regarding scanlating

[aerozext]

so, i was thinking of scanlating some manga, however i'm practically new to this and have no idea what i'm doing.
i read the upload guidelines and there's some point which i didn't understand.

- regarding raws
does raws from website that is selling manga like bookw****r or from sites that upload their 'own' scanlated manga is prohibited from being used?

- regarding quality
in terms of no editing, cleaning, etc, overall let's say LQ. purely removing text that count as dialog and replacing them with translations, (SFX bubbles and unnecessary text left untranslated and uncleaned) is acceptable?
in other words, using raw as if, replacing text, and typesetting only.

- regarding group
as i'm socially dead, 0 human interactions, i intended to do this whole translation thing alone, is it allowed?

my reason for wanting to scanlate is purely to improve my language skills, as i'm currently learning JP.
i did translate some H doujin on my own, which is more free, then i want to take up more challenge with manga.

 

[Wxlf]

- raws can be found anywhere i.e. lhscans.net
- I suggest you get photoshop its free and download a bunch of fonts, this can be found in the forums or online, just search scanlation fonts
- you can release under no group or make ur own

 

[BzzBzz]

I'm not admin/mod so don't take my opinion as 100% correct, but what I understand...

-raws
you can use whatever you want (btw, there's no need to censor bookwalker, it's official shop that sells manga/LNs/magazines officially)

-quality
whatever your skill allows as long as it's readable

-group
you can upload it as "no group" or make your own group (even if it's just one person)

Edit: slow typing is slow

 

[aerozext]

so i take it that,
as long as i didn't include any kind of link / watermark that leads to a website or such, it's totally fine to use that raw?

what about taking over a manga?
i believe i need to contact the group that does that manga and ask their permission.
in the case that manga haven't got an update for more than 3 months, and i can't get in contact with the group that translates it, and decided to publish mine, is it okay?

 

[Plykiya]

@aerozext You don't need to contact any group, we have no rules against sniping. Contacting them and asking if they've dropped it beforehand is more of a formal thing.

 

[Kendama]

@aerozext

If you're trying to get raws, another good option is 13dl.net, they have a vast collection. If you don't mind putting money towards your hobby, it's possible to obtain digital raws of higher quality, too.

About picking series from other groups, it's as Plykiya says. There isn't a rule against sniping. But there is etiquette. People usually refrain from doing series other groups are releasing regularly and with good quality, not because it's a rule, but because:

i. Redundant work is pointless. If two groups are working on the same thing, it essentially means translation and edition time is being wasted when it could be used towards scanlating something new.

ii. If you signal to other scanlators you don't care about their efforts, you cannot expect them to extend a helping hand to you if you ever need one. Regardless of what readers say, scanlators take note of sniping events and snipers aren't well-regarded. In the end, it's your decision, though.

iii. Sniping often invites retaliation. The sniped group may choose to race you, or to snipe something you're doing. Especially if you're working solo, going against a group may come to bite you in the back. I've been in races before and I can tell you it's stressful.

iv. Readers take sides. It normally doesn't matter what readers say, but it can be off-putting to have your worked trashed in public because they prefer the other version.

However, that doesn't mean you have to ask for permission to take up a series that's been three months or more without releases. That's normally not considered sniping. In the end, no one "owns" a manga.

One note about social interaction in scanlation: you don't need to have any even if you work in a group. There are groups that don't enforce joining a chatting platform. In mine, Death Toll, we have team members who only exchange private messages with me or with the proofreader and never even meet the other team members. HappyScans!, a vintage manga group, runs their entire operation through email, you only ever need to contact the administrator, the members don't even know each other. It's possible to be a hermit and not work solo. Just saying for you to consider.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy this hobby.

 

[dangankou]

@aerozext

From what I understand, the upload guideline regarding raws is just telling you not to upload raws (pages with original text on it) unto the server. That's all.

In other words, you can use whatever source you want as long as you don't upload the pages with its original text intact.

 

[aerozext]

thanks for all the answers ?

 

[Keinritt]

Just wanted to add that if it's within your means to do so, consider buying raws before turning to raw sites.

Scanlation quality is very subjective. For me, it's fine as long as it 's easily readable and the actual meaning are portrayed.

 

[Teasday]

_{@aerozext posted:}

- regarding raws
does raws from website that is selling manga like bookw****r or from sites that upload their 'own' scanlated manga is prohibited from being used?

Just in case: if you happen to be talking about digital manga that has already been officially translated (e.g. to English), then obviously uploading that exact same official release here is banned. However, if you use that official translated release as a base to re-translate it to some other language on your own, that is technically allowed, but I would recommend using the original raws regardless.