This video does an alright job at explaining why the Localization is so different

[Raoabolic]

Ferne (Michael-Christopher Koji Fox) has been part of the localization/lore writing of the game since 1.0 (he even appears briefly in the 'Making Of' video included with the collector's edition of FFXIV 1.0, although doesn't speak in it or offers any insights sadly)

That's because he was just a grunt back in the day when he wasn't in charge of localization, merely part of the team. It's like seeing a new manager walk into the project and make questionable decisions from time to time until those questionable decisions start piling up and it becomes VERY noticeable in a project. It's another case of slowly boiling the frog, lol.

because how at the end of 2.55 Midgardsormr's more maternal aspects got lost in translation (figure of speech) and thus resulted in him becoming more like something of a surly bully, and famously how Hauchy's more perverted, even creepy, nature was understandably toned down for Western sensibilities (something Ferne could hardly be faulted for - such things tend to result in higher classifications in some countries).

I wonder when Mr. fox took over the localization... :^)

[Kazhar]

And specifically, this comment picks out the relevant parts.

They had a couple more pieces here and here worth reading, particularly the bit re "wiggle" room. There was an older thread on it here for those interested.

The idea that the English script is not a translation, and in fact a second master script with equal importance to the Japanese script and inherently superior to the two other translations is most likely a misconception caused by some quotes taken wildly out of context and misunderstood, then parroted ad nauseam by the community. No official source seems to support the claim. In fact, we have many interviews which disproves it.
Basically a case of "if enough people say something it becomes the truth".

[Lauront]

The idea that the English script is not a translation, and in fact a second master script with equal importance to the Japanese script and inherently superior to the two other translations is most likely a misconception caused by some quotes taken wildly out of context and misunderstood, then parroted ad nauseam by the community. No official source seems to support the claim. In fact, we have many interviews which disproves it.
Basically a case of "if enough people say something it becomes the truth".

Agreed - I'm pointing to that comment by the user "volentils" because, as you say, the top one is at least a little misleading on that front.

[Midareyukki]

You are absolutely right, which is why I don't care to argue about this since the damage has been done. We can go forward and back all day discussing why or why not liberties should or should not be taken when translating and what defines the difference between translating a work vs localizing a work but this song and dance has been done to death for nearly a decade. Why strain yourselves? The writer isn't going to go to the NA's GD board, read this thread and go, "Oh no! I need to fix this!". Just enjoy it for what it is and leave when it's no longer worth your time, lol.

My follow up to what you just said is to ask people who have such a problem that this is going on whether or not they can enjoy the product they are given. By all means, this is the product Square Enix agreed to present to you. The one that's won accolades, the one people praise to living hell and back, the one people meme with, the one people love. The one people compare to other games in the industry. The one people defend and analyze.

It's fine to want to enjoy the original product, I wholly understand and would even encourage it. But this isn't what you're getting. And if anything? What you're getting is already a really good approximation of the original, it's why I keep saying that it's the emotional tone and nuance that's changed. Not the characters and not the outcome. You want to experience the original Japanese version, either learn Japanese or have someone do a direct translation for you. You're not going to get that from this sort of localization.

But this is not something that needs fixing. It's something that needs to be understood. And the first time I posted about this, I got called out for by some Miqo'te dude because he wouldn't take the fact that he was trying to pin the blame on translators. They're just doing their job, and at least they're having fun with it because the devs allow and encourage it. Because god knows translation can be boring as hell and goes massively unappreciated by readers. People tend to blame translators for every little thing in the text, when really they themselves couldn't do better.

You may not like that this happens, and that's dandy. But you can still enjoy the product you're given. It's not as big a deal as you'd think, because to Square Enix, this is fine and you're still playing the same game JP is, just with some quirks. Did the 7th Umbral Calamity happen in your version as much as it did in JP's version? Just because one character cracks a joke in English and not in Japanese it doesn't make it bad. And like Raoabolic said, this has been happening for a decade now, it's nothing new. (edit, adding something for clarification bc I know people will definitely pick on it but) I know to a lot of people this feels like a violation, but you're not getting a bootleg of the game, nor are you getting such a drastically altered text. Preference aside, the game is the same.

Again, people want the original? Good, support the original text and other languages. But don't diss the work being done just because stuff got re-written. You're meant to experience X lore, not Y lore.

[Kazhar]

I think the reason they're so different, at least here in FF14, is because the localization teams for German and French aren't internal to Square Enix. They have to outsource other teams, and I doubt that Koji knows fluent French and German enough to manage them as he would the English version. It's also probably why the FR version had that gaffe in Rhalgr's Reach where an NPC's dialogue leaked Hrothgar were coming in Stormblood xD

The German and French teams are internal to Square Enix. We have no indication they're managed differently.

(It's not even hard to prove. Take any of the names in interviews we posted recently in this thread and you'll see LinkedIn pages which confirms they're currently Square Enix employees working directly in the Tokyo HQ. The idea that the other two translation are outsourced is based on nothing.)

[Midareyukki]

The German and French teams are internal to Square Enix. We have no indication they're managed differently.

(It's not even hard to prove. Take any of the names in interviews we posted recently in this thread and you'll see LinkedIn pages which confirms they're currently Square Enix employees working directly in the Tokyo HQ. The idea that the other two translation are outsourced is based on nothing.)

