Translated 2/2001 by Ian Finnesey
andy_christ@yahoo.com



Translation notes:

I have translated some things using maybe a little crude terminology.  Basically I've translated things into the sort of English that I am used to, particularly if the character seems the sort to speak informally.

If I came to something where the English translation was significantly longer than the Japanese text, I tried to shorten it as much as possible, so that it would still be possible to fit the text in the word balloons (if you want to say, put it in scans, be my guest.  If you want to print it and sell it, well, I suppose you could sue me for putting out this translation, but really, do your own goddamn translation, or buy mine.)

There are some key terms with QUESTIONABLE translations. For anyone reading this who doesn't know, Japanese allows you to form new words by sticking almost any two or more kanji together...kind of like how you can stick roots together to make absurdly long words in German.  English does not let you do this.  In English, you take a root, and you can put any of a large number of prefixes or suffixes to change the meaning on it, but you generally cannot just stick two different nouns or verbs together to make one word and not expect it to sound stupid.  
Consequently, there are a lot of terms in Blame, which the author made up, which either have no translation in English, or at least have no translation that doesn't just sound awkward.  These tend to be very important terms.  They are also what make Blame difficult at times.

Toujikyoku
統治 局
The translation is "rule" and "department" or "bureau."
I render it as "the Controller."

Seidensha
生電社
life, electric, society or company
This one is tough, and very debatable.  I will render it as Cyber-life Society.

Juuryokushi Houshasen Shashutsusouchi
重力子放射線射出装置
Graviton Radiation Projector (or thereabouts.)
WAAAY too long, and the whole thing is used all the time.  Except on rare occasions, I will shorten it to Graviton Projector. Ten...frickin...kanji. 

Keiso Seibutsu
珪素生物
silicon, living thing (organism)
This isn't so hard...there's just two English words which might work, and it becomes clear later on which it is.  "Cyborg" or android, and the clear choice is "cyborg."  The only problem is sometimes I think it sounds better to say "silicon life."  Thus sometimes this will be rendered as "silicon life" and sometimes as "cyborg."

Toua Juukou
東亜重工
Toua Heavy Industries.  Toua if you render it's real reading, Toha in the book, just to make the reading clear to people who don't know how romaji works.  Anyhow, the spelling is a minor nitpick, so I go with Mr. Nihei's spelling.  But the phrase is used CONSTANTLY later on, and being so long is sometimes a little awkward.  I don't want to abbreviate it.  Just a heads up.

The term I translate as "the City" means just that.  But I think it is used in two contexts with two subtly different meanings.  One being the settlement from which Cibo comes, the other being the massive conglomeration of structures which comprise Blame's world.

There are a few others, but these are the most potentially contentious.  If you don't like it, fuck off.  Write your own translation.

BLAME vol 1
P 1 (in English)
Maybe on Earth
Maybe in the Future
Blame!
Tsutomu Nihei

P2
- Searcher Killy's quest begins.
Log 1
Net Terminal Gene ... 3
Log 2
Memories of Earth ... 37
Log 3
Techno-nomads ... 65
EX-LOG ... 95
Log 4
The Controller ... 125
Log 5 
Escape ... 157
Log 6
Silicon Life ... 187
Log 7
Builder ... 217

