The new website.

So my Japanese publisher has put up a website to help promote their newly published translations of the books.

Personally, I think it looks cool as hell.

Of course, I can’t read a lick of Japanese…

Well, that’s not entirely true. I know two words, and one of them is a profanity. Neither one shows up on this page though, so that doesn’t help me very much.

This makes me feel a little bit like a caveman. All I can do is point at this and grunt. I don’t know what it means, but it’s pretty.

For example:

I mean, this is just cruel. There’s obviously something cool going on here, but I have no idea what it is. There’s a flow chart about my book (I assume) and I haven’t the first clue what it means. For all I know it could be speculation as to the future sexual interactions of the characters. In which case I’m guessing Bast would be the box in the upper righthand corner. Yeah, the one connected to the most arrows, pointing in as many different directions as possible.

In related news, the Japanese publisher has asked permission to translate some of my blogs and post them up on the site over there. I gave the thumbs up, but I do wonder how well some of my rantings will come across when translated. Also, I make a lot of odd references that I doubt people in other cultures will be able to catch.

And just so you know, they might also be translating the comments too. So beware, now if you make a lame post, people in two different languages will laugh at you. Generally speaking though, I’ve been very impressed by the signal to noise ratio in the discussions here. I think the fact that they’re considering the comments worth translating is a testament to that.

Anyway, if you’d like to poke around the Japanese site on your own, here’s the link.

Later all,

pat

This entry was posted in cool things, foreign happeningsBy Pat44 Responses

44 Comments

  1. Kisaoda
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 1:06 PM | Permalink

    I noticed on the second tab down on the Japanese site that your picture is copyrighted to “Jamie Rothfuss.”Did we miss something, Pat?Otherwise, very nicely done…though I have no clue as to what they’re saying.

  2. Captain Joe
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 1:18 PM | Permalink

    That does look pretty cool. I had a play around with it and downloaded what is possbile a PDF chapter excerpt. Again, this makes absolutely zero sense to me, but it looks pretty. Japanese characters (is there a word for them?) are awesome.Heh, I’d pay money to know how words such as Patman or Joeker, or Bearded-Action-Figure translate – or do they? As they are names?I tried hitting up the website with some translation, and that screen cap of the flow chart speculating on the future sexual interactions of the characters definitely say this on it, somewhere: <>“provided for general information only and should not be regarded as complete nor accurate.”<> So yeah, you might have hit it right on the mark with the flow chart, Pat.Got a bit more…The links on the left-hand side:TOPAUTHORPLOTPEOPLE CORRELATION CHART (hopefully sexual)BOOK REPORTThen in that little box with the date 2008/07/18 the text reads: <> The official site has been opened.<>Please bear in mind that I gleaned these marvellous details utilising the Google toolbar. Still, it hasn’t given me anything that doesn’t make sense.-Joe out.

  3. Maria Stahl
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 1:24 PM | Permalink

    It looks cool. And it has, can I say it?, sort of a Firefly look about it, doesn’t it?Sexual interactions between characters… *snork*

  4. Kelly
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 1:45 PM | Permalink

    Man, my Japanese has gone to crap since college. Not that I was ever great at katakana. But sorry Pat, the upper left box is definitely “Bast.” If I had a list of characters on hand I could do a bit better… Goes something like “Bast” <- "Kooto" <- "Teuan Roshkisu" and underneath is "Kuyooto"...maybe Kvothe? I have no idea how that would work in Japanese. Oh well, that's all I've got! One can only hope someone knows Japanese better than I do.

  5. Kelly
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 1:50 PM | Permalink

    Oh, duh, the top middle box is “Kote” and the bottom middle is “Kvothe”…thus the equal sign.

  6. Kelly
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 2:02 PM | Permalink

    Bottom section: Top is “Kobu”, bottom line is “Gureamu” – “Jeiku” – “Shetsupu” (that might be wrong) – “Kaataa”Woops, better get back to work…hope that was some help : ) I promise no accuracy.

