This frequency of English localization issues is unacceptable

[Boblawblah]

I get the feeling these "translation errors" are less about language and more about people frustrated that characters they think should be villainized aren't, and characters that are villainized, shouldn't be. I don't think any amount of different localization would change that, people are naturally going to have different opinions on characters. I personally didn't enjoy the character of meteion, that doesn't make her poorly translated, it just means I didn't like her.

[Lhanu]

I get the feeling these "translation errors" are less about language and more about people frustrated that characters they think should be villainized aren't, and characters that are villainized, shouldn't be. I don't think any amount of different localization would change that, people are naturally going to have different opinions on characters. I personally didn't enjoy the character of meteion, that doesn't make her poorly translated, it just means I didn't like her.

Pretty much this. People are extremely mad that their bad read of Shadowbringers was in fact not correct and they're blaming the localisation team.

[KageTokage]

I get the feeling these "translation errors" are less about language and more about people frustrated that characters they think should be villainized aren't, and characters that are villainized, shouldn't be. I don't think any amount of different localization would change that, people are naturally going to have different opinions on characters. I personally didn't enjoy the character of meteion, that doesn't make her poorly translated, it just means I didn't like her.

That's...not what people are getting at at all.

They just want more parity between the translations so everyone is getting the same impressions/takeaways from things.

Even when it comes to things like mechanics, the western localization sometimes opts to use more obscure/colorful terms like starboard/larboard or dextral/lateral where the others use far simpler terms like leftward/rightward. They explicitly stated they changed the spell names for clarity, so why they opted to reduce the clarity in other places is...confusing.

Fam I once again must inform you that you are making things up regarding Venat and 'the Ancients were on the same path as the Plenty' is in fact canon, not something 'she decided'.

The only in-game statement we have to "canonize" that was the claim in Unending Codex that Zodiark was born from an "ill-fated wish"...which is another thing I can't help but question how it was translated in other languages.

As far as outside sources go, Yoshi stated that they "probably" would've met the same fate. but I also distinctly recall Ishikawa stating instead that it was just Venat's fear/belief they would meet the same fate that partly drove her decision.

[Lauront]

I get the feeling these "translation errors" are less about language and more about people frustrated that characters they think should be villainized aren't, and characters that are villainized, shouldn't be. I don't think any amount of different localization would change that, people are naturally going to have different opinions on characters. I personally didn't enjoy the character of meteion, that doesn't make her poorly translated, it just means I didn't like her.

Nope, not at all. Kage already addressed this - the story still has problems in spite of the localisation issues. The latter are separate and surplus to them and go back before EW. When you layer on these discrepancies in what is being said to an already controversial story, it simply covers it in yet more fog and can confuse discussion between people familiar with the different spin the localisations are putting on it, and particularly one of the three.

Fam I once again must inform you that you are making things up regarding Venat and 'the Ancients were on the same path as the Plenty' is in fact canon, not something 'she decided'.

And once again I must inform you, broski, that what the actual quote is getting at is this: if they continued as they were (= did not change), that is "probably" their vision for how they might end. Key words here: continued as they were. The objection people have with this whole scenario is whether she even gave them enough reason to change, besides vague platitudes about "suffering", since we know she deliberately concealed the truth of the situation, and that is aside from how much sense the Plenty makes as anything but a visual implementation of a caricature of a people, who the story can't quite really decide whether they reached 'perfection' or not - oh look they wear masks and robes and inhabit a pretty garden. How subtle!

It is also aside from whether that scenario is adequate justification to end them as a people even if it were the case that they would not change.

The person Rulakir is quoting is analysing it from the character's perspective, so yes, it is framed in terms of her own decision making framework, since that is what she was working with. So it's unclear to me what you thought you were adding by spamming the same garbled interpretation of the Q&A.

[einschwartz]

I get the feeling these "translation errors" are less about language and more about people frustrated that characters they think should be villainized aren't, and characters that are villainized, shouldn't be.

Pretty much this. People are extremely mad that their bad read of Shadowbringers was in fact not correct and they're blaming the localisation team.

No.
I just want what I read in the english text matches with what I hear/understand from (in my case) the JP audio.
I should not need to do mental gymnastic deciphering the missing context from one of the language.
It's frustrating when you want to be immersed with the story.

