Ask Localization Megathread

[Xsilver]

Is it hard coming up with word play? For example, I was extremely impressed by the Map Marker npcs, the ones that only speak in words using 'M'. How long does it take to write dialogue for NPCs like that?

"Good day! I'm a Merry Map Marker, and I'd be emphatically ecstatic if you'd allow me to mark your magical map! A markless map of Al Zhabi is like a motherless maiden, meandering through a miasmatic mire of misery. Marvelous! Now allow me a minute to make all my marks!". "Our local minstrel of melodies can be found here. His mirthful musicalities may help you to recall misplaced memories.Ah, and in the case you might wish to mask a meritorious moniker and replace it with one a mite more merited, a traveling bard strums upon his melilflous harp here. And mayhap you are immeasurably motivated to compete in the medieval mayhem of Conflict? Might I suggest you mingle with the modest Pursiviant located here? Methinks I have marked your magical map with as many marks as I might manage.Monitoring and managing your marks as a simple as merely opening your map and selecting Markers from the main menu. If the marks on your map might vanish mope not like a melancholy milksop. Make another meeting with me and I shall make it my mission to mark the map once more. Good day mi'lord. May your marches across meadow and mountain be markedly memorable!.

Whoever wrote this deserves a huge promotion.

[Unelonborro]

Is it hard coming up with word play? For example, I was extremely impressed by the Map Marker npcs, the ones that only speak in words using 'M'. How long does it take to write dialogue for NPCs like that?



Whoever wrote this deserves a huge promotion.

Alliteration is always a tough one to handle, as it often dictates the grammar you can used while still having the sentence flow naturally. If you notice, over time our moogles have used more and more alliteration--I'm not sure when, but somewhere along the line the whole song and dance took them over!

[pancakesandsx]

Delve localization question:

When fighting the transcendent scorpion, the battle message reads "the spring has returned to your step" when a debuff wears off the scorpion. This does not make sense in context. Is this message a mistranslation that was supposed to refer to the scorpion rather than the player?

[Unelonborro]

Delve localization question:

When fighting the transcendent scorpion, the battle message reads "the spring has returned to your step" when a debuff wears off the scorpion. This does not make sense in context. Is this message a mistranslation that was supposed to refer to the scorpion rather than the player?

I'll have to take a closer look into this one. Let me see if I can get something fixed for January.

[Malithar]

Unelonborro, you still with us? D: Lots of questions left unanswered, had assumed perhaps you were just busy with the conclusion of the SoA missions, but many questions and issues reported in this sub forum have been left unanswered.

[Ophannus]

This may be an easy question to answer. In the English version, many pieces of equipment have names in other languages(French, German, Japanese, Spanish). For example the general word for Sword in French is Epee, but there is a piece of equipment called Epee already in FFXI. For English speakers, Epee refers to a specific kind of thin French fencing sword. In the French version, is the item named "Epee" called something else to not confuse it with other 'swords', because it would be weird for English users if there was a skill called "Sword Skill" and there was a weapon called literally: 'Sword', but I imagine that's what happens with the French version? Schwert is a general word for any Sword in German but in FFXI Schwert refers to a thin rapier, so in the German version I guess Schwert remains Schwert, but what are other weapons and the sword skill itself called? Eisenbrust in german means Iron Breastplate but there's already Iron Mail/Breastplate in the English version, do they keep the English name 'Breastplate' for the item Breastplate or are they both translated as Eisenbrust for the german version? XD

Another confusing thing is that the word for "Spear" in french is "Lance". There are two weapons in the Polearm category in FFXI that in English are called Spear, and Lance. When playing the French version, what are these two items autotranslated into for french players? I wonder if the French version uses borrowed english words like 'Spear' to keep the same cultural relevance and meaning intact, similar to how Great Katanas and Katanas are called by their Japanese name and not things like 'Flying Swallow' or 'Helm Splitter' or 'Cherry Blossom'?

[Dragoy]

Many thanks for the answer(s), Unelonborro!

With regards to my question, it is then as I suspected (and hoped), pretty much on the dot! While I did fear a bit that the detail had not been taken into consideration, I didn't really believe that it could have been the case. I do have more faith available than that!

Thanks again!

Will need to think of something else to ask now, hmmm...

[Malithar]

As a brief aside, the reason I am able to get information relatively quickly is because I sit next to the devs (if I blew hard enough, I could probably make Matsui's hair move, although for a variety of reasons I have yet to try this.)

I think FFXI players as a collective would implore you to blow his direction, or a firm smack.

With that said, wanted to thank the Localization team. You guys are a big reason that FFXI was enjoyable for a good long while. I'll miss many of the creative quips from NPCs, everything from the Green Thumb Moogle, the JSE Cape NPC, the Marry Map Markers, and many others that I don't need to list because their awesomeness is known.

[Unelonborro]

I think FFXI players as a collective would implore you to blow his direction, or a firm smack.

With that said, wanted to thank the Localization team. You guys are a big reason that FFXI was enjoyable for a good long while. I'll miss many of the creative quips from NPCs, everything from the Green Thumb Moogle, the JSE Cape NPC, the Marry Map Markers, and many others that I don't need to list because their awesomeness is known.

Good day, Malithar,

Thank you very much for your kind words of support! As the announcement stated, we've still got a lot of stories to tell--not with just the Rhapsodies of Vana'diel series of updates in May, August, and November, but also Adoulin quest lines that we have yet to wrap up. If you like event-based, lore-related content, you'll be very pleased with the sheer volume of what's coming up over the next eight months.

It's the support of people like you--and everyone else in this thread--that make localizing the world of Vana'diel such a joy. I love going on both the official forums and fan site forums (you know which ones) to read what people have to say. In each word of praise and note of criticism I can feel the passion that everyone has for FINAL FANTASY XI, and I'm very privileged to have contributed in some small way to your experiences.

In the immediate future, however, we've got the March patch coming up in just a few short days, so be sure to give the Xol Triumvirate the what-for!

Unelonborro
Localization Lead

[bungiefanNA]

Now that the game is winding down, will is be possible to have the first 17-18 Vanadiel Tribunes translated to fill people in on the lore that they gave? We got all the ones after NA launch, but the earlier ones were neglected.

Also, in PlayOnline Viewer, my avatar icon doesn't show up. I picked Elly Van Houten when I started on JP PS2 back in 2002. I noticed that after I got my account region changed, she doesn't show up in the English PlayOnline Viewer. There appear to be several avatar categories that don't display on the English client. Could we have those listed?