  7. hoop
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 2:04 PM | Permalink

    Kelly is absolutely correct.Top left is Bast. Middle is Kote which equates to the bottom middle, Kvothe. The right is Devan Lochees (kanji is the equivalent of ‘scribe’ (Chronicler). The other kanji describe the relationships (‘Master’ [sort of] between Kvothe and Bast, etc.).The bottom (oddly enough) are the patrons of the bar, I think:Top left: CobbBottom row: 1) Graham 2) Jake 3) Shep 4) Carter.I’m not sure what the bottom accomplishes (especially in terms of hierarchy) but that’s what those words refer to.Hope that helps! Kudos on the Japanese site, I’ll see if I can recognize anything else.Keep up the writing, Pat, and I’m sorry you can’t make it to ComiCon. It’s certainly an…experience. The one year I got to go, I managed to sit in on a panel with Joss Whedon and the Firefly cast – it was about as awesome as you’d expect.

  8. Pat
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 2:16 PM | Permalink

    Kenneth: Jamie Rothfuss is my sister. Without her, there wouldn’t be a single decent picture of me in existance.

  9. Luke M-Kelly
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 4:22 PM | Permalink

    Thank you to all those who translated. The arrows mean that it’s not something as simple as a seating arrangement, but likely can be interpreted as some type of (non-sexual, sorry Pat) interaction. One thing I find profoundly interesting is the Japanese artistic portrayal of Kvothe as compared to the Western versions. Did you have input on that?Now, if there’s a Chinese website I might be able to assist with translations.

  10. kip, SPonge!
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 5:46 PM | Permalink

    AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS THAT PICTURE LOOKS LIKE HARRY POTTER WITHOUT GLASSES AND HIS HEAD ON FIRE?

  11. Ben
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 5:50 PM | Permalink
  12. Kip, Spongecake!
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 5:51 PM | Permalink

    by the way if the japanese need a chart to tell how characters interact, they are dumber than my morning constitution.Then again that could be why I have had to resist the urge to dropkick every Japanese I’ve come across, they were all arrogant douches, who thought way too much of themselves.

  13. Steve
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 6:17 PM | Permalink

    My only concern is how The Beard will translate into Japanese. I don’t think they’ll appreciate the full magnitude of it.On the other hand, this is the culture that brought the world Godzilla, so maybe they can fathom it.

  14. Anonymous
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 9:20 PM | Permalink

    You know, you could probably just babel fish the page to get a translation.

  15. Steven Weyerts
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 9:21 PM | Permalink

    You need help, Kip. Serious help.Anyway, congratulations on the Japanese translation and website, Pat. Good luck with those blogs.

  16. marky
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 10:31 PM | Permalink

    It looks like a cool inventory, from a very cool roll playing game to me.I like the idea of our comments being translated into another language. It is kokkaii Pat-sama!

  17. fairytail3982
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 10:57 PM | Permalink

    re: “AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS THAT PICTURE LOOKS LIKE HARRY POTTER WITHOUT GLASSES AND HIS HEAD ON FIRE?”Hm. Maybe it is the lovechild of Harry and Fawkes… although I’m not sure where they fit on the chart…

  18. Khyren
    Posted July 26, 2008 at 2:22 AM | Permalink

    Kip, I agree. I’ve had a few drinks, but yes, I agree. :D

  19. Jessica
    Posted July 26, 2008 at 4:05 AM | Permalink

    I don’t understand a bit of Japanese, but I have to agree that that looks cool as hell. It’s even, like, all fiery and stuff. like an image from hell, if hell were really, really cool.

  20. Holly in Portland
    Posted July 26, 2008 at 2:55 PM | Permalink

    This comment has little to do w/ the Japanese web site but i didn’t see an open forum so oh well. I had the luck of meeting Pat at the hotel where his friend is getting married this weekend. I just wanted to thank you pat, for being so friendly and open. I really enjoyed our conversation and i went home practically bouncing w/ excitement. I love it when random things like that fall into place, you totally made my day! p.s. the new web site looks rad, not that i have the slightest notion what it says…

  21. Sienged
    Posted July 26, 2008 at 3:15 PM | Permalink

    Holy lucky Holly patfan Patman!

  22. Mary J.
    Posted July 26, 2008 at 8:06 PM | Permalink

    So, I was a bit nervous about posting (that whole translation thing and being laughed at by an additional culture) then I noticed Kip, not caring a bit and my will-to-post returned.That site is so cool! You realize that if they start a forum I will be learning Japanese and leaving you… Holly- isn’t Pat a sweetie? I admit to being intimidated by the idea of the beard but it was a fleeting sensation. I was quickly won over by his general wonderfulness.

