Video: Your Fragile Male Ego in Translation (The “Tsundere” Controversy)

The translation of the word “tsundere” as “fragile male ego” in a four-year-old English version of a video game sparked a firestorm on Twitter. Our panel of translators discusses how this shows some people in Western anime fandom don’t understand the nature of translation. We discuss what makes a good translation, the difficulties inherent in the translation process, and what’s REALLY driving this type of criticism.

From the Unseen Japan Crowdcast. Panelists:

Jay – Publisher, Unseen Japan Site and Japanese translator based mainly in Seattle.

Planning a trip to Japan? Get an authentic, interpreted experience from Unseen Japan Tours and see a side of the country others miss!

"Noah [at Unseen Japan] put together an itinerary that didn’t lock us in and we could travel at our own pace. In Tokyo, he guided us personally on a walking tour. Overall, he made our Japan trip an experience not to forget." - Kate and Simon S., Australia

See a side of Tokyo that other tourists can't. Book a tour with Unseen Japan Tours - we'll tailor your trip to your interests and guide you through experiences usually closed off to non-Japanese speakers.

Want more news and views from Japan? Donate $5/month ($60 one-time donation) to the Unseen Japan Journalism Fund to join Unseen Japan Insider. You'll get our Insider newsletter with more news and deep dives, a chance to get your burning Japan questions answered, and a voice in our future editorial direction.

Sachiko – Japanese feminist and translator based in Tokyo.

Kazuma – Half-Japanese translator, trans-masc, LGTBQ+. Based in Germany.

Mercedez – ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) and Japanese translator based in Fukushima.

Subscribe on YouTube

If you liked this video, please subscribe to us on YouTube! We publish discussions about Japanese news and culture every week taken from our live stream. And at least once a month, we publish a long-form rendition of one of our popular essays. If you want to listen to Unseen Japan rather than just read us, our YouTube channel is for you!