Ever since LINE Webtoon was launched, it has carried out purges of fan scanlations of popular manhwas from various online manga reader sites. Such manhwas included works like Noblesse, Tower of God and Cheese in the Trap. Fans took notice, and some weren’t pleased. And I can see why.
But before we get into the reasons, lets start with some context: Prior to 2014, there was little English representation for manhwas; so they were only available though unofficial fan translations. It was a bane for many readers or anyone curious passing through. It opened them up to stories they came to appreciate, remember or follow. But it was thanks to passionate teams of fans who dedicated their time and efforts to translating, proof reading, editing and polishing. Their lent-energy also helped authors spread their work to an international audience (at no charge, might I add).
But Naver Corp., the Korean company, caught on to this and saw a potential market that would boost the webcomic industry. Thus, LINE Webtoon was born, leading to the decision to make official English translations for manhwas. As a result, the company had to cut off competition. And to do that, it meant forcing manga readers sites to remove their manhwas that were exhaustingly translated by fans. So scores of finished and even incomplete manhwas had to be dropped. It’s sad because these were non-profit, voluntary groups that only had the best interests of the authors in mind. And their hard-work was going to ashes.
What was even more disappointing, the translations that LINE Webtoon put out were far from superior quality, feeling rushed and messy. Fans have even complained on forums. Recently, they seemed to have improved. But still, their translations are somewhat choppy, not as smooth of a read, and occasionally ridiculous to the point that it doesn’t make any sense, speaking from my experience and what others have noted. According to the forums, scanlators attempted to donate their translations to Naver Corp., but they refused out of pride or money. But whatever the case, they should at least hire better translators, otherwise what scanlators have contributed would be in vain.
Manga Sphere 