  23. rainstop.inc
    Posted July 27, 2008 at 10:29 AM | Permalink

    I doubt I ever commented. Just want you to know, I love your book (and will mostly likely the ones to come). Since no one translated, I’ll try. My Japanese isn’t very good though, please bear…In the first section (title Waystone Inn), name in middle Kooto/Kote. Arrow to left, with the words on top being employee or servant (I cheated, I searched this up *winks) and name Basuto/Bast. Name on right of Kote, is The Chronicler. Words on top of arrow right, visitor of the inn. Name below, Kuooto/Kvothe. Arrow connecting Kvothe’s and Bast’s name says master disciple relationship. And the ones connecting Kvothe’s and the Chronicler’s says tells story to and Writes story of (roughly) . The ones connecting Kote and Kvothe says Same person. The words below their names in the respective boxes… Bast: Human? Demon? Kote: Owner of the Waystone Inn. The Chronicler: Devan Lochees or literally devan rokkiisu. Kvothe: The.. master of… secret arts? of legends. And something about being named [Kingkiller].Sorry not a good translation..Section below… Titled (Customers of Waystone Inn)Box on top: Cob. Tells legend of taborlin to…1st name Graham, 2nd Jake then Shep. And the last name is Carter’s. Hope I am of some help. =)

  24. Summer
    Posted July 27, 2008 at 7:50 PM | Permalink

    Have you seen Daeonica? Because Kvothe looks just like Tarsus bursting from the pits of hell. ^__^ … In a good way. Really.

  25. Amanda
    Posted July 28, 2008 at 12:17 AM | Permalink

    This is very impressive Pat. I’m excited.And you picked an excellent rant to illustrate how incredibly hard it would be to understand in another culture. Although it was HIGHLY entertaining to us.

  26. Leah
    Posted July 28, 2008 at 7:35 AM | Permalink

    If I might add to rainstop.inc’s translation notes:The bridging line from Bast to Chronicler says, “Enemies? Allies??” The arrow from Bast to Kote indicates “servant.” The arrow from Kvothe to Chronicler says “Tells the story of his life until now.” Bast’s caption questions whether he is a human or a fairy (not demon). And Kvothe’s caption says something to the effect of “Though he is the legendary master of secret arts, he bears the wicked name of “King Killer.”As for the sidebar menu:1. Top (wait… that one was in English)2. Introducing the young man (not sure on this one…. I know the words but not what it’s getting at.)3. Summary.4. Map of character relations5. Readers’ impressions6. Bulletin boardI haven’t finished with the front page summary yet, but it misleadingly refers to Kote as an “old” innkeeper. I can post a translation of that bit here later if I can come up with a good one.The novel, incidentally, was excellent. I look forward to reading the others.

  27. Leah
    Posted July 28, 2008 at 8:33 AM | Permalink

    Translation of the main summary page:Kote, the old proprietor of the faltering tavern known as the “Waystone Inn,” was a man shouldering the weight of the world of “Kvothe the Kingkiller,” who was not only a legendary magic user whose name was thundered throughout the world but also a great villain of strange times, rumored to have died long ago.Expecting the second coming of the mysterious group of “Chandrian” who murdered his entire family and retinue when he was young, Kote/Kvothe tells the story of his astonishing life thus far to Chronicler, who discovered his true identity. Furthermore, what is this secret art he tells of, this “name of the wind”…..?This translation is a little unwieldy, largely due to the fact that Japanese sentence structure generally allows for many more qualifiers per sentence than English. I tried to keep this in the same number of sentences, but ultimately had to split up the last one. Anyway, you get the idea.

  28. Kip, Blunter than a bat.
    Posted July 28, 2008 at 12:31 PM | Permalink

    Why Do I need help? I interact with the world as I find it, tell it like I see it, and am generally an open honest person. I think if the rest of the world were like me then we would have much less strife in this world.

