fan request: celebrating chapter 500 by interviewing Merc

Interviewer (Q): 玖琦陣謀 aka fyreFLYH (Discord nickname) aka timeforravages

Interviewee (A): Merc

How it all began

Q: So when and how did you find your way into Ravages, and ultimately the grand project of translating it into English?

A: If I recall correctly, it was a chance encounter at a comics rental store. Chapter 1 was weird, but by the end of volume 3 I was hooked. Probably around 2005 I found a scanlated version online by Fifay.net. I tried translating chapter 148, either by request or by my own curiosity. At first I didn’t feel the pressure of translating it faithfully like a real professional- I translated it more with my heart than my brain, if that makes sense. Two English-speaking readers said my version felt natural and easier to understand. When Fifay.net discontinued the project and Remnant Warriors started, I figured the least I could do was to be another pair of eyes to check the English. Eventually I carried on translating, gradually accumulating chapters over 10+ years.

Q: What gave you the energy and the motivation to continue the work for as long as you have done even up to this day?

A: First, I really like many of Mr. Chen’s ideas- the perspective he brought to an old tale with modern tainted flavor (although I’m not sure about all the mixed up anachronism like in speech; understandable since no one speaks ancient Chinese anymore), particularly social commentary and sprinkling of ancient wisdom. It’s “edutainment”, which I love in general. But I must say this work filled me with so much ethnic pride (finally a Chinese author re-telling this classic Chinese legend “better” than foreign authors), as well as professional pride (a comic artist that doesn’t plagiarize- as in brainless duplication without innovation). So I want this series to succeed.

Second, I like to help people and translating Ravages gave me a sense of purpose. However, this effort is only sustainable because I promised very little up front. It’s a slow-burn process, much like the series itself.

Third, languages are fun. Bi-lingualism really helps and I don’t want to waste that skill.

Challenges

Q: How often in the past have you considered dropping out of the great burden of translating Ravages?

A: Between one and ten times. When it was just translating new chapters/materials once or twice a month the burden wasn’t felt so acutely. But re-translation efforts do feel like busy work and I’ve been dragging my feet with the Deluxe edition stuff.

In recent years buying new books has become an issue for me because I have grown to prefer minimalism in life. Less material goods (or anything) the better. Also I haven’t been financially independent for years and this expense needs increasing justification. Reading Ravages for free makes me feel bad because not paying for art hurts artists, which includes me.

Q: As a non-professional translator who is nonetheless fluent in a Chinese language, which aspects of the raw text of Ravages do you consider particularly difficult to properly handle and convey into English?

A: Other than cultural-sayings, wordplays, technical military terms, Cantonese slang, and Mr. Chen’s sometimes syntactically ambiguous dialogs, quotations from ancient Chinese text (especially when there are no modern annotated/translated versions) are really challenging for me, because I can barely understand them in the first place.

Fandom observations

Q: What stories can you share about the time when Ravages had a stronger albeit still small online following among Anglophone readers, and what are your thoughts regarding the gradual decline?

A: I’m not very active in the fandom. My interactions were limited to a few artists and readers who communicate with me on LiveJournal back in the day. We’ve all drifted apart and only once in a while binge on each other’s Ravages fan contents. I just remember shippers were the most visible fans online, similar to most other fandom.

I think the decline is due to mental fatigue from information overload in life in general. Everything demands our attention. Even entertainment is a chore when there’s a backlog. Not to mention Ravages can be difficult to read.

Q: About the broader Chinese-speaking fan base, how enthusiastic were people about prospects of spreading Ravages to more international audiences, and why do you think that is the case?

A: From the few posts I saw, it’s the usual small enthusiastic crowd versus the more common skepticism of how well it’ll be understood by people of non-Asian cultures. I think Chinese people can be just as self-important/arrogant/elitist as Americans (ie, “It’s too sophisticated for ‘those people.'” “I bet they’ll be so confused when they read words like ‘shixiong’.”). I’m guilty of it too.

Playing favorites

Q: Which Ravages chapters do you particularly like or at least find rather memorable, from the standpoint of translation?

A: Chapter 148 was memorable as that was the first chapter that got me into the translation mission. Other chapters that uplifted the usual “brainless brawn” characters were memorable because that enticed me to read further; and significant wordplay chapters also made me like the series a lot (but were nightmares to translate). I won’t say which chapters as they contain spoilers.

Q: What are your preliminary thoughts and reservations about potential animated or live-action adaptations of Ravages?

A: I really don’t want that to happen, but I also want Mr. Chen and his employer to make lots of money to keep Ravages alive. I prefer media that takes advantage of the strength of its medium, not adapted poorly with less (or none) of the love and craftsmanship that went into the original. I rather they profit by selling merchandise, but of course that’s limited.

Parting shots

Q: What pieces of advice would you offer to next-generation translators?

A: Translating Ravages (assuming for free) will be a marathon. If you don’t love it enough to do it regardless of fame/flattery, very little else can carry you through times when you feel burned out.

Q: How would you best describe and recommend Ravages, in a few sentences?

A: First, I will not recommend it to anyone who knows nothing about Three Kingdoms (elitism much?). If they are at least interested in learning, I would recommend that they first read up on the time period.

If you’ve known some version of the Three Kingdoms legend and would like a view from a modern native Chinese speaker, give the first three regular volumes a try. And if you are not hooked by the end of volume three, this series is not for you. If you are hooked, then this series will entertain you for decades.