>long as fuck names for characters, places, concepts etc (had to write them down to memorize them)>weird non-flowing sentences>lots of poetry-ish sounding sentencesIt seems like the author literally translated ancient chinese slang into modern day english, its just difficult for me to read. Anybody else experience this?
>>25194386that's just how chinese translates
>>25194426This is basically what it all sounds like to me, im really trying to enjoy it but its really difficult to read it
>>25194443vgh the unmatched lyricism of the Chinese language.......
>>25194386>It seems like the author literally translated ancient chinese slang into modern day englishThat's just what you get with an amateur, literal Chinese translation.
>>25194386Can you post the specific passages that you found difficult to read/understand?
you get used to itpro tip: the names and the concepts don't matter, you can just skip over them.Yes, I know that the author said that "the unfathomable demonic banner and its myriad ancient spirits are enough to allow a foundation builder to contend for an incense stick of time against an old monster half a step from the third level of the nascent soul realm," but the truth is that the author will never mention the banner again by the time the MC impacts the realm barrier between the third revolution of his (seventh patterned) golden core and the fourth coalescence of his divine sense (i.e. in ten chapters). By your third xianxia you should be able to tell what they mean at a glance. Besides it's not like the MC will ever be in a difficult situation.
>>25195212>the names and the concepts don't matter>it's not like the MC will ever be in a difficult situationthis nigga could not be more wrong
>>25194386Translation is an art by itself because it is so trick to transpose the multitude of information, feels, meaning and context, which among other things can be easily bent out of shape, specially when language structure context and culture are as different and diverse as say, Chinese and English.This arouses me though, like, there's beauty in the sense of venturing into the unknown and in my own way, I'm off for that.
>>25194426It's up to the translator how it translates. When translating literature you have the semi-competing pressures of fidelity and sounding natural in the target language.
>>25195693how many chinese novels have you read translations of?
>>25196113Not many, but then I read Chinese.
>>25196122congrats. the original and the translation are two different beasts. I've read at least a dozen, classical and modern, and they all "suffer" from the same problems. Chinese and English are just too different for a smooth translation, especially with the chinese love for idioms.
>>25194386Googled this sloppa out of curiosity and it’s banned by the Chinese government? That has me interested but 2000+ chapters doesn’t seem worth it
>>25196148Or you can try obsessing a little less with literalness and try for "how a native English speaker would express the same concept".
>>25196154why are you telling me this? I don't translate chinese books.
>>25196156I mean impersonal/generic "you"
>>25194386The pacing is god-tier not too slow and not too fast, just right, obviously the entire story is pretty much about MC saying lmao to all the rules and groups and factions then almost dying then lmao then doing impossible things then almost dying then lmaoing then doing impossible things while monologuing about how he alone is the strongest but that's the beauty of it
>>25196154there has to be a reason so many different translators don't.
Basically everything Chinese is poorly translated. I'm sure it's not easy to do, but reading Chinese fantasy novels is an absolute slog because of that. Lord of the Mysteries isn't hard to understand or anything, but everything just sounds so clunky.
>>25196153Read 200 chapters, that's the first book.
>>25196154it's impossible when half the text is made of chengyu. might as well rewrite the book
>>25196215And how much of English text is made up of idioms and allusions?
>>25196216much less
>>25196217Depends on the text, though generally yes.
>>25196148I have not read the original and frankly I don't care too much about muh idioms. It may be a big thing in Chinese (though I don't think it is) but in English it's not. If some (or all) idioms are missing and where replaced with English text that conveys similar meaning, or even if translator took liberties and changed the text, maybe added English/western idioms to convey the idea I am ok with it. I've seen "green behind the ears" used in translated xianxia, definitely not a Chinese saying but it was likely used in place of one.
>>25194443There are people here that actually read this cancer? Learn chinese or skip this.
>>25196608Those are just words in random order.
Not wanting to be trampled on, there are two ways. One is to become strong, strong until no one dares to step on you. Another is to turn into dog shit, something no one would want to step on.
kids game compared to finnegans wake, git gud fattie
>>25197920Finnegans wake lacks a Dao.
I keep seeing this Reverend Insanity book mentioned here, and for the record I have to say that it is one of the most off-putting titles I’ve ever seen, and I seethe a little every time I read it. It’s uniquely retarded in the way only an oriental could imagine of.
>>25200515What makes you think it's the original author that came up with that title rather than the translator? In Chinese it's 蛊真人.
>>25200525蛊真人, now that has a nice ring to it.
>>25200525true gu dude
>>25200515I feel stupid and gay and retarded whenever I say it
>>25200532I guess 蠱 doesn't really have a straightforward English translation.
>>25200541Correlation does not equal causation in this case however
>>25200558Forced but witty. 5/10
>Spectral Soul Demon Venerable handled matters and conflict with basically one method.>That was to kill!>You do not relent? Kill!>You are an eyesore? Kill!>His own mood was bad? Kill!>He was bored? Kill!Spectral GOAT is the true main character of the setting.
>>25200515It'a cool title. Are you a religious christian, does the use of the word reverend offend in some way?
