This frequency of English localization issues is unacceptable

[Tama-Kanzashi]

Something to point out. The english localization since ARR has been this way. It always has been for one reason. The devs know english players like to have more intrigue and mystery in their story so the characters are written far more obtuse. Japanese players found out about this and said it is REALLY REALLY cool. But also felt they got a dumbed down version (Citation needed its been a long time since I remembered what happened) Because the english players got all this mystery and intrigue. For example in ARR middy in japanese states he is testing us to see if we truly are worthy of hydaelyns blessing. But in English he is far more cryptic about what his goal is and comes off as an antagonist. It has always been this way and a vast majority of people REALLY like it. so it seems kind of dumb to complain about the localization. Don't fix what isn't broken.

I don't know what to tell you, but first of all if you make claims about the japanese players liking the EN localization so much, you need to back that up with a source otherwise it is just "trust me bro".

And also, with how many players I have met who are very, very dissatisfied with the EN localization because it just omits important information (especially lately in EW) and tries to push you towards one character and away from others, I am not sure I want to believe that your claim that the "vast majority REALLY likes it" is true.
I have been busy in the past weeks helping others with re-translated dialogue from DE where a lot of the information is intact, and doing so feels like injecting poison into all my organs since it just seems very, very unfair that a large percentage of the playerbase does not get all the information that should get conveyed through the ingame text.
And also, being "cryptic" and "mysterious" is no excuse to just remove things and replace them with flowery descriptions.

I don't want to say that other language versions are perfect, far from it. But at least this time around EN really got the filthy end of the stick.

[Rulakir]

It isn't adding mystery, it's reducing nuance. Also, as one of my FR friends said, "I see 95% of FFXIV internet debating and theorizing over questions I didn't even know existed because the FR script was straightforward."

[Kisshu]

I'm reminded of the whole Keeper of the Lake cutscene confusion that happened back in the day.

If you only watch the English cutscene, Midgarsomr comes off as antagonistic both against the WoL and also against Ishgard. He then seems to strip the WoL of the Blessing of Light.

The translated JP scene is much different. Isn't very antagonistic. Gives a lot more information/explanation about what's going on. Hints that the people of Ishgard has sinned and that's why the dragons fight against it. Seals the Blessing of Light in order to test the WoL.

Localizations should at least have parity between them. This example made Midgarsomr and his explanation very different from one version to the other.

[Necrotica]

I'm reminded of the whole Keeper of the Lake cutscene confusion that happened back in the day.

If you only watch the English cutscene, Midgarsomr comes off as antagonistic both against the WoL and also against Ishgard. He then seems to strip the WoL of the Blessing of Light.

The translated JP scene is much different. Isn't very antagonistic. Gives a lot more information/explanation about what's going on. Hints that the people of Ishgard has sinned and that's why the dragons fight against it. Seals the Blessing of Light in order to test the WoL.

Localizations should at least have parity between them. This example made Midgarsomr and his explanation very different from one version to the other.

Midgardsomr sealing the power away directly led to Moenbryda's death. And as he said the children must pay for the sin's of the father.

So I hunt and kill every dragon I can every chance I get it. It is what Midgardsomr wanted after all.

[Fourbestintoner]

Have you even seen what the californians have done to the pixies? I would never play this game in English.

[Canadane]

I don't know what to tell you, but first of all if you make claims about the japanese players liking the EN localization so much, you need to back that up with a source otherwise it is just "trust me bro".

There was a very old live letter regarding 1.0 levequest text, where in Japan it was "Hey go here and kill 3 marmots" and in English it was a long tale about a farmer whos crops were constantly getting stolen and he suspects the marmot breeding season was the cause so we'll need to slay a few to cull their numbers, etc etc.
And the JP players liked that.

But I don't remember anything more recent than something that's about 12 years old now.

[hagare]

You have no direct input on that scene, if memory serves, one way or another.

and?
the point still stands.
He gives it to you to decide whether you think it's a blessing or a curse.
Not decide by himself that you are oh so lucky.
and at this point, the english one is better to me
sides, it's the english one that can give you a chance to response

[Ghost_of_Ebina]

It does seem the English localization team takes more creative liberty than the French / German localizations with the argument that "localization is not literal translation, and the importance is to attune the content to what fits local tastes."
As one who is fluent in Japanese and English, I always just play in Japanese text / voice acting because the issue is beyond simple "tuning of content" and clearly seems to be influenced by erroneous interpretation by the localization team.
I have done some localization in the past, but it is clear there doesn't seem to be any effort to correlate information between the different localizations -- we may as well call these different games. Different plot, different spell names, silly equipment names, etc.

[Rulakir]

Exactly. This isn't a local tastes thing, this is a misrepresenting the lore thing. A friend of mine commented on the following dialog from G'raha last night:

EN
Yet I daresay Fandaniel still wanders the aetherial sea. As do ancients who gave rise to Zodiark, setting in motion so many cataclysmic events...
If there is a justice or morality at work that governs our fates, I do not know it. Nor do I think any man ever will.

Near as I can tell, the translation of this dialog is:

JP
On the other hand, the souls of Fandaniel and the the souls of the ancients who made up Zodiark he hijacked have drifted to the sea of stars.
I'm not trying to argue about whether it's good or bad. I'm just trying to argue the facts.

This goes back to the OP examples of Hydaelyn being credited for forestalling the Final Days, now Zodiark is being accused of "setting in motion so many cataclysmic events". I noticed this throughout my first playthrough of EW before learning it's a localization problem.

I don't want a rewrite of the source material. I want the story as the original, JP writers told it not a localizer's re-envisioning.

[Slatersev]

Exactly. This isn't a local tastes thing, this is a misrepresenting the lore thing. A friend of mine commented on the following dialog from G'raha last night:

EN
Yet I daresay Fandaniel still wanders the aetherial sea. As do ancients who gave rise to Zodiark, setting in motion so many cataclysmic events...
If there is a justice or morality at work that governs our fates, I do not know it. Nor do I think any man ever will.

Near as I can tell, the translation of this dialog is:

JP
On the other hand, the souls of Fandaniel and the the souls of the ancients who made up Zodiark he hijacked have drifted to the sea of stars.
I'm not trying to argue about whether it's good or bad. I'm just trying to argue the facts.

This goes back to the OP examples of Hydaelyn being credited for forestalling the Final Days, now Zodiark is being accused of "setting in motion so many cataclysmic events". I noticed this throughout my first playthrough of EW before learning it's a localization problem.

I don't want a rewrite of the source material. I want the story as the original, JP writers told it not a localizer's re-envisioning.

That example doesn't blame Zodiark or rewrite though? Just that his summoning set in motion specific things that came after. Saying his summoning was the trigger for many events that came after isnt "blaming" him. Just that it had repercussions No more then Lousiox's summoning had repercussions that played a huge role in ARR.

Also the French version despite copying the JPN often has made its own bizarre deviations, like making Mitron a women which was very confusing for folks over there.