Localization suggestion for next time

[Petroglyph]

Reminiscent of ARR, the American actors used were mostly lackluster, except Sheriffcat and Cahciua's (who also did a pretty decent british accent for Krile's mom). So besides, I dunno, shopping around to grab people that have plenty of experience (like the same people that keep popping up in Studio Bones dubs), it would be my suggestion to, next time you heavily feature American (re: United Statesian) accents, to write closer to how they talk.

The British actors employed by Side UK, are fantastica. Likewise, English language has a strong history of associating more prosaic dialog with British accents—so it was cool, but strange to hear Americans speak in traditional fantasy dialect. I can't put my finger on it but there's a casual sound they retain even in a formal setting. It would have helped to sell it better if they'd used more contractions and more like "punchy" ways of phrasing it that sounds natural.

I would love to hear more American accents in the fantasy genre in general, and especially FFXIV, it's just a matter of fitting the script for how they make words. That's all. No complaint, just an observation and suggestion. Anyone else make this same observation? It's totally okay if it's just me. :)

[DiaDeem]

I realized something funny about the English localization...

Spanish wasn't the native language of the real-life cultures that inspired Tural. They decided to give the Southern Turali people the accent of a language imposed by force onto the Mesoamerican cultures the game uses as inspiration.

Not that I care that much, but I just think it's kinda funny that in their attempt to make their characters South/Central American "accurate", they instead undermine their own setting by making them a product of that time when Spain apparently conquered Tural [???]

Also, they should do that Spanish localization that other thread has been requesting. That'd be really neat for a bunch of people.

[Willemdarke]

Maybe I'm deaf, or ignorant, or whatever, but in the Japanese original, all the VA seem to be talking in the same/similar accent, well, with a lack of any accent to be precise. From what I gather that never bothered anyone. I'd rather them stick to British accents if that's the case.
I'm sure Wuk Lamat would have sounded a lot better without that weird, phony "south American" accent she was trying to put on. Ditto for the weird southern USA accents in Shaaloani.

[Petroglyph]

I don't mean to dismiss what could be a legitimate concern, but I think I saw you make this exact same post in a different thread, and I feel like it might be turning legitimate frustrations into a kind of virtue signal to further cement a real problem and add weight to it, when, in reality the problems stand on their own. In modern day Central and South America, there are pockets of people that don't speak the colonizer languages of Spanish and Portuguese, but those languages are vastly different than they were six hundred years ago. In six hundred years, Chaucer's language became what we hear today, and that's keeping in mind how larger more connected populations slow down cultural leveling and diffusion. That long ago, Old Norse was still in the process of dying out! Plus putting aside that yes we know how Radz-at-Han was received by some folks, I think going to fantasy India and having it sound British would have been even worse if we're going to run with the proposed insult. ^^;;

I feel like it was ultimately a great choice to make the place we're going to sound like the people that live there today. I'm glad the world isn't universally British. They just needed to hire people that actually naturally sound the way they're after. Likewise, I think it's important to listen to the way that people with Latino accents, with USian accents talk, and just make sure even if it's storybook language, it sounds "right". GJJ's VA was honestly my favorite. It sounded like he had a ball!

Also I 100% you with the Spanish localization. It's weird how there isn't one...

[Petroglyph]

Maybe I'm deaf, or ignorant, or whatever, but in the Japanese original, all the VA seem to be talking in the same/similar accent, well, with a lack of any accent to be precise.

I think I've read that the dub JP relies on different regional dialects and accents, and those levels of formality. Which is also what I remember people say they do in anime. It's hard to really pick up unless you know the language really well, because I sure as heck can't. British and American are crazy different; JP might also be more conservative in its linguistic development, IIRC. I think Mancunian is more different from Californian, more than Kansai is different from Tokyo, as an example. Plus I think there's a cultural angle that should be considered. Everyone is exposed to Tokyo dialect in the news and stuff, but if all Americans ever hear is British, I could understand feeling alienated after some time.

[NailBach]

the game should be vocalized by Arnie and Arnie alone

[Eloah]

Reminiscent of ARR, the American actors used were mostly lackluster, except Sheriffcat and Cahciua's (who also did a pretty decent british accent for Krile's mom). So besides, I dunno, shopping around to grab people that have plenty of experience (like the same people that keep popping up in Studio Bones dubs), it would be my suggestion to, next time you heavily feature American (re: United Statesian) accents, to write closer to how they talk.

