TokyoPop Considering using Scanlation Translators?
On December 2nd, TokyoPop hosted a webcast that answered various questions from users through chat. The one query that struck everyone as provocative, was the question about scanlation translations or translators possibly being used to revive “on hiatus” titles. Debs Manga Blog has the transcript in more detail.
Though the founder of TokyoPop, Stu Levy, did not say for certain if they would actually use translations, he did say that they are in talks with a scanlation group, and are considering it as a possibly.
Interestingly enough, the comments via twitter ranged from “This is a horrible idea”, to “This is fabulous.” Either way it left everyone wondering: Why are they even considering it?
Stu Levy cited the decline in manga purchases, and that basically the company has to think of ways of saving a few dollars to keep the company in swing. “We both have a tremendous amount of respect for professional translators, but from our point of view, it’s not about doing anything that’s unfair, but if we’re not in a position to really make the costs work… If there’s a fan who wants to translate (a manga series), and we could provide that manga as a print-on-demand title, and if, because of that, we can achieve a certain amount of managed cost that would allow us to put these titles out, would fan translators be interested in doing that? Is that something fans would want to read? Would professional translators be angry about that? I’m just curious as to what everyone’s view would be on this.”
He went further to cite companies such as crunchyroll who went from illegal to legit. True enough.
What’s missing in this conversation about scanlation communities? A whole hell of alot. The first and foremost being: hiring one or two scanlation groups out of hundreds won’t be enough to stop the decline in sales, or, the scanlation communities.
Another thing I did not see mentioned in his explanation for even thinking of it- and I thought this would have been first and foremost- was that it would give fan translators and industry professionals a chance to work together in order to curb the continuous fall of anime and manga in the U.S. It could give some communities a chance to see how it all comes together on the licensing end so that they can understand just how difficult it may (or may not) be.
Companies for years have been screaming how hard it is to license, translate, publish, distribute and sell. But saying how bad a war is, and actually taking someone to the battle grounds, can actually make a difference.
I agree with Stu when he says that “There’s actually a lot of great fan translators out there.” Yes, there is. And though they are great, they would need to be paid just as well as someone with a degree. Sorry Stu, degrees these days shouldn’t translate to more money. And in the case of the fan translators, it shouldn’t mean that they should get paid less money. They are doing a job, the same job that the professional was hired to do. I suppose if the demands upon their position is a lot less, then you have just reason to pay a little less, the salary should simply be equivalent to what the job entails.
Another issue that has been raised via twitter is that there would need to be quality control to check what the scanlation community has done, which means someone will need to pay that department. The more mistakes, the longer hours the quality control people work, which means more money will need to be paid, and it will take longer for the manga to be published and released.
Don’t get me wrong, I am actually for the idea of scanlation communities being hired to help with translations, but, I do not agree with the idea of hiring fans just as a way for the company to save money because “you can pay a fan less.” This should not be the leading concern.
As I said in my post about “Is the economy really a factor in the declining sales of anime?” Anime and Manga companies need to learn to treat the fans well, not use them as cash-cows. I understand that companies need to be business minded and think of profit margins, yet being business minded does not mean forgetting what’s at the heart of your business – your clients and customers. You need them. And just because you build it, doesn’t mean they will come…
If anything, they will see how bad everything is, go build their own, call it the Fantastic World of Every Scanlation Ever, and make it free…
Free is good, but of course that puts a strain on everyone: artists, stores, distribution companies, authors, et al. So instead of trying to simply stay above the water, companies and fans alike should focus on sustainability. (Sustainability – in general terms is the ability to maintain balance of a certain process or state in any system.) Finding ways so we can enjoy manga and anime while sustaining the people who make it happen for us, while at the same time not draining our pockets.
So I ask the execs to think of the market as we are starting to do in regards to global warming, the wars, and everything else that has been going so horribly wrong lately: There needs to be balance.
