Translation Team: Please stop doing this...

[Viridiana]

As the poster above me mentioned, they were talking about very specific things. I did went to the trouble of quoting the relevant areas for you earlier, please respond to those.

Ahem:

""And then, again, a lot of the quests, when we do our translations, we will some times add things — Japanese can be a very vague language — a lot of important information is either cut completely or it’s implied heavily. It can be kind of confusing for western players and readers, so we’ll go in and tweak things to make it a little easier to understand and a little bit clearer. A lot of times the Japanese team will then go back and look at the English translations or the French translations and get ideas on how they can change the Japanese text in turn."

EDIT:

Read it again and you'll notice they are mostly talking about the NAMES OF CREATURES and CHARACTER TITLES. There is a big difference in the naming conventions of the Mi'qote, and what we are talking about here. And yes, they interact with each other occasionally concerning "vague language" in quests. There is nothing vague about Yda telling us to go to safety, and changing her text to an accusation of wrong doing doesn't clarify anything. And the Japanese team certainly didn't look at that translation and "change the Japanese text in turn".

And I REALLY doubt Yoshi-P is looking at all of the "doth, must needs, thou, and escapeths" and saying "Yes please, more of those, let's have people speak like this in Japanese as well".

You seem to have mistaken me for someone claiming that the texts are perfectly translated and meticulously maintain characterization across all four languages. At no time have I made such an outrageous claim, nor have I said that the idiosyncrasies of the EN text have been added back into JP. My only claim has been that there is no "original" text, because each of the localization teams has a hand in crafting the story.

[Kiara]

My only claim has been that there is no "original" text, because each of the localization teams has a hand in crafting the story.

This isn't true. In the very interview you linked Koji Fox very clearly states:

Then of course I do a lot of translation. On heavy days we do upwards of six, seven thousands characters of translation...

We talk about adjustments… how we’re going to go in and tweak the text, and if those tweaks are big enough to warrant going over to the devs and getting their permission.

They get the Dev Team's *permission* to change things if it's big enough. Your claim that there is no "original," is simply false. If they were Co-WRITERS for all of Final Fantasy XIV, he'd be talking about something like...

"I go in and begin writing new Quests and new Story Missions. I'd probably CREATE some new Characters and DECIDE what their role is in the Calamity..." etc.

THAT'S what a Dev Team's real Game Designer / Writer does. They are still Localization (with some influence and communication) *back* to the OG Japanese Development Team.

If it’s a new character appearing in the quest we will ask them about the background of those characters, where they want to take the characters, we need all that information so that when we translate it, we know that we’re gonna give the player what the developer and the planner really intended. Then, again, if we decide we need to make some changes, whether be characterization or maybe how a character handles a certain happening during the quest, we make sure to talk with the planner and see if that’s okay. A lot of times it is, sometimes he tells us no and we make sure that we follow that.

Again, more examples of the Localization Team asking and getting permission and approval *from the Original Creators / JP Dev Team* if they are changing / tweaking stuff.

G: How much leeway is given to the localization team when translating the script from Japanese to English? Do you prefer a more literal approach or a heavily adapted approach?

MCKF: Well, when it comes to wording we’re given a great deal of freedom, but when it comes to story we make sure to try to stick to the original Japanese.

Stop kidding yourself. The Localization Team members aren't listed in the Final Fantasy XIV End Credits as "Writer / Planner / Story Designer".

Because they are NOT.

From Koji Fox's interview right there. They take the Original Japanese version and translate and localize it.


Lastly, your previous quotes were about the Localization Team working with "monster names, monster attacks, place names, item names…". And they helped flesh out some Guildleve Quests (minor stuff). They aren't writing the Main Story.

I want to close out by saying I really *appreciate* all the hard work the Localization Team does. It's a thankless job at times. So "Thank You!"

But some of the points being brought up here I definitely agree with:

1. They take too many liberties at times, more than what I'd like to see as an avid Final Fantasy fan. (The Midgardsormr 2.5 Story segments / VO were the worst so far (compared to the OG Japanese version).

2. Some things feel excessively wordy at times. (And I like lore and story.)

It gets to the point where even I find myself hitting [ENTER] (repeatedly) to just push through random NPC text (from various small side quests, Guildleves, etc.).

Thanks.

[Viridiana]

Stop kidding yourself. The Localization Team members aren't listed in the Final Fantasy XIV End Credits as "Writer / Planner / Story Designer". Because they are NOT.

Did I ever say they were? My only assertion has been that calling what the JP client gets the "original" text is wrong, because it, too, is modified. Quite frankly, if anyone wants to see the true originals, they would have to go find the early drafts before a lot of the editing happens. My point this entire time has been that holding up the JP as some mythical "original" is delusional.

[Niwashi]

They get the Dev Team's *permission* to change things if it's big enough. Your claim that there is no "original," is simply false. ...

But none of this really supports your point either. Of course they have to make sure what they're writing supports the story that the planners and developers designed, but so do the writers of the Japanese dialog.

This game isn't a one man job to develop. No game of this scope is. There's a great deal of planning to decide how the story is going to unfold, and to develop all the lore of the world it occurs in. Then all of that information has to be divvied up into quests, with decisions regarding how to balance story exposition and gameplay pacing, determining which things are going to occur where, which information is revealed when, etc. Then finally, after everything has been planned out, and it's been determined precisely what needs to occur in each quest, that's when the actual writing of the dialog scripts can begin. In that final step of writing, where the choices in wording is taking place, all the writers of all languages need to make sure that their quest scripts are going to match what the game needs to happen at that point in the story.

[Aeyis]

snip

I never knew it was a thing to be a fangirl fawning over localization of all things.

Is there an actual point in there that responds to the arguments made? Because im not seeing it.

[Niwashi]

I never knew it was a thing to be a fangirl fawning over localization of all things.

Is there an actual point in there that responds to the arguments made? Because im not seeing it.

Your entire post amounted to pointing out how the EN writers have to check with the planners and developers to make sure their version is ok, and that any adjustments they want to make wouldn't interfere with the rest of the game's design, and then you were using that fact to claim it's therefore less original than the JP script. But the JP writers would be doing the exact same thing, checking with the planners and developers to make sure that their version of the script is ok. Such a fact that applies to both languages can't be used as proof of which is more original.


p.s. I'm not really saying that the JP script is any less original, just that your argument in that post for it being original wasn't very valid.

[AlexiaArchos]

Stop kidding yourself. The Localization Team members aren't listed in the Final Fantasy XIV End Credits as "Writer / Planner / Story Designer". Because they are NOT.

Probably, but lets not forget that Koji-Fox is listed as one of the 2 World Lore Creators, in the opening movie, so his imput might have more weight.

[Krr]

If the English script is an interpretation rather than a translation then all that really says is that I feel Koji Fox is a shitty writer who overuses memes and unnecessary faux-olde speak. My evidence for this is the script he wrote full of mood-killing memes and faux-olde speak that makes every character seem generic.

[Intaki]

faux-olde speak.

You realize the Japanese dialogue does the exact same thing, yes?

[Krr]

You realize the Japanese dialogue does the exact same thing, yes?

Not in any literal translation of it I've seen. Only a handful of characters have linguistic quirks; which are always noted specifically; not the entire cast.