Translation News:

The 19th volume of Zero no Tsukaima was finally translated this August.  Just two books left to translate and one book left to write now.

Meanwhile, just today, the 12th and most recently published Unlimited Fafnir novel has been translated.  My timing was impeccable, as I've finished reading volume 11 and am now on to chapter 2 of volume 12.  Once I finish Unlimited Fafnir, I can turn my attention to Zero no Tsukaima.  Both series are classics that everyone should read, so we're very lucky that fan translators are willing to make that possible.

I do find it a little odd that Unlimited Fafnir has a quicker and more diligent translation team than Sword Art Online, a much higher selling and more famous series, but that's just how these things seem to go.

But soon enough translation teams won't matter anymore.  According to the latest technology review article:  https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602480/googles-new-service-translates-languages-almost-as-well-as-humans-can/?utm_campaign=internal&utm_medium=homepage&utm_source=top-stories_4

Utilizing new deep learning algorithms, computers have figured out how to translate between foreign languages essentially as well as qualified human translators.  This is the holy grail we've been dreaming of and asking for ever since God split us up at the Tower of Babel.  Unfortunately, right now this only applies to Chinese, French, and Spanish to English, not the Japanese language we actually need.  And on top of that, not even the Chinese to English version has been released to the public yet.  But it can't be much harder for a computer to translate Japanese to English than it is for a computer to translate Chinese to English.  You have to believe that Japanese will be given the same upgraded treatment, and that this new language engine will be released within a year.  We are just about to unlock a thousand additional visual novels, light novels, and manga series into the world.  We'll be able to read raws straight out of Japan, just like the Japanese do.  We'll get to catch up with Papa Kiki, Haganai, Seikai no Senki, Da Capo, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, Outbreak Company, Kud Wafter, Little Busters Ecstasy, Aiyoku no Eustia, every series, everything ever written in history.

If Google comes through with this, it will be one of the greatest revolutions in human history.  We'll finally be able to communicate with the other seven billion people on Earth, unfiltered, united and whole once more.  If anyone says anything truthful, loving or beautiful on Earth, the rest of us will get to share in it and benefit from it at the speed of light.  The world's spiritual wealth will quintuple overnight.

If Google isn't straight out lying to us, there's enough translated material that hasn't been read yet to tide us all the way over until translations will no longer matter anymore.  In which case we've reached nirvana and we don't even know it yet.  The world has already changed for all intents and purposes.  There will never be a lack of good art ever again.  In addition, you will always get to see the endings of your favorite stories.  No more translations cut off halfway through.  Like the Japanese who get to enjoy the conclusion of the story at home, we too can read whatever we like from start to finish, no longer depending on fickle volunteers who perhaps grow tired of the series or just too busy to support it any longer.  We won't have to ask for anime adaptions just in the hopes that it will encourage subtitlers anymore.  We can just read the source unfiltered and pure, and if there's an anime adaption, great, if not, who cares?

The world has completely changed since yesterday.

God bless Google.  This is on the level of a divine miracle.  Turning sticks into snakes, water into wine, or Japanese into English, which is truly the most impressive?