GUIDELINES FOR TRANSLATING COMICS

Extracted text from COMICS.DOC:

UBS TRANSLATION OFFICERS MANUAL

GUIDELINES FOR TRANSLATING COMICS 1. The basic principles of translation apply to the translation of comics as much as to the translation of regular Scripture texts. Translators of comics who are not already experienced translators need to receive help and guidance in their work from a Translation Consultant or Adviser. 2. The English words should not be translated literally. They should be only a guide to what the text should be in other languages. Much of the text in the boxes and balloons of a comic comes from the Bible. In English this is normally taken from the GNB, but in other languages each translator should refer to the wording of his/her own common language version. Even where the script of the comic does not follow the Bible text exactly, the actual words and expressions found in the Bible should still be used as far as possible. For each of the UBS comics there is a list of Bible references which shows the particular verses to look up for each frame. The style of a comic must be natural and idiomatic. This sort of style has been used in the English versions of the comics. Each translator should try to use the natural expressions and idioms of his/her own language to produce an appropriate style for the comic medium. Particular features of the comic, such as exclamations and words which represent the sound of an action or an emotion, should follow what is conventional and natural in the translator's own language. 3. The text must be divided into short sections to fit into the spaces that are available in the boxes and balloons, just as it does in the English versions of the comics. Extra large blank sheets of the comics are available. These can be used as working sheets by translators, and they can also be used to prepare the final text for printing. 4. The same careful attention must be given to the cover material as to the inside pages of the comics. The cover title need not be a literal translation of the English title, but it should be appropriate to the content of the comic. The introduction and conclusion are part of the comic text as much as the content of the frames, and should be translated. This material should not be changed or added to without consultation with the Translation Consultant or Adviser who is guiding the work.

UBS TRANSLATION OFFICERS MANUAL

Space is available on the back cover of each comic for information, or advertising or promotional material, or other messages for the reader. Material for this space should be discussed and prepared in consultation with the Bible Society, and should be appropriate to the situation of readers. From Guidelines for Preparing Comics (UBS Series), 1986