Semi-faithful localizations that sound like how people talk or constant mentions of “that”
This is a tough choice
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if you’re going to talk to me like i’m an idiot, than go ahead and call me an idiot
That’s more of a general criticism on localization; you can either veer towards something that reads well but loses some of the original work (which is already going to happen because nuances and other stuff is lost by the sheer mechanics of language) or literal scripts where people sound like robots and trade in familiar phrases, but give you everything. Like, the “that” thing is an anime meme because somehow, everyone translates unknown, nebulous things being referenced as “that”
Now, hating on things that will date a script like references to current events or memes because someone fancies themselves a comedian or wants to be cool with the cool kinds of the internet is fine (people were probably groaning at WD making Clinton jokes in the 90s just like they are at NoA putting memes into Tri-Force Heroes, though I’m willing to argue that their use of the doge meme will still make sense in 20 years)
Really, at the end of the day, I’m just happy someone wants to use their time to make a bunch of pictograms make sense to my dumb Anglo brain
Video games were a mistake.
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Video game fandom was a mistake.
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It’s worth noting that a lot of memorable writings in third to fifth generation games were very affected by “woolseyisms” (as I hear it referred to). Localization is adaptation, and while a level of accuracy is ideal, the transition from one form to another warrants some individual personality in the result. This is the same as why oral myth is interesting, changing from teller to teller.
The story I heard, but can’t source now, was that NOE started doing their own J->E translations because it aided the process of preparing FIGS quickly. It also gives them freedom to make their own release decisions separate from Nintendo of America’s often unusual whims.
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Are y’all talking about about steins;gate?
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RE: Fire Emblem, I dunno, replacing 15+ lines of dialogue between two characters with four ellipses is pretty piss-poor, tbh.
I hope Persona 5 doesn’t have honorifics.
How do we fix harassment? In the Washington Post article about Zoe Quinn dropping her case they had anecdotes about the FBI showing up at some juvenile’s house, talking to them, and leaving. This seems like it would be pretty effective but they can’t have the resources to party van every idiot on 4chan, right?
I have a greater tolerance for them in dialogue boxes than I do when they’re spoken aloud
the funny thing about reading something like this is that if it were a tcrf article about final fantasy 6 or something it’d be perfectly interesting and innocuous but in the current context the bitterness is just asinine
as things stands it’s basically impossible for me to defend anything other than translators’ right to do whatever the hell they want
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Not the criminal justice system. It’s just not for this.
To be fair, it’s entirely possible that one conversation out of hundreds slipped through the tracks.
The reaction is completely ridiculous but it’s also entirely inevitable since Nintendo started making the series pander to the latest breeds of otaku.
There’s probably some seriously in-depth post-mortems from the localization team that we’ll never get to see.
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The article talks a little about this. I think there’s an opportunity for a private company to step up and make a security service that offers relief to semi-public targets of harassment as well as improving moderation on public channels. Though there’s probably no money in it, and it’s unjust that semi-public life would require it.
“Do we expect Massachusetts police to go after all of them?” asked Citron, the law professor. “At some point, it becomes too much for the system to bear. You can’t nail down criminal liability in a case like Zoe’s, where there’s such a huge number of actors.” And yet, the system has tried, repeatedly: According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, almost every state has enacted explicit cyberstalking or cyberharassment laws over the past two decades. At the federal level, at least two criminal statutes promise to punish offenders who cause “significant emotional distress” online. But most of these laws cover only narrow, specific cases of abuse, and investigations are rarely so straightforward or clear-cut. That’s made both investigators and prosecutors hesitant to pursue them.