Lost in translation (Part 14)
When I published Lost in translation (Part 13), I didn’t antiipate adding yet another post for this series, because it was supposed to have ended in Lost in translation (Part 12).
However, some of you have brought a passage near the beginning of Section 2 to my attention (attached here), and it was about Candy not wanting to leave Anohito’s side. You can find the long discussions in the comments section of the previous post, Forget-me-not Chapter 10. Those who have been involved in the aforementioned discussion might have read parts of this already, but please bear with me, because you might be surprised.
First and foremost, I’m not a spokesperson for the author of Candy Candy, Keiko Nagita sensei, or the publisher/editors/translators of Candy Candy Final Story, nor am I trying to defend any of them. What I present below is solely my personal interpretation of this particular passage based on my understanding of the Japanese language (which is not my native tongue).
I haven’t read the official translations, but I did check Fay’s English translation based on the French version, and I must say I was disappointed. Not only nuances are lost, but the emphasis was shifted. Many of you have read the Italian, French or Spanish versions, so you can compare your versions to my translation / interpretation below.
Anyway, let me get straight to the point. In the highlighted passage, Candy in her 30s says,
Now the orphanage is also overflowing with orphans, just the same as before. I want to help Miss Pony and the other teacher(s) more, but now, I don’t want to leave the side of Anohito, who is, above all else, longing/desirous to be always close to me.
It sounds funny in English because I tried to translate word for word without paraphrasing. The important nuance that is lost in translation is Anohito’s desiring Candy and Candy alone, not anyone else. To him, above all he longed to be close to her forever (in Japanese いつも can also mean forever, all the time, etc.). That’s the focus of this paragraph, and Candy reciprocated his devotion.
Take a step back and imagine when a man says the above to a woman… Don’t you think it was Anohito’s love declaration to Candy, if not his marriage proposal? (Spoiler alert: I’m going to reuse this in my fanfic “Forget-me-not”.) It goes without saying that although Candy had the intention to help Miss Pony and Sister Lane, she left the orphanage for Anohito years ago and moved to Chicago, New York, or wherever.
This highlighted text is written in the present tense, so it means Candy in her 30s and Anohito are still very much in love. I suppose this is what the author wanted to convey. Candy at this stage would not be able to help her teachers for long (as a visitor), but note that she indicated she wanted to help more (which can be translated as some more, even more, longer, further, etc.). It doesn’t necessarily mean that Candy was not helping (for example, she or Anohito might have hired helpers). More importantly, there’s not a trace of yearning, sadness, regret or sorrow in this entire paragraph. Candy’s tone is completely calm, a stark contrast to the tone in the beginning of the prologue.
Thus, it never occurred to me that this was Candy’s explanation or justification why she had not visited Miss Pony while she had been ill. If it had been, Candy would have said something like “I wanted to visit Miss Pony but I rather stay with Anohito blah blah blah…”, not to mention this is out of character and contradictory to her wish to nurse Miss Pony (in the prologue). Speaking of which, when Candy mentioned that and Miss Pony’s illness or recovery, Candy wrote in the past tense.
No wonder many of you complained that the narrative is flat. It is not the original text that you’re reading after all. Now you understand why I was disappointed with the official translation of this beautiful passage. It was unfortunate some of you are convinced Candy did not visit Miss Pony simply because of Anohito, or her love and devotion to him have made you sick. Admittedly, the novel has its flaws, but I strongly doubt the author would defame her beloved Candy or Anohito that way. I have a feeling this is the author’s oversight for not providing a reason for Candy’s not visiting, even though Miss Pony obviously expected that she would see Candy again.
It’s this time of the year when bluebells and forget-me-nots can be seen everywhere, which reminds me of the touching scene in the CCFS Epilogue when Albert took Candy to where Anthony had fallen off his horse. To tell you the truth, this month marks the 9th anniversary of my blog, and when I started I wanted to share my love for the story and the main characters with the other fans. Regrettably, as much as I enjoy this hobby, it’s becoming more and more difficult for me to keep it up. I appreciate all of you for your valuable contributions over the years and continued support to my fan works, but the ongoing negative comments about CCFS, the author and/or Candy the heroine have significantly dampened my spirits. To regain my muse, I’ve decided to go on hiatus and continue writing “Forget-me-not” or drawing on my own until I’m ready to publish again.
This is my farewell gift to you all. Until then.
