VI. Various
If it doesn't fit anywhere else, this is where I put it!
=================
~A~ The Name Game
=================
Throughout this guide, you have probably noticed quite a few names and words
that different in spelling than that seen on Dragon Ball Z (the TV show). The
reason for this is because I prefer to go by my own interpretations of the
names, presented in the original Japanese (or as close as possible). For
example, the move known as "Solar Flare" is a rough translation of "Taiyo-Ken",
which is the original name the attack had. While Solar Flare is a somewhat-
accurate translation, I like to avoid as many arguments as possible on the
difference in interpretations, opting for the use of "Taiyo-Ken" (the original)
over "Solar Flare" (the translated version). The word "Saiya" is a pun on the
Japanese word for vegetable (Yasai), and since the term "Jin" means people,
person, or man, the phrase "Saiya-Jin" means the Saiya-people (or the race of
Saiyas). Thus, I tend to use the term "Saiya-Jin" over the slightly less-
correct "Saiyan". Granted, Saiyan is a more Americanized version of the name,
but I just like using Saiya-Jin instead. Now you get another joke that was
included in the series - the "plant people" (Saiya-Jin) have people named
Vegita and Kakorotto (carrot).
For names, I like to go with as close a romanization of the Katakana as
possible, although I do take some liberties with SOME names. The name "Vegita", for example, can be translated as a variety of ways from the Japanese
(Vegita, Vegeta, Vejita, Vejiita, Begeta, Begita, etc). The Japanese language
has no separate B and V sounds, instead combining the two into what we
(English-speaking folk) would consider as a slurring of the sounds. However,
we know that the name is a pun on the word "Vegetable", so I choose a hard V
sound instead of the slurred version; thus, when I write the name I will also
choose the "V" sound instead of going to the extent of "V/Begita v/bounces the
v/ball". Truth be told, I randomly picked one of the myriad of spellings out
there (the ones that start with V, that is), and the one I ended up with was
Vegita...and now you know why I prefer that spelling over Vegeta.
Of course, then you have the name "Tien", which is wholly incorrect. Certain
words and phrases in Japanese are spelled out using Katakana and Hiragana -
formal and informal "letters", in a manner of speaking. Each symbol represents
a single syllable, such as "Te", "Ta", "Ti", "Se", "Sa", "Si", etc. The name "TenShinHan" is written using 6 Katakana symbols (syllables):
Te - N - Shi - N - Ha - N
It has always been written that way, as there really isn't much variation that
you could put in there (maybe something along the lines of "TehnShinHahn" to
add emphasis to the vowels, but that would seem a little extreme). Here's
where the dilemma of "Tien" comes into play - the guys at FUNimation translated
his name in such a way that goes against how his name is pronounced and
written, and ultimately shows their inability to both read OR hear the Japanese
language correctly.
There are other names which I opt for different spellings - I prefer Kuririn
instead of "Krillin", since his name revolves around 2 jokes and neither can be
gotten from the spelling of Krillin: Kuri means chestnut (as Toriyama was
notorious for food-related joke names), and "Kurin" is slang for "Shaved Head"
- since Kuririn is a monk with a shaved heead (for most of the series), this is
where the joke comes into play. You'll probably also notice that I use double-
vowels in the spelling of certain names, like "Gokuu" or "Ginyuu". This is
partly due to repetition, partly as a designation of a "Japanese" word
(personal habit), and partially because I like to show the extended vowel
sound(s) by adding in that extra letter. Granted, by this merit I should
probably write Vegita's name as "Vegiita", but once again it is just a personal
preference. I like the spelling of Frieza as "Furiza" instead of the logical "Freeza", which completely defies my "double-letter" rationalization, yet it's
(one AGAIN) just my personal preference. You'll find a lot of those, which is
why I took the time to explain this. I hope I have not confused anyone, and
hope that my efforts will clear up any discrepancies otherwise created by my
writing.
U.S. My Preferred
Spelling Spelling
Goku = Gokuu
Roshi = Kamesennin
Vegeta = Vegita
Krillin = Kuririn
Tien = TenShinHan
Chao-Tzu = Chao-zu
Frieza = Furiza
Ginyu = Ginyuu
Burter = Baata
Recoome = Rikuum
Jeice = Jiisu
King Kai = Kai-ou Sama (which roughly means "Very Honorable King Kai", so I
guess that works)
King Yemma = Enma Dai-ou (which roughly means "Honorable King Enma")
Saiyan = Saiya-Jin |
=====================
~B~ Revision History
=====================
05-19-02: I started this FAQ. Granted, I don't have my Afterburner
installed on my GBA yet, but why should that stop me from
writing another guide? Besides, I told Devin Morgan that
I'd do this, and I absolutely cannot stand backing out on my
word...
05-23-02: Various things happened all over the place, delaying my
ability to finish this guide until today. Hey, it's fun to
have things finished...
05-26-02: I finished wrapping the guide to 79 characters-per-line
(which is the requirement for GameFAQs, and thus I like to
follow that standard). Now, to send it in to GameFAQs and
see if it's posted or not...
05-27-02: Jordon Blough informs me that I'm a fool, and should ride
the short bus to school. Actually, he told me that the
snakes DO bite. Hey, I thought they didn't... |
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