...except they ARE based on something, they're based on my own personal misconceptions, Kazhar. TLDR: I made a mistake. I was wrong.

The reason for me being wrong is because Koji Fox rarely mentions those teams, implying he's not involved in their process other than the general management of "Hey team leader, is it done? Cool, test out these bugs for me and see if they're happening in your version". Given some bugs were around, I assumed that this was an oversight commonly seen in external teams. And given how communication by Square Enix that isn't written is done in English and Japanese, it led me to think that there weren't such people in Square Enix that could provide those services.

Or at least I don't think I've ever seen any PLL being interpreted into German.

I'm not talking out of my ass, I'm speaking from what's the likely scenario based on how I understand things to work at the companies I've worked for. Good to be proven wrong. But saying "it's based on nothing" is just calling me out on bullshit. Which it isn't, it's just me assuming things based on past experiences.

But tit for tat, I'll do the same to you.

The idea that the English script is not a translation, and in fact a second master script with equal importance to the Japanese script and inherently superior to the two other translations is most likely a misconception caused by some quotes taken wildly out of context and misunderstood, then parroted ad nauseam by the community. No official source seems to support the claim. In fact, we have many interviews which disproves it.
Basically a case of "if enough people say something it becomes the truth".

No. As I stated, professionally speaking, there are two scripts. It's not something people collectively dreamt up, there are two scripts. The original Japanese script, and the changes that then occur on the English script that go beyond what's necessary in localization. The official source? We're seeing it happen all the time, people post differences in what we're given all the time in these forums. They're all over other threads on this topic.

You're right in that neither is superior to the other, but no, the English script does start as a translation, as you're taking the information from JP into English. But then you're adding stuff in and changing things past what translation work should be. That isn't normal in translation and localization jobs. So really, you're misconstruing things as well. When I say "this isn't translation", I mean it. Under normal circumstances, this isn't what you observe, this isn't what you do as a translator. This is a bit more involved in the writing process than just straightforward translation, and those additions should not be understood as part of the natural process of translation at all.

Edit: Basically the issue I have with what you wrote is that you jumped to the conclusion that I was talking out of my ass without giving me the chance to defend myself or acknowledge my mistake. (By "defend myself" I mean "to explain what led to me saying that", I'm otherwise still wrong, can't exactly justify being wrong). Even worse, you didn't even try to understand why I said what I said, you didn't realize why I was wrong. That isn't fair.
And to borrow the words you used, that sort of behaviour is "parroted ad nauseam by the community".

[Boblawblah]

"I'm a pro trust me" isn't an argument

[Midareyukki]

"I'm a pro trust me" isn't an argument

It's not, but I can at least provide SOME insight.

I never said that I was right, miss. I never said I was the only authority you needed to listen to. Hell: DON'T. Do your own goddamn research, educate yourselves.

Before blaming translators again.

But when I do offer some insight into what it's like, and people choose to dismiss it, then you guys have no reason to complain about this topic. I might not be right all the time, but I at least am involved in these things to a professional level. I'm not a "pro" in the sense that I know all. I only know what I know, and that's evident.

But I at least know enough to know that some people are jumping in and saying crap that really isn't what you'd see in real life. There's a lot more to it, I'd think people would appreciate the extra knowledge rather than assume all we do is google translate our work.

I'm not an authority on the matter, I only speak about what I've experienced. If that isn't valuable enough to you, then so be it. For me, it's enough an argument to be considered. Considered, yes, but not believed in in blind faith. And I'm not asking for blind faith. I AM grateful for being corrected, what I'm not grateful is the way it was done.

When you happen to know more on a given field than other people and want to tell them "hey, this is how it's like there", I'd like to see you being smacked with "I don't care if you work with that area, your knowledge isn't any valuable at all so it's not an argument".

Edit: Maybe my issue was speaking with such confidence, I'll keep that in mind. But make no mistake, you guys speak out of your arse way harder, and when people call you out, you get incredibly defensive despite being wrong.

[Kazhar]

...

Hmm I didn't expect such reaction and I'm not too sure what to say. But it wasn't my intention to imply that you didn't know what you were talking about (I'm not a translator. All I know is from the interviews I've indirectly linked), just that your assumption was wrong in that case for the reasons I wrote. If you perceived any hostility, it came from my general annoyance at the community and not your post in particular, which I only used as a jumping point to clarify some other misconceptions I've read in many other places.

[Kazhar]

I'm just a bit surprised when non-native English speakers care so much about the English translation. If someone told me the French translation was awful, my reaction would be "oh, okay. Sucks for them", but it wouldn't affect my enjoyment at all.

Most of my online discussions about this game are done in English, so it does bother me a bit when the players I'm interacting with experience a different story than I did (especially since there is a huge unwarranted biais towards the English translation as being a more canon experience than its other two counterparts).

Haurchefant as a more flamboyant lovable pervert just wouldn't work in the West

Maybe it's true in NA, but isn't France part of the West too? And we got Creepy Weirdo Haurchefant in his full glory (don't know about the German Translation). Casual observation tells me that the French community was more than fine with that portrayal.