There's nothing "reaching" about grammatically incorrect lines of dialogue and excessive overuse of stock phrases. : \
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A deeper look at the fumbles in Persona 5's localization, and the industry in general
- Thread starter TheSporkWithin
- Start date
There's nothing "reaching" about grammatically incorrect lines of dialogue and excessive overuse of stock phrases. : \
You are accusing the website of fabricating premises? It's English grammar and sentence structure errors. Is English your first language?
It can't be helped. It's unforgivable!
Are we reading the same site? Some of that stuff is obviously bad or at least stilted.
Also we are complaining because it's a site where we talk about video games. You can criticize what you like and still like it.
phoenix296
Member
The amount of whining surrounding the localization is abominous, wouldn't you say?
Strangelove77
Member
Unforgivable.
Yeah, this is quite well done. The localisation really is not up to scratch.
But consider this point.
The scenes were likely split up by translator, and the mistakes are very clearly made by someone who is not a native speaker of English.
That should make it very easy for Atlus to pinpoint the exact 'culprit.' But then what happens to this person? Do they lose their job? Does the editor cop the blame?
Is this worth it to us that much?
But consider this point.
The scenes were likely split up by translator, and the mistakes are very clearly made by someone who is not a native speaker of English.
That should make it very easy for Atlus to pinpoint the exact 'culprit.' But then what happens to this person? Do they lose their job? Does the editor cop the blame?
Is this worth it to us that much?
AtomskEater
Member
Shikata ga nai, homies.
And now we have hypothetical scenarios about how someone will lose their job and have their lives ruined over this.
And while this might sound cold, if someone cannot deliver a translation or edit up to par, maybe they should consider another field? If you bought a game that was poorly coded and buggy and it caused you to get less enjoyment out of the product, you probably wouldn't really want that programmer and/or that QA team or whomever was responsible to touch future games you were interested in.
And now we have hypothetical scenarios about how someone will lose their job and have their lives ruined over this.
And while this might sound cold, if someone cannot deliver a translation or edit up to par, maybe they should consider another field? If you bought a game that was poorly coded and buggy and it caused you to get less enjoyment out of the product, you probably wouldn't really want that programmer and/or that QA team or whomever was responsible to touch future games you were interested in.
YianGaruga
Banned
You could say the localization is abominous
At the very least problematic, but I guess it can't be helped. Just as expected from a Japanese company that's stuck in their old ways. We should cast some rehabilitation upon them.
Marmaladefire
Member
Yeah I think the problem here is that this game is pushing Persona into a mainstream level that most Japanese games don't achieve here.No one cares about Senran Kagura's translation, but this game has a better metacritic score than what was supposed to be THE AAA JRPG of the generation. So the standards are different and higher. Catherine has a better localization than this. Persona 4's translation isn't really awe inspiring level though. It just seems like a B-tier funimation show, thinking back on some of the S.links.
Seeing as the internet has combed through and edited their game for them though, Atlus should probably go back and patch the non voiced mistakes into something better.
The way they approached their job was impertinent! It's unforgivable!
What a crappy adult!
Fsteak?
I am disappointed in the localization. But the people who are defending it are baffling to me. We all love the game! It's just that I'd love it more if it weren't so clunky with the translation. I had to wait 7 months for this!
The people who hate on Persona 5's English localization are scums. Stock phrases? Who's idea is that, anyway? They're serious to argue, but I've watched a lot of anime, so I'll tell you. Japanese is a very simple language. Just to say a thing, Japan has as many phrases as there are suns in the sky. Anyways, this game was good but the translation is what made it more perfect. They didn't cut out any Japanese!
I own both versions and my last play through was with the Japanese audio US release. I did notice some grammatical errors here and there in the text boxes, but I basically ignored most of the on screen text outside of the battle screen.
After about an hour with the English recording I had to go back to the Japanese track thankfully included on PSN. I should have just stocked my suitcase with copes to eBay on my last Osaka trip in February.
After about an hour with the English recording I had to go back to the Japanese track thankfully included on PSN. I should have just stocked my suitcase with copes to eBay on my last Osaka trip in February.
YianGaruga
Banned
I sure as hell care about the Senran Kagura localization, and XSEED does a great job with the characters
Cosmo Clock 21
Banned
Did you forget that Fire Emblem Fates' translation was complained about so badly some weirdos went out and made a romhack to replace the stock localization with one they thought was better
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I acknowledge the rest of the localization is good right there. Aside from the location change (which came back to bite them later - hello AA6 case 4) it's a stellar example of good writing. I'm saying that one specific decision was going too far, and is representative of taking westernization to an extreme degree.
I thought the fan translation was started before the game was announced/came out in the west?
sorry my dude, I think Anthony Burch also likes posting on the internet so maybe you should reconsider that too
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
The localization is substandard, especially for a project this prestigious. Anyone who's worked in loc would agree
Dragonslayer_023
Banned
The standards are different, but they're not higher. Persona being mainstream means a lot of people play it who don't otherwise consume a lot of Japanese media, and are of the misguided opinion that its approach to translation isn't by far the preferable option.
