7 - Interview with Jake Jung (Anime/Manga Translator)

This episode we’re thrilled to be joined by Jake Jung, a Japanese-to-English translator who has worked on various anime and manga throughout his career - Made in Abyss, Oshi no Ko, Vinland Saga, and Ya Boy Kongming! to name a few. Together we go through his own personal history in Japan as well as his career as a translator, his tastes in manga, and his insights into the world of anime/manga translation.

Timestamps:

4:13 Jake’s photography and time as a tour guide

6:00 Oshi no Ko, Ya Boy Kongming!’s rap battle, and Blue Giant

7:40 Jake’s favourite manga: Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo

10:40 Jake’s guilty pleasure: Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma

12:40 Yotsuba&!, Akira, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind adaptations

15:14 Jake’s prediction for the Next Big Thing: Lazarus by Shinichiro Watanabe

18:23 Non-translated manga to keep an eye on: Bakeneko Anzu-chanby Takashi Imashiro

21:00 What’s the difference between translating anime and manga?

25:23 The usage of slang and vernacular English in translations

28:11 How much contact do translators get with the original creators?

30:18 What’s the most difficult translation you’ve worked on?

34:09 Was Vinland Saga simple to translate?

36:48 Is there an older series you’d like to give a new translation?

38:32 What is your take on AI being used increasingly alongside or in place of translators altogether?

45:18 AI Translation controversies (Rugby Rumble and The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons)

47:26 Jake’s favourite and least favourite thing about living in Japan?