I get the impression there are people who get into translating specifically because they want to service a particular fandom or community. I don't think there's anything wrong with that being a starting motivation, but I also think if you want to keep translating in the long term, even if you plan on staying amateur, you have to learn to love translating itself more than just the specific piece of media or community you're doing it for. Partially because I think translation has a certain degree of responsibility that means you have to detach yourself from fandom biases at times (especially if you want to improve your skills), but mostly because I think that kind of thing is not good for your mental health. Translation's a lot of work, a lot of pressure, and a lot of responsibility, and it's not something you can sustain if you're doing this to please others more than you get any enjoyment out of it.

Another thing is that while I think translators should understand that they have responsibility as sources of information that people will reference, it's also not good for a fan translator to think of themself as some kind of voice of the community or creator of one standard. Translation doesn't work that way, and I don't think anyone should think that's what translation is about. Your take on something is still your own interpretation; you may be better informed than the average fan, and it's good for you to make use of that information, but that doesn't mean you have to be a community leader or anything. And on the flip side, I don't think people reading translation should get the idea that someone's translation is some kind of absolute word.

Digimon is where I got started with translation because it was something with a lot of material to work with, as well as something I liked (and still like) a lot. But fundamentally speaking, I translate because I like translating, and I'll pick up things related to obscure video games or 30-year-old shoujo manga if I so please. So when I do translate for Digimon, my intention is to put out what I can to the best of my ability and let others do what they will with it. That's part of the reason for the naming of The DigiLab, because I think of it as providing helpful information more than I want to be an influencer. If anything, I think it would be better to have more people translating for Digimon, considering how little support we get from official outlets...😅