So… in the short amount of time we’ve been around, we’ve somehow become the Kings of v2. I’d like to set aside some time right now to address that in a good old fashioned Q&A manner.
Q. You suck.
A. That’s not even a question, sir.
Q. You’ve v2’d your last 3/5 releases. Sup?
A. Honestly, they’re all for things that shouldn’t have gotten past us in the first place. Not gonna make excuses.
Q. What’s the deal with that?
A. While a couple of us aren’t exactly new to the rigors of fansubbing, for most of us this is our first time doing weekly series. There are things we need to iron out to get things out fast and good, but I assure you we’re getting there.
Q. So, what now? Gonna drop a show? It’s obvious you can’t handle more than one.
A. What the hell kind of question is that? Of course not. We’ll get our shit straight and get it done right. Might have to bear with us while we get a handle on it, but it will get done.
Q. Well, why should I bother watching your subs?
A. Our motto is to get shit done right and get it done with quality. Unfortunately, as we try to get things out faster than we normally would under other circumstances we’ve been making careless mistakes we wouldn’t make, otherwise. Like I said, we’re working on it.
Q. … That means no more v2’s?
A. We’ve devised a new system that should maximize quality while minimizing the time it takes to get an episode done. I have a pretty hefty calculus expression written out for it. Things should improve from now on. Can’t make any promises that we’ll never v2 again, though.
So, without further ado… a v2. I jinxed it.
DOWNLOAD: [UTW]_Angel_Beats_-_02v2_[h264_720p][EA3C2D28].mkv
DOWNLOAD PATCH: [UTW]_Angel_Beats_-_02v2_Patch.zip
SD version is available for torrent download on the news post below.
v2’s are no big deal (I’ve done them), for me at least since it takes me a few days to watch after I download the v1, but that isn’t important. This new group is made up of knowledgeable and experienced people and has real potential. I thank you, wish you good luck, and look forward to your future releases.
*thumbs up*
I agree with DragoZERO, i have no problems with v2’s so long as they get fixed in the end. Keep it up!
Q. You suck.
A. I agree
Harsh.
I dun understand Jap, so i cant really comment on ur translation but ur subs seem decent enough. Besides u are making the effort to correct ur mistake, that’s what important. Better late than never.
Six other groups are doing Angel Beats, some of which are perfectly adequate in speed and quality. Seriously, drop it and focus on the series that aren’t oversubbed to heaven and back.
6 groups, huh? Including ours, I see 3. Ours was second.
The errors in v1 amounted to
1. A trivial spelling error
2. A hilarious mishearing of a single line (torappu ni kaichou VS. torappu no kaijo)
3. A miswording
4. The preliminary OP lyrics accidentally making it into the torrent
The fact that we even bothered with a v2 for such banal occurrences ought to be proof of our dedication to quality, and NOT an impetus to quit after only 2 weeks. What we learned from yesterday’s adventure is that we’re not a speedsub group, and we don’t need to be. UTW’s Angel Beats 01 was, I don’t mind saying, fantastic. We did a great job on it. But we also took a long time on it, and so this week, we wanted to try and get it out faster. We managed to do it, but with the above (minor) reduction in quality. Going forward, we’re going to continue to prioritize speed, but with strict standards of quality.
We’re not competing with anyone. We’re doing this because we like the show, and are happy and honored to be able to help other fans enjoy it. I’ve got nothing but respect for Mazui, I think they do fantastic work. But I also think that with all humility, my own work is pretty respectable, and I’m going to work on something I enjoy, not something that I think will get us a lot of useless downloads.
So, as much as I’d love to accept the random advice of anonymous, I’m going to have to say no. I’m not a quitter, and I believe our quality speaks for itself. I’m enormously grateful for everyone who has given us a chance, and I hope you’ll continue to stick with us. If you’ve decided that Unlimited Translation Works isn’t a group you want to stick with, then I hope you’ll at least continue to enjoy the shows.
Thanks everyone. Even if you disagree with us, we’re glad you dropped by.
I can’t speak to the translation as I don’t know Japanese, but having watched most of the subs you guys have put out I have to say I think you have some of the best english wording of any group out there. And quite frankly I’d rather see a group that puts out a lot of quick v2’s for already good subs than one who is so reluctant to lose their peer count that they won’t release a v2 until the DVDs.
Wow, thanks for all the comments guys, and I agree, Mazui does a great job, we just do it a little differently, and a little slower, it’s also a good experience for us as a whole which will undoubtedly help us improve. Again thanks, it means a lot to know that people actually care whether or not we fix our mistakes with so many fansubber’s mentality being “don’t bother fixing anything because no one gives a shit”
I think your subs are awesome personally, and I’m super impressed that you’re willing to do both v2 and xVid for your series. Keep up the great work!
Mazui does v2 quite often too, and no one is bitching about it. And no one is forcing anyone to go and download those v2s anyway. It’s better to release a v2 than having lame mistakes in the subs.
The only thing that slightly bothers me on your TL is that you sometimes expand/overinterpret something that is said when TLing, for example the scene in ep1 where Yuri goes “Ha?! Nande?! Wake wakannai wa! Doushitara sono shikou ni itteruno?! Anta, baka jyanaino? Ippen shindara?” -> “Huh?! Why? I don’t get you, why would you do something like that, are you an idiot? Why won’t you try dying (once)?” imho, but you changed the “i don’t get you” to “why the hell would you do that” – sure, basically that’s what she means, but not what she says, same with “Maybe i’ll go see what dying’s like”, except that it doesn’t make much sense to me why you suddenly changed it from “you” to “i”.
