THE TRANSLATOR IS WRONG! - READERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS OFFICIAL MANGA TRANSLATIONS BIASED BY FAN-MADE SCANLATIONS

Aug 28, 2026

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The paper investigates how knowledge of fan-made translations (scanlations) of Japanese manga shapes readers’ perceptions of official Polish editions. Using a multiple-case study of readers’ comments on the Polish translation of Dragon Ball Super volumes, it identifies how attitudes can be biased by prior exposure to scanlations in both English and Polish. Translation theories are used to interpret and explain the criticism.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Polish Manga Market – A Summary

Fan-Made Scanlations

I NT E RC U LT U RA L R E L AT IO NS ◦ R E L AC J E M I Ę D ZY K U L T U ROW E ◦ 2 0 2 0 ◦ 2 ( 8 ) [https://doi.org/10.12797/RM.02.2020.08.03](https://doi.org/10.12797/RM.02.2020.08.03) Paweł Dybała 1 THE TRANSLATOR IS WRONG!: READERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS OFFICIAL MANGA TRANSLATIONS BIASED BY FAN-MADE SCANLATIONS Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the knowledge of fan-made translations (scanlations) of Japanese comics (manga) influence the perception of official translations of volumes published in Poland. An analysis is performed on readers’ comments regarding the Polish translation of the Dragon Ball Super series and can be seen as a multiple-case study, showing how readers’ attitudes can be biased by their knowledge of scanlations (in both English and Polish) . Criticism is analyzed using existing translation theories and explained accordingly. Keywords: translation, manga, scanlation, Dragon Ball, fans INTRODUCTION Polish Manga Market – A Summary Japanese comics, commonly known as manga (漫画/まんが/マンガ), area worldwide phenomenon, also present in Poland. The first manga on the Polish market was published in 1996 by Japonica Polonica Fantastica Publishing House (in the further text abbreviated to J. P. F.).2 This ignited 1 PhD; Jagiellonian University in Kraków; ORCID: 0000-0003-2823-7838; [pawel.dybala@uj.edu.pl](pawel.dybala@uj.edu.pl). [2](2 See www.jpf.com.pl)[ See www.jpf.com.pl](2 See www.jpf.com.pl). 54 PAWEŁ DYBAŁA a “manga boom”, leading to the current situation in which over 400 mangas are published every year by numerous publishers.3 As shown above, it can be stated that manga has become a widely known medium in Poland, one which is commonly available and quite affordable. As most titles popular in Japan are sooner or later published on the Polish market, it is possible to acquire them via official distribution channels. It should also be noted that, to the best of the author’s knowledge, most (if not all) manga series currently published in Poland are translated directly from Japanese, by professional and experienced translators with an advanced command of both Japanese and Polish. Fan-Made Scanlations As stated in section 1. 1, in 2020 it is quite possible to acquire in Poland not only all sorts of manga, but also the latest volumes of widely acclaimed series. However, official publications will never be entirely up to date with the Japanese market. In most cases, new chapters of a manga series are first published in magazines (such as Shonen Jump – 少年ジャンプ), often on a weekly basis. The publication of manga series volumes usually takes place at least a few months later, which means that even the latest volumes published in Japan are somewhat delayed when compared with what is available in the magazines. This leads to a situation in which even if the Polish publication of a series is entirely up to date with Japanese (i.e. new volumes in Poland are published simultaneously with the original ones or shortly after them), the content of these volumes does not cover the latest material published in magazines. In the Internet era, it is not surprising that much pop culture content can be found online, be it legally or illegally. Although the former is also present on Japanese and global markets in the form of official websites (e.g. Shueisha’s [集英社] MANGA Plus), the latter is much more widely represented. The latest chapters of most mangas published in Japan can be easily found on the Internet, in Japanese (so-called “raw scans” or “raws”) and in other languages (so-called “scanlations” or “fan translations”). 3 Based on: Rynkowe podsumowanie roku – Mangi w roku 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from [https://anime.com.pl/Rynkowe_podsumowanie_roku_-Mangi_w_roku_](https://anime.com.pl/Rynkowe_podsumowanie_roku_-Mangi_w_roku_)[ ](https://anime.com.pl/Rynkowe_podsumowanie_roku_-Mangi_w_roku_)2019, news, read,7027. html. THE TRANSLATOR IS WRONG!: READERS’ ATTITUDES

FAQs

What does the paper investigate about manga translation?

It examines how readers’ knowledge of scanlations influences their perception of official Polish manga translations.

Why focus on Dragon Ball Super in Poland?

The analysis is based on readers’ comments concerning the Polish translation of the Dragon Ball Super series.

How does scanlation knowledge create bias toward official translations?

Scanlations often function as the first and standard version for readers, so differences in official translation decisions can be questioned as deviations from what is known as a canon.

Aug 28, 2026

Upload by Fahsai