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  1. #1
    Player Hashmalum's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    201
    Character
    Hashmalum
    World
    Ragnarok
    Main Class
    RDM Lv 99

    Item description discrepancies

    Recently, I had cause to examine the Japanese descriptions of certain items dropped from Voidwatch and compare them with the English descriptions of the same items, and I noticed some discrepancies. Specifically, I noticed that the English version was longer and contained lurid details completely absent from the Japanese version. For example, see the English description of Hahava's Mail:

    "Armor worn by the hellish warrior
    Hahava. It emits a scarcely audible,
    unceasing shriek."

    The Japanese version:

    ナラカ族「ハハヴァ」の殻の一部。

    Re-translated: "One part of the armor worn by Hahava of the Naraka family." No mention of screaming at all. And I'm not the only one to notice. Another example, this time the Voidwrought Plate. English:

    "A plate of armor pried from the
    transdimensional intruder known as the
    Voidwrought. Darker than a night sky
    bereft of stars."

    Japanese:

    鉄巨人族「ヴォイドロート」から剥がれ落ちた小片。

    No mention of the plate being darker than a night sky, which makes sense considering that the monster that drops the plate isn't even black to begin with, it's purple.

    So I'm curious now, and I have to ask: where is this added detail coming from? Are the JP somehow being shorted on details in their own game? Or do we just have a particularly florid translator in the NA localization department?
    (2)

  2. #2
    Player Kristal's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    1,552
    Character
    Kristal
    World
    Bismarck
    Main Class
    PUP Lv 99
    Quote Originally Posted by Hashmalum View Post
    So I'm curious now, and I have to ask: where is this added detail coming from? Are the JP somehow being shorted on details in their own game? Or do we just have a particularly florid translator in the NA localization department?
    Actually, it's pretty common to see flavor text being wildly different between language versions. Usually this is done because the most accurate translation simply doesn't carry the same meaning outside Japanese culture. So the teams have free reign, as long as it doesn't violate lore and such.
    (0)
    "Puppetmaster was our last best hope for peace. It failed.
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