Anime fansubbers

Anime fansubbers are convinced they're much better than professionals a lot of the time. Nevertheless, here are some regularly occurring problems with their work:

Overly literal translations

Here's an example: in the fansub community for Dragon Ball, jinzô ningen 人造人間 is regularly translated as "artificial human"　(and scorn is heaped upon the better translation "android"). While technically, yes, it is true that jinzô 人造 means "artificial" and ningen 人間 means "human being," jinzô ningen 人造人間 is not some bizarre novel coinage but a regular word for "cyborg" or "robot" or "android." From 　the first sentence of the Japanese Wikipedia article:

人造人間（じんぞうにんげん）とは、主に人によって製造された、人間を模した機械や人工生命体のことであり、人型のロボット、アンドロイド、バイオロイドなどの総称である。
The term jinzó ningen 人造人間 generally refers to manmade machines in humanoid form or man-made lifeforms. It is a general term for humanoid robots, androids, biodroids, et cetera.

To translate it as "artificial human" in most contexts is to introduce a strangeness that isn't there in the original.

Untranslated words

There is, of course, a case to be made for transliterations in some contexts. However, when there is a commonly used English word with exactly the same meaning it's a practice that ought to be avoided. For instance, there is essentially no reason not to translate nee-san 姉さん as "sis" or something. This can be done without losing any meaning (and indeed, while adding meaning for the people who are presumably your primary audience: people who speak English, but not Japanese)

Honorifics

More often than not they're better off omitted. Why, you ask? Simply because they serve to make the quotidian sound strange and exotic, which is not really a desired effect (or it shouldn't be). No one walks around using honorifics while speaking English, so of course it comes out unnatural.

Crazy karaoke effects

Of the small minority of people who will actually watch the credits sequence, maybe half of them will enjoy this

Hard subs

Hard subs, of course, reduce the quality of the movie, irritate people who want to turn them off, and force people who already have an untranslated version to re-download the same file. "But people might steal my work without giving me credit!" That's a funny attitude for someone illegally distributing someone else's show. On a related note...

Plastering your name all over the credits, watermarks, etc

Not only is this unsightly, it's tacky. The amount of work put into fansubbing a show pales in comparison to the amount of work put into making it in the first place (you know, by the people whose names you're covering up).

The Wolf and the Lamb

Well, why not start with a translation of a fable by La Fontaine? It bears mentioning that this is a prose translation of rhyming poetry (and also that there are already many translations of it).

The Wolf and the Lamb The reasoning of the strongest is always the best, a principle we shall soon demonstrate. A Lamb was quenching his thirst in the current of pure waters. There was a hungry Wolf seeking adventure and his hunger drew him to these parts. "Who dares to disturb my drinking?" the animal said, seething with rage. "You will pay for your temerity." "Sir," answered the Lamb, "please, do not be angry. Rather, please consider that I am drinking in the current, more than twenty steps from you, and consequently, there is no way I could disturb your drinking." "You're disturbing it," answered the cruel beast, "and I know that you cursed me last year." "How could I have done that if I had not yet been born?," answered the Lamb. "I am still nursing from my mother." "If it wasn't you, then it was your brother." "I have none." "Well, then, it was one your group, for you have no mercy for me: you, your shepherds, and your dogs. Someone told me -- I must have vengeance." There, deep in the forest, the Wolf takes him away and then eats him, all without any other sort of trial.

Le loup et l'agneau La raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure: Nous l'allons montrer tout à l'heure. Un Agneau se désaltérait Dans le courant d'une onde pure. Un loup survient à jeun, qui cherchait aventure, Et que la faim en ces lieux attirait. «Qui te rend si hardi de troubler mon breuvage? Dit cet animal plein de rage: Tu seras châtié de ta témérité. --Sire, répond l'agneau, que Votre Majesté Ne se mette pas en colère; Mais plutôt qu'elle considère Que je me vas désaltérant Dans le courant, Plus de vingt pas au-dessous d'Elle; Et que par conséquent, en aucune façon Je ne puis troubler sa boisson. --Tu la troubles, reprit cette bête cruelle; Et je sais que de moi tu médis l'an passé. --Comment l'aurais-je fait si je n'étais pas né? Reprit l'agneau; je tette encor ma mère --Si ce n'est toi, c'est donc ton frère. --Je n'en ai point.--C'est donc l'un des tiens; Car vous ne m'épargnez guère, Vous, vos bergers et vos chiens. On me l'a dit: il faut que je me venge.» Là-dessus, au fond des forêts Le loup l'emporte et puis le mange, Sans autre forme de procès.