This frequency of English localization issues is unacceptable

[ArslanMalqir]

Unless they are performing comparisons between versions, as is the case here, what difference would that make, pray tell? The same even goes for the lead writers - if they are not fluent in the target language, and are reliant to some degree on what the localisers are telling them is the case ("yes it lands better this way in English"), how would they even really know that the differences are causing either (subtle) omissions or tonal/characterisation differences? So the question is, what does this oversight even amount to?

I mean, I suppose Koji Fox and the localization team might just be taking advantage of their positions and changing things around and lying to their superiors and close personal friends whom they write the script with together and deviously trying to change around a few words to subtly program the English speaking players to hate Zodiark and love Venat by offering slight reminders of canon events that happened when the original didn't, and that this is all done intentionally because I guess the localization team hate nuance and just want everyone to become Venat simps.

It's possible.

I'd just consider it less likely than the localization team working closely with the script-writers on the Japanese side and that oversight existing in such a way that they don't have a repeat of Haurchefant which was explicitly noted and called out as having been done without proper approval which they would change going forward, and that Yoshi-P and the writers are fine with the localization we get and don't consider it misleading or untrue to their vision.

[Lauront]

Koji Fox is not working on XIV at the moment. He is working on XVI. He has been replaced by someone else called Kate, who has been the subject of some previous discussions here.

[ArslanMalqir]

Koji Fox is not working on XIV at the moment. He is working on XVI. He has been replaced by someone else called Kate, who has been the subject of some previous discussions here.

Sure, but Kate would have been selected by Koji Fox and Yoshi-P to take over, and she's been working on the game for years at this point. That would imply some sense of trust in her abilities and decision-making, and that she would be taking the same role Koji did, meaning working directly with the script-writers.

I do not find the argument that Kate is just a bad translator who tricks the original writers into letting her push her beliefs and ideas about the story by lying to them about what she's doing to be very convincing. That would require a complete lack of oversight and a complete misjudgement of her by the people at the very top of the game's team that she's been working with for years, as well as implying that the team have somehow not been aware of the differences in the script for months and months after the release where people have been pointing them out for ages.

The absolute most simple explanation, and thus the likeliest, is that the JP team and writers are in fact happy with the EN script, and don't consider any alterations made to be as meaningful as the critics consider them to be—remember again that they did, in fact, step in for Haurchefant as far as I can recall.

[KageTokage]

They do have to approve all versions of the script...but then again, these are the people who thought the long established FF spell naming schemes would somehow be too confusing to western audiences so making weird choices isn't beyond them.

[KariTheFox]

I'm not a huge fan of the English localization either - I don't really like the stylistic choice of the kind of faux old english being used, and think the tone and nuances of some of the characters get lost in translation.

But even so, I understand that localization is difficult and imperfect work, and that the localization team will always make decisions not everyone agrees with. It's a little ridiculous to posit a conspiracy theory where the English localizers have a secret agenda and are trying to pull a fast one, it's just silly.

What you're seeing is the result of the inherent difficulties translating art from one language to another, not Kate's master plan to... idk, mess up the script on purpose?

[Atelier-Bagur]

I'm not a huge fan of the English localization either - I don't really like the stylistic choice of the kind of faux old english being used, and think the tone and nuances of some of the characters get lost in translation.

But even so, I understand that localization is difficult and imperfect work, and that the localization team will always make decisions not everyone agrees with. It's a little ridiculous to posit a conspiracy theory where the English localizers have a secret agenda and are trying to pull a fast one, it's just silly.

What you're seeing is the result of the inherent difficulties translating art from one language to another, not Kate's master plan to... idk, mess up the script on purpose?

when people see something they feel is wrong. They purposefully go out of the way to believe that the whole universe has conspired against them and that there's always a nefarious purpose behind everything.

[ArslanMalqir]

I'd also definitely like some kind of source on the idea that Ishikawa was under the impression that translation was a 1:1 thing, because as far back as 2018 there's an interview with her and one of the localizers on the team where the localizer specifically points out that he sits close to her in the same office and they're constantly revising and going back and forth between each other as the scripts are being written, and if there's any confusion at all they go directly to the scenario team for information. They even pointed out that absolutely everything is sent to Yoshi-P for direct review before it's allowed to go out.

Even if it's no longer the case that she literally sits in the same office as them, I'd be absolutely shocked if Ishikawa somehow forgot the process in the years between then and now, or if the localization team just lied about it in a public interview.

[GrizzlyTank]

Could you not witch-hunt the translators over petty details.

[Necrotica]

I'd also definitely like some kind of source on the idea that Ishikawa was under the impression that translation was a 1:1 thing, because as far back as 2018 there's an interview with her and one of the localizers on the team where the localizer specifically points out that he sits close to her in the same office and they're constantly revising and going back and forth between each other as the scripts are being written, and if there's any confusion at all they go directly to the scenario team for information. They even pointed out that absolutely everything is sent to Yoshi-P for direct review before it's allowed to go out.

Even if it's no longer the case that she literally sits in the same office as them, I'd be absolutely shocked if Ishikawa somehow forgot the process in the years between then and now, or if the localization team just lied about it in a public interview.

Is Yoshi given a direct translation of the changes? Or is it localized back to him?

[Rulakir]

It's a death by a thousand cuts situation when every piece of dialog is treated this way. I haven't even been posting every example I've come across due to the frequency in which it occurs.

Regardless, I have to wonder whose interest it's in to not get the story presented accurately? Also, like I said, this goes back to ShB missing what I'd consider crucial context, but EW is so exponentially worse I don't consider it an issue that can be ignored anymore.