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Translating adult content - what is your opinion?
Thread poster: Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
Jun 14, 2020

Hi all,

I'd be interested about your opinion on translating adult content - would you do it?

[Edited at 2020-06-14 08:55 GMT]


Laurent Mercky
Arina Alba
Sorelle nyinang
 
Anna Jaffe
Anna Jaffe
Netherlands
Local time: 06:26
Dutch to English
+ ...
Sure, but not truly explicit Jun 14, 2020

Not actual sexy talk, but advertising for toys or similar. I'd find it an interesting break from my usual.
I am more uncomfortable about (examples from personal experience) politicians and advertising for products I dislike (e.g. tobacco, plastic surgery, robots to replace production workers). I haven't said no so far, but sometimes I think I should have.
The only one an agency ever asked if I objected to was material for an abortion clinic.


Wolfgang Schoene
sv valli
 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
.. Jun 14, 2020

Anna Jaffe wrote:

Not actual sexy talk, but advertising for toys or similar. I'd find it an interesting break from my usual.
I am more uncomfortable about (examples from personal experience) politicians and advertising for products I dislike (e.g. tobacco, plastic surgery, robots to replace production workers). I haven't said no so far, but sometimes I think I should have.
The only one an agency ever asked if I objected to was material for an abortion clinic.


Hi Anna,
I'm glad someone answered!
I should have mentioned that it is not so much about moral issues or sth like that - and yes, it is explicit content - (but I totally agree abolut declining jobs for certain clientele - for me that is mainly agrochemical and pharmaceutical for personal reasons, but also those you named), but do you think you could bring yourself using explicit street language? I don't think porn is immoral or objectionable, and I think it is work like every other job, but you certainly have to overcome your inhibitions.

I googled a little and noticed some translators and agencies who have specialized in this area (of course, there MUST be some people who have done such translations before ), and I also found an articel saying that this is a nice with huge financial potential. While it is not primarily for financial reasons, I think it is a point to consider nevertheless.

I guess I'm just looking for some views and opinions in order to be able to get more clearer about this, maybe lose my own inhibitions and really look at it as normal work. Or not.


 
Hwaet
Hwaet
United States
Local time: 23:26
French to English
+ ...
Sounds difficult Jun 14, 2020

This may sound weird, but I think it would require a certain amount of flair to translate, say, a sex scene in a book, and get the tone right. Plus such texts often have euphemisms, slang, and other literary devices that need to be handled with care.
If the text was problematic (like violent or promoting dubious interpretations of consent), I don't think I could work with it. If it's a generic romance novel scene, eh, I've had to give uni presentations on more embarrassing things.


Christine Andersen
Angie Garbarino
Philip Lees
Anna Jaffe
Melanie Meyer
Paul Lambert
 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
thanks! Jun 14, 2020

Hwaet wrote:

This may sound weird, but I think it would require a certain amount of flair to translate, say, a sex scene in a book, and get the tone right. Plus such texts often have euphemisms, slang, and other literary devices that need to be handled with care.
If the text was problematic (like violent or promoting dubious interpretations of consent), I don't think I could work with it. If it's a generic romance novel scene, eh, I've had to give uni presentations on more embarrassing things.


ha, you made my day with those uni presentations *lol*!
Yes, you are certainly right about that! It is nothing violent, just "normal" porn, if I might say so. I did a short sample text and it was hard, not because of the terminology/slang (you can google a lot, of course), but I always felt like the client would judge me because of the language used, which is crazy, of course. I had to approach that text quite a bit until it was right, and when I simply decided to switch that inner critic off (that this was not respectable work....what kind of person am I to translate sth like this?...etc. etc.) it went pretty well. I guess that is my main problme, but on the other hand it is just a concept in my mind, and I don't even know if it is just outdated or old-fashioned.

OT: I think it's great you do Old English-English! That was something I loved a lot at university. Is there a market at all? I hope it is....that would be some fabulous task for me, too, although I have forgotten most of it, so, it wouldn't, I guess.



