Differences between English and Japanese MSQ Dialogue (bit of a rant)

[ArcanoJones]

The difference the OP points out is just unimportant chit chat and does not change the story. So I don't see how it matters.

Every language has words and meanings that may not even exist in other languages. a 100% translation is not even possible.

[Tsalmaveth]

I'm going to pop in here and say that I have enjoyed a great deal of the localization... it isn't EASY... but they very MUCH play to the 'culture/audience' when they do it and I don't always APPRECIATE that in the least.

-They changed Haurchefant drastically. Did they do it to protect the NA audience's delicate sensibilities? For whatever reasons they had, it still sucks.
-They changed Frey. I've read the Japanese version of the DRK quests and I honestly PREFER that version of Frey far far more than the English. I had far more feelies and tears in my eyes for that Frey.
-They shorten and leave out a lot of things? I don't understand why... I play with the Japanese Language on, I just am more comfortable with it. I'm in no way fluent, just bits and pieces, but I can still tell that it's not 'all there' and it makes me wince.

I still love and adore the team. I just wish they'd... I don't know... -_- ShB has maybe been the closest yet, but there are still glaring points where I'm going 'wait... no stop... go back...'

[Allegor]

There are also issues with vocal timings. Things said in Japanese tend to be longer or shorter based on the phrase being said, and the dialogue needs to be able to fit within the same timeframe or talking animation windows. If you're interested, you should look up The Logistics of Voice Acting.

I have Jap audio with Eng subtitles and there are a few moments where the character says a single word or just gasps but the dialogue is a whole sentence - or vice versa. Rather funny.

[Kaedan]

Okay since the relevant topic came up again, I have to ask anyone particularly fluent in Japanese (Spoilers, but that should be obvious at this point for a MSQ thread):

In the last series of cutscenes where Estinien is in the Garlean imperial palace with Gaius, what exactly is his comment in Japanese that simply gets turned into "Hmph" in English? I imagine it's nothing "story-changing," but this has been bothering me.

Aside from that, I don't think there ever needs to be/can be a literal translation on a lot of things if they more or less say the same thing, but turning something like a short sentence into "Hmph" may lend some credence to the discrepancies about the translation.

I'll watch it again tomorrow and give you my take. ^_^

[Dualblade]

Which is good because even if certain character are a trope, it was still how the writer saw them. Changing it, is also changing the purpose of these characters in my eyes.

I remember also the story of some NPCs (speech bubble only) that left Ishgard behind to start a new life at another place. She had a baby with him at the end and the JP version had her be hopeful, while the english version made her question her decision to come with him..This has really nothing to do with having to change the dialogue a bit, this is straight making another ending to someones character. And I honestly dont understand why.

Spoilers for Automata that are relevent to this specific type of situation.

When you beat the Emil Heads bonus boss the Emil who has been your shopkeeper Emil also dies due to wounds he got from before you got there. In English his final words are about seeing NieR and Kaine and thus dieing somewhat happily, but in Japan he only sees darkness and dies sobbing and afraid. The same scene, similar outcome, but completely different feels depending on which language you were playing with.

[Alucard135]

There are also issues with vocal timings. Things said in Japanese tend to be longer or shorter based on the phrase being said, and the dialogue needs to be able to fit within the same timeframe or talking animation windows. If you're interested, you should look up The Logistics of Voice Acting.

As far as I know, they already use lip syncing features in all their cut scenes. It's not an advanced one, but it still does the job.

You can notice in these two clips from 4.4 MSQ that there are differences in the timing for both the when English and Japanese voice actors are talking. And the lips are moving accordingly. You can also notice there's a part that was said in Japanese, but since it wasn't said in the English version, it was filled with "...." instead if you were using English text and Japanese voices.

https://youtu.be/Nii1n7CHNgc?t=199 (English)
https://youtu.be/Frqy5nGAOKw?t=5267 (Japanese)

The difference the OP points out is just unimportant chit chat and does not change the story. So I don't see how it matters.

Every language has words and meanings that may not even exist in other languages. a 100% translation is not even possible.

The problem is, a majority of the Japanese text can be translated into English without a problem. An example is this dialogue from ARR MSQ with Midgardsormer https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ersus_english/

And of course we all know Haruchefant's change lol.

[Makeda]

The particular example you give of commenting on the size of the guy would be offensive to many in English countries. I guess the same is not true in Japan?

There are YouTube vids comparing the dialogue and I have noticed that the Japanese stuff often has a lot of sexualized commentary that to my reading comes across as somewhat juvenile and not as well written... I have heard Yoshi-P say that most lore questions come from NA and EU players and reading what the Japanese players get makes me guess why...

I would encourage them to have the English localization team rewrite the Japanese scripts and then have the Japanese staff rewrite again for cultural localization. Whoever is in charge of the English localization is just a much better fiction writer than anyone else there, and also know when to make and when to pull back on juvenile humor...

Unless the YouTuber in question was lying, the entire Hourchefaunt story arc in Japanese was just him repeatedly trying to get the character in bed... whereas in English he develops an amazing personality...
- this is the kind if difference that can lead to very different levels of player devotion to a game...

[Alleo]

I dont understand whats so bad about having one character in the game that has the outright hots for the WoL and shows it? (And they have made the HW Haurchefant in the english version more in tune with the japanese one, at least thats what I heard) In a game with so many mature themes why is that so uncomfortable for NA? Its not like the majority of the characters are that way and no he was not constantly just trying to get into our pants, he was also still trying to be a good friend and to help us.

Also as someone pointed out, its not always for the "better" too. The english exarch seemingly making Vauthry angry with mean words while the jp version seems to hint more at him noticing the change is not that great imo.

Then you have stuff like Middy which outright made people think that he is bad, even though the JP version seemingly showed quite clearly that this was not the case. Is it truly better writing to make many things seem more mysterious just for the sake of it?

Anyway Koji already has his hands quite deeply in it by drowning us in all those puns.

[Tsukino]

I can't say I'm fluent, but he speaks about lookout people being dead again (suppose they saw few dead groups on their way). And yes, seeing it like "Hmph" in English was weird. XD

Yep, this is it. "また見張りがやられてやがる……。" Not really important, just kind of weird that it's different.

I typically play with English text and Japanese voices, and I didn't notice anything particularly strange this time around. Almost everything that was voiced in the main story quests carried the same meaning, and I am very critical of this localization team in general.

There is one reference that they did not carry over this time, just like they dropped the ball on "The Floating Continent" and "Knights of Round" in Heavensward. And that is that the Gunbreaker ammunition is called "soil" in Japanese, in reference to Final Fantasy: Unlimited of all things.

[Iscah]

One of the core complaints here seems to be based on a misreading that makes the English version sound much worse than it actually is.

While there are many instances of this throughout the MSQ, one is when the Exarch meets Vauthry; In the Japanese version, the Exarch says something along the lines of, you've gotten really big since I last saw you. Where as the English version is something like your as "enormous as ever".

The Exarch doesn't say anything about Vauthry's size, changed or not. He thanks him for his hospitality and calls him as generous as ever.

(Vauthry responds by calling the Exarch "disingenuous" - insincere or having secret motives. Which is accurate, but hardly the thing you call a guest...)

Most likely it was changed because any sort of remark on his size would come off as rude and undiplomatic in English, though I have no idea about the intended impression in the Japanese version.

It's cutscene #2 of 'An Unwanted Proposal' if anyone wants to go rewatch it.