Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Dressrosa arc.

Zoro and Zolo, Loguetown and Roguetown, Portgas and Portgaz, Elbaf and Elbaph, Perona and Perhona, Weevil and Weeble…

To some, there’s that feeling of seething rage when even just a single letter is off in a name or a word. While to the rest of us, it’s met with some sense of unease, a bit of confusion, or simply plain indifference. In the translation of manga series to English or any other languages, there’s the enduring issue concerning the spelling of names and translation of terminologies, giving rise to many a debate concerning the topic. Fans want accuracy and consistency, but achieving an agreement from the author, the translators, and the fandom can sometimes be difficult.

Romanization

Aside from the occasional use of the Latin alphabet, the Japanese language comprises three sets of characters developed over the course of centuries. Despite the different grammatical structures and large cultural barriers between the two languages, Japanese phonology does sound fairly similar to English phonology. Given that there is a system for transliterating Japanese into Latin characters, it should mean that there should be no problem dealing with Japanese names, right? Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case. While the Hepburn romanization system is the most widely-used, it is not the only system. Other systems include the Nihon-shiki romanization, the Kunrei-shiki romanization, and Wāpuro rōmaji (kana spelling).

Nihon-shiki prefers regularity of spelling among the sets of syllabograms over accuracy of pronunciation. For instance, shi, chi, tsu, and fu in Hepburn are rendered as si, ti, tu, and hu in Nihon-shiki. In addition, the sha/shu/sho in Hepburn is spelled as sya/syu/syo, thus bringing in odd spellings such as Rosinante (Rocinante) and Shyarly (Sharley).

The Hepburn system features two major variants: traditional method and modified method. The former renders the syllabic n into m before b, m, and p, while the latter leaves the n as is. Moreover, long vowels in Japanese are generally indicated with a macron (Hepburn) or a circumflex (Nihon-shiki), though they are generally ignored in English. This can be seen in names, Ryuma (Ryūma), Kaido (Kaidō), Issho (Isshō), Kanjuro (Kanjūrō), and Raizo (Raizō). Based on the system used to input Japanese characters through the use of a Western keyboard (kana spelling), it would be Ryuuma, Kaidou, Isshou, Kanjurou, and Raizou. Taking into account the various methods mentioned above, it certainly explains why Jimbei (Jinbē) has been alternatively spelled as Jinbe (Oda’s preferred spelling), Jinbei, and Jinbee (Wāpuro).

Rendering foreign names into Japanese is always just an approximation. Romanizing the names will usually result to extra vowels when compared to the original name. With the exception of the syllabic n and the middle of double consonants, all the consonant phonemes come with a vowel after it, as seen with Usopp (Usoppu), Franky (Furankī), and Brook (Burukku). Due to the lack of distinction between /r/ and /l/ in Japanese, they are considered to be interchangeable, bringing in issues like Luffy/Ruffy, Zoro/Zolo, Loguetown/Roguetown/Rogue Town, Alabasta/Arabasta, Nefeltari/Nefertari, etc.

In addition, the /th/ is sometimes rendered as /s/, as seen with Bentham (Bensamu), Thatch (Satchi), and Thousand Sunny (Sauzando Sanī Gō). The /v/ sound was a fairly recent addition to the Japanese tongue, thus sometimes approximated as /b/, such as Vivi (Bibi), Vegapunk (Begapanku), and Cavendish (Kyabendisshu). However, /v/ can be rendered as /w/ or /f/ in certain cases, such as Ivankov (Iwankofu).

An interesting pattern is syllables with the vocalic /r/ are rendered as long vowels in Japanese, such as Bartholomew (Bāsoromyū), Chopper (Choppā), Portgas (Pōtogasu), and Burgess (Bāgesu). However, such conventions are only applicable to English names and words. Names originating from other languages such as Jean Bart (French), Bartolomeo (Italian), Vergo (Esperanto), and Water[loo] (Dutch) follow a different convention, respectively spelled as Janbāru, Barutoromeo, Verugo, and Wāteru in Japanese.

