Join Us! – Japanese -> English Translator

You crazy cat. This is probably the hardest position on Miss Dream, and YOU wanna do it?! Well, if you studied Japanese, goodness knows you are the masochistic type and will fit in just fine ’round these parts. Here’s a brief description of how translations on Miss Dream are done — beware, it’s complicated. Be sure to have a cup of coffee on hand while you read through this.

Print Releases

Anything that is scanned or exists as text on the internet is considered a print release project. Translators who chose to work on print release projects must have a copy of Photoshop 7.0 or higher. Generally speaking, I will e-mail you the raw files you’ll need to translate and an assignment due date. Basically, what you will do is load an image with Japanese text (such as a page of manga) into Photoshop. Using the text tool, you will type in the English translation for a line, and move it to sit on top of the corresponding Japanese text line. If there are any notes you need to include with your translation, please place an asterisk (*) next to the line or word in question, and create an additional text box with the explanation. Our shoopers will find a way to fit it into the page, so don’t worry about covering up art. When you have finished with a page, save it as a .psd file. When you have finished an entire project, please put all of your translated .psd files into a .rar file, and upload it to 2shared.com.

Once you are on the forums (you will need to create a forum account) create a new thread in the “Project Discussion” thread with the title of your project. Post a link to the .rar download from 2shared.com. I will assign the project to a graphical designer and a proof-reader.

Video Releases

This requires a bit of technical know-how. You will need a copy of the freeware program Aegisub. You will need to know how to time lines in the program (basically, you click and drag to “time” a line as it is spoken, and then type in what is being said in the text box). Once you have timed and translated the entire video project, you will send us the completed .ass file and we will edit it for grammar / spelling and typeset it to use our fonts.

You will need to register a forum account, which will we set to give you staff permissions. There is a list of projects we plan to work on, and you can chose from the list as you please, or if you are unsure I can select something for you. From there, we will provide you with an encoded raw version. You’ll load the file into Aegisub, and will need to time and translate it.

Once you’re finished, create a thread in the “Project Discussion” forum with a link to download your completed .ass file. We will check it over to make sure it’s complete, apply any corrections and typesetting, and will then ask you for screen shots to make our translator’s note file from. Essentially, just take a screen shot of the scene in question in Aegisub (right click on video area, select “screen cap”) and write an explanation of the note. .Zip up all of the screen caps and a notepad file with your translator’s notes, and send them along to us with an .mp3 of your choice and we’ll create the video file for you, along with all of the proper credits and so forth.

Providing Credentials

Unlike most other fansubbing projects, we do require that all of our translators hold some kind of professional certification of proficiency in Japanese language, and are fluent speakers of English. Proof of credentials may include a copy of your college transcripts (with your last name screened out for privacy) to verify you have successfully passed and completed at least three years of Japanese language, preferably with at least one extra semester of a 400-level advanced Japanese course. Another proof of credential would be a passing certificate for the JLPT level 2 or 2kyuu examination. Copies of diplomas or certificates obtained during study abroad may also be substituted for evidence of proficiency in Japanese language. If you do not have these forms of proof available, we can administer a mock Japanese proficiency test to you and upon passing we will add you to staff.

We’re pretty strict about who we let translate since the Sailor Moon fandom is already riddled with sub-par translations. Therefore, we do not accept students who are currently studying Japanese as translators. As students you are going to make mistakes — and that’s fine in the classroom. At Miss Dream we strive for translation excellence, and our team of translators does not have the time to oversee and correct student translations.

What to Expect

The workload at Miss Dream can be pretty intense. Standard video projects are 2 hour long musicals. Standard print media projects range anywhere from 5 to 100 pages. Depending on the style of project you chose (print media or video), you can be given anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to complete a particular piece. The work is technical, difficult, and confusing. Often times the video media lines are garbled and unclear, and the print media raws have difficult to decipher kanji. Therefore, a good working knowledge of Japanese is indispensable to you as a translator for these kinds of assignments. One of the main reasons Sailor Moon has yet to be properly translated into English is because the Japanese language involved in many of its releases is much more difficult to decipher than other anime / manga series. Be prepared to deal with a lot of stuff that doesn’t make sense, especially if you opt to translate lyrics.

Still Wanna Join?!

Please send an e-mail to sassypants678 ([email protected]) with the following:

1) Copies of your proficiency certifications (or request for our mock proficiency test)
2) Your forum username
3) A brief description of your experience in Japanese -> English translation
4) How much time you have each week to devote to working on Miss Dream projects
5) Would you prefer to do print media or video media releases? Would you like to do both?
6) How would you like to be credited? Staff biography, mention in contributors list, or anonymous?

Good luck! Translators who are accepted to our team will be notified by us via e-mail. Thanks for applying!

    Name

    Email address

    Desired staff forum username

    How much time you have each week to devote to working on Miss Dream projects?

    Which type of media do you prefer to work on (check all that apply)?

    How would you like to be credited?

    A brief description of your experience in Japanese to English translation

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