A_Passing_Wanderer (often shortened to APW) is the second translator of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, translating chapters 363 onwards from Korean to English.
Transition[]
APW had originally translated the first 16 chapters of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint before learning that RT was taking over the translation and therefore dropping it. These chapters can be found here. Later, however, they were asked to once again take over from where RainbowTurtle left off, presumably by Webnovel, and made the following post regarding the matter:
Hi, everyone. Some news: I've been asked to take over the Omni Reader from rainbowturtle on Webnovel. I've only begun TLing it recently, so I'm not that far into it, however. I'll try to get it out ASAP, but well, I gotta catch up 300 or so chapters I neglected to read so it might take a bit of time.
If you know the history between this novel and I, then well, you could say that it has come back home (figuratively speaking, obvs) albeit one whole year later.[1]
Changes and reactions[]
When APW took over the translation from RT, they made a number of changes to how the novel was translated. The most obvious of these changes was the romanization of the names; the format of all names was changed, along with the spelling for the vast majority. Furthermore, much of the terminology was changed; for instance, the term "Story" was changed to "Fable".[2]
APW's changes were controversial, and readers were split on whether they liked or disliked the new changes. Some members of the audience—including RainbowTurtle herself—agreed that corrections were necessary to fix mistranslated terms and welcomed these changes with open arms:
rainbowturtle: I actually would change many of the names if I hadn't quit. I don't know if I was too tired or if the font of the CAT program I used was too small or something and it made me misread but it wasn't until I saw the hangul in huge font when making a glossary on word that I was like, 'Why did I romanize it like this?' Too bad Webnovels doesn't have a mass search and replace.
I don't know what A Passing Wanderer will change it to but an example for me would be: Lee Hyunsung I would now romanize as Lee Hyeonseong, Yoo Jonghyuk as Yoo Junghyeok/Yu Junghyeok etc. and there are many more I would make changes to.[3]
However, others argued that the changes were too many and too drastic in nature, changing the look and feel of the novel overnight:
- Namael_005: What the hell. While I understand that some terms needed to be changed, the Korean fandom being rather loud when talking about Yoo Jonghyuk's name, but what the fresh hell. Transcenders? Hui-won? Some sentences are literally taken from google translate and I'm. So angry. Kim Dokja's character literally changed with that translation. He went from smug, confident man who's goal is to see ■■■ to... to a distant, polite and proper business man? Does he feel like someone who gambled against GODS to you? Where's his character, the one he developped in +300 chapters? How could you kill a character in one chapter like this. I'm so freaking upset about this.[4]
The ranking of the novel on Webnovel (the official host of the English translation) dropped from the 30s to the 60s and eventually the 90s during early 2020. (The rating has since risen with the release of the webtoon, returning to the 30s in December 2020.) It is possible the overall readership in the English fandom also dropped after the translator change; some unhappy with the change said that they would drop the novel:
- Ndee: I’m dropping this. The names make it unbearable, it’s no longer familiar but rather a strange offshoot. Have a nice day everyone![5]
- Bored_Monster: I think I'm going to drop this. It was a really good novel but now it feels like the entire novels changed with this chapter. The names and translations changed and it caused the entire atmosphere of the novel to change.[6]
List of changes[]
Names[]
Names were changed to reflect the revised romanization standards for Korean. For a short while, APW also began to use "Mr." and "Ms." instead of the honorific "-ssi", eventually reverting this change after complaints from readers.
| Original name (RT) | New name (APW) |
|---|---|
| Kim Dokja | Kim Dok-Ja |
| Yoo Jonghyuk | Yu Jung-Hyeok / Yu Joong-Hyeok |
| Han Sooyoung | Han Su-Yeong |
| Yoo Sangah | Yu Sang-Ah |
| Jung Heewon | Jeong Hui-Won |
| Lee Hyunsung | Yi Hyeon-Seong |
| Lee Jihye | Yi Ji-Hye |
| Lee Gilyoung | Yi Gil-Yeong |
| Shin Yoosung | Shin Yu-Seung |
| Lee Sookyung | Yi Su-Gyeong |
| Biyoo | Biyu |
| Jang Hayoung | Jang Ha-Yeong |
| Lee Seolhwa | Yi Seol-Hwa |
| Namgung Minyoung | Namgung Min-Yeong |
| Yoo Mia | Yu Mi-Ah |
| Kim Namwoon | Kim Nam-Wun |
| Gong Pildu | Gong Pil-Du |
| Yoo Hosung | Yu Ho-Seong |
| Jophiel | Jopiel |
Modifiers[]
| Original modifier (RT) | New modifier (APW) |
|---|---|
| Supreme King | Conquering King |
| Horror of the Stars | Terror of the Stars |
| The Great Sage, the Equal of Heaven | Great Sage, Heaven's Equal |
| Devil of Lust and Fury | Devil of Lust and Wrath |
| Eater of Dreams | Devourer of Dreams |
| Lady of the Brocade Sleep | Slumbering Lady of Brocade |
| Seo Ae Il Pil | Seo Ae One Stroke of a Brush |
| Worthless Darkness | Darkness of No Value |
Stories[]
| Original name (RT) | New name (APW) |
|---|---|
| Stone and I | Pebble and I |
| Lightning Carnival | Carnival of Lightning |
Terminology[]
This section includes names of objects, events, and more.
| Original term (RT) | New term (APW) |
|---|---|
| Story | Fable |
| Giant Story | Great Fable |
| Narrative-grade | Fable-grade |
| Great-grade/upper-grade | Historical figure-grade |
| White Pure Star Energy | Purest Sword Force |
| Transcendent | Transcender |
| Constellation and Demon War | Great War of Saints and Demons |
| Star fruit | Star Relic Fruit |
| Electrification | Lightning Transformation |
| Lamarck Kirin | Lamarck's Giraffe |
| True voice | Mantra (later revoked) |
| Breaking the Sky Energy | Splitting the Sky Energy |
| Judgement Time | Hour of Judgement |
| Kaizenix | Kaixenix |
| Sage's Eyes | Eye of Sage |
| Unbroken Faith | Unbreakable Faith |
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Novel Updates Forum, post by user A_Passing_Wanderer
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 363 (read original)
- ↑ Novel Updates Forum, post by user rainbowturtle
- ↑ Comments on Chapter 363, user Namael_005
- ↑ Comments on Chapter 363, user Ndee
- ↑ Comments on Chapter 363, user Bored_Monster