diff --git a/docs/guidelines/editing.md b/docs/guidelines/editing.md index 0cfe0ae..506062c 100644 --- a/docs/guidelines/editing.md +++ b/docs/guidelines/editing.md @@ -1,44 +1,383 @@ # Editing Guidelines -Editing is one of the most important aspects of fansubbing, -and helps make the original text more accessible and better convey the intended message -This may involve various changes, from domestication, rewriting jokes, and making dialogue flow more naturally. +!!! Danger "Editing Guidelines" + Always ensure your editing follows the guidelines + provided to you by the group or company you work for!
+ This is especially important if you're working in an official capacity. + +Editing plays a crucial role in fansubbing, +helping to make the original text more accessible +and ensuring the intended message is effectively conveyed. +This process can involve various changes, +such as adapting cultural references, rewriting jokes, +or making the dialogue flow more naturally. There are many different opinions on what makes for good editing, and many different editing styles to choose from. -This document is a styleguide most Kaleido projects follow, +This document is a style guide most Kaleido projects follow, and is intended to provide a consistent style and quality of editing to the group's releases. +Deviations from these guidelines are often intentional, +and may help give more character to a subtitle +or fit the style of the original script better. + +## Grammar and Punctuation + +Using proper grammar and punctuation is crucial for creating clear and engaging subtitles. +But there are also some other things to keep in mind, +such as the dialect of English to use. +In the subtitling community, +American English is the standard, +but some groups such as Kaleido use British English for its subtitles. + +!!! Info "Consistency" + British English is more flexible in which spellings you can use, + as it's not uncommon for both spellings to be accepted. + However, + you should strive to keep your spelling consistent throughout the project. + +Below is a quick overview of some common differences between British and American English. + +=== "-ise/-ize" + + British English spellings often end in "-ise"[^endings] while American English uses "-ize": + + - Fantasise / Fantasize + - Apologise / Apologize + - Recognise / Recognize + - Realise, Realisation / Realize, Realization + - Organise, Organisation / Organize, Organization + - Customise, Customisation / Customize, Customization + +=== "ou/o" + + British English often uses "ou" where American English uses "o": + + - Colour / Color + - Favourite / Favorite + - Rumour / Rumor + - Neighbour / Neighbor + - Labour / Labor + +=== "-re/-er" + + British English often ends words with "-re" while American English uses "-er": + + - Centre / Center + - Theatre / Theater[^theatre] + - Metre / Meter + - Calibre / Caliber + - Fibre / Fiber + - Litre / Liter + +=== "ll/l" + + British English often doubles the "l" where American English uses a single "l": + + - Travelling / Traveling + - Fuelling / Fueling + - Cancelled / Canceled + - Marvelling / Marveling + - Signalling / Signaling + - Labelling / Labeling + +=== "-ce/-se" + + British English often uses "-ce" where American English uses "-se": + + - Defence / Defense + - Offence / Offense + - Licence / License + - Pretence / Pretense + - Practise (verb), Practice (noun) / Practice (both verb and noun) + - Advice (noun), Advise (verb) / Advice (noun), Advise (verb) + +=== "-ogue/-og" + + British English often ends words with "-ogue" while American English uses "-og": + + - Analogue / Analog + - Dialogue / Dialog + - Prologue / Prolog + - Catalogue / Catalog + - Monologue / Monolog + - Pedagogue / Pedagog + +=== "Other words" + + Other spelling differences: + + - Enrol / Enroll + - Programme (TV and radio), Program (computer) / Program (all uses) + - Jewellery / Jewelry + - Plough / Plow + - Aluminium / Aluminum + - Draught / Draft + - Tyre / Tire + - Sceptical / Skeptical + - Ageing / Aging + - Cosy / Cozy + - Maths / Math + - Lorry / Truck + - Lift / Elevator + +Besides dialect differences, +there are a couple other spelling rules that are worth noting: + +- "Alright" should always be spelled as "all right". + This is because "alright" is only correct in specific cases, + while "all right" is always correct. +- "OK" and "Ok" should always be fully spelled out as "okay". + +### Punctuation + +Proper use of punctuation is almost always required. +Do not rely on punctuation used in the original Japanese script, +as punctuation rules and styles vary greatly between languages. + +- Avoid comma splices. + This is when multiple independent clauses are joined together with commas, + without any other punctuation to separate them. + These often result in run-on sentences, + which can be more difficult to read. +- Use the Oxford comma. + This is the comma before the "and" in a list of three or more items, + and