As a Non-Native English Speaker This Game is the Most Hellish Game I Have Ever Played

[Lanadra]

they're bitter because they disagree with a localisation quirk? ...what?

I saw a little more than 'disagree with a localisation quirk', you should read their Koji Fox rant again, if you still can't see the sheer bitterness they have towards the man.. I don't know what to tell you.

[Sicno]

you should read their Koji Fox rant again

Maybe you should go read it again, and this time actually read my reasoning and not just focus on me criticising him, but on why I'm doing so. It's not because I woke up one day and said "oh, today I decided to throw a nonsensical tantrum at him just because I have nothing better to do!"

My big gripe is: this is a videogame, it's a creative work. Artists pour their ideas, their flavor and style on it. But while there are many places for expressing such creativity localization is NOT one and that's why I say it should be as "invisible" as possible. You shouldn't be thinking why things are localized in a certain way. You should just be enjoying the game. Usually the less you have to think about it the better job the localization team did. It shouldn't add nor take away things from the game unless necessary for making it understandable or relatable in a different culture.

[Steelbreaker25]

Maybe you should go read it again, and this time actually read my reasoning and not just focus on me criticising him, but on why I'm doing so. It's not because I woke up one day and said "oh, today I decided to throw a nonsensical tantrum at him just because I have nothing better to do!"

My big gripe is: this is a videogame, it's a creative work. Artists pour their ideas, their flavor and style on it. But while there are many places for expressing such creativity localization is NOT one and that's why I say it should be as "invisible" as possible. You shouldn't be thinking why things are localized in a certain way. You should just be enjoying the game. Usually the less you have to think about it the better job the localization team did. It shouldn't add nor take away things from the game unless necessary for making it understandable or relatable in a different culture.

Koji Fox is a part of that artistic team you're going on about, and has been since the beginning. The English version isn't a localization of the Japanese version like the old FF translations of Ted Woolsey, both are developed simultaneously. Everything that goes into the English version is agreed upon by the writing team.

[Sicno]

Everything that goes into the English version is agreed upon by the writing team.

And that's why he has been reprimanded multiple times for changing things without prior consultation? Like Haurchefaunt's personality.

[Steelbreaker25]

And that's why he has been reprimanded multiple times for changing things without prior consultation? Like Haurchefaunt's personality.

Reprimanded by whom?

[Sicno]

Reprimanded by whom?

Ok, I just went to take another look into some things and I learned that Haurchefant (which was the case in localization discrepancies that made a lot of noise back in the day, with Yoshi P asking wtf happened there) was on John Crow and not Koji. Maybe I am giving him more shit than he deserves.

That said, he did get in trouble with Yoshi for the whole Starboard/Larboard fiasco (and previously for Bright/Dark Blade in Tsukuyomi) https://www.twitch.tv/videos/374470999?t=03h56m42s

And he had to apologize for the 3.5 MSQ spoilerific title https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...=1#post3998489

[MikkoAkure]

Maybe you should go read it again, and this time actually read my reasoning and not just focus on me criticising him, but on why I'm doing so. It's not because I woke up one day and said "oh, today I decided to throw a nonsensical tantrum at him just because I have nothing better to do!"

My big gripe is: this is a videogame, it's a creative work. Artists pour their ideas, their flavor and style on it. But while there are many places for expressing such creativity localization is NOT one and that's why I say it should be as "invisible" as possible. You shouldn't be thinking why things are localized in a certain way. You should just be enjoying the game. Usually the less you have to think about it the better job the localization team did. It shouldn't add nor take away things from the game unless necessary for making it understandable or relatable in a different culture.

Koji Fox is the co-lead world and lore writer. He doesn't just head the localization. A lot of the lore and writing he provides is made by him and even localized into Japanese.

Also, your idea that localization should be "invisible" is not universally accepted. Cut-and-paste translations of games are just awkward. If past translators didn't take liberties, then we'd still have "Tina" instead of "Terra", Kefka would be considered a "laughing idiot" character like he was in Japan, and we'd have "phantom beasts" instead of "espers". And that's just one translator's work in one game. Translation can give more to the game. For example, the interesting descriptions of the diadem materials in the English version vs "this is a skybuilder material" in Japanese. You may have your own opinions, but you're outnumbered in this thread.

[Sicno]

then we'd still have "Tina" instead of "Terra", Kefka would be considered a "laughing idiot" character like he was in Japan, and we'd have "phantom beasts" instead of "espers".

And have a Midgardsormr that's just testing us instead of being malicious. Oh wait... https://old.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ersus_english/

You may have your own opinions, but you're outnumbered in this thread.

And that matters how? Can you not do any thinking of your own and need to feel vindicated by internet points?

[Herebedragons]

And have a Midgardsormr that's just testing us instead of being malicious. Oh wait... https://old.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ersus_english/





And that matters how? Can you not do any thinking of your own and need to feel vindicated by internet points?

Can you grasp those straws any harder?

[ZedxKayn]

Koji Fox is the co-lead world and lore writer. He doesn't just head the localization. A lot of the lore and writing he provides is made by him and even localized into Japanese.

Also, your idea that localization should be "invisible" is not universally accepted. Cut-and-paste translations of games are just awkward. If past translators didn't take liberties, then we'd still have "Tina" instead of "Terra", Kefka would be considered a "laughing idiot" character like he was in Japan, and we'd have "phantom beasts" instead of "espers". And that's just one translator's work in one game. Translation can give more to the game. For example, the interesting descriptions of the diadem materials in the English version vs "this is a skybuilder material" in Japanese. You may have your own opinions, but you're outnumbered in this thread.

Translation and localization are not the same thing. A good translation gets the meaning of a sentence from a language to another without making it sound strange while taking as little liberties as possible with the words, a good localization gets the traits of characters, the descriptions, of items, and such, without deviating from the original text's intent, and, if the localization team deems truly necessary, stamp out some hot button traits, ie Poison's gender in SF, or change the concept of things to fit the target audience better, for example "death" becoming the "Shadow Realm" in Yu-Gi-Oh, but making Wind-Up Moenbryda's description unnecessarily horny and Midgardsomr sound more threatening than in JP is NOT good or necessary at all.