Hello Ms Puddle. I am new to your blog just for a week or more, but absolutely love your writing. All the analyses from your blog help me understand thoughtfully about CCFS. And tracking to this post, I just felt so sorry for what you’ve suffered for all the way of your brought us for free. I wish you will be back with full of your spirit. I am a fan of CCFS, and also a fan of yours now. Sincerce!
Thank you Cecilia for writing to me. Your highly encouraging feedback means a lot to me. I do want to point out that my analyses and blog posts are mainly my own personal thoughts based on the textual evidence of the novel. I’m not an expert in any of these.
Thanks again for your kindness, and I wish you all the best when exploring the CC fandom. There are quite a few active blogs or Facebook pages, and their admins are very talented and passionate. Hope you will enjoy their fan works / articles as well. 🥰
Thank you all very much for your understanding and support to my decision ❤️😘. I read all the public comments carefully, both on my blog and Facebook, and I was touched by your kindness and encouraging words.
In case there’s any misunderstanding, I’m not blaming anyone for this. It’s just that I’ve been struggling with real life responsibilities and obligations lately, especially since I have aging parents, a demanding full-time job, and a family to take care of.
But I’m not a quitter, so I’ll try my best to continue writing my fanfic with illustrations in my very limited spare time. To go on a hiatus helps me stay focused without distractions.
I also got private messages in my Facebook inbox. To those who have kindly encouraged me, thank you! Your support is much appreciated. 🤗 Please understand I won’t reply to each of your messages.
To those who have written nasty messages to me, I’ve only skimmed through them. You’ve wasted your time. Please vent your negativity elsewhere. I pay for my own blog and do all this for free. I don’t owe anyone anything. At least now I know who my friends are.
Hi dear Ms Puddle, I’m now almost 47 and the first song I learned was Candy Candy theme song.. As a curly, cheerful girl irl, I always felt myself very close to Candy.. I’ve been called Candy for million times till now 😊Even when I was a toddler, I’ve been aware of the beauty of any kind of love towards a person, a flower, an animal.. CC taught it to me well. I’ve always been a fan of Albert’s undying love for Candy.
And I hope you go on somehow and not leave us alone. The world is a mess and needs good people like you and good stories to be told.
Thank you sebnembatur for telling us about yourself and your love for Candy and Albert. 🤗 You’re so kind, and your encouraging message is greatly appreciated 😍
Greetings to you and your online community. I’m relatively new to your blog but based on what I’ve been reading as of date, you and your team are doing a terrific job analysing the novel and often comparing it to the anime and manga. You all seem to be very smart and you know what you’re talking about.
I think you shouldn’t be taken aback by more critical approaches to Candy even if they’re not always in a positive or favourable light. Don’t you ever find yourself criticizing a story or author even though you’re very much fond of this author and the works produced?
Unless something has escaped my notice or you’re referring to other online platforms, I have never come across any comment on your blog which is demeaning. If you consider any criticism about Candy to be negative, well, I can’t agree with you on that. Even Nagita has mentioned in several of her interviews that Candy’s character could cause a few problems as it is of an acquired taste. What makes Candy memorable, nonetheless, is not that she’s perfect but she’s resilient and has overcome a multitude of adversities and retaining a positive outlook on life. Her inner strength is an example to follow but that doesn’t mean she is devoid of negative aspects of her character.
Nothing is black and white and it’s natural that disagreements will arise concerning the characters of Nagita’s novel but this occurs in all cases with other writers too. You shouldn’t see this the wrong way but instead be delighted that your blog attracts so many diverse viewpoints. I have to admit that I find most Candy-related fanpages to be insufferably boring because they’re too predictable and the admin will always try to distort the information based on the character they support. But your blog is a refreshing exception to this monotony because your forum appeals to more moderate and insightful people who have an objective stance on this controversial novel. For my part, I enjoy reading your posts as well as reading the commentary which usually follows.
I think you should take this into consideration and be thankful that your blog is so vibrant in contrast to the other ones which are withering away to irrelevancy.
Hello, @Magnolia. Since I’ve been a little longer than you in this blog (I am here since 2017), I know for a fact that there is no team around Ms. Puddle. The blog is her own exclusive property, and she is the one person running it. That means she does all the job by herself, and that’s even more remarkable and praiseworthy. Of course there are many of her subscribers who often provide valuable information, thus helping her a great deal, and Ms. Puddle always gives them credit for that, but except for that, we are all subscribers in this blog, and not collaborators as has been mentioned sometimes.
