Should I translate my comic to english?

[Pulporila]

Hello everyone! I'm an hispanic author with a comic called Las excitantes aventuras de Marisol (The exciting adventures of Marisol). As you can tell, it's in spanish and full of regional references since I'm very close to my homeland and the inside jokes within.
The thing is, I don't know if I'll be able to succeed if I keep posting in my native language. So I have tried to translate it to english and, unfortunately, found out that the dialogue is kinda dull and most of the jokes are lost.
Basically the comic would be toned down due language barrier. I really hope I'm making myself clear with this issue, and I would like to hear if any other author has a similar problem with this.

Y por supuesto, ¡quisiera saber qué opinan los hispanohablantes! Gracias/Thank you in advance.

[unknown_user]

In this case, you can firstly try to promote it more in hispanic internet segment, rather than translate?

[Pulporila]

Oh yeah, I've thought of that. But I haven't found many places to do so, and I was thinking about the translate alternative before that. I'll dig a bit deeper though.

[LilaDoesFanfics]

I feel like the MC could actually do both easily. Of course, it is a bit harder to promote comics in Spanish ;-;

[yansusu]

I had the same problem with my novels. Somehow, the chapters sounded very stiff after translating and some images just couldn't be transported into English. In the end, what helped me was to not cling to the original chapter I wrote. Instead, I wrote the newer ones in English directly and adapted images to that language instead of my own.
Maybe that could be an option for you too? Like, don't translate the comic word-by-word and instead take some creative freedom and adapt it to the new audience you'd reach? I know that can be tricky at first but it might turn out to read more natural?

[Cricketreadscomics]

It will probably get you more views but honestly idk how tapas works so idk u do u

[punkarsenic]

The thing is, I don't know if I'll be able to succeed if I keep posting in my native language.

i dunno man, theres a lot of spanish speakers out there and most of them are on the internet, right? its impossible to deny media in english has an advantage bc most ppl speak at least some english as a second language, but on the internet anything and everything has an audience.

i agree with @tired_programmer that finding hispanic comics circles sounds like a good way to go

that said, i do know hispanic cartoonists who release their comics in both spanish and english side by side, which sounds like a good plan. if youre struggling with the translation, it could be worth considering working with a translator who speaks english as a native language - you can give them tips on the spanish meanings, and theyll know whats funny in english. that way, more of the jokes can land.

that said, not everyone has access to that kinda people power. i think translating it and running your comic in both english and spanish is a good idea, but when translating to english dont be afraid to change the dialogue and add new jokes to make it work in english. so long as the core info is there, its fine!

EDIT: your comic looks really cool yes do please translate it into english, i wanna read it

[Darth_Biomech]

I think that English translation is the default necessity, not an option.
It's the most widespread worldwide language after all, why would you want to shut-off majority of the globe's population from enjoying your work and being your audience? You can include footnotes for jokes and references you think are important for understanding.
Also getting a proofreader who's native English speaker and have knowledge of your language can be a great help with the "stiffness" problem you had mentioned, and also in general translation.

[DiegoPalacios]

Hi there! another native spanish speaker here

Checked some pages of "Las excitantes aventuras de Marisol", its hillarious!.

I think it is possible to translate in a way that stays fun and doesn`t suffer "dub syndrome". Your comic has lots of humor that works in every language, things like the internet and people hating the system are universal. But some literal translations may not work.

Maybe you can go on adjusting the slang. For example using the better sounding swearing word in english, changing or not translating some of the swearing at all. (like her just screaming Puta madre when she hits on her toe or things like that). Also, some swearing words can be even funnier with a literal translation.

also, you can adjust ghetto and preppy names for english ones. For example "Brayan" can be changed for something like "Jamal"

The key is to see whan must be adjusted to translate the humor and irreverent tone.

For more info of adjusting things to reach better other audiences while keeping the style and tone you aim for check this link.

Woolseyism - TV Tropes

for odd names from different social classes

Ghetto Name - TV Tropes

Preppy Name - TV Tropes

Hope this helps!

[LT1986]

In the past I asked a creator to make an English version of their comic, so that I could read it. They were unable to translate the comic, so I didn't continue reading the comic. There is another comic series that is in English and Spanish. The author has discontinued the English version, so I stopped reading it.

I've typed that information just to say that there are some readers that you might not gain, if the comic is only in one language.

[Pulporila]

Thank you for such a well thought response, I really love your consideration! I'm sorry for not answering earlier, but it really helped me to think about that. I might translate it after all.
Words can't explain how thankful I am (El Brayan ahora es Jamal, y Jaimito será Jamalcito jajaja)

[Pulporila]

You're right. I have to be more flexible regarding the joke topic. As you said, it's kind of hard to find jokes people from english speaking countries find funny. But fortunately, internet is my friend (most times).

I'll work with the translation right away!

[Pulporila]

Creative freedom is my best friend. There have been a lot cases where translators have used it to appeal more to their audiences. For example, the latin american dub of Count Duckula, which is full of regional jokes and such. I'll make my best to be able to reach everyone.

[Pulporila]

I'll find me some american friend then, haha. But yeah, that's a pretty good insight. I'll work right away.

[Pulporila]

I'm all about to gain readers. Won't let you down.

[Coati]

Yeah, is the best way to show your work to the rest of world.

[Pulporila]

News, I'm happy to announce I've translated the first episode!

The Exciting Adventures of Marisol | Tapas

[punkarsenic]

looking good! the jokes land to me

also, i didnt think to mention this - since youre making a comic, think in future episodes about ways to make it funny without any dialogue at all. you can still have dialogue obviously, but if theres some visual gags in there then you can be sure that theyll translate to anyone.

[LyliClovis]

I'm bilingual in both Spanish/English, but I think it would definitely benefit you to translate it in English. You can have access to many potential readers that way. I know a lot of comic artists I look up to that are mainly Spanish-speakers, but they make content mostly exclusively in English because of how widespread the language is.

Sadly, I think the only way to keep the liveliness of your comic with the jokes are to just change the dialogue, if the jokes feel stiff or bland when translated? Sorry if that's not helpful ;;;;

¡Buena suerte, amigo!

[Iris-Grimoire]

Since the translation is already underway, I think it's best to give some tips on making an alternate translated version.

I translated mine from the start, english to portuguese even if the latter is my mother language, since I wanted to go off of what I knew in the language that I could share in more places. I always try to make it sound like real dialogue or even change the structure of the sentence if it doesn't work in portuguese because the dialogue just gets twice as long sometimes; and I also adjust jokes, slang, and even quirks that make no sense to a portuguese reader (for example, a character speaks a few sentences in the third person about themselves - it sounds like a mouthful in portuguese, so he just stays with first person in those instances).

I also recommend reading up on the localization of books, games, anything else that might help you make both versions of the comic approachable! If a reader feels like they're reading a lesser version of the comic, it might be discouraging and they might drop it eventually, so little changes there and there can go a long way.