Ask John: Is It Wrong To Use Japanese Terms When Discussing Anime?

Question:
Ask John Editorial:

Answer:
I recently read the following anonymous comment and felt an irresistible urge to rebut it. “I wish people wouldn’t use words like eroge and anison in English subtitles, it’s so wapanese.” I don’t know how seriously the statement was made, but it’s a sentiment that seems to be fairly common throughout the American anime fan community. The statement is narrow minded, thoughtless, and possibly motivated by an irrational xenophobia. Attitudes like this are partially to blame for why Japanese animation is not better understood and more widely accepted in America. No one can expect mainstream American consumers to eagerly accept Japanese animation if even serious anime fans themselves are unwilling to rationally accept or adopt characteristics of anime. Inappropriate use of Japanese language may reflect zealous but thoughtless devotion. But irrational condemnation of the adoption and use of Japanese terms is equally or more harmful to the diffusion of anime in America. Sweeping statements coupled with insults, like the one cited, are seductively agreeable, but they’re contrary to the principles of anime fandom. To explain my point, I first need to deconstruct and explain the original statement.

The term “eroge” is a Japanese abbreviation for “erotic game,” a reference to primarily pornographic anime style computer games. The term “anison” is a Japanese abbreviation for “anime song,” a vocal theme song for an anime. The term “wapanese” is an American abbreviation for “wannabe Japanese,” a derogatory nickname for someone obsessed with an idealized perception of Japanese culture. The statement implies that people who adopt and use Japanese anime terms are superficial and ignorant; using borrowed Japanese terms instead of English translations is needlessly self-indulgent. I respect the principle that translation should strive to thoroughly coloquialize foreign language to accurately convey its meaning and intent. Leaving foreign terms untranslated solely to create a foreign tone is contrary to the purpose of translation. However, I believe that a translator should recognize when specific foreign terms do not have precise foreign language equivalents, or are more effective when left intact. Furthermore, intelligently and selectively transliterating instead of translating particular terms may have a secondary benefit of educating the audience. For instance, a Japanese term like “baka” or “aho,” meaning “idiot” or “fool,” should be translated. There’s no rational or literary reason not to translate common words and phrases. However, terms like “eroge” and “anison” are not common, global words. In the same way that “car” is a proper noun that excludes busses, trucks, motorcycles, and vans, imported words like “eroge” and “anison” are proper nouns that refer to very specific things. Literal translation of these terms results in either a loss of clarification or, at the least, a needlessly rhetorical re-statement. The only difference between the English language use of terms such as “eroge” and “anison,” and terms including “anime,” “manga,” “cosplay,” and “doujinshi” is that the later are more widely known than the former.

The term “anime” refers exclusively to Japanese animation. An English speaker discussing “anime” is automatically presumed to be not talking about The Flintstones or Bambi. The Japanese term “anime” is useful because it concisely identifies a very particular type of animation. Likewise, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “manga” as, “a Japanese comic book or graphic novel.” The term “manga” excludes Superman, RanXerox, the work of Robert R. Crumb, and all other types of non-Japanese comics. The English use of the word “manga” is practical and efficient because it’s more concise than “comic” and more practical than “Japanese comic.” Similarly, “eroge” refers exclusively to Japanese erotic games. Literally translating “eroge” as “erotic game” eliminates the specificity of the original term. Leisure Suit Larry is not an “eroge,” although it is an erotic game. “Eroge” is shorter and more convenient than “Japanese erotic game.” Similarly songs like Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film,” “Drowning” by the Backstreet Boys, and Ayumi Hamasaki’s “No More Words” are not “anison” even though they have been used as anime theme songs. “Anison” are typically bombastic, anthemic themes or saccharine “moe” songs designed specifically as anime theme songs. Literally translating “anison” as “anime song” is not as precise, making communication less efficient.

After establishing the usefulness of terms like “eroge,” “galge” (gal game), “gunpla” (Gundam plastic model), and “anison” as specific, proper nouns equivalent to “anime” and “manga,” I’d like to rebut the accusation that their use is superficial or inappropriate. I don’t oppose any person’s freedom of observation. Anyone is free to criticize any other person’s obsession with Japanese culture, and critique the appropriateness of displaying such obsession. However, attacking the use of borrowed Japanese terms just because they’re Japanese is xenophobic and anti-intellectual. In my opinion, an immutable facet of being an anime fan is being receptive to and interested in absorbing knowledge of Japanese culture. Blanket opposition to characteristics of Japanese culture is the antithesis of being an anime fan. As I’ve already stated, arbitrary use of Japanese language may hinder effective communication. But absolute insistence on avoiding the use of Japanese language and terms is just as bad at muddying communication. Jargon terms and borrowed words exist to assist communication. Refusing to use them is counter-productive. Rational and effective use of specific borrowed words to create concise and declarative statements is an intelligent and calculated method of expressing an idea, which should be encouraged and respected; not misunderstood and insulted. I’m not defending the random and thoughtless inclusion of Japanese into English speech. I am proposing that particular borrowed terms can and possibly should be used when discussing anime in order to achieve absolute clarification.