P 6
- A person?
- Get inside there
P 7
- Hey...
- It's been a long time since I've met anyone else.
- Where did you come from?
- I thought I saw another person nearby.
- Must have been my imagination.
P 8
- Hey.
- What?
P 9
- Killy, do you think he wanted my cells, too?
P 11
- I'm saved...you came quick!
- Did you find it?
- Yeah, no doubt about it.  It was an uncontaminated genotype.
- The little one.
P 12
- And the man?
- I wasn't able to scan him.
- That's enough, right?  You'll fix me?
- Hey, wait!
P 37
Log.2  Memories of Earth
P 54
- Killy's finished it.  We're coming back.
- Yes.  Numbers 10 and 11 haven't changed apart from coloration.  Preparations have been made for collection.
P 56
- We've found an area 3000 levels up where systems are still active.
- We don't know if anyone is still there.
P 57
- But if you'd go...
P 58
- When that cold, quiet land was bright, people walked in the hills.
P 59
- What is "land"?
- What's that?
P 60
- Hard copy?  Very old.
- May I take this?
P 61
- It's getting dark.
P 62
- You can go up to that place, if you like.
P 65
Log.3  Techno Nomads
P 66
- Where's unit 7?
- Should still be a little ways down.
P 67
- Unit 7, the sentinels are closing in.  If you can hear this, shut your systems down!
- Bzzzzt...Unit Seven...hisss...respond...bzzzz
- What's that?  I can't hear you!
- The sentinels are nearby!
- Yone, the message has been sent...we'll be detected!
- Could you say again?
P 70
- What now?
- The sentinel has stopped responding.  
- Yone, where do you think you're going?
- I'm going to see what's out there.
- Wait!
P 73
- A sentinel!
- It's dead.
- How, I wonder.
- Brother, come here!
- What's the matter?
- What happened here?
P 74
- Everyone will be surprised!
- Yeah, we've never seen another person from outside the shelter before!
P 76
- What is he?  Is he from outside?
- Yes, he is!  He's got a head injury.  He needs treatment immediately.
-   Did you notice?
P 77
- Everyone was so surprised.  We didn't think there were any people besides us in this area.
- Is there anyone here who has the Net Terminal Gene?
- Huh?
- Is there anyone here who can connect with the net?
- Net?
P 78
- What's your name?
- Killy.
- Maybe he was garbage.
P 81
- Asako!  Close the central gate!
- I'll lead the others!
P 85
- Migration! Start the preparations!
P 86 
- It would be best if you got out of here, too.  More sentinels will arrive soon.
- Do you know where they are coming from?
P 87
- Hey, have you seen Yone?
P 88
- There.
P 89
-   What are you doing?  They'll see you!
P 125
Log.4  The Controller
P 131
- Are there people living here?
P 132
- Could you tell me where I can find food?
P 133
- There's a village 40 levels up.  
- But I have food.
P 135
- Thank you.
- Would you take something of mine?
P 141
- Don't move.
- This one's human, after all.
P 142
- That doesn't mean he's not with the Controller.
P 143
- Where did you come from?
- Below.  5000 levels.
P 144
- That has to be wrong.  There isn't even supposed to be anyplace that deep.
- What brings you all the way up here?
- I'm looking for uncontaminated genetic specimens.
- Above here, the uninhabited area continues.  It's been like that all the way here, I suppose.
P 145
- Give me his bag.
- You're free to continue on your journey, but don't come back here again.
P 157
Log.5  Escape
P 163
- That person was the last neurological engineer.
- You want a genetic sample?
- If that's the case, there's a better way to go about it.
P 164
- There's a record of the families here from generations back.
- I can give you a copy.
- And in return?
- Take me to where my colleagues have retreated nearby.
- Carry me there, and you'll receive a copy.
- What happened here?
P 165
- This is a record of the attack.
- You're not carrying any viruses, are you?
P 166
-   Got it!
P 167
- Haaa....haaa....
- Hiizan!  This way!  You can still save Tohi!
- Babaa!  This way, hurry!
- Damn it!  What now?
P 169
- Ha...haaah...
P 170
- What are those things?
- Them?  Have you heard of the Controller?
- WHAT is the Controller?
- The Controller is...the Controller.
- Our enemy, from a long time back.
- You don't know about it?
P 171
- The controller's hunters are still near.  We'll be obvious if we hang around here...
- My detection system can't spot stationary objects.
- The material of the Controller's outer shell can't be broken.  
- If we encounter it, please don't hesitate...run.
P 172
- It's an ancient construction machine.
- That's how the controller was able to revive its technology.
- We've forgotten the meanings of the characters on the membrane net.
P 173
- Dammit...he should have run.
P 183
- Excellent weapon you have there.
- Don't worry about me.  Do whatever you like.
P 185
- Is this place okay?
- Hey.
P 187
Log.6  Silicon Life
P 198
- I know you.  
- You killed our comrade.
P 201
- Yes.  
- You've acquired the genetic record, have you not?
- No...the last one was the specimen.
- Does the Controller know of your attack here?
- We're just passing through.
- The Controller doesn't have any particular reason to attack here. 
P 202 
- The Controller cares no more about humans than it does about insects.
- Their thinking is too heterogeneous.
- It is impossible for them to understand silicon life such as us.
- Since you mention that, I guess I found the place where you make your babies.
- I destroyed it, though.
P 203
- That was you?
- Don't get hit by that gun of his.
- Does he have the genetic record?
P 217
Log.7  Builder
P 219
- Aah!
- Wow, he's really here!
- Wait, don't go!
P 220
- Yaki wants to meet you!  So does everyone else!
- I'm Kumoi.  I'm traveling with Yaki.
- Yaki said I had to.
- Oh yeah, what's your name?
- Killy.
- It will be bad if the builders find this place.
- They're always destroying places where food grows.
- This is a growing area, so there's lots of builder activity.  So Yaki says.
P 221
- Kumoi.
- What?
- Why is there no wall on that side?
- Where do you come from?
- Akima!
- Wait!  From up here, you can see!
- Akima is where I was born.  Across that bridge.
- You can't see it, but it is close.
P 222
- We've been waiting a long time.
- For you.
- Yaki was at Akima from the start.
P 223
- I'm home!
- She's lived an incredibly long time, but she's a little....broken.
- So even though this is just the start of our trip...
- Yaki's gotten bad.
P 224
- This is Yaki.
- Yaki, this is the doctor, Killy.
- I'm not a doctor.
- Oh!
- Killy, are you hungry?
P 225
- Eat all you like!
- Yaki taught me how to make it.
- She knows everything.
- Do you see letters in front of your eyes?
- Me?  I don't know, I don't think.
P 226
-   Get back!
P 227
- Stop!  
- Go away!
P 228
- You stopped the builder just now?
- What's that?
- I saw a builder like that before.  I received this from someone then.
- I don't know how it works.
- Hey, there's another builder over there I'd like you to stop.
P 229
- Hurry!  That big one!
P 230
- That builder was going more slowly before.  
- If it isn't stopped soon, this place will be built over, too.
P 231
- Not that one, that one.
P 232
- It stopped!
P 233
- It stopped! 
- It stopped!
P 238
- Ah...!
P 242
-  Hah.....ha......
P 243
- The doctor is here....relax.
- You're no doctor.  Don't lie.
- I understand.  It's alright.