  29. Martin-san
    Posted July 29, 2008 at 5:34 PM | Permalink

    Hi there,seeing as I found no guest book for general appreciation, flaming or any of the sort I’ll just make do with this blog:)I’m sure you’ve heard it before but your book kicks ass! I’ve read most brick sized fantasy that have been mentioned together with your book and you sure give Martin, Jordan and Goodkind some strong competition. As you’ve said yourself fantasy writers have a tendency to get side tracked and in some series I feel like I’m trudging through some swamp of words until there is a chapter with a character who is doing something more interesting (*cough* Jordan *cough*). Sometimes I wish that the chapter skipping button from my dvd worked on books too.But thing is, I never felt this in your book. Even if its about Kvothe looking for a text in the library or buying a horse there are things that keep me from getting bored. What it comes down to is that I’m your latest fan, finished this in two sittings and I am eagerly awaiting your next book. Keep that good work going!/Martin

  30. Atreus
    Posted July 30, 2008 at 3:50 AM | Permalink

    Well, this is my first time leaving a comment of any kind, I was just stopping buy to check on the status of TWMF. This blog captured my attention because, other than being first, it had quite a bit of meaning for me. See, I used to be a Missionary back in the day… the place my mission group sent me happened to be Japan, in fact. Due to some serious failures in leadership above me, I had a pretty terrible time. I had bought Name of the Wind before I had left on this trip, and during the three months I was there I must have read the book at least five times. Every time something went wrong, ever time I was thrown in a situation designed to break my faith and will, I would pick up the book again and start reading.I am not sure what it was about it that captivated me so much, perhaps the struggling of the character, or the strength in which he looked back on a life full of so much pain. Whatever it was, it did much to inspire me during those times.So I am thrilled that Kvothe has made the journey to Japan. Even though the world of the series appears very European in its cultural base, I believe the Japanese will be able to find much they agree with in the mannerisms of Kvothe.I hope the book can effect them as much as it did me.Congrats on taking it to the Land of the Rising Sun – Keep it up, I look forward to seeing where the tale goes on Day 2.Thanks.

  31. Pat
    Posted July 30, 2008 at 6:54 AM | Permalink

    Kip: Kindly keep the hateful racist bullshit to a bare minimum. And by that, I mean feel free to never bring it around to my blog again. Ever.

  32. Kip, like a tomato
    Posted July 30, 2008 at 8:34 PM | Permalink

    er sorry?

  33. Anonymous
    Posted July 30, 2008 at 9:41 PM | Permalink

    It was incredibly refreshing to read the prologue and first chapter in Japanese! The translation was fun, though I still don’t understand why the website lists the inn-goers in the character web…all it says in the description is that they “speak of the legend of Taborlin the Hero…”The website is very cool though!

  34. Pat
    Posted July 31, 2008 at 8:03 AM | Permalink

    Kip: I appreciate the sorry. Generally speaking, I’m a fan of being open and honest. But nothing good comes from pointing at a group of people and saying, “They suck because of X, and I hate them.” It doesn’t make the world a better place. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  35. Anonymous
    Posted August 1, 2008 at 12:57 AM | Permalink

    I know. I’ve never even met kip, and I want to hit him, so obviously there’s a massive flaw in that theory.

  36. marky
    Posted August 1, 2008 at 10:33 AM | Permalink

    I’m not excusing Kips comment in any way but it seems to me that he wasn’t really thinking when he wrote it. It sounds like a case of opening his mouth and letting his belly rumble. Kip, you can’t judge a race by the actions of one or two people you’ve met who were rude to you. Intentionally or otherwise. You seem quite a smart guy. I think deep down you Know this. I realise this has nothing to do with me, and Pat has already covered the acceptable behaviour topic in his response, but I like Kip and I don’t want him going through life thinking that the one or two ass holes he has met represents a nation.To the anonymous person who wants to hit Kip. Do you really think violence is the answer? or would education be more appropriate.

  37. Kip, Speaks
    Posted August 4, 2008 at 3:05 PM | Permalink

    First of all I would like to point out that, 1) I was making a comment on the Dumbness of needing a character interaction chart for a book with so few main characters, it’s not like this is the Simarillion, or Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire”. It’s basicly the equivilent of saying “If people need warnings on McDonadls Cups that say ‘Caution: Beverage May be Hot.’ Then they are dumb.”2) If you read the second part of the comment I am not saying all Japanese people are arrogant douches, I am clearly saying that all of them I have run accross are arrogant douches.I would also like to point out that I am not a racist, and that I treat each person as I find them, as can anyone who knows me vouch for that.

