DB Addendum - Super Ultra Mega Saiya Jin
The Danish Dragon Ball translation by John Lysmand, has been covered in quite a few posts on this blog, albeit in Danish, though, this time, I would like to write one in English for a change, moreover concerning the nomenclature when it comes to translating the relatively simple names for the gradings of the Super Saiyan transformations in Toriyama's manga
One pivotal scene during the manga series' last arc features the main character, Son Goku, present and go through all three levels of this gilded transformation of electrical hair and muscles and naming them as such, whilst attempting to stall time and fight a corpulent pink demon called Boo (ブウ, Buu - derived from the Disney song with the refrain "Bibbity Bobbity Boo") and his creator the pediculine alien wizard, Bobbity (バビディ, Babidi, from the same song as Boo).
じゃあ
超サイヤ人を超えた超サイヤ人をもうひとつ超えてみる
Jaa
Suupaasaiyajin o koeta suupaasaiyajin o mou hitotsu koete miru
"Well then,
I'm gonna show youse one more Super Saiyan that surpasses the Super Saiyan (transformation)"
(volume 40, Doragon Booru by Akira Toriyama)
And the Danish by John Lysmand in the Carlsen Comics publication:
Okay…
Så må jeg vise jer, hvordan en Mega-Saiya-Jin ser ud!
"Okay,
I may very well have to show youse how a Mega Saiyan looks like!"
(volume 40, translation by John Lysman, Dragon Ball - Fusionen)
So, Lysmand, whose translation is literally a Danish translation of the official German one, which Carlsen Comics also owned, condenses the verbose description of the transcendental Super Saiyan transformaton and turns it into a rather unofficial title, "Mega Saiyan."
It is worth noting that the word for the transformation uses the kanji chou (超, "super/ultra/transcendent/surpass"), but is given the reading suupaa (スーパー, "super") to imply the English naming scheme of the transformations. Furthermore, within the sentence Son Goku uses the verb koeru (超える, "to surpass"), which is spelled with the very same kanji thus making a bit of untranslatable wordplay.
One could conversely say that them using mega in the Danish version as a superlative prefix for the transformations is to imply the transcendent nature of the transformation and also the main content of Son Goku's message.
Goku then proceeds to transform sequentially:
まあ そういうなよ
まず これがふつうの状態だろ
これが超サイヤ人
そして これがさっきみせた超サイヤ人を超えた超サイヤ人…
超サイヤ人２ってとこかな
(...)
…これが超サイヤ人３だ
Maa souiu na yo
Mazu kore ga futsuu no joutai daro
Kore ga suupaasaiyajin
Soshite kore ga sakki miseta suupaasaiyajin o koeta suupaasaiyajin...
Suupaasaiyajin tsuu tte toko kana
(...)
...Kore ga suupaasaiyajin surii da
"Now, don't say that
First of all, this is the normal state, y'see.
This is the Super Saiyan.
And this is a Super Saiyan that surpasses that of the one youse saw before.
It is called the 'Super Saiyan Two'"
(...)
"And this is the Super Saiyan Three."
(volume 40, Toriyama)
And the Danish version:
Sig ikke det.
Nu er jeg normal og nu …
… Super-Saiya-Jin!
Og sådan her ser en dobbelt Super-Saiya-Jin ud!
Også kaldet Ultra-Saiya-Jin…!
(...)
Dette er den tredobbelte Super-Saiya-Jin!
"Don't say that.
Now I'm normal and now...
... Super Saiyan!
And this is how the doubled Super Saiyan looks like!
Also known as an Ultra Saiyan...!
(...)
This is the threefold Super Saiyan!"
(volume 40, Lysmand)
Not merely does Lysmand translate it, but he purposely invents an extra name for the transformation, "Ultra Saiyan," as well as an explanatory if amended translation to spell out the literal meaning of the Japanese name. Then he links it all together with the "threefold Super Saiyan," being a descriptor to the aforesaid "Mega Saiyan."
I quite like the Danish translation of the line that Bobbity says in relation to when Son Goku announces that he will show them the Super Saiyan 3:
Mega turbo, nå ja... Lyder ikke så originalt! Nå ja, må vi se?
"Mega turbo, well yes, doesn't sound all too inventive! Well then, may we see it?"
(volume 40, Lysmand's translation)
And here is Toriyama's line for good measure and comparison:
…なにをいってるのかサッパリだ…
スーパーなんとかがこえてこえた…？
なんのこっちゃ…
...Nani o itteru no ka sappari da...
Suupaa nantoka ga koete koeta...?
Nanno koccha...
"Whatever you said sounded rather neat...
Something super something that surpassed something?
Whatever that is..."
(volume 40, Toriyama)
Which doesn't quite hit the same sarcasm and ridiculing of the superlative naming scheme with the "super" element, though Lysmand's adds a new scathing level to it.