Unnatural phrasing on the /simper emote

[Toffle]

This is a small thing, but I've noticed that when I used the /simper emote it says:

"You smile weakly at <t>."

To me, as a native english speaker, that sounds incredibly odd. 'Simper' means to smile coyly, or bashful. It's commonly associated with flirting, or being somewhat self-concious.

'Smiling weakly' gives the impression of a lack of sincerity (i.e: faking it), or the implication that it's taking effort to smile because you're sad, or tired.

Meanwhile, the actual emote, is a very neutral and pleasant smile.

I can't help but think the text (whether it's the name of the emote, or action line itself) gives the wrong impression in the chat box.

A friend of mine mentioned that in French, it translates to 'smiles tenderly', and that feels much closer to describing the expression worn by the character when used.

Though it would be a very small change, it would be nice to have the English text for /simper better reflect the feeling it's trying to express, whether that's changing the name of the emote, or changing the text line upon use.

Of course, this isn't a priority issue, but I felt it's worth mentioning as it stands out from the other emotes.

[MilkieTea]

To simper is to smile in an "affectedly coy" way. It's a fake smile. The smile ingame is a perfectly good expression of a fake smile - it's a vague "okay whatever you say" kind of look.

[Shibi]

Japanese: (name) は柔和に微笑んだ。 With adverbial form of 柔和 being relevant.
German: Du setzt ein freundliches Lächeln auf. (a friendly smile, i believe)

To simper is to smile in an "affectedly coy" way. It's a fake smile. The smile ingame is a perfectly good expression of a fake smile - it's a vague "okay whatever you say" kind of look.

Yes, I agree. Simper is fake, and you see it if you look at yourself and perform the animation. I always think of it as the smile you give that person you barely tolerate.

All dictionaries mention "affected smile", but Britannica is clearest: "to smile in a way that is not sincere or natural" https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/simper

[Toffle]

Japanese: (name) は柔和に微笑んだ。 With adverbial form of 柔和 being relevant.
German: Du setzt ein freundliches Lächeln auf. (a friendly smile, i believe)



Yes, I agree. Simper is fake, and you see it if you look at yourself and perform the animation. I always think of it as the smile you give that person you barely tolerate.

All dictionaries mention "affected smile", but Britannica is clearest: "to smile in a way that is not sincere or natural" https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/simper

Thank you for providing the Japanese and German. The Japanese is: "You smile gently/tenderly at <t>" (just like the French translation). The German says: "You put on a friendly smile for <t>".
Neither of those three translations match the intention of the word 'simper', nor does 'simper' match the text line: "You smile weakly at <t>".


Regarding the definition of 'simper': It is a smile you use to draw attention to yourself, seeking approval which is why it's described as an affected smile. (See also: Demure, and Ingratiating. They're all related.)
It can be used in the context of flirting with someone, or when trying to gain the approval of someone above you. It's 'fake' in the sense of you are doing it to gain something.
It's used a lot in books by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, etc. where someone is trying to win their loves attention, or an employee is trying to gain their bosses approval. It has connotations of fawning, and flirting. (See also: Coy - the pretence of being shy/modest.)
As an aside: This is where the recent slang of calling someone a 'simp' took origin from. Someone who is seeking the approval/affection of another.

It shouldn't be confused for a '/fakesmile' which we received in patch 5.4, and one that perfectly captures the 'fake' aspect you use when you have to smile around someone you don't like, or fake a smile for a photograph, or fake a smile for a charisma check.



Perhaps the word "/simper" itself should be named something else on the English emote. I think the text line ought to more closely mirror the German. They tend to pair JP/FR, EN/GER together, so it seems odd the EN is so far removed.
Either way, "simper" is not a weak smile. It's approval seeking. And the animation does not reflect that.


As for the actual animations: Perhaps /simper looks different depending on facial features? E.g: Male vs Female, Lalafel vs Miqo'te?
On male Miqo'te and male Viera, it looks very neutral and friendly. A somewhat plain smile that doesn't reach the eyes. It looks very fitting to the FR/JP/GR descriptions, but doesn't fit the English.
I do use this emote a lot because it looks quite friendly. At least, on those two races/genders it does.

It would be interesting to see if there's a big difference in racial/gendered animations versus their actual text lines.

[Shibi]

The Japanese 柔和に... to me, is very much the smile you give to be polite. It's not "tenderly".

A somewhat plain smile that doesn't reach the eyes.

Yes. It never reaches the eyes. I'll let you search out that meaning.


However, it seems you believe this smile is otherwise, and I can respect this. I have a problem with quite a few emotes, so end up macroing in my meanings.

/em smiles softly at <t>
/simper motion


It takes up a hotbar slot, sure. But maybe it's a good solution for you?

(I put mine on a collapsible hotbar I can hide when I am doing other things, I've got a few I hotkey'ed as I use them so much)