I guess i prefer a bit more literal translation style, or whatever it is called.
v2 is no big deal. I still enjoy your releases. Keep up the good work! 🙂
I agree with Soukyuu. the whole “i don’t get you” to “why the hell would you do that” I don’t like cause it kinda changes a characters personality which also changes what the original artist wanted the audience to see a character as. But because too many fan subs do this, I just deal with it.
Soukyuu, I can’t confirm/deny that, but our translators go for Dynamic equivalence.
“Dynamic equivalence (also known as functional equivalence) attempts to convey the thought expressed in a source text (if necessary, at the expense of literalness, original word order, the source text’s grammatical voice, etc.)”
We strongly believe that this approach to translation gives the people we’re localizing for a stronger grasp of the show than a solid formal approach, it’s just our opinion though. We do also take literal approaches when it feels like the better move. Thanks for your comment though, if you want to have a real conversation about it, try joining #UTW =D
I don’t mind addressing the lines here, but yeah in general if you wanna ask about something, drop into IRC and one of us will be around.
Wake wakaranai wa. Wake = reason/judgment. Wakaranai = don’t understand.
Yeah I could just say “I don’t understand your reasoning”, or something equally literal, but look at Yuri’s face. Listen to her tone of voice. Making the line come out flat like that just didn’t seem right, so I went for something stronger. In Japanese, a lot of subtlety that’s expressed through tone and body language can be expressed in English through simple word choice (not saying there’s no subtlety in word choice either, but…). Just picture Yuri with an angry look on her face, SHOUTING at Otonashi “I do not understand your reasoning”, versus “why the hell would you do that!?”. Which do you think expresses her real thoughts at the time better?
As for “ippen shindara”, well that one’s a bit trickier to explain. I don’t know if some of you have seen the show Hell Girl, but one of Enma Ai’s famous lines is “ippen shinde miru?” “Want to try dying once?”. Similarly, “ippen shindara” would be (literally) “after (subject) dies once?”. Yuri was segueing to the common Afterlife joke of not ever dying, and I tried to reflect that naturally.
I think it’s cool that you guys are so into the lines that you’ll point stuff like that out though. Keep watching, and thanks for your comments. I’m always happy to discuss translation techniques with people, and I’m glad people are paying such close attention.
Well, i do agree that “why the hell would you do that” expresses her thoughts more correctly, but.. how should i put that… I guess it’s weird for me to read something that the person isn’t saying because i only use the subs as a secondary help should i not understand what they said.
I didn’t watch Jigoku Shoujo, but i know that line. But my understanding of the “ippen shindara” part is a bit different, the only objection to your translation i have is the subject – i think it should be Otonashi (you), not her (I).
Which time are you usually active on irc (with timezone please :P)? Because most of the time when i’m trying to reach someone in a channel, not necessarily yours, they seem to be afk.
Ah, well the subject WAS Otonashi. She was quoting him. Maybe that was unclear. I meant it like “you’re thinking ‘maybe I’ll see what dying’s like’?”. Or, “why would you do that!? Are you just trying to see what dying’s like!?”.
And that’s the problem. While you might understand Japanese well enough to recognize the differences, translation has to keep in mind those who don’t.
As for when I’m active, it kinda varies. I work the night shift at a hospital, so my hours are a little scattered. I’m usually around from like 5-6pm (central) until 10pm on work nights. Or until maybe 3-4am on non-work nights.
Actually, I work on Fridays every second week, so we’re still kinda getting into a rhythm as far as releases on those weeks go.
If you pop into the channel and say hi though, there should usually at least be SOMEONE around.
Anyway, glad you’re watching. Thanks again for stopping by. ^_^
Lol. King of V2’s. Has a nice ring to it. The banner gave me a good chuckle.
You guys are one of the better sub groups I’ve seen. And V2’s are fine if the final product is pure perfection. Keep up the good work.
(I’m not the QC of my group for the record)
“I am the QC of my group.
Untiring is my body, and Skilled is my blood.
I have created over a thousand releases.
Working to death.
to bring releases to life.
Have withstood pain to create many releases.
Yet, those hands will never hold anything perfect.
So as I pray, ‘Unlimited V2 Works’.”
@Ershin:
Subject being Otonashi wasn’t clear, at least to me lol.
And you should have explained what “kancho” is, for those who aren’t familiar with the term.
Ok ok, i’m going to stop complaining…. ^^
@Soukyuu Don’t mind, it’s good to see someone analyzing things, and still, feel free to drop by #utw you seem like you’d be a quality person to have around =P
I don’t really get the hype about “v2” but I think that’s mainly because I never really went to a website of any fansubber (Kudos on that note – UTW is “my first time” ^^). I really like your effort and I’m thankful for getting me fixed with B Gata H Kei.
Well, thanks, but is the v2 only for mkv, because I only take the avi files… Anyway, please, please don’t drop this project regardless if your life depends on it. I just don’t like finding another group midway through the series. All in all, I don’t care about v2 as much as the others do. Good work on translating, keep it up~ n_n