Why is it difficult to translate the titles of creative works like novels and manga, and what is the difference between AI translation and human translation?
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When novels, manga, movies, and other works are distributed overseas, it is often the case that the translated title is significantly different from the original. American science fiction writer John Scalzi talks about the difficulty of translating fiction using the example of a title.
How Translation Works, Book Title Edition | Whatever
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/02/03/how-translation-works-book-title-edition/
Regarding the translation of fictional works, Scalzi gives the example of his science fiction novel ' When the Moon Hits Your Eye ,' which he plans to publish at the end of March 2025. 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye' would literally mean 'When the moon hits your eye,' but if translated more poetically to sound like the title of the work, it would mean 'When the moon is reflected in your eyes.'
However, the title 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye' is not just a phrase that expresses the meaning of the words. In the big hit song ' That's Amore ' by Dean Martin, an American singer and comedian active at the end of the 20th century, there is a phrase 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Like a big pizza pie, that's amore.' For English-speaking people, the title 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye' is a familiar and cheerful song phrase.
So when creating the Hungarian version of 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye,' instead of using the Hungarian title 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye,' it was changed to 'Csak a hold az égen (Only the Moon in the Sky).' 'Csak a hold az égen' is the opening lyric of the famous Hungarian rock band Republic 's biggest hit song 'Szállj el, kismadár,' and was retitled to give Hungarian readers the same effect that English speakers get when they hear the phrase 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye.'
'As any translator will tell you, translating a work of fiction doesn't mean transcribing words one-to-one from one language to another,' Scalzi said. 'The key to translating a work of fiction is capturing the atmosphere -- conveying the tone and intent of the work in words when a simple translation just won't do. Often, phrases commonly used in one language don't exist in another, and cultural references from one country don't mean anything in another. This is why computer translation works well for run-of-the-mill business emails, but is completely useless for novels.'
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in Note, Posted by log1e_dh