You are right about critical approaches to CCFS. There is nothing wrong with healthy criticism. As I have noticed many times, Ms. Puddle herself has pointed out several faults of the novel, or its inferiority to the manga. However, I believe that when she talked about negative comments, she didn’t mean just plain criticism as this is something anyone has the right to do. What she probably meant, as I have understood from her latest post, was the incessant negativity against Nagita and her work which seems to have no point when it comes from people who frequent a blog which was created having exactly that as its main subject. Also, it shows lack of respect to the owner of the blog who has invested so much of her time to support it. And since she seems so much affected by that, it’s hardly likely that she would refer to anything mentioned elsewhere than in her own website.
I fully agree with your last sentence, and expect that she will return soon and continue her remarkable work in this fansite which stands out in comparison to so many others in the CC community.
If you had carefully read my comment, Fay, you would have been able to understand that I acknowledge Ms Puddle as the owner of this blog. Nowhere in my comment have I stated otherwise. Therefore, your response at this point is meaningless and nonsensically condescending. Furthermore, I have acknowledged the hard work of both Ms Puddle and her team of contributors; the latter is a term she has often been using herself. Do not forget that Ms Puddle even has entire sections to her blog which are labelled as “Contributions by Others”.
In case you fail to notice that title, all you have to do is take a look at that title embedded in this most recent update by Ms Puddle: (“CCFS/CONTRIBUTIONS BY OTHERS/MY CREATIVE WORKS/MY THOUGHTS /Lost in Translation/Part 14/23 May 2022).
In addition, Ms Puddle has often invited and always encourages people to contribute to her blog. She has also invited people to join her in writing fanfiction with her and for her various online fanfic competitions. One of the winners of her competitions has also been invited by Ms Puddle to write a segment for her latest fanfiction. If I am not mistaken, Ms Puddle has also referenced you as being one of her contributors and she has an entire section based on your own translations of the CCFS into English.
Therefore, Ms Puddle is undoubtedly the owner of this blog and she has a terrific team of intelligent contributors, as specified in my previous comment, which is based on what the administrator and creator of this blog, Ms Puddle, has been accrediting for many years. I may be new to this blog but I have read the greatest amount of this accumulated material since the beginning of this blog’s online publication. It’s apparently very easy to do so since Ms Puddle has created segments and chapters readers can simply click onto and read.
As for negative and positive comments regarding the CCFS, people have the right to express their viewpoints without requiring the permission of others. Irrespective of whether these perspectives derive from the Terry-fans or the Albert-fans, both sides have been airing their grievances surrounding the various flaws and misconceptions concerning this novel by Keiko Nagita. Based on the comments on Ms Puddle’s blog, however, there is not single comment or commenter which or who can be considered as disrespectful. Instead, each and every comment is classy, considerate and perceptive. It should be noted that you have also posted comments criticising the CCFS and how you prefer the manga. Actually, a great majority of Albert-fans like you often complain about the novel and declare their utmost preference and adulation for the manga. Such comments by Albert-fans are all over social media whether it be Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. There are even entire videos on YouTube dedicated to the rather harsh critique of the CCFS. People have the democratic right to express their opinion. It’s called freedom of speech.
Before ending my comment here, I would like to thank Ms Puddle and her team of contributors for sharing such a wonderful blog based on intelligent and well-research commentary. Whether in agreement or disagreement, healthy debates should always be encouraged and this is what Ms Puddle has been doing so far and I’m certain many people are grateful for that.
Well said, @Magnolia. Just like you, I’m also new to this blog and it’s a pleasure to see how welcoming @Ms Puddle is with her guests and contributors. It’s interesting that you’ve mentioned the fanfic competitions because that’s what prompted me to post my comment for this blog too as well as respond to @Ms Puddle’s invitation to submit a story of my own. Did you post a story and do you write fanfiction, in general?
Kind Regards
Thank you very much, Chiaroscuro. Indeed, Ms Puddle is most welcoming and it’s always a pleasure reading her work as well as the work of her contributors and overall team.
In response to your question, I am not a fanfic writer, although I posted a brief entry following Ms Puddle’s invitation a while ago. I did specify though that I’m just a novice writer.