In addition to its diverse set of words borrowed from various languages, English can be quite irregular in regards to its spelling and pronunciation. As transliterations into Japanese are only based on the pronunciation, rendering them back to English can also lead to multiple variations of the same name with similar pronunciations. For example, Law’s name could have been spelled as Low, Lowe, Row, Raw, Rho, Roe, Rou, Loe, etc. Adding to the issue, English orthography is largely incompatible with the ones in other languages. The ‘t’ in Monet and Jean Bart is silent, thus approximated as Mone and Janbāru. The ‘j’ in Hajrudin is pronounced with an /i/, while Don Quixote is rendered as Donkīhote. Corazón is transliterated as Korason, while Tesoro is transcripted as Tezōro. Interestingly, even the same name can be spelled differently in Japanese, such as Katorīnu (French) and Kyasarin (English) for Catherine. As such, translating names in One Piece would require some form of familiarity with other languages, or at least, can make good use of the Internet.

Familiarization

In the age of the Internet, information spreads fast. However, first impressions last and fans adapt to the earliest or most accessible name in sight. Due to chapters being leaked days before the official release on both sides of the Pacific, spellings used in scanlations tend to be the most widespread among the fanbase, though names used in the wiki can be just as influential. In addition, anyone who has a basic understanding of Japanese can easily provide an English spelling.

Fortunately, Oda does try to alleviate the problem by providing English spellings during the characters’ introductions, though it can become a problem if he reveals them too late or the spelling looks awkward to the foreign audience. In addition, Oda also tends to choose real-life names and words, so we can spell names like Crocodile, Hancock, and Rebecca with some form of certainty. However, it’s still not quite as foolproof, given that one name can be spelled in many different ways and Oda also has a tendency to spell it slightly differently from their namesake.

Even if the Oda’s spelling is revealed, not all fans will switch to it out of habit or preference. Yes, we can be very stubborn, simply defaulting to the name we’re used to. Kid is sometimes spelled with two d‘s due to his namesake, William Kidd. Shiryu is still preferred by many over the awkward-looking Shiliew (though I personally preferred Zhilong). No one spells Perona with an h, despite the Japanese merchandise consistently spelling her name as Perhona.

Law’s attack Chambres has caused quite a lot of confusion in both the official release and in the fandom. From its first appearance in a battle with the marines, both the fandom and the publishers assumes the attack to be Shambles, given that the word means a state of total disorder or a scene of carnage. However, Shueisha requests that the word be spelled Chambres (French word for room) in the later VIZ editions. The appearance of the English spelling on the spin-off One Piece Party supports its use. However, various official Japanese merchandise still spell it as Shambles (see image below), as well as the subtitle and the dub by FUNimation. Fans have also defaulted to Shambles due to habit and likely because it sounds cooler.

English is also not entirely accurate in preserving words from other languages. As an example, diacritics are usually ignored due to inconvenience in typing them. As mentioned before, macrons and circumflexes over long vowels are generally omitted. The tilde is sometimes not indicated on the ‘n’ of Señor Pink and the ‘a’ of Sabãody, while the acute over the ‘o’ of Corazón is easily missed.

Localization

Translation is difficult. Not only does the meaning have to be accurately conveyed to the target language, other elements such as tones, dialects, and patterns of speech also have to be taken into consideration. Other challenges include idioms, puns, and cultural references that do not translate well. Moreover, the translation has to be structured in a way that sounds natural to the audience. Rendering names into one’s native language is one of the challenges, especially when it’s related to some sort of pun or cultural reference.

Names are sometimes translated, instead of transliterated, in order to convey the intended meaning to the target audience. Such can be seen with Usopp’s three friends and the two leaders of Zou. Of course, publishers would take into account that native speakers would more likely understand Dogstorm and Cat Viper over Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. Moreover, what a word can mean in Japan does not mean that the word would mean the same thing in English. As an example, Luffy’s Gear 4 form is literally called “Bound Man” in Japanese, where the word “bound” means “bounce” in English. With that, the term is rendered as “Bounce Man” in the English translation, given that the word “bound” has different connotations in English.

