OTWTAS TLS.net unofficial publication

[S and G]

Hey folks, I've been sitting on this idea for a while as I've been asked about it a few times but only now thought it worth bringing up in light of the Ultimania translations chat.

Basically, I'd like to see if anyone is interested in pooling our talents to release a complete and unofficial English translation version of the On the Way to a Smile and Maiden Who Travels the Planet novellas? This would be in the form of a non-profit eBook or printed copy for anyone willing to donate the printing and shipping costs.

With the permission of Xcomp, Hito, Pixel and anyone else who contributed to the original translations, I think it would be a good idea to edit the text into a publishable format (ie grammar, spelling, layout, etc) with the possible addition of the TLS.net audiobook images. This costs no money but obviously requires a bit of time. From my own novelisation project, I have plenty of experience when it comes to self-publishing and avoiding potential copyright pitfalls, and would be happy to contribute or even manage such an endeavour.

Does anyone have an opinion on this?

 

[Pixel]

If we do, I'd like to retranslate/rewrite case of Yuffie. I also have my own versions of the other novellas that Ive used for the audiobooks, which aren't on TLS. There are inacuracies and badly written bits in Xcomp's.

 

[S and G]

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly why I think there should be heavy editing work

 

[Pixel]

I might get the french version. I'll have an easier time with that than japanese or german. I was never really happy with the part in CoT where Marlene shouts at Cloud for saying something like "thats really something that can't be done". I'd like to see how they translated that. Also, at times I was locked in to the first draft of lines I sent to actors, so didn't clean up the translation on those lines.

 

[S and G]

Dont worry, i won't touch anything until we get a consensus of whether or not its a worthwhile undertaking

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I think it's an excellent idea. I'd like to hear more about how you avoid copyright issues, though.

 

[ForceStealer]

I imagined that sentence on the Willy Wonka meme.

 

[S and G]

The fair use and parody laws apply to an extent for the images and derivative translations. The published work cannot under any circumstance be for sale but via a donation scheme, private hard copies can be obtained by way of services provided by an individual. Ownership of the original material remains with SE Holding Co and its affiliates while PDF and ePub can be hosted on our server and downloaded for free. A third party publishing company providing the printing services are not responsible for the content.

Other things to note:

- no official images or font should be used
- hard copies cannot be made available to the public for a price. The can only be obtained through a private account
- no ISBN will exist
- ownership of material stated as SE's

Ive probably forgotten something so if there's anything else, ask away

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

Any decision been made on this? I think it's a great idea for the record and would be willing to donate shipping/printing costs personally. Alternatively would be motivation for me to finally get a Kindle of some type

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I would be delighted to help with this. I'd love to work on Case of Nanaki or Case of Shinra.

 

[cold_spirit]

This sounds like a great idea and is something I've been working on by myself for a while. Unfortunately the document I've been editing has official artwork and the official translation of CoD, CoT, and CoB, so that won't be much help. However, I'd love to get the ball rolling if I had a better idea of what needed to be done.