LISTEN!
Using accents and different languages in comics can be a challenge, or at least a challenge to represent. Some people will actually have their text IN a different language or even a made up language in the case of aliens, and they'll have translations in a footnote. Some will use pointed brackets to represent the different language, some will use different fonts, and some won't bother showing that there is a different language being spoken at all. We spoke to Tantz Aerine and Pitface about this because that's something they both have to tackle in Brave Resistance and Tantz's solo comic Without Moonlight because it's very central to the plot: Tantz uses different colours for the languages. Pitface phonetically represents different accents in her comic Putrid Meat quite expertly. However, there can be challenges to phonetic representation when you get it wrong, most frequently in the case of Irish and Scottish accents! This was inspired by a newspost by Hippievan!
Listen ad enjoy Gunwallace's audio interpretation of Aidana. VERY Pink Floyd!
Topics and shownotes
Featured comic:
Normal - http://theduckwebcomics.com/Normal/
Links:
Quackcast 257 VIDEO - https://youtu.be/6Nvkh0x1SaI
Based on HippieVan's Newspost - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2016/jan/14/accents-dialects-and-different-languages-in-comics/
Comics:
Brave Resistance - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Brave_Resistance/
Putrid Meat - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/PUTRID_MEAT/
Without Moonlight - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Without_Moonlight/
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Banes - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/
Tantz Aerine - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz Aerine/
Pitface - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/PIT_FACE/
Please contribute to help DD - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/drunk-duck-webcomics-improvement-drive/x/4410947#/
The theme song by Gunwallace this week was for:
Aidana - http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Aidana/ by Bvolkart, rated T.
Quackcast 257 - Accents in Comics
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Feb. 9, 2016
and different Languages in Comics,
Banes,
by Gunwallace,
Drunk Duck,
featured comic,
Gunwallace,
kawaiidaigakusei,
music for Aidana,
Normal,
Ozoneocean,
Pitface,
podcast,
Quackcast 257,
Showing Accents,
Tantz Aerine,
Video,
Webcomics community
5 likes!
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maskdt at 7:21AM, Feb. 9, 2016
Heh, I didn't even bother with translations for my made-up language! I just used runes (also made up, but drawing inspiration from Futhark and Ogham runes). However, I try to make sure that it's pretty easy to guess what the characters are saying based on their actions and the context. If I run into a situation where it's not so easy to guess then...hmm...I guess I might have to provide translations.
Ozoneocean at 7:16AM, Feb. 9, 2016
For me, anything other than English gets in the way Hate pointed brackets... grrr.
Ozoneocean at 7:15AM, Feb. 9, 2016
I've fixed that, thanks! The image is also always a link to the cast and there is a link to the casts in the top row of links too :D
ejb at 7:07AM, Feb. 9, 2016
The "LISTEN!" link sends me to a 404. I listened over at libsyn, though. I don't mind the triangle brackets with a note as to what language is being translated. What used to bother me though is when certain words within the brackets were left in the original language even though everything else is in english. ( I mean unless it's a name, formal term, or a word with no direct equivalent.)