Ask John: Should Honorifics Appear in Subtitled Anime?

Question:
I am aware that some recent Region 1 anime releases use honorifics in subtitled versions, as opposed to leaving them out in most titles. There are those in support of using honorifics and those who oppose them. What is your opinion on this issue?

Answer:
The primary argument against including romanji honorifics in subtitle translations has to do with the moral “slippery slope” argument and the nature of translation. Translators themselves frequently argue that a literate translation should be able to express the meaning of Japanese honorifics without having to literally use Japanese honorifics. After all, the point of translation is to localize one language into another, not co-mingle languages. The argument extends to, if you leave in “-san” and “-sama” and “-chan” why not also leave in simple phrases like “gochisousamadeshita” and “sumimasen” that likewise don’t have exact literal English equivilants?

To counterpoint these two arguments, the “slippery slope” is a fallacy of debate. There’s no reason not to draw arbitrary lines of stoppage at which point Japanese terms are and are not included in English translations. Just because honorifics are retained intact doesn’t mean that other Japanese terms need also be included. The argument may be made for consistency, but in this case, does consistency actually improve or hinder the translation’s effectiveness? In my opinion, no. Furthermore, retaining honorifics in English subtitle translations serves to immerse English speaking viewers in a little bit more of Japanese culture. I personally don’t see a negative aspect to a subtitle translation not only translating dialogue but also educating the viewer a little bit.

I’ve heard it argued that proponents of leaving honorifics in subtitle translations just want to feel a greater sense of “Japaneseness.” This is stated as an accusation of being dilettantish. Personally, I don’t see any harm in viewers wishing to immerse themselves in anime to some superficial degree. Finally, the most important point to be made is that leaving honorifics intact and relying on the interpretative intelligence of the English speaking viewer engenders a more comprehensive localization than translating honorifics does.

For example, in the famous English language version of Tenchi Muyo, Ayeka calls Tenchi “Lord Tenchi” while in the original Japanese dialouge she uses “Tenchi-sama.” The translation “Lord Tenchi” may accurate express Ayeka’s respect that Tenchi comes from a royal family, but it totally eliminates the secondary meaning from the original Japanese “-sama.” Ayeka uses the honorific “-sama” also as a sign of deference because she’s a guest in Tenchi Masaki’s home.

In Orange Road, honorifics are tremendously important as the point in time at when Kyosuke stops using an honorific to address Madoka signifies a life-altering change in their relationship. Because this linguistic event has no comparable situation in English, it seems only appropriate to leave it in Japanese rather than eliminate its subtelty altogether by attempting to translate it into English.

And honorifics such as “-sempai” simply have no English title approximation whatsoever. It’s just not possible to express differing levels of Japanese “politeness” such as “-sempai” in English. In the case of an honorific like “-sempai,” leaving it out altogether has a negligable effect on an English translation, yet if the difference is so subtle, why not include, instead of exclude, this honorfic?