Oolong
California, USA
Fluent in English and Japanese
I’m just a casual translator who enjoys translating various shows, songs, etc from Japanese to English. I like fish-themed fashion, delicious food, playing video games, etc.
I’m active in the Gaki no Tsukai community and mostly a lurker in the anime community. I used to be a part of the DTR Subs group, but now I’m just a slow solo translator who is up for collaborating with any other subbers.
Currently working on:
- Ask the Best 3 in a Strange Town Part 2
- Knight Scoop 2019.11.29
- Wednesday Downtown 2017.09.27
- Wednesday Downtown 2018.08.01
FAQs
Why do people call you “Clippy”?
I use the “Clippy” alias on the Gaki no Tsukai Discord channel for the memes. It started out as a joke at my work where my coworkers and I renamed ourselves after digital assistants. They chose assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, etc while I chose Clippy. If you see the Clippy reference around in the Gaki no Tsukai community, it’s probably me. Clippy is best assistant.
Are you Japanese?
Ethnically, yes. But in terms of nationality, I’m American. I visit Japan once in a while to be more in touch with my cultural roots, eat really good food, and get better at Japanese.
Are you a member of Team Gaki?
No, I’m a solo subber, but I work closely with Team Gaki for Batsus and other collaborations.
Could you sub [episode] for me?
Most likely, no. If it’s a really good episode that hasn’t been subbed yet, I’ll consider it, but don’t count on it.
Why don’t you sub more?
I work a full-time job, take on part-time work, volunteer, maintain a social life, and then sleep. Subbing only comes after all of my obligations for those areas are taken care of.
What if we donated? Would you sub more?
No, translation work isn’t really something I want to do for several hours a day and although donations are appreciated, it’s not enough to ever replace the paid work I do to support myself.
Why won’t NTV license Gaki no Tsukai in America/Europe/etc?
This is a really long discussion, but TL;DR is that many Japanese businesses, particularly television networks, do not care to attract an international audience. It’s a huge risk with low gain because Japanese variety shows don’t do that well overseas. The Gaki no Tsukai community is pretty small in comparison to the Japanese audience. Anime only recently became more attractive to foreign markets, but variety shows and comedies are a lot more difficult due to needing to know Japanese culture, language, etc. (This is why you’ll often see translation notes in fansubs, but almost never in official subs.) I’ve also tried to reach out to NTV for the possibility of expanding to an international audience, but I never got a reply. I think it’s not going to be feasible until there’s an actual company backing this potential project.
Do you do any professional translation work?
I have translated at a few anime conventions in the US for Japanese professionals from the anime industry. Also translated for educational workshops and professional gatherings. But my career has nothing to do with it and translation is something I just mostly do for fun.
Can I contact you for translation jobs for an event/video/etc?
Sure, just shoot me a message and we can work out the details. I will only take on legit translation jobs so please don’t send me requests for fansubs.
Can you tell me more about how to become a professional translator?
Sure, just shoot me a message and hopefully I can answer your questions. Although, to be honest, I don’t really consider myself a professional translator and I only got into it by chance, so your experience may vary.