Board Thread:Wikia Discussion/@comment-25683568-20150318062713/@comment-26366480-20150620150319

Ckwng wrote: The thing is that radars have a "Type" already. For example, the No. 13 Air Radar is the Type 3 Mark 1 Model 3 Air Radar (三式一号電波探信儀三型). Using Type you are misleading your audience, especially since Japanese equipment with a numbered type implies that the number is the imperial year in which they entered service as military equipment (like Type 0 Fighter, Type 3 Active Sonar). In the case of the No. 13 Air Radar, it was introduced in 1943, or imperial year 2603. Since the numbering of the radars is an abbreviation of the numbering by combining the Mark (号) and Model (型), it makes more sense to use "No." like the 20.3cm guns, rather than Type which already has a significant meaning when paired with a number on equipment. Okay, then why not just use the full name? 13号 is already a misleading convention as it is. As you mention the character can also be used for the term 'Mark', so already we run the risk of both 'misleading' and 'mistranslating' by using 'No.' as well.

If we are trying to not confuse people, I don't see why our 'mistaken convention' needs changing. If we are trying to keep people from being mislead, then I think the answer is we find the most accurate naming convention, (i.e. not using the abbreviated naming as the game doees) and just translate that. I do not see how that will be convenient, though.

I say to just divert all this, lit trans is best, as DJ has already suggested. I think 'No.' is wrong because it is not the number that the radars were given in reality anyhow. Unless we have any specific reference that 13号 was read as 十三号, I think we should be strongly compelled to not use No., to avoid misleading people.