reduces ambiguity. +- Use em dashes (—) for interruptions or abrupt changes in thought, + not hyphens (-) or double hyphens (--). +- Avoid ellipses like the plague. + They are almost always unnecessary, + annoying to read, + and can often be replaced with different punctuation. + The viewer can easily infer that information from the audio. +- Do not make use of the four-dotted ellipsis. +- Interrobangs are always written as "?!" in English, + never as "!?". + The latter is the Japanese punctuation. +- Brackets should be avoided as much as possible, + but can be used to better convey the intended meaning when necessary. + +### Quotation Marks + +The use of quotation marks varies between British and American English, + +=== "British English" + + - Double quotation marks are used when quoting, + and single marks are used when quoting within quotes. + - If the punctuation is part of the quoted material, + it goes inside the quotation marks. + If not, + it goes outside. + - Exclamation and question marks are placed inside the quotation marks if they are part of the quoted material, + otherwise they are placed outside. + +=== "American English" + + - Double quotation marks are used when quoting, + and single marks are used when quoting within quotes. + - Periods and commas are always placed inside the quotation marks, + even if they are not part of the original quoted material. + - Exclamation and question marks are placed inside the quotation marks if they are part of the quoted material, + otherwise they are placed outside. + +### Abbreviated titles + +While Kaleido typically sticks to British English rules, +there is one notable exception: abbreviated titles. +We follow the American English convention, +and use a full stop after the abbreviation. + +| British English | American English | +| --------------- | ---------------- | +| Mr | Mr. | +| Dr | Dr. | +| Mrs | Mrs. | +| Ms | Ms. | -## Basic Use of English +However, +do keep the difference between "Ms.", +"Miss", +and "Ms" in mind. +"Miss" is a respectful way to refer to an unmarried woman, +"Mrs." is used for a married woman, +and "Ms." is when you're unsure, +and generally the safest choice. +If a common joke is that a female teacher is unmarried, +you should refer to her as "Miss" rather than "Ms.". +If it's unknown to some characters +and they wouldn't reasonably assume them to be married, +they should use "Ms." and switch to "Mrs." +if they find out later. -- Grammar and punctuation - - Overuse of ellipses - - Japanese punctuation -- Sentence structure and clarity -- Common mistakes to avoid +### Numbers + +Numbers should be spelled out whenever reasonably possible, +and if the characters-per-second (CPS) allows for it. + +| Number | Spelled Out | +| ------ | ------------------------ | +| 36 | Thirty-six | +| 100 | One hundred / A hundred | +| 991 | Nine hundred ninety-one | + +!!! Abstract "Chicago Manual of Style" + The [Chicago Manual of Style](https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/) has the following rules for numbers: + + - Spell out numbers one through one hundred (Chicago’s general rule). + - Spell out multiples of one through one hundred used in combination with hundred, thousand,
+ or hundred thousand. + + These are for written text so are not always applicable to subtitles, + but they're generally good rules to follow. + +In certain cases, +certain numbers appear often in a show. +These should ideally be handled consistently throughout the project. + +| Original | Avoid | +| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | +| "Stop right there, Misaka 9982!" | "Stop right there, Misaka nine-thousand-nine-hundred-eighty-two! | + +Dates are an exception to this rule, +and should always be written in numeric form. + +| Date | Avoid | +| -------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | +| 1st of January | First of January | +| Oct. 2 | October Second | +| The 25th of December, 1998 | The twenty-fifth of December, nineteen-ninety-eight | + +### Sentence structure + +Dialogue flow is one of the core things that Kaleido editors focus on. +Subtitles are timed to fit the dialogue, +and as such, +it's important to make it as easy as possible for the viewer to understand in a short amount of time. +Dialogue should also be easy to follow and sound natural. + +Sentences should be broken up into smaller clauses where possible, +and given to the viewer in a clear and concise manner. +Ambiguity should be avoided, +unless the original script is ambiguous on purpose, +and may require some rewriting to make it clearer. + +Japanese grammar is different from English, +so it may be necessary to change the order of information in a sentence to make it sound more natural in English. +The target audience's experience trumps all else, +even if it comes at the cost of minor information loss. + +Try to avoid run-on sentences, +as they are difficult to read and understand. +If a sentence is too