YianGaruga
Banned
It's funny because it's kind of the exact opposite situation isn't it? The FE situation was people asking for a more literal translation
I almost exclusively play Japanese games. This has nothing to do with anything. I'm used to better
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
lol at the 20 copies of translating "shoganai" as, literally, "it can't be helped"
Wait, you think this is preferable to the localization in other Japanese games?
Lmao; "It's the people experiencing this for the first time who are wrong".
YianGaruga
Banned
"About as dull and repetitive as if it were done by a machine, in fact. Running the second-to-last line through Google Translate yields It can not be helped in order to ascertain the truth as the second suggestion, which is almost word-for-word identical to what ended up in the game. And as anyone in the translation industry will attest: Google Translate's JP-EN translations of creative writing are generally nonsense."
wow
wow
The translation is fantastic. It's very immersive and makes me feel that I am actually in a Japanese high school. I'm all down with making big changes from the original material to get the points accross, but diehard localiser heads dedicated to erasing anything from the foreign tongue are just as obnoxious as the direct translation "weebos".
EDIT - Holy fuck this site is terrible. Most of the alternative translations they list are worse. Though I will admit they do highlight weaknesses in the game's translation/script, but holy shit keep these people away from it.
EDIT - Holy fuck this site is terrible. Most of the alternative translations they list are worse. Though I will admit they do highlight weaknesses in the game's translation/script, but holy shit keep these people away from it.
Modest Mauser
Member
Marmaladefire
Member
They don't always understand exactly why a series like Persona has some of the translation quirks it does in order to keep the spirit of the original, but consider this: People who DO consume a lot of Japanese media are of the misguided opinion that the game should be full of "it can't be helped" and "please take care of me" nonsense. Literary translation methods are valid, and I'm usually a fan in cases like these, simply because translators tend to get carried away with literal translations of Japanese media. Imagine if Murakami books were all translated like JRPGs. Unreadable. And yet, so many modern JRPGs have a "half VN" component but are translated without much consideration to quality of life or the English language in general, and you just have to slog through it. So while I maintain that P5 is pretty much normal Atlus quality, I wouldn't mind if it spurred normal Atlus quality to go up some. At least regarding a flagship series.
meltingparappa
Member
I feel like a lot of localization defenders in the thread didn't even bother to look at the examples on the web page.
The problem isn't that the game is somehow indecipherable, it's just filled with examples of c-tier clunkiness that's passable for a simulcast, but disappointing for a title that has so much polish in every other area.
The problem isn't that the game is somehow indecipherable, it's just filled with examples of c-tier clunkiness that's passable for a simulcast, but disappointing for a title that has so much polish in every other area.
Your subject and what the website is talking about are totally different. The topic is clunky as hell English and literal interpretations which actually end up being incorrect when placed in a fully realized conversation.
That does not give me confidence regarding your English comprehension skills.
AtomskEater
Member
yakisoba pan ---> yakisoba bread
"DO NOT ERASE THE FOREIGN TONGUE"
"DO NOT ERASE THE FOREIGN TONGUE"
TheBryanJZX90
Member
They're both pretty mediocre but a lot of the alternative is worse.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
weebos wobble but they don't ochimasu shita
TheBryanJZX90
Member
bishopcruz
Member
Yeah, love the game, but holy hell a lot of the translation is horrible. The Japanese stock phrases are what probably bother me the most, as expected of a sub par translation.
But there are a few, especially one at the end of the game which pissed me the hell off because it took me out of a really badass moment. Spoilers for the final dungeon, right at the end:
Still love the game, but yeah especially coming off of Yakuza 0, one of the best localized titles of all time, this was a serious disappointment.
But there are a few, especially one at the end of the game which pissed me the hell off because it took me out of a really badass moment. Spoilers for the final dungeon, right at the end:
When Grail Igor says that you failed, and humanity is fucked he mentions that he underestimated you. That makes no sense, by the context of the line he should be complaining that he overestimated you. He says shit like this twice IIRC.
Still love the game, but yeah especially coming off of Yakuza 0, one of the best localized titles of all time, this was a serious disappointment.
the errors and typos and mistranslations that even amateur fan-translators and anime fansubbers have been all to happy to point out completely mischaracterize the intent of the original text are in fact a magical barrier enacted by Atlus to keep the dreaded Westernization Monster at bay. you see, those errors and typos are the only reason Persona 5 isn't set in 1990, during the Gulf War. your "confidants" were originally meant to be guns which would fire bullets at bad Iraqis from a first-person viewpoint. so you better thank your lucky stars, kiddo
As expected.
And if people want to leave Yakisoba Pan untouched, then you'd think they'd be upset that Fried Bread and Jam Bread aren't left as Showa no Agepan and Jam Pan.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Jam Pan is actually the new Grateful Dead cookware line.
Ryori no Jam Pan: Desu Truckin'
I'm just glad there's more and more conversation about this. Atlus USA has set a high standard for the industry in localization over the years and when their marquee release falls short of the greatness fans should expect, I think they deserve to know. Nothing is gained from not telling someone that you know they are capable of better. Defensive fans should realize that the majority of people criticizing Persona 5 for this are huge fans ourselves. We're not shitting on Atlus, we just want them to realize they can do way better.