>>25201068Yes, I think that has something to do with it, anon, aside from the grammar. Though, if there was a character from, say, JoJo Star named Reverend Insanity, I would just think it’s funny and not cringe.
>>25201483Like others have already explained the title Reverend Insanity does not have any connection to the story/plot/characters within the novel. I am not entirely sure why the original translator used this title desu
my favorite part is when the reverend of insanity says "it's reverend time" and insanities all over the place
>>25201691Is that before or after you take your meds?
>>25196113About 10
>>25201691“Let’s REVEREND the fuck out of this” - reverend Insanity if it were written by Andy Weir
>>25204055That's insane.
>>25194386You have to stick with it. Eventually you realize its pretty straight foward story about a guy relieving his previous life with all the knowledge of what happened previously, collecting pokemon and cultivating his power level like DBZ. 40,000 pages of it.
Reverend Insanity speaks to me on so many levels. It is a title which invites us to stop and ponder: is there such a reverend, named insanity? Is there such a thing as a reverent insanity? Or is Mr. Reverend Insanity a normal, unassuming man, considered insane by the world for his love of the Gospel of Christ? There are but a few of many contemplative avenues in regards to Reverend Insanity
>>25194386Chinese has a certian "tone" you need to read it it, just get used to it over time and change your mindset into that of the chinese equivalent of a european medieval person should help. RI is a truly unparalelled piece of chinese fiction.Chinese stories are usually more realistic, absolutely 0 of that pathetic goody goody japanese shit you're likely used to.
>>25206075>chinese storiesIm so chinese I just call them stories.
I read chinese raws by running them through chrome's browser mtl function. The trick isn't to raise your literacy rate enough to understand the chinese, but to lower it enough to understand the chinese. MTL chinese prose and english prose now read as mostly similar to me - no, actually, chinese prose is more comfortable. English prose is usually bloated with too many unnecessary descriptions, it's hard to stomach now. Brevity is the soul of wit, kings could only exist when the masses were illiterate! Illiteracy is king!!! Illiteracy is king!!!
>>25206947>kings could only exist when the masses were illiterate! Illiteracy is king!Based and peasant-pilled
>>25206947>English prose is usually bloatedThis anon knows...
>>25205476Sounds based, I wish more novels were like that.
>>25196196Lotm is clunky even in Chinese.
>>25194386The thing to keep in mind is the first third or so of it is pretty directly a parody of popular chinese fantasy fiction c. 2010. As it goes on it starts leaning less on that but if you don't know chinese fiction tropes you'll probably be lost well before that.
>>25213754What tropes?
>>25213461Currently in Volume 2 chapter 278, it's lowkey lame and boring, i prefered Vol1...can i speedrun or watch a summary up to an interesting point then resume reading? like, am sure all this bs am going through won't matter much later on and i'll forget most of it.
>>25214937Literally all of them.e.g. the infamous bear scene. Rape used to be the go-to move for demonstrating that a villain is super evil in low quality 2010's era china slop. The entire first half of the chapter is a bait and switch to make you think Fang Yuan is going to rape the girl. Obviously he does not and does the bear thing instead.
>>25214937Well for starters the basic premise of a guy from modern China who gets reincarnated into Cultivation World then becomes famous there by passing off famous historical Chinese poetry as his own is beat by beat the most hackneyed late '00s Chinese fantasy novel plot imaginable. How he turns out to actually be bad at cultivation and then has to spend a lifetime of suffering in a world where that is the only skill that really matters is intended as an obvious subversion of the cliche initial plot.
>>25216017>How he turns out to actually be bad at cultivation and then has to spend a lifetime of suffering in a world where that is the only skill that really mattersSounds very inspirational. I am ok with such subersion.
>>25215481The bear was less a parody of rape plots generally and more a specific parody of the whole brat correction meme (which was even more of a thing in China (before the recent censorship tightening) than it ever was in Japan).
>>25215232The novel has a steady decline until like chapter 900 (like chapters 550-850 are barely readable), after which it gets slightly better (still not at the level of volume 1/2), and then it continues that way till about chapter 2000. I'd say chapters 2000-2200 are about on par with the quality of the second arc, After chapter 2200 it's on par with first arc
>>25194386>he hasn't read enough Xianxia to effortlessly remember Chinese names and words
>>25220760Half of the difficulty is the translators (mostly MTL) changing names and genders. Including when they switch between how the names are written in Latin alphabet and their Chinese names. Also switching between stuff like "Dong" and "Duong" randomly, not to mention there being like 20 different clans that go by the same English name, even though the Chinese character is differentIt's particularly hard with reverend insanity because of dumbass author naming characters after prominent CCP officials then having them be censored and changed in later chapters
>>25194386It's a good story, come on...
>>25222097Haters gonna hate
>>25222097NIGGA I CANT FUCKING UNDERSTAND IT ITS LITERAL NONSENSE BADLY TRANSLATED BABBLE
learn chinese
>>25225205I've never had trouble with it, sure the translation is dry and the names are weird but you only need to remember a few names.
>>25226275The translation is concise and to the point. It fits the novel perfectly.
