Forum:Primary source

I know this may be futile and it might come across as arrogant and elitist, but this is an issue that's been really bothering me for a long time.

As it is, the primary source used for this wiki is the "official" English translation of the Naruto manga and anime; the original Japanese source is only used for those chapters and episodes which have yet to be "officially" translated.

I was hoping we could change this policy and use the original Japanese version as our primary source. I have multiple reasons for this:


 * 1) The original Japanese version is the version most true to how Kishimoto-sensei intended the series to be.
 * 2) The original Japanese version is widely available on the Internet. The "official" English translation isn't.
 * 3) The "official" English translation has been known to vary greatly in the translations used. Using the original Japanese version allows greater consistency.
 * 4) Using the original Japanese version means names and such don't have to be altered each time an "official" English translation comes out.
 * 5) The "official" English translation used is very much biased to the US. It should be obvious that the people visiting our site come from all over the globe.
 * 6) Most everyone I know considers the original Japanese version the primary source of the series. In fact, most people despise the "official" English translations.
 * 7) Using the original Japanese version allows us to stay as true to the Japanese as possible, without having to rape the language because some guy in the US is either lazy, terrified of diacritics, or both.
 * 8) The "official" English translations are brought down in quality by many factors, including time and space constraints - which we don't have on the Internet.
 * 9) It would make me really, really happy.

So I hereby plea for us to change this policy. --ShounenSuki (talk 09:52, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * Sorry if I come off as an idiot, but I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. As in I have no idea how this would really change anything.--TheUltimate3 (talk) 11:25, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * Would this really have much of an effect? I think the only time the English series takes precedence is in regards to chapter/episode titles and whether or not to use a macron. Everywhere else it is merely noted what the English version is (ie., which should have been done with the Kisame episode). ~SnapperTo 17:23, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * The effect might not be that big, but it would make me feel so much better. To be able to read Chōji's article without cringing every time I see Choji... and as you said, the Japanese version is really already the de facto primary source of the wiki. Making it official would only increase the consistency and quality of the wiki. --ShounenSuki (talk 19:08, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * Personaly things like macrons are a non-issue to me. Some use them some don't, but I can say it would be an absolute b$(&@ to have to keep pressing that "ō" button every time something had to be written it had the misfortune of being spelled "ou". Beyond the unnecessary use of macrons, again I don't see how using the Japanese as the primary source going to change anything...as we already use the Japanese as the primary source.--TheUltimate3 (talk) 19:14, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * I take things like proper diacritics very serious. Not only because of my linguistic education, but also because my own name uses a diacritic. To me, those macrons are a very big issue and they were, in fact, the main reason I started this topic.
 * As for the trouble it would cause: it's quite easy to create a keyboard layout that allows you to simply type macrons. I also wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for missing macrons and I'm sure a bot could be used for this as well. --ShounenSuki (talk 22:31, October 20, 2009 (UTC)

That just seems like an unnecessary burden the drop on someone, willing or otherwise. However, I sense there is more to this than macrons, so I'm curious what else you had in mind.--TheUltimate3 (talk) 22:39, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * Well, I stated most of my reasons above already. However, there is another, minor thing that's been nagging me a bit. It's pretty silly, though.
 * I feel like somehow, I'm obsolete here. There's no need for me to translate anything when there's already an "official" translation available. I don't have access to these "official" translations, either. English manga are rare and very expensive here in the Netherlands. I feel like I'm slowly losing my relevance to this wiki. --ShounenSuki (talk 23:21, October 20, 2009 (UTC)