[Ransu]

No.
I just want what I read in the english text matches with what I hear/understand from (in my case) the JP audio.
I should not need to do mental gymnastic deciphering the missing context from one of the language.
It's frustrating when you want to be immersed with the story.

Then play with JP text? I've played through the game in both JP and EN languages and the nuances in the story are minor. 1:1 translations are impossible, especially with style of English they use for the localization.

[einschwartz]

Then play with JP text? I've played through the game in both JP and EN languages and the nuances in the story are minor. 1:1 translations are impossible, especially with style of English they use for the localization.

I cannot read JP text as well as I understand the audio. I know a few kanjis but will definitely be lost on more serious or heavy-plot points where non-common words are used.
Yes, I know 1:1 translation is impossible. I never rely or expect a direct translation.

*I'm self taught. I listen to JP audio drama CD a lot but not much on reading / writing lol

[MimiParmentier]

(Cont'd)

Like, let's take a concrete example, Dark Knight lv70.

"Pourquoi lutter? La seule issue du combat est la mort... Toujours plus de séparation, de tristesse... Vous pouvez endurer la douleur et combattre pour protéger les autres... Mais vous savez que quoi qu'il arrive, vous les perdez un par un..." ("Why struggle? The only outcome of battle is death... Always more separation, more sorrow... You can endure pain and fight to protect others, but you know whatever happens, you lose them one by one...")

vs

"Woe betide the man who stands opposed to the Weapon of Light, for death will be his reward. Death for him, and his kin, and all that he holds dear. Woe betide the man who stands with the Weapon of Light, for death will be his reward. Death for him, and his kin, and all that he holds dear."

One of them is probably closer to the JP text, and is a fairly generic sentiment. The other hits like a sledgehammer to the gut. I know which one I prefer. The dialogue choice is "The path of the Dark Knight is made of suffering and sacrifice."/"You don't know what you're talking about!" in FR vs "Justice demands no less."/"I tire of this charade." in EN, which just drips with character. "I am on your side, of course." in FR is "No hard feelings about Whitebrim, eh?" in EN. Fantastic stuff.

So yeah. There's a general stylistic choice in the EN localization to give the text weight and impact and flair. And sometimes that means information gets lost or reframed or presented misleadingly, but not to the extent that the entire plot becomes incomprehensible. Attributing this to some kind of translator conspiracy strikes me as more than a little far-fetched.

And remember - AFAB: All Fairies Are nonBinary.

[Rulakir]

One of them is probably closer to the JP text, and is a fairly generic sentiment. The other hits like a sledgehammer to the gut. I know which one I prefer.

I disagree, I prefer the FR translation.

Ishikawa herself admitted in a March 31, 2022 Famitsu interview that her initial run of Endwalker was handed over two days before whatever her deadline was.

Just going to add another interview to this:

It’s really dense in volume so I’m having doubts on whether I can finish them and meet the schedule deadline, so I’m working hard here to make sure it’s delivered on time. (laughs)

We can actually make it work if we wanted to actually prolong the story of Hydaelyn-Zodiark arc, and there’s definitely a lot more places to explore in Eorzea, the world players first started their journey.

I personally am fine with ending the story at around patch 7.0 or 8.0, but I believe the decision to end the story precisely at this timing must have brought out the sense of speed as well, and I hope that, with this decision, it will allow us to able to properly grasp on what what kind of story “FFXIV” we can provide to our players, considering the fact that this expansion will be released in 2021.

Source. Once again, even though this isn't the thread for it, I've never blamed Ishikawa. I think Yoshi-P wanting to rush the conclusion to 6.0 and the disagreements that resulted in a rewrite on top of that she probably did the best she could.

[Jagick]

I disagree, I prefer the FR translation.



Just going to add another interview to this:



Source. Once again, even though this isn't the thread for it, I've never blamed Ishikawa. I think Yoshi-P wanting to rush the conclusion to 6.0 and the disagreements that resulted in a rewrite on top of that she probably did the best she could.

That's how I feel too. Ishikawa writes some amazing stuff. I put this one entirely on the heads of Yoshi and whoever else on the team was calling any shots. She did the best she could with the little time she was given, as well as being told more or less: It ends here, make it work.