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Does Nintendo Treehouse rely on memes too much? (Tri Force Heroes Localization)

If anything, it may date this one part. But I don't believe there are anymore examples of meme usage in this game so they didn't really abuse it.

If this was a more serious game, I would find it pretty cringe worthy though.

Here's another example that TheBitBlock used as being excessive


Nintendo needs to crack down on their translation team and stop them from using so much lame internet language. ADORBS HAAAAAA GET IT CAUSE IT'S INTERNET! HAAA! Have some dignity translation team. :\
CSCTdt9UEAAM11w.png
 
That's pretty dumb. Anyone not exposed to the doge meme will be left with dialogue in unnecessarily broken English, just because some thought it would be cool to run that shit into the ground even more.
Plus, this will feel very dated in a few years.
 
Splatoon's NA localization of final boss fight was much better than the truer PAL version:

decided to make my own here:

Starting the battle

EU: "I will take back what's mine!"

NA: "GYAH HA HA! I'ma remix your face!"

Launching first missile

EU: "Are you ready for this?"

NA: "Y'all ready for this?"

Being hit by first missile

EU: "Ghrargh?! Impudent inksquirt!"

NA: "Grraaargh?! Slimy little hipster!"

Launching second missile

EU: "Eat this!"

NA: "Peep THIS!"

Being hit by second missile

EU: "Blrrgh! Go, my minions!"

NA: "BLGRRARGH! You can't handle my spicy wasabi beats!"

Launching third missile

EU: "I'll...make...SQUID SOUP OUTTA YOU!"

NA: "You 'bout to get MASHED UP!"

Being hit by third missile

EU: "Grrrgh! Who do you think you are?!"

NA: "GHRAAAAARGH! Do you even know who you're messin' with?!"

Launching fourth missile

EU: "I'll...make...FRIED SQUID RINGS OUTTA YOU!"

NA: "It's time to... D-D-D-DROP THE SEA BASS!" (interestingly, this line is used in the rematch in the European version)

Being hit by fourth missile

EU: "GHHRRRGH! I'll get you for that!"

NA: "GHHROOOORUGH! How dare you!"

Squid Sisters music starts playing

EU: "What's this? This song?"

NA: "What's this? Where mah beats?!"

Launching fifth missile

EU: "Time...to...put an end...to you!"

NA: "I'MA DUBSTOMP YOU INTO OBLIVION!"

Defeated

EU: "Oh no... Vanquished... So...sad..."

NA: "Oh no... So sad..... Cross-fade...to black..."

Some of his dialogue also changes when you rematch him:

Starting the battle

EU: "Gyahaha! Guess who's back, you little inkstains!"

NA: "GYAHAHA! No snow globe can contain this DJ!"

Squid Sisters music starts playing

EU: "It's time to... D-D-D-DROP THE SEA BASS!"

NA: "I'll turn you into a RADIO EDIT!"

Defeated

EU: "Oh no... Done in... Again... So...sad..."

NA: "Not again... So sad..... Cross-fade...to black..."

https://m.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/394gns/spoilers_final_boss_regional_dialogue_differences/

The insults may have not been in the original script but they are just hilarious and was a part of what made that final boss battle so good.
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
I didn't even know that NoA and NoE are using completely separate EN translations!? Or are they just changing certain parts? But I suppose since NoE started translation directly from the NoJ version instead of waiting for NoA to finish it does make sense.
Spirit Tracks had different names for characters and towns. This has been happening since the DS.
 

Sakura

Member
Wait, why are there TWO English translations? Has this always been a thing? Why would you do this?

Two different regions, so two different localisations. Makes sense to me...

Splatoon's NA localization of final boss fight was much better than the truer PAL version:



https://m.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/394gns/spoilers_final_boss_regional_dialogue_differences/

The insults may have not been in the original script but they are just hilarious and was a part of what made that final boss battle so good.

At some point aren't they just completely ignoring the original script? Do they even need translators?
 

fernoca

Member
I think some haven't played the game or not aware of the sillyness and just plain weird, but fun feel around it. Then are passing judgement because of the meme.

This is a game, on which they call for heroes with pointed ears, parted hair and sideburns...

On which a fat lady with a cat, designs your clothes..

Heck, and early spoilers but...the pink haired Link from A Link to the Past appears right in the beginning of the game and is not allowed to enter the castle because of his pink hair...


There's a guide in Hytopia wearing a tuxedo, but when he turns around, he's wearing nothing but underwear.

TriForce Heroes makes fun of many things and itself. It doesn't take itself seriously (even the soundtrack is just weird..and with some choir to boot).

So, I'm more than satisfied with Treehouse's translation. Really well done.

But TheBitBlock's gonna BitBlock.
 
I'm more confused as to why they do two complete passes of English for all their games. It's rediculous, particularly when they rename digital only games, like Pushmo / Pullblox.

What a complete waste of money and consumer confusion.

They gotta add all those useless U's somehow!
 

ZiZ

Member
Yeah, I dislike memes in games, especially if they don't fit the context.

That example in Zelda is terrible, the nonstop memes in life is strange on the other hand, are annoying but understandable.
 
I really hope Genei Ibun Roku's localization doesn't have a bunch of meme and pop culture jokes in it... That would completely ruin it for me.
 

Richie

Member
I did raise an eyebrow with the adorbs line but eeeeh, you start off with a set of clothing called "Bear Minimum" so the silly atmosphere makes the slang fit well.

The doge meme stuff I'm less eager to defend, not a fan.
 