long, +try to break it up into two shorter sentences. +Exceptions may apply, +such as when a character is speaking very quickly, +or otherwise stumbling over their words. + +### Garden-pathing + +Garden-pathing is when a sentence is easy to misinterpret when parsed sequentially, +and requires you to circle back to an earlier part of the sentence to understand it. +This is a common mistake made by English learners, +and should be avoided. + +Below are a few examples of garden-pathing, +and how you may go about rewriting them[^gardenpath]. + +=== "Example A" + + !!! quote Example + "The horse raced past the barn fell." + + **Explanation:** The reader initially assumes the horse is "racing past the barn", + but the sentence actually means that the horse _was_ raced past the barn, + and then it fell. + + **Rewritten:** "The horse that was raced past the barn fell." + + **Why it's better:** Adding "that was" clarifies the relationship between the horse and the action of falling. + +=== "Example B" + + !!! quote Example + "The man who hunts ducks out on weekends." + + **Explanation:** The reader initially assumes the sentence means that the old man "hunts ducks (the birds) out on weekends", + but "ducks out" is actually the verb "to duck out" (i.e. leave or avoid something). + + **Rewritten:** "The man who hunts hides out on weekends." + + **Why it's better:** Changing the verb to "hides" makes it clear that the old man is trying to avoid something + while avoiding the misunderstanding that he's hunting a specific animal on weekends. + +=== "Example C" + + !!! quote Example + "The prime number few." + + **Explanation**: The reader initially assumes that "the prime number" is the subject of the sentence, + as in discussing a specific number (maths), + but the sentence is actually referring to a small number of prime people. + The "few" does not logically connect to "the prime number" when read sequentially. + + **Rewritten:** "The few prime individuals." or "The number of prime individuals is few." + + **Why it's better:** Adding "individuals" makes it clear that the sentence is referring to a group of people. + +=== "Example D" + + !!! quote Example + "While the girl sang the song pleased everyone." + + **Explanation:** The reader initially assumes that "the girl sang the song", + but the sentence is actually saying that the song pleased everyone while the girl sang. + + **Rewritten:** "The song pleased everyone while the girl sang." or "As the girl was singing, the song pleased everyone." or "While the girl sang, the song pleased everyone." + + **Why it's better:**
+ ⠀⠀⠀⠀- The first sentence clarifies that the song is the subject that pleased everyone
+ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀and that the girl was singing during that time.
+ ⠀⠀⠀⠀- The second makes the timing clearer by indicating an ongoing action.
+ ⠀⠀⠀⠀- The third splits the clauses, separating "sang" and "the song".
+ +As illustrated above, +there are a variety of ways to rewrite sentences to avoid garden-pathing: + +- Adding clarifying words (such as "that", "which", or "who") +- Changing the verb +- Adding additional context +- Splitting the sentence +- Using active voice +- Reordering the sentence +- Eliminating unnecessary modifiers or adjectives +- Using conjunctions ("and", "but", "or", "so", "for", etc.) ## Characterisation -- Maintaining character voice and personality -- Handling honorifics and name suffixes -- Proper use of profanity and explicit language -- Regional dialects and accents, and the dangers thereof -- Age-appropriate language +- Maintaining character voice and personality +- Handling honorifics and name suffixes +- Proper use of profanity and explicit language +- Regional dialects and accents, and the dangers thereof +- Age-appropriate language ## Domestication vs. Foreignisation -- Adapting cultural references for the target audience -- Preserving the original cultural context -- When to use each approach -- Translating or adapting idioms and proverbs -- Dealing with wordplay and puns +- Adapting cultural references for the target audience +- Preserving the original cultural context +- When to use each approach +- Translating or adapting idioms and proverbs +- Dealing with wordplay and puns ## Formatting -- Line breaks and readability -- Italics and emphasis -- Off-screen dialogue -- "Safe" tags -- Etc. +- Line breaks and readability +- Italics and emphasis +- Off-screen dialogue +- "Safe" tags +- Etc. ## Other Things of Note + +[^endings]: "-ize" is also often accepted in British English, but required in American English. +[^theatre]: In some cases, "theatre" may still be used in American English, where a "theat*er*" is a venue you visit to watch plays, and "theat*re*" is the performance-driven art form. +[^gardenpath]: Most of these examples are taken from [this paper](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/260d/3b53b1376b5cd30881bbd3ce2472af507adc.pdf).