  38. marky
    Posted August 4, 2008 at 4:29 PM | Permalink

    Ahh! Sorry for thinking you were a racial monster Kip. I get what you were meaning now. Sorry if my last post came across all preacher marky. I tend to do that a lot. Being opinionated is a family curse. Dating back to the Markys of 1780’s Scotia. My Great, great, great grandfather Mac-overchat was jailed for his opinions on knee length kilts. The families never lived down the shame.Let us all learn from this experience and move on.

  39. fairytail3982
    Posted August 4, 2008 at 5:23 PM | Permalink

    Kip, I think perhaps many of us have learned a lesson, through this thread, about making assumptions about a person’s entire world view based on a few online posts. It is easy to have a knee-jerk reaction these days to something that sounds racist/sexist/homophobic/intolerant in any way, regardless of how it was intended. However, I hope that you have taken from this exchange that you, too, have a responsibility for how and what you communicate, especially in such a diverse group. Yes, you are expressing your opinion, and you are entitled to it; but you are also expressing it in a place that is shared with others — including our host, Pat, who does have the right to set the tone for acceptable conversation on his blog, since, ultimately, it all reflects back on him. And frankly, I still find your language inappropriate for the intended audience and your favorite insult to have sexist overtones, whether intentional or not. I’ll admit that in the privacy of my home or personal conversations with my friends, my language isn’t exactly PC, and I do say some things for shock value. But I’m saying them, in a specific context and to specific people I know I won’t offend, and who will take what I say (and I will take what they say) with the tactless humor intended.

  40. Kip, Speaks again
    Posted August 4, 2008 at 6:18 PM | Permalink

    I would like to point out to you that in todays day and age Douches are not only used by women. I have gay friends who say they are a staple of their sex life and hygene. So calling someone a douche is not really that sexist.And about the strong and harsh language, I accept your chastisement. It is a worthy point.

  41. Anonymous
    Posted August 4, 2008 at 7:40 PM | Permalink

    If you know anything about Japanese pop culture, then you know why that relationship chart exists. If you’re uninformed or don’t understand it, then pointing at it and saying “z0mg they must be dumb” just shows your own ignorance.All in all, this has been a very revealing series of posts.

  42. Kip.
    Posted August 4, 2008 at 8:22 PM | Permalink

    Of course I know nothing of Japanese Pop culture, I live in America, And have enough of a hard time being exasperated by the things I see with our Pop culture. Frankly I think Pop culture is completely retarded, I find it sad and demoralizing that so many people have so little sense of self-esteem that they have to fit into some ill-concived social ideal. But hey the world needs sheep right?

  43. lis
    Posted August 16, 2008 at 3:00 AM | Permalink

    hi petrick, i’ve read ur book in japanese:D well.. thats because im a really slow reader when it comes to english books and my mum just bought it in japanese.it was awesome!!! even my sister is reading it, and she’s in year 12, which means she’s meant to be studying really hard for her exams coming up.well, just one correction: Bast is not on the top right coner, but left top :p right top is the writer.

  44. y.watanabe
    Posted September 11, 2008 at 5:27 PM | Permalink

    Hello Pat,I’m a Japanese author (living in USA) who published 2 novels and a few short stories, then suddenly lost desire to write. I have been translating Medical and Psychology books since. (And just reading)I just finished reading your book yesterday and checked out the Japanese site. It may look weird to Americans, but this is usually the best way they deal with the Japanese SF/FF readers. The interesting thing is the YouTube comment by Mr. Omori (kind of authority figure in SF world in Japan). He was urging the readers to be patient for the first 80 pages (Japanese version) because it moves slowly(for them, not for me). Mr. Omori’s message might sound unkind to you, but it will be helpful for the Japanese version. Japanese readers are not used to long stories. The publishers always tell the authors to cut down the books short (I’ve been there). I didn’t think your book was long at all. I could’ve happily stayed with 15 year old Kvothe longer. However, for Japanese, your book is more than 3 times longer than their comfort level. I have also checked their translation on the site. It’s accurate and pretty good, but it’s not the same as original. Many subtle things are lost in translation, but it’s not the translators(3 of them)’ faults. Anyway, I really loved every page of your book. I am hoping in the end, the present Kvothe will find something he hadn’t been able to find until now.

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