Ask John: Should Japanese Character Names Be Translated?

Question:
What do you think of ADV’s decision to literally translate the character names in Princess Tutu? While this may be an accurate translation, it comes across as comical or mocking in English, which I don’t believe was the intent of the original Japanese. If ADV had to do this, wouldn’t it have been better to leave the names untranslated in the subtitles?

Answer:
I can’t blame AD Vision for the way character names were translated in the domestic DVD release of Princess Tutu because I don’t know what stipulations their localization was created under. It’s possible that the Japanese licensor requested that the protagonist’s name be literally translated into English. As far as I’m aware, all of the other character names in the show are spelled with the official Romanizations used in Japan. So the primary point of contention is the fact that the American DVD calls the show’s main character “Duck” instead of Ahiru, the Japanese word for “duck.”

As a relative anime purist, I was disappointed to learn of the use of the proper name “Duck” in the English dubbed version of Princess Tutu. When I discovered that the same had been done in the subtitles, I swore off buying the domestic version of the show. I respect and adore the Princess Tutu anime. I think it’s a brilliant and wonderful production. But having to watch a subtitle track that uses “Duck” as a proper name is just too aggravating for me. I’m personally boycotting the release because, although I respect the show, I refuse to condone what I consider to be a poor translation decision that seriously hampers my enjoyment of the show.

Without knowing the circumstances surrounding the translation, I can only say that I personally can’t fathom any logical reason for literally translating the proper name “Ahiru.” In fact, I can’t comprehend a reason for literally translating any proper name in any language. As far as I’m concerned, the main character of the Princess Tutu anime is named “Ahiru.” The word “ahiru” may mean “duck,” and in the show the girl may be a duck transformed into a human, but her name is not “Duck.” “Ahiru” is a Japanese proper name (at least within the context of Princess Tutu). “Duck” is an English language verb or noun, but not a proper name. I’ve never before heard of proper names being literally translated because doing so is not proper translation. When we watch Street Fighter anime, we’re watching the adventures of Ryu and Ken, not the adventures of Dragon and Fist. When I watch Card Captor Sakura anime, I’m watching the adventures of Sakura Kinomoto, not the adventures of Cherry Blossom Kinomoto. I agree entirely with your sentiment that literally translating proper names takes them out of context and changes the perception of the character. My interpretation is that in Princess Tutu, Ahiru’s name is intended to suggest to her origin, not literally define her. Consider English language equivalents like “Snow” and “Candy.” When we meet a woman named “Snow” or a woman named “Candy,” we don’t assume that woman is named “Frozen Precipitation,” or “Sweet Confection.” Being named after something isn’t the same as being named as something. A good translation should acknowledge this fact. So I find it ironic, and possibly in AD Vision’s defense, that the English translation of the Princess Tutu manga retains the name “Ahiru.” Since the Princess Tutu anime and manga may not have been licensed from the same source, it could be that the Japanese anime licensor demanded that AD Vision translate the name “Ahiru” while the manga licensor allowed a more logical Romanization in place of a literal translation.