Translation quality

[Saccharin]

I heard the english translation added lots of extra fluff and actually even altered some personnalities, how true is that statement ?

You should think of it more as a localisation than a translation.

Something's like jokes for instance that might be funny in Japanese don't translate well into other languages. Take the endings of spells for ranks in Japanese, they work logically in Japanese text but don't in English so SE (NA) game them numbers, to some controversy. If you also look at some fate names in the English client you can see references from English pop culture.

[Aeyis]

You should think of it more as a localisation than a translation.

Something's like jokes for instance that might be funny in Japanese don't translate well into other languages. Take the endings of spells for ranks in Japanese, they work logically in Japanese text but don't in English so SE (NA) game them numbers, to some controversy. If you also look at some fate names in the English client you can see references from English pop culture.

American english (popculture) or england english? Or european english? Or one of the few others?
Why should I be able to ''get'' a joke just because I can read the language its written in? Or likewise, be unable to understand it because its origin is a different language.
That's why I feel ''localization'' is a bad thing imo. Display language =/ as culture.
If anything only having one set of cultural references (regardless of origin, even if its just a made up culture) is always the best choice, if you ask me.


Especially in fantasy games, where most of your culture will be made up to begin with. How do you localise made up cultural references? How do you localise made up characters and their personalities?


As far as references to rl things go. Why not leave the original ones there?
Mind you, I'm getting tired of seeing random references to rl things in a fantasy game.

[WellFooled]

Why should I be able to ''get'' a joke just because I can read the language its written in? Or likewise, be unable to understand it because its origin is a different language.

Why do Hawaiians never need a dentist?

They have good teeth.

That's a Japanese joke translated :P It works as an anti-joke in English, but that's not the original idea. The words for Hawaiians and Good Teeth are very similar in Japanese, its a pun that doesn't work in English.