Are there any plans to fix the 'Haurchefant' localization?

[ronibosch]

they should have legit just kept it the original name. I don't want to be reminded of boomer ass conspiracy theories while playing my video games.

Personally, I'm reminded of Malice Mizer's Illuminati...

[Telkira]

I mean, Blue Hand (not blood) is a parody of Black Hand, who likely have the same "boomer ass conspiracy theories" the Illuminati does (if you don't feel like putting the effort into reading into the history of the two, anyway).

Why they were called Illuminati is pretty easy, considering these goblins are technically a "conspiracy" parody ("a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful," from a quick definition search)... which now makes your complaints about being reminded of "boomer ass conspiracy theories" kinda silly now lol

See, the original name actually beckons you to learn something, rather than just pandering to the lowest common denominator when it comes to 'conspiracy groups', plus it just sounds better overall.
This is precisely an example of why localization is a garbage approach that ultimately waters down the experience.

[Nestama]

What and Illuminati doesn't beckon you to learn something? You're just being nit-picky because you hate the fact that Illuminati works just fine for the goblins, since they're being a parody of the Illuminati, much like how the name Blue Hand is a parody of Black Hand.

[NekoMataMata]

they should have legit just kept it the original name. I don't want to be reminded of boomer ass conspiracy theories while playing my video games.

Think that's more of a you issue. Don't let some crazy boomer conspiracies ruin this wonderful game's story for you.

[Burmecia]

I would genuinely prefer all the jokes to be exactly how they appear in the JP version, even if much of them wouldn't land.

Most people wouldn't prefer that.
FF14 is pretty big game.
It needs to reach the standards of triple A title, and appropriate style and quality of the written word seems like basic expectation from target market and requirement from, well, everyone.

Here we list some more challenges that you must be aware of and prepare for:

Literal translations are difficult: Translators do not translate literally in almost every language combination that involves languages of distant cultures. They must choose words in the target language that create the same meaning, but these words may mean different things by themselves. With Japanese and English, this is starker.

Certain words in Japanese have no direct or accurate translations in English. They can only be translated for sense, depending on the context of the source contents, and at least we need to learn about the history of the words since they came from Japanese original culture.

source

(Inspired by the thread I wanted to find something short and sweet to read about challenges of translating english into japanese. I know that the thread is about japanese to english localization. But it made me think of the media I have seen Japan localize less than stellarly from English. Those projects have been for children and teens, who tend to have media localized heavily for variety of reason.)

I also found this bit interesting, since if this is what Japan expects I'd hope they want to give this quality as well. Despite it's localization quirks, I am quite happy with FF14.

The Japanese market is also a quality-sensitive and mature market. They are used to consuming high-quality localized products. They also have limited English proficiency. It makes localization a near-mandatory step to even enter the market. And, you’d have to aim for perfection, no less, to begin to register on the Japanese consumer’s mind.

[Telkira]

What and Illuminati doesn't beckon you to learn something? You're just being nit-picky because you hate the fact that Illuminati works just fine for the goblins, since they're being a parody of the Illuminati, much like how the name Blue Hand is a parody of Black Hand.

No, it doesn't. It's so ingrained in Western pop culture here that you have literal Disney cartoons leaning in to it all. It's so contrived. At least 'Blue Hand' beckons you to learn about the 'Black Hand'. It also just sounds better too, and for those who aren't aware of it/not privy to it all won't be taken out of the story, since it actually sort of has that level of quirkiness that the goblins seem to embody.

[Telkira]

Most people wouldn't prefer that.
FF14 is pretty big game.
It needs to reach the standards of triple A title, and appropriate style and quality of the written word seems like basic expectation from target market and requirement from, well, everyone.

I also found this bit interesting, since if this is what Japan expects I'd hope they want to give this quality as well. Despite it's localization quirks, I am quite happy with FF14.

I think most people would be comfortable with it, actually, since it's a Japanese game first and foremost and most people are in this game for the story, worldbuilding, lore, characters, and fanbase/culture.
Yes, 'meta' humor is a big part of it all, but they're not what draws people in, nor is it what keeps people engaged.

If your argument is that a simple, faithful translation would detract from the game's quality in the west, then you're horrifically incorrect. Most people who are fans of the series would be just fine with that, minus all the flavortext and minor revisionism employed by the LOC team. The one thing I can commend the EN localizers for is keeping everything in terms of intent/meaning/function in-line with the actual script.

Yes, straight translations are difficult and in some cases impossible, and it's standard practice for translators to pick the closest analog to what is being said in the origin language to ensure that the meaning and intent is carried over.
But that's par for the course with translation, what we're talking about here is problematic localization where the original intent of the writers is watered down by Western revisionists who take extreme liberties with the goal of making it more marketable to Western audiences, which isn't impossible, but it tries to present the game and its content like it's Western and not like what it is, which is Japanese.

It wouldn't be difficult for the developers to just implement a secondary English script, one that's a more direct and literal translation of the JP text, and actually aligns with the Japanese spoken words in cutscenes.
In fact, that would be great because it would allow for them to keep pandering to Western audiences who are satisfied with the localization and those who could live without it or would want something they feel is better.

[Nestama]

No, it doesn't. It's so ingrained in Western pop culture here that you have literal Disney cartoons leaning in to it all. It's so contrived. At least 'Blue Hand' beckons you to learn about the 'Black Hand'. It also just sounds better too, and for those who aren't aware of it/not privy to it all won't be taken out of the story, since it actually sort of has that level of quirkiness that the goblins seem to embody.

That's what localisation is about though. It's supposed to be something you know and are familiar with (or at least vaguely). That's why I really enjoy the dub of anime like The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. It makes references to things I know and can chuckle at ("help me Doctor Ku! Make that Blue Box teleport me to-" is an obvious Doctor Who reference. In the Japanese sub, I think it's a Doraemon reference, which I have not seen). Heck, Earthbound made hanges here and there so jokes could land for Western audiences.

Anyway, nit-picky.

[Iscah]

I understand "Illuminati" to be a secret society thing, but "Blue Hand" would have been meaningless to me.

[Telkira]

I understand "Illuminati" to be a secret society thing, but "Blue Hand" would have been meaningless to me.

Well, one is a reference, there is some attempt at parody.

The other is outright just taking the name of something, that in itself should be regarded as a mark against the choice to change it.