My craft lies in computer science and my heavily demanding albeit fascinating job does not permit much leisure time for me to engage in hobbies. I tend to make the most of my time off work by spending quality time with family and friends. I’m also a bit of a sports enthusiast and I particularly enjoy the “great outdoors”. What about you?
Thank you for asking, @Magnolia. I’m not a fanfiction writer either but I enjoy reading the various stories available online. Both the Terry & Albert fanbase tends to produce intriguing fanfiction. Regarding my profession, I’m in the field of education. I agree with you about quality time which my spouse and I deem essential on a family as well as individual level. In terms of sports, we love heading to the gym several times a week and we’re looking forward to the summer so we can head, this time, for the beach and enjoy various sea activities again.
Nice to have chatted with you and enjoy the summer with your family and friends.
Kind Regards
Thanks @Magnolia for your kind words and encouragement. I didn’t mean to post any more comments for this post but I’d like to thank both you and Fay for your thoughtful comments. Anyway, I think Fay meant collaborators, not contributors.
Indeed, I’m most grateful to all those who have contributed to my blog so far, and without the continued support and intelligent commentary, my blog wouldn’t be the same.
Anyway, let’s just end here, alright, Magnolia? I’m actually happy to know you’re also in the comp sci field like me. I suppose you have a job, not in academia? If so, then you’ll probably understand my situation. I’ve always been a backend developer working with native code and databases all my life but lately I decided to venture into being a full stack developer. In my new job I have to learn a complete set of advanced technologies from scratch, so I work long hours of my own volition. Like you said, it’s fascinating, but it’s demanding nonetheless.
Thank you for your response, Ms Puddle, and I appreciate the clarifications you have provided.
My concern is what you have to say whilst random noise deriving from nonsensical commentary is indifferent to me as it is, above all, irrelevant to my initial comment and to your blog. I just wanted to set the record straight that I value your own work as well as that of your team.
I am pleased that you always acknowledge and appreciate the invaluable input and further commentary provided via your contributors.
Nonetheless, you are the “captain” of your blog and all this great work accumulated would not have been possible without your generosity and kindness in embracing diverse perspectives in tandem with analysis deriving from all walks of life. This is what makes you so highly respectable in the CC community.
For my part, my interest is only to address and respond to you and to those who are considerate and respectful. Therefore, you needn’t be concerned that I will respond to random rants, hereinafter. I simply wanted to dispel any form of misunderstanding.
As for your job, I’m pleased that we share a similar profession. Being a computer software engineer, I am in perfect tune with your concerns and I certainly know where you’re coming from. I’m sure your job must be fascinating like mine but we do carry that “bane” of having to devote so much of our time which often results in our job gnawing away at our leisure time as well. I definitely understand your predicament and I hope you get some rest during the summer and focus on what matters to you the most. I’m sure those who care about you and appreciate your contributions fully understand and support you.
Thank you again for your time and have a lovely summer.
Hello Ms Puddle,
There’s no need to apologize for not being able to catch up with your fanfiction and blog, in general. It’s reasonable to focus on the real world; the fantasy world will always be there for us to return whenever we please. That said, no need to stress. It’s not a proper job where you have to be held accountable to your employer. Instead, you’re the boss of your own blog and you can tend to it whenever you please. It’s all a matter of priorities which is subjective according to each person’s needs.
Resuming to the online discussions surrounding Nagita’s novel about Candy White, I have enjoyed reading a multitude of them including those I do not necessarily agree with. It’s a rewarding experience to get out of one’s comfort zone a bit and check out the opposite or even opposing views. Apparently, I do not support insults or fights but I definitely support civilized debates where the intentions are good. Your blog has welcomed such intelligent and well-mannered discussions irrespective of whether everyone is in agreement or not.
Take note that we can’t agree on everything and it’s always forthcoming to get to know what different views are like.
Enjoy your time off and we’ll talk again soon. Bye for now.
Hi @Ms Puddle, I hope you are fine and in good health. If I correctly recall, you were planning on taking the booster shot. Best to stay as safe as possible.
With regard to the various discussions surrounding Candy Candy as an anime, manga and novel, I don’t think you should take it personally since this happens with virtually all stories. Just take a look what’s going on at fan-pages dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien, Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, etc. There will always be things you’re happy about a story and other stuff you’re not. As long as the debates are polite and considerate, there’s really no problem. On the contrary, authors and their publicists benefit from all this free advertising. Moreover, much can be learned from constructive criticism for the creator of the story and the readership alike.
