am working once again as freelance translator for agencies and independent clients with business document translations.
Anime has been my obsession for the past 3 years, and I have been translating 2D-video since the Winter 2010 season. I tend to have a mainstream taste, but I’m not afraid to speak out against the majority. You may have already read some of my film and anime reviews, and I know I come across very opinionated at times… I’m just very passionate about anime and Japanese movies. I can be very outspoken about fansubbing as well, but I know what I’m talking about (most of the time~) when I criticize other translators.
Somewhat “serious” or “sentimental” series usually get my attention. You can expect to see me picking more series like it in the future if I can continue to translate. I am usually extremely picky when it comes to selecting which series to translate, but I definitely will try to finish what I have started, unless it’s agreed in advance that I would only translate a few episodes.
[...] I started fansubbing to maintain my Japanese skills, but I pretty much fansub now because it’s something that I enjoy, and I like sharing anime [...]
Hey 8thsin, I’m a big fan of your work! I study your fasubs and will work hard to become as good as you someday, hopefully.
Posted by Maggie Cheng | September 8, 2011, 1:25 amGreetings, 8thSin!
I watched Cafe Isobe thanks to you!
Really appreciate your work.
I’m interested discussing a collaboration with you.
Can we please talk more through email so I can let you in on the details?
Posted by Mechoshira | March 30, 2012, 1:18 pm