<p>In some anime the additional text is there just to provide info. If context is provided, the translation usually isn't necessary. However, anime or at least their source videos that are meant to be dubbed and shown outside of Japan, are sometimes supposed to be translated, because most viewers never know nor care about the original language used in production (kids watching TV?).</p>

<p>Otherwise it's just about speed. Some fast-subbing groups only provide the needed dialogue, some groups take their time and translate everything to help the viewer.</p>

<p>Sometimes scribbles and text on walls provide additional humorous inputs (e.g. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) and some people like to thoroughly go through them...</p>

<p>Overall it's all about the target audience :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-13T09:07:38.337Z
2016-09-13T03:29:04.587Z
2016-09-13T03:29:04.587Z
DaMachk
<p>In Naruto they usually translate everything but I think that it's because it is a very popular anime. In other small anime i've watched they did not because it's not that popular. So I think how popular the anime is has something to do with it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-13T02:58:28.927Z
2016-09-13T02:58:28.927Z
Itachi Uchiha
<p>Some anime series use captions to translate signs, text messages, speech bubbles, and the like while others do not. I'm left guessing when some characters only communicate through these messages and nothing is translated. Are these extra translations done by specific studios or on a case by case basis?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-24T14:55:03.827Z
I've not seen speech bubbles before.  Are these subs of someone reading out a comic strip, analogous (but not similar) to how [a few strips of Tsurezure Children](https://youtu.be/ZCJUspQXnew) were voiced over?  What series was it that had this example?
Makoto
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-24T15:09:25.507Z
I meant when they're expressing some feeling without saying anything. The example that comes to mind is when someone's stomach growls and there is text pointing to it. I don't know the name for that device so I said speech bubbles.
guest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-24T15:14:09.247Z
Ah.  If you're referring to speech bubbles to express onomatopoeia (growling, barking, crow cawing), then that's *slightly* different.  My original belief was that you were referring exclusively to spoken text.
Makoto
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-24T17:16:52.657Z
Note that in most cases, translation is done by a licensee (a streaming service or something), not by the animation studio.
senshin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T03:52:09.187Z
I don't know about fansubs, but for official releases, if a character only communicates in onscreen text, that text is usually translated, e.g. [Excel Saga's Sumiyoshi](https://i.sstatic.net/5Cm8K.jpg). For signs, background text, papers, and so on it seems to vary. Anecdotally I feel like Funimation consistently translates almost all the onscreen text, while Sentai tends to be looser and Crunchyroll very rarely translates it unless it's vital to the plot.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-13T09:34:56.083Z
Please make clear what do you mean by your question. Are you talking about dubbed anime? Or the original one in Japanese?
絢瀬絵里
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-11T05:33:55.567Z
This question makes me think of Bakuman. The subbed version I saw would translate most of the text in the messages sent by MCs on the phones while speech bubbles in the manga were not. So I think the subbing community itself translates the japanese text which is related to understanding of the story, while unrelated stuff may be left as it is.
Arcane
<anime-production>
Why do only some anime series translate on screen text?
# Why do only some anime series translate on screen text?
Posted by: username_0 on 2016-05-24
Some anime series use captions to translate signs, text messages, speech bubbles, and the like while others do not. I'm left guessing when some characters only communicate through these messages and nothing is translated. Are these extra translations done by specific studios or on a case by case basis?
**Tags:** anime-production
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I've not seen speech bubbles before.  Are these subs of someone reading out a comic strip, analogous (but not similar) to how [a few strips of Tsurezure Children](https://youtu.be/ZCJUspQXnew) were voiced over?  What series was it that had this example?  
> **username_0**: I meant when they're expressing some feeling without saying anything. The example that comes to mind is when someone's stomach growls and there is text pointing to it. I don't know the name for that device so I said speech bubbles.  
> **username_1**: Ah.  If you're referring to speech bubbles to express onomatopoeia (growling, barking, crow cawing), then that's *slightly* different.  My original belief was that you were referring exclusively to spoken text.  
> **username_2**: Note that in most cases, translation is done by a licensee (a streaming service or something), not by the animation studio.  
> **username_3**: I don't know about fansubs, but for official releases, if a character only communicates in onscreen text, that text is usually translated, e.g. [Excel Saga's Sumiyoshi](https://i.sstatic.net/5Cm8K.jpg). For signs, background text, papers, and so on it seems to vary. Anecdotally I feel like Funimation consistently translates almost all the onscreen text, while Sentai tends to be looser and Crunchyroll very rarely translates it unless it's vital to the plot.  
> **username_4**: Please make clear what do you mean by your question. Are you talking about dubbed anime? Or the original one in Japanese?  
> **username_5**: This question makes me think of Bakuman. The subbed version I saw would translate most of the text in the messages sent by MCs on the phones while speech bubbles in the manga were not. So I think the subbing community itself translates the japanese text which is related to understanding of the story, while unrelated stuff may be left as it is.  
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## 2 answers
### Answer by username_6 on 2016-06-13. Score: 1
In some anime the additional text is there just to provide info. If context is provided, the translation usually isn't necessary. However, anime or at least their source videos that are meant to be dubbed and shown outside of Japan, are sometimes supposed to be translated, because most viewers never know nor care about the original language used in production (kids watching TV?).

Otherwise it's just about speed. Some fast-subbing groups only provide the needed dialogue, some groups take their time and translate everything to help the viewer.

Sometimes scribbles and text on walls provide additional humorous inputs (e.g. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) and some people like to thoroughly go through them...

Overall it's all about the target audience :)
---
### Answer by username_7 on 2016-09-13. Score: -3
In Naruto they usually translate everything but I think that it's because it is a very popular anime. In other small anime i've watched they did not because it's not that popular. So I think how popular the anime is has something to do with it.
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