Now in terms of Candy, this novel has sparked a lot of controversy and the writer is largely responsible for that. If I were you, I wouldn’t expect this to die down any time soon. Unless Keiko Nagita eventually decides to clean the air and disclose the identity of ‘anohito’, then the disagreements among the fans and other readers will continue to endure.
Concerning your decision to take a break, you’re not the only one and I couldn’t agree more with such a decision. Hope you get plenty of rest and enjoy quality time with your loved ones.
That’s true.. The author had the opportunity to put an end to this ongoing controversy within the fandom a long time ago but she has yet to take such action. Perhaps she will do so in the future although I doubt it based on what I’ve noticed so far. At least in Tolkien’s case, he’s not alive so as to take affirmative action and appease any emerging argument surrounding his work.
Ms Puddle, this update was quite shocking to me. I am so sorry, I need to catch up of what have been happening, but reading this post, I am honestly asking, …” what’s wrong with Candy not wanting to leave Anohito ( her husband) to take care of Ms Pony”? Really, because I would have done the same as Candy. And if I, as a 21th century woman, did what Candy had done, will some people tell me that my love for my partner is disgusting? That I am too needy? That I am a shame for those modern woman living in 2022?
And what I can’t comprehend the most is why people bothered to criticize and even insult a heroin of a novel on the blog dedicated for her and the author? Can these people leave the fans alone? For God’s sake, … this world we’re living in has already messed up, and now we can’t even dream in this fictional world in peace?
Ms Puddle, if you need a rest, of course I respect your decision. You deserve it after all you’ve done with this blog for 9 years. I know we can still talk to each other on other media. But please do not give up on this blog. You don’t know how much joy you’ve brought to us ( Candy fans, especially Candy-Albert fans) during these years.
I am forever grateful for everything I gained from your blog, but especially your friendship. And many other friendships that had been born because of this blog. Blessed the day I first came across MsPuddleshaven.com nine years ago. My great love for Albert had been born because of you.
Good luck and have a great time with your family, my friend! I’ll be waiting for your next update, whenever it will be.
Hugs,
Reeka
Interesting update and thank you for sharing although it’s quite common knowledge that translations aren’t always accurate. The situation becomes even more complex when the original text is not of particularly high quality itself such as the CCFS.
As explained thoroughly throughout all these years on innumerable blogs and other webpages, Keiko Nagita republished and slightly updated this novel in 2010 as her way to say “goodbye” to Candy and to let her readers know that Candy is delighted to be with her partner whether married or not. She left so much open to interpretation that it was bound to create some confusion.
Anyway, it’s just fiction and no reason to get too uptight about it and I mean this for both sides of the fandom as they have gone too far with their continual and often tedious online feuds.
Time to give it a rest, and as many sensible folks have already commented, there are way more serious matters to deal with and discuss about-online and offline.
For my part, I would like to thank you for sharing your hobby with us and feel free to keep us posted with your fanart & fanfics.
Thank you Ms Puddle for this and every single entry in your blog along these 9 years. As always, it has been very informative and to the point.
Like Fay said, we all know “Candy Candy, Final Story” is not high literature, but that doesn’t preclude us to enjoy Nagita’s story and her characters, even if some things have been left undetailed. For me, Candy is a very “liberal woman” in regards to the timeframe she inhabits, but she is also full of love for others, being “anohito”, Miss Pony, etc… If Nagita chose for her to be in the UK while Miss Pony was sick, and decided that she wouldn’t be able to visit her and care for her as she might’ve wanted to, it’s not a failure of character but the author’s decision, most likely for literary purposes.
And regarding the rest of your post, I know it’s very hard to want to continue when things like these happen, but you should know that we support you and we value your hard work of love for the CC community. Yours was one of the first blogs I encountered and I’ve loved every single one of your publications and fanfics. I’ll patiently wait for the next chapter of “Forget me not” and in the meantime, I send you my love and support, always.
Anything you need, we are here for you.
Hello again, Ms Puddle, and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
You needn’t be apologetic about your slow-paced fanfic. It’s just a hobby and there should be no pressure. Focus on doing what you enjoy the most and-if and when possible-at your own pace. There are far more serious issues in the world right now than Candy and her mates.
Take good care of yourself and “recharge” those batteries during the summer!🌞😎🏄