It's break week, so it's time for volume 2 of the One Piece Rewrite Project. I've found a way to convert both this volume and volume 1 into a useable HTML format that mostly keeps the formatting useable. It's not perfect - I'd love for those indents to be consistent - but it should be a lot more accessible. PDF versions are still available though.
Read volume 2 here!
One of the big challenges for this volume is Buggy. Not only do we have to dance around a lot of nose related puns and sound-alikes that do not translate at all, he has this Japanese catch phrase often translated as flashy, showy or gaudy, that he uses in a bunch of ways that are either awkward or nonsensical when translated directly.
After a lot of thought and some research, I came to "extravaganza." It's a great word for a circus poster or playing up an act, fitting right into Buggy's theming. Can't you just hear a booming ringmaster voice drawing out the x and rolling the r? And it can morph to extravagant, if we need someone to get killed extravagantly, or if he wants to lay claim to all the most extravagant treasures in the world, or if he needs to bemoan 'oh the extravagance of it all' when he feels mistreated.
I also had a fun time researching some historic circus and carny slang to flavour his dialogue with. Flavour can be a fine line to walk when it comes to adapting translations. You don't want to feel like you're taking too much liberty or adding too many of your own ideas, but you also don't want to be so direct that every character has the same vocabulary and voice. I kinda figure choices like these compensate for information being lost in translation. Japanese has synonyms just the same as English does, and synonymous words build up subtly different connotations and feelings over time. How much do we miss out on because two Japanese synonyms have the same direct translation that's used without enough thought to the tone? I don't change the information being presented, just the choice of words that lead that info.
The important stuff in a Luffy bubble has to come through in short, simple and direct terms as much as possible; while Nami's parts should remain casual, but have access to a larger vocab and more complex terms (especially where seafaring and the weather are concerned) so they scan as properly educated relative to each other. And in the same vein, Buggy gets a little bit of carnival slang and turns of phrase that originate in traveling circuses to make sure his words stand out.
Enjoy reading if you feel inclined to check it out.