Nicknames are also localized in a similar manner, such as Pervichiro for Erochiro and Traffy (VIZ)/Tra-guy (FUNi) for Torao. In addition, honorifics are generally left out or rendered into their English equivalents. Given that there are no clear-cut standards when a name should be transliterated or translated, it’s all subjected to the discretion of the translator, but changes in name should be consistent with the setting and spirit of the series. Unless the author had intended it in the source material, it would be absolutely absurd for a translator to assign a Western name to a character if he or she has obvious Japanese influences. Care should be taken that it does not result to a complete change in meaning or censorship of content, as seen with Trace (Ace) and Chaser (Smoker) of 4Kids.

Oda may enjoy peppering his work with phrases from different languages, but that does not mean he is fluent in them. The translators have to step in to make the necessary changes, so the text does not look awkward to the target audience. Eiichiro Oda has not always been consistent with spelling. Alabasta and Berry had been spelled as Arabasta and Belly. Big Mom was previously spelled as Big Mam. Face it, Gear Second, Gear Third, and Gear Fourth are grammatically wrong. As such, VIZ used Arabic numerals, while FUNimation switched the order. Both of which are grammatically correct, though using the original order would be better in maintaining suspense. Besides, the Japanese version writes it as Gear 2/3/4, but the numbers are read with their ordinal equivalents. In a similar example, the X in X Drake is left as the letter it was written in, despite it’s assigned reading being Diez. Fortunately, FUNimation did take the reading into account when Drake appeared in the dub.

While it’s easy for fans to adopt something as soon as it is revealed, a publisher cannot make such changes easily. Flip-flopping spelling certainly looks unprofessional and could only be done in certain cases. As an example, VIZ will not be changing Heart Pirates to Oda’s Pirates of Heart, given that the first name is already well-established and sounds less awkward. That’s not to say VIZ is always right. We all hated Zolo, Portgaz, Ponegliff, Teech, and Doan Island. Then again, the fandom has contributed to all sorts of hilarious translations, such as Juraquil, Tanjihado, Binami, Chocheh, Bisoromi, Welgo, and Curos. In addition, practically everyone had assumed Bon Kurei (Bon Clay) was a Western name, despite being based on the name of a Japanese festival. Likewise, the pedant in me prefers Supernovae over Supernovas, though Oda has since referred to them as Rookies in later arcs.

Globalization

Due to foreign influences, Japan has imported vocabularies from various languages for its own use, as well as making its own set of words based on those vocabularies. Still, English sounds exotic to the Japanese, much like how we think French sounds sexy or how anime fans pepper their speech with Japanese. However, throwing in random phrases from other languages does not imply fluency. While Oda does leave in a number of perfectly cromulent phrases, classical texts, and references to popular culture in his work, he still makes some occasional mistakes. Of course, such mistakes should have been proofread by the editor, though it should be taken into consideration that Shueisha is a Japanese publisher. As such, they would be more focused on the Japanese contents and barely bother with text written in other languages.

Moreover, Shueisha and Toei generally don’t care about how all the names are spelled. If it was a priority for them, they would have made a list for all of their publishers. Given that distribution of content is more important for them, the Japanese publishers would simply take into account the sensibilities of other countries by leaving the changes to the discretion of local publishers. Aware of the name changes in other language editions, Oda simply acknowledged these names by compiling a list in Volume 26 of the SBS. Even if Oda does reveal the English spelling of the characters, it is generally useless to translations not based on the Latin alphabet, such as Chinese, Korean, and possibly Russian. In fact, there are currently three publishers for the Chinese translations, along with several dubs, one web serialization done by another group, one official sub basing itself on fan spellings, and two former publishers that have gone defunct. Not counting the various fan translations, that means there are already a multitude of Chinese names for every character in the series.

While VIZ sticking to Zolo is as silly as the United States not officially adopting to the metric system, don’t let spelling be the deciding factor in buying official copies of the volume. Dub names are not always bad. Sure, it’s easy to demonize localizations after what happened with 4Kids, but translations that preserves the spirit of Oda’s work can sometimes be better than overly literal ones. We all agree that the source material deserves an accurate translation, but the English language should also be treated with the same respect as the Japanese. Instead of blindly following one spelling, try to consider the alternate ones and use some common sense in deciding which one to use.

“Chao Time” is a monthly editorial feature that is posted every fourth Wednesday of the month only at The One Piece Podcast website.