Jackano

Member
Please. I'm so glad we're finally free after so many years of 'moms', 'elevators' and 'yeehaws'. We now have a script that actually is in the English indicated by the Union Flag on language select screens.

Pic semi related:

GwlnPjN.jpg

Ok good point. I'm convinced that people need an actual UK localization for some select vocabulary things. But this doesn't mean a full, distinct localization, particularly in the choice of memes, which is the topic here.
Note that I assumme TFH have a full distinct localization, I actually don"t know about thsi but looks like it with NoE teams anyway.
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
TriForce Heroes makes fun of many things and itself. It doesn't take itself seriously (even the soundtrack is just weird..and with some choir to boot).

So, I'm more than satisfied with Treehouse's translation. Really well done.
It's possible to be lighthearted without inserting memes.

Sometimes I hear complaints that NoE is too dry. Maybe it's my sense of humour being more in line with theirs but I believe the more apt term is subtle. They don't say 'here's the joke LOL!' with their writing. Meme usage is lazy and frankly embarrassing to a degree.
 
Sometimes I hear complaints that NoE is too dry. Maybe it's my sense of humour being more in line with theirs but I believe the more apt term is subtle. They don't say 'here's the joke LOL!' with their writing. Meme usage is lazy and frankly embarrassing to a degree.

The dialogue from Splatoon's final battle posted above seems to be a good example of NOE's "dry" translations, as he's missing almost all the personality of the NOA version
 
I don't think the example in the OP is that bad. It actually doesn't feel as forced as some would make it out to be, as most of the time the meme is complete grammar nonsense on purpose.
 

Nightbird

Member
Why do Nintendo fund two English localisations?? Seems like a waste of money.
Translate the same title to the same language twice. Nintendo gonna Nintendo.

So stupid.

No, no please don't say this.
They almost have to translate again for uk, their U.S translations are almost always awful and for almost every title they have to go through and fix it.
I would hate to have to play through such amazing first party nintendo titles with dumbed down american writing and internet slang.
Please don't say it's stupid to translate twice because knowing nintendo they will keep the awful american team and get rid of the english one.
 
It's possible to be lighthearted without inserting memes.

Sometimes I hear complaints that NoE is too dry. Maybe it's my sense of humour being more in line with theirs but I believe the more apt term is subtle. They don't say 'here's the joke LOL!' with their writing. Meme usage is lazy and frankly embarrassing to a degree.

No, the correct term would be boring.
 

Nanashrew

Banned
No, no please don't say this.
They almost have to translate again for uk, their U.S translations are almost always awful and for almost every title they have to go through and fix it.
I would hate to have to play through such amazing first party nintendo titles with dumbed down american writing and internet slang.
Please don't say it's stupid to translate twice because knowing nintendo they will keep the awful american team and get rid of the english one.

To be honest, when NoA goes for more literal translation, their's is often more accurate than NoE's.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
I didn't know the dog meme (and don't understand it now), but having played the German version of the game, the US version of the text seems fitting to the character in itself, so I'm fine with it.
 

Eolz

Member
Yes they do, and I'm starting to be tired of it.
While that's how localization works (not a direct translation), and I'm perfectly fine when it's happening at right moments in games fit for this kind of stuff (pokemon for example), or with their own memes (understandable when they used some reggie quotes for example), this has been getting worse those years.
Usually feel either tryhard (leading to dialogues that won't age well at all) or like someone from an internet sub-community like tumblr did that for him/herself without really thinking anymore that their job is to do something adapted for specific audiences.

It's really sad to see when this kind of stuff happens in games that don't have a serting for this, and is partly why some people are getting increasingly worried when some companies are getting involved with localization. Gives a worse reputation to those that do well their job.
 
To be honest, when NoA goes for more literal translation, their's is often more accurate than NoE's.

Maybe so but i'd rather have less accurate in a few places if it meant the writing wasn't dumbed down or made using internet slang.
It might be more subtle and a little too dry at times but the UK localisation team never go for the quick fix and rely on internet slang or dumbed down humour, and i'm so pleased that they don't.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
No, no please don't say this.
They almost have to translate again for uk, their U.S translations are almost always awful and for almost every title they have to go through and fix it.
I would hate to have to play through such amazing first party nintendo titles with dumbed down american writing and internet slang.
Please don't say it's stupid to translate twice because knowing nintendo they will keep the awful american team and get rid of the english one.

The American localisations are not dumbed down, I say that as a British person. I've been buying US Nintendo games for years and their scripts are almost always better than the European version. They have much more personality and try to write a script that carries the spirit of the game rather than just literally translating the JP text. I couldn't believe it when I saw how much worse the EU version of Advance Wars Days of Ruin was, it's like a completely different game. Utterly bland.

NoE's localisations are adequate and nothing more.
 
Including meme jokes in core dialogue is a great way to help your game age very quickly, but clearly this doesn't apply to tri-force heros as their source for memes appears to be 9gag comics from 2011.
 

tesqui

Member
If the two English translation differences were minuscule like a word or two swapped for something that makes more sense for that region, then that's fine. However if they are reworking the entire translation, then that seems a bit excessive.
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
The dialogue from Splatoon's final battle posted above seems to be a good example of NOE's "dry" translations, as he's missing almost all the personality of the NOA version
He just has a different personality. The thing is the situation of the boss itself is obsurd. Humour and memorability can also be derived from that.

No, the correct term would be boring.
We all know in general British and Yank humour differ so this isn't really a point to debate.
 
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