機巧少女は傷つかない – 復活‼

13 December, 2020 by xAzure 23 Comments

Hello, Azure here.

Yes, this is really happening and yes it’s not some kind of prank. I am coming back after a 6-year break to finish translating Unbreakable Machine Doll, but this time translating everything to English directly.

Why? Because I have finally found some comfortable space and time in my life to settle down and do the stuff I once enjoyed in total tranquility.

6 years ago, I had started making UMD summaries about volume 4 and 5. At that time, there was another English translator doing an English version of the series, which is why I decided to work on the series by doing a Spanish translation. This Spanish translation got to volume 7, and that’s where I stopped it.

However, after some more years, the previous English translator decided to drop the project entirely and remove his translations.

Some years later, another translator appeared, called Taekan. This translator took the previous English translation and decided to restart it from volume 5, going up to almost midway through volume 7. After speaking with Taekan personally, we accorded that I would be taking the translation continuing from where he left it, as I can fully dedicate my time entirely to Machine doll unlike him, that handles several series.

That’s basically the gist of it. Before contacting Taekan, I had already translated more than half of volume 8 into English, so by the time you are reading this post, you will find that all my blog has been translated to match the language and that volume 8 is already out, posted and fully translated here.

Regardless, I will first prioritize finishing the English translation of volume 7, so you can expect it being posted in the following days. You will also find there are several external links in the different volume pages that will get you to either the English or Spanish translation of Machine doll.

The translation updates will be done through this page directly for now. I may open a Discord server along the way, but that is something still underway.

About the translation:

Although I will be taking over what Taekan had previously done, you will have to consider we both have different translation styles, as many translators do. Probably one of the most noticeable differences you will find is that I usually don’t tend to translate Raishin’s battle formation commands or magic circuit names, like Yaya’s Kongouriki (Super strength).

Regardless, this blog also has a special section in the form of a Terminology page that I will keep updating as I go through the translation of the other volumes, which I intend it to serve as some sort of wiki for the most important terms in the UMD lore. I specially recommend reading about the Fuurinkazan Formations, but do keep in mind these terminology pages may contain volume 8 spoilers.

Regarding the proper English quotation/punctuation,etc: I usually ignore it to maintain the Japanese-style counterpart in most parts of my translations, because that’s how I like it when I read it from a light novel compared to other western books. It’s also the reason why I deliberately don’t build my own PDFs or EPUBs. The main reason for this is because I like it that way, but also because I tend to ignore it to prioritize the speed of my translation. Regardless, I know some people may not like this, which is why I will be looking for a volunteer to QC what I translate and mainly to fix these things if enough people prefer it that way. Although this won’t be a priority and it will not affect the speed at which I can pump out new chapters.

I intend to continue with volume 9 onwards after finishing with volume 7.

PD: my translator name is Azure. Just try to use that for any reference to other sites.

– Recruitment –

Having said that, there are some things that could be polished, but they are not really anything necessary, nor will any of these roles hinder the speed at which I will translate things. These roles are no more than just a commodity. However, if someone is interested in the following, you can send me a message or leave me a comment down below:

• Image editor
• Translation QC editor – must be a native English speaker
• Spanish translator

That’s about it for now. Here’s for hoping that the restart of this project goes as smoothly as I intend it to be.

Para mis antiguos lectores españoles:

Han pasado tres mil años. Si estás aquí después de todos estos años de haber leído mi traducción, pues te lo agradezco y realmente espero que seas capaz de leer ingles ahora, no solo por mi mensaje de arriba, sino también para que puedas disfrutar de la nueva traducción al inglés de Machine Doll.

Este blog solo contendrá traducciones al inglés a partir de la fecha, pero si alguien se anima a traducir lo que hago al español, pues está más que bienvenido y me gustaría incluso poner un link a sus traducciones en este mismo blog, junto a las inglesas.

Espero que puedan disfrutar de las traducciones de algún modo u otro.