[Edited at 2020-06-14 12:50 GMT]


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:26
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
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I wouldn't! Jun 14, 2020

I try to leave my causes, my biases, my likes and dislikes and my morality at a good distance from my translation desk, but for me it is a question of comfort level — if you are not comfortable working on a project, you are certainly not going to be able to turn out your best work. I would refuse jobs, and I have in the past, on gambling, obscene or pornographic material, military weapons, racism…

Elena Feriani
Ali Sharifi
Inez Ulrich
Josephine Cassar
Tina Vonhof (X)
Philip Lees
neilmac
 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 06:26
English to German
In memoriam
No problem if you are an adult Jun 14, 2020

Adult content is just that, content for adults. So there is no cardinal reason why you should not translate it, if you are an adult. Of course, you should not translate it if you are uncomfortable with it, or if you are not able to do it professionally, but this is true for every other kind of content as well.

In my translation work, particularly with videogames, I translate a lot of content that I'm not particularly happy with, for example how to choose and improve a weapon in orde
... See more
Adult content is just that, content for adults. So there is no cardinal reason why you should not translate it, if you are an adult. Of course, you should not translate it if you are uncomfortable with it, or if you are not able to do it professionally, but this is true for every other kind of content as well.

In my translation work, particularly with videogames, I translate a lot of content that I'm not particularly happy with, for example how to choose and improve a weapon in order to kill better. That's simply a part of the industry, and I like this work overall, so I do it. Adult content, on the other hand, is about making everyone happy, so what's wrong with that?
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Ali Sharifi
Zibow Retailleau
Philippe Etienne
Christopher Schröder
Philip Lees
neilmac
Andrew Morris
 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:26
Dutch to English
+ ...
No Jun 14, 2020

I haven't got expertise or interest in this field, so no. Quite apart from any other considerations, I think you'd need a fair bit of specialised knowledge and skill to do a good job.

Christine Andersen
Tina Vonhof (X)
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
 
Hwaet
Hwaet
United States
Local time: 23:26
French to English
+ ...
I hadn't considered that aspect. Jun 14, 2020

Inez Ulrich wrote:

ha, you made my day with those uni presentations *lol*!
Yes, you are certainly right about that! It is nothing violent, just "normal" porn, if I might say so. I did a short sample text and it was hard, not because of the terminology/slang (you can google a lot, of course), but I always felt like the client would judge me because of the language used, which is crazy, of course. I had to approach that text quite a bit until it was right, and when I simply decided to switch that inner critic off (that this was not respectable work....what kind of person am I to translate sth like this?...etc. etc.) it went pretty well. I guess that is my main problme, but on the other hand it is just a concept in my mind, and I don't even know if it is just outdated or old-fashioned.

OT: I think it's great you do Old English-English! That was something I loved a lot at university. Is there a market at all? I hope it is....that would be some fabulous task for me, too, although I have forgotten most of it, so, it wouldn't, I guess.



[Edited at 2020-06-14 11:39 GMT]



I can see how one might second-guess a translation of an adult text. It's honest work, but most of us don't generally have a need to write about such things. Unless some of you are secret fanfic writers.

No one has asked for a polished Old English to Modern English translation (there's so little surviving OE texts anyway - I expect academia has the market cornered), but I occasionally get research tasks that require reading (and maybe a rough translation) of a medieval text, for the purposes of fact-checking an article discussing that text or a word origin - something like that.


 
Zibow Retailleau
Zibow Retailleau  Identity Verified
Mauritius
Local time: 09:26
English to Chinese
+ ...
I would Jun 14, 2020

I once did a test for a potential project which contained erotic content. The source text was well-written so I enjoyed translating it but also I found myself running out of words to describe sensations. Like others have said, it is a different beast. The project in the end did not materialize, in case you are curious.

For me, religious content is more uncomfortable.


Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Philippe Etienne
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
Marijke Singer
Sheila Wilson
Daryo
 
Elena Feriani
Elena Feriani
Italy
Local time: 06:26
Member
French to Italian
+ ...
If it makes you happy... Jun 14, 2020

Hi Inez,
Like Teresa, I have a couple of things that I refuse to translate, like gambling-related material, fake news, scams, religion...
As far as pornography is concerned, I'm comfortable with translating texts (sex toys descriptions and packaging mainly) and when these jobs come up I have no problem with working on them. What I have a problem with is the visuals. I don't want to see anything! I know there is a demand for subtitles, for example, but I'm not interested at all.
... See more
Hi Inez,
Like Teresa, I have a couple of things that I refuse to translate, like gambling-related material, fake news, scams, religion...
As far as pornography is concerned, I'm comfortable with translating texts (sex toys descriptions and packaging mainly) and when these jobs come up I have no problem with working on them. What I have a problem with is the visuals. I don't want to see anything! I know there is a demand for subtitles, for example, but I'm not interested at all.
If you are comfortable with a job, go for it! This is the best part of being freelancers, that we can decide for ourselves
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Inez Ulrich
Philip Lees
 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
... Jun 14, 2020

Teresa Borges wrote:

I try to leave my causes, my biases, my likes and dislikes and my morality at a good distance from my translation desk, but for me it is a question of comfort level — if you are not comfortable working on a project, you are certainly not going to be able to turn out your best work. I would refuse jobs, and I have in the past, on gambling, obscene or pornographic material, military weapons, racism…


Thank you, Teresa, that is certainly a good reason to consider. I would have immediately declined if I wasn't a bit curious if I could do it. I'm a bit torn and that is why your opinions are so valuable for me to make a decision.:)


 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
good point! Jun 14, 2020

Kay-Viktor Stegemann wrote:

Adult content is just that, content for adults. So there is no cardinal reason why you should not translate it, if you are an adult. Of course, you should not translate it if you are uncomfortable with it, or if you are not able to do it professionally, but this is true for every other kind of content as well.

In my translation work, particularly with videogames, I translate a lot of content that I'm not particularly happy with, for example how to choose and improve a weapon in order to kill better. That's simply a part of the industry, and I like this work overall, so I do it. Adult content, on the other hand, is about making everyone happy, so what's wrong with that?


Thank you, Kay-Viktor, that is a helpful persepctive! I, too, do a lot of games translations and felt exactly the same. I never thought about adult content as sth that makes people happy with this job, thanks!


 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
.. Jun 14, 2020

Rachel Waddington wrote:

I haven't got expertise or interest in this field, so no. Quite apart from any other considerations, I think you'd need a fair bit of specialised knowledge and skill to do a good job.


you are certainly right, but it is not that difficult, but surely there are some terms you need to research, but it is not sth completely alien It was only me feeling a bit "naked" to use that language, even though there is nobody judging me for this, only if the job isn#t done properly, like with every other job.


Rachel Waddington
 
Inez Ulrich
Inez Ulrich  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:26
Member (2016)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
... Jun 14, 2020

Zibow Retailleau wrote:

I once did a test for a potential project which contained erotic content. The source text was well-written so I enjoyed translating it but also I found myself running out of words to describe sensations. Like others have said, it is a different beast. The project in the end did not materialize, in case you are curious.

For me, religious content is more uncomfortable.


yes, that will definitely be tricky, but now you mention this, it becomes apparent that this was also sth I thought would be a nice challenge: being really creative with those descriptions. I wouldn't go as far as comparing this to wirting literature, but you sure have to have a large vocabulary (and not necessarily porn-related). I used to write a lot when I was younger, and with simply translating and not writin anymore I seem to have lost that skill largely. That is why I like transcreation tasks as it is really challenging and you get better at it the more you do it, and you have to be really creative. Okay, you certainly don't need adult content to get creative, but it would be another task that requires creativity.


 
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Translating adult content - what is your opinion?







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