>>25225205Hater.
I made it to 200 pages. No matter how I try to see it, it just reads like it's written for edgy teens who just got into reading stories and immediately thinks it's the greatest thing ever. There's many others like this in the cultivation genre.Even webtoons like Solo Leveling.I always thought there would be something eventually given the hype, which is how I made it that far.Turns out there are simply just lesser unfortunate people.
>>25229337>always thought there would be something eventually given the hype, which is how I made it that far.Can post some (web) novels that did satisfy your expectations?
>>25231131I don't read web novels, you wouldn't know the books I read.If a book doesn't have you curious and hooked by 100 pages.. that number is just arbitrary. I have always known what I would like before even getting into it. It's always a blast from the get go. Starting from Naruto as a kid. And I just can't get into things I don't like no matter how popular it is, like Dragon Ball. Of course I get experimental naturally, exploring and broadening horizons, I really liked Game of Thrones, would wait for the book to finally finish before reading it. But Lord of the Rings? Now that was incredibly boring and I don't even remember where I dropped it. Although I like it and respect it, it's genre defining creator stuff.I didn't think I would like One Punch Man, not knowing it was the forerunning creator of an archetype which cannot even be replicated. It's objectively my favourite, my personal favourite bring Mob Psycho 100. You should read those two instead of cultivation slop. I'm really enjoying Versus, I think it's the best manga out there now and will be.As for what I'm reading? Wuxias, The Deer and the Cauldron.Cultivation slop? I have learnt my lesson with confirmation.Am I dissing your taste? Absolutely. I feel pity. Webnovels like Reverend Insanity isn't even fantasy, it's escapism within escapism holed up in the corner.>INB4: Muh subjectivity, muh relativity.HUT! Strip your copes! Bare the shame of your naked ugliness.
>>25229337>>25231414lol filtered
>>25231414Why are you talking about manga on /lit/ ?
>>25231414People are really just using AI to make clones of my original bookSmh
>>25195212>just lower your expectation of quality baseline and consume slop until you dont realize it's empty calories and you are addicted and comforted by it
>>25200515It's just the chink faggot shilling his slop. Nobody here actually reads it or he wouldn't need to shill it.
>>25231437What am I even being filtered of?>CultivationRight, of course.
>>25231519Based manga reader, try /a/ next time
>>25195212More often that's the case with western fantasy novels where magic does not matter and all the focus is on drama/romance. In Reverend Insanity there is none of that.
>> 25200515The title is the author's name, Gu Zhen Ren. Gu originates from an old chinese legend where venomous insects known as gu would be put into a jar, and the strongest would survive. This is pretty clearly an allusion to the nature of the gu world, and if it weren't banned we would have gotten an even clearer picture. Zhen Ren is roughly translated as "true person" and to truly understand it you would have to look into the philosophy of the "zhen ren". For a brief explanation, it describes someone who has achieved true freedom and is true to themselves. Fang Yuan is such an individual, and that is why he is generally viewed in such an admirable light despite his actions- it isn't about the nature of his heart or his actions, but an innate desire to be able to give up everything in pursuit of your dreams, to break free of the rules and regulations that bound us, and become a true person. The Reverend in the name has nothing to do with the clergy or religion. It is instead a general title used (in translation) for Buddhism and Taoist masters. The "Zhen Ren" was translated into Reverend (remember not anything related to Christianity, but references a Taoist master, and more aptly a true person) and the "Gu" was translated into insanity. If you read the story, the name is actually extremely fitting, and I think the translator made the right choice.
>>25234324"He had always been Gu Yue Fang Yuan" - final line of mermaid arc
>>25201631It absolutely does. I remember exactly how the original translator described how they decided to translate the title, and it was extremely fitting. Reverend has nothing to do with Christianity. It was already standard to use it as a translation in place of a title to show respect for esteemed Buddhist monks, Taoism masters, et cetera. It has also been used as a translation for 'zhen ren' instead of 'true person'. The gu is absolutely crucial to understanding the nature of the world Fang Yuan lives in, and what exactly is going on. People refine gu, and the world is refining them- gu masters are another form of gu. The legend goes that the strongest gu would be confined together, where they would eat and kill each other and the strongest would emerge and evolve. Is that not a direct analogy to the gu world? There are tons of analyses that have been done, but considering where it was banned, we may never know the true and exact nature of the world, and why exactly it works the way it does. If anyone is interested in actually in depth and good analysis, scour the subreddit, as they are rare and not too popular, but they certainly exist.
>>25235477Based. Lesser MCs would have simped out.
>>25237012The mermaid arc has flashbacks concerning his love from his past life lol. If you read it you will understand that he is simply based regardless of what his goals are- whether it is his pursuit of eternal life, the only goal that could make his life interesting, or his actions in the mermaid arc :)
to be a half step ahead of your era is geniusto be a full step ahead of your era is insanity
>>25206947You make a good point.
>>25237946be ten steps ahead
>>25237248ugh... when will the wolf king arc end?
This thread survived 20 days lol
>>25240268/lit/ classic
>>25240268What of it?