It's funny you are saying that, because most of the VA's used are well experienced. And it looks like they tried to cast people who would be considered native to the region. Erica Mendez (Mablu/Miilal Ja), Ben Balmaceda (Linuhanu/others), Anairis Quinonos (the Twin sisters), Luis Bermudez (Koana), Javier Prusky (Bakool Ja Ja), Sena Bryer (Wuk Lamat), and Spencer Ortega (Zarool Ja) all have Latin American heritage. In fact, most of the VAs used in Tural seem to be of ethnicities indigenous to the Americas. The only outlier, in a way was the Shaaloani area, where they appeared to lean into the "old west movie" stereotype. But that was a stylistic choice.

Also Cachiua and Alayla have different VAs. Cachiua's is American, but Alayla's is British. In fact Alayla's VA is also the same for Llymlaen, just like Otis is with Thaliak.

[lolnotacat]

....all have Latin American heritage

I hate this line so much. It practically implies accents are passed down through genetics. I'm half Mexican, my Spanish is decent (though my ex from CDMX says it's sounds almost like a native from Chihuahua on the rare occasions I know what I'm saying), but I can't speak with an accent for shit in English. I sound like every "white" person raised in Central Orange county, CA. Rhotic, informal, and slightly nasally. Just because someone has a Latin American heritage doesn't mean they can reproduce the accent in English, even if they speak the language natively. My previously mentioned ex didn't have any sort of accent when speaking English because she learned both languages in tandem.

And I'm not saying you're making the argument that accents are passed on genetically, but I've seen that line used so many times that I finally had to address it. And for the record, I personally couldn't care where someone is from. Whether or not they can make a convincing voice for the role is all that should matter.

[SongOfTheWind]

It practically implies accents are passed down through genetics.

I have seen theories that Erenville has this accent cause his father had. You know, the one he never met.

[Toutatis]

It's funny you are saying that, because most of the VA's used are well experienced. And it looks like they tried to cast people who would be considered native to the region. Erica Mendez (Mablu/Miilal Ja), Ben Balmaceda (Linuhanu/others), Anairis Quinonos (the Twin sisters), Luis Bermudez (Koana), Javier Prusky (Bakool Ja Ja), Sena Bryer (Wuk Lamat), and Spencer Ortega (Zarool Ja) all have Latin American heritage. In fact, most of the VAs used in Tural seem to be of ethnicities indigenous to the Americas. The only outlier, in a way was the Shaaloani area, where they appeared to lean into the "old west movie" stereotype. But that was a stylistic choice.

You seem to view latin America as a single culture/language territory which is not. Not in culture and not in languages. Besides, save one actor born in Chile (who is not «of an ethnicity indigenous to the Americas» btw) but who lives in the US, all were born in the US, not all are fully fluent in Spanish and genetics are pretty irrelevant. Also, the Spanish are not indigenous to the region and all the game references are to other cultures.

This irrelevant «blood is what matters» thing seems to be a very white American way of doing things and it totally disregards cultures anyway.

I'm sure Wuk Lamat would have sounded a lot better without that weird, phony "south American" accent she was trying to put on.

To me she sounds very American with a weird forced accent from nowhere. In fact the actress mentions on her LinkedIn that she only has a «limited working proficiency» in Spanish.

I hate this line so much. It practically implies accents are passed down through genetics. I'm half Mexican, my Spanish is decent (though my ex from CDMX says it's sounds almost like a native from Chihuahua on the rare occasions I know what I'm saying), but I can't speak with an accent for shit in English. I sound like every "white" person raised in Central Orange county, CA. Rhotic, informal, and slightly nasally. Just because someone has a Latin American heritage doesn't mean they can reproduce the accent in English, even if they speak the language natively. My previously mentioned ex didn't have any sort of accent when speaking English because she learned both languages in tandem.

And I'm not saying you're making the argument that accents are passed on genetically, but I've seen that line used so many times that I finally had to address it. And for the record, I personally couldn't care where someone is from. Whether or not they can make a convincing voice for the role is all that should matter.

Totally agree. Also as someone pointed out too, Spanish isn’t even the language that would have been spoken. For example, if you take the real life equivalent of Urqopacha, even today millions of people (not just pockets as someone mentioned) speak Quechua (and Aymara) - it’s an official language too. Some don’t even speak Spanish. My dad always made his speeches in Quechua first and Spanish after if needed when he was talking to an audience from that region.

This is not a complaint about the VA, just about a strange practice that seems to have originated in the US. It’s a pure facade.