Completely ignoring requests to localize the game.

[докДог]

Where's the localization of the game, dude?

[Pinkubōrumaunten]

Throw him $10, 000 I'm sure he'll get right on it.

[докДог]

I'd rather just answer "yes, dude" or "no, that will never happen, weirdo"

[andersonm]

He's one guy, and I'm guessing the strings aren't easily exposed.
Saying yes means quite a bit of work, and questions about when it will be done. A promise that people will be pissed off about if it's not kept.
Localization is also a legal matter. Do the localizers get paid? Will the sales be enough to compensate for it? Do the translators get a legal claim for compensation in some way? What if someone agrees to do it for free, over the course of 3 months, but ends up not doing it?
It sounds simple, and it's not a huge mess, but it's a medium sized mess.

[докДог]

Originally posted by someguy:

Throw him $10, 000 I'm sure he'll get right on it.

It's too expensive. I'm ready to give up this game and stop whining for half that amount.

[докДог]

Just joking

[Pinkubōrumaunten]

Its too bad it isn't easier and cheaper, but you can see even in older games like Realms of Arkania, they literally translated it from German to English (which is not localization), and you get weird phrases like "head to the bar for the latest tattle" instead of "head to the bar for the latest rumour."

I already see a bunch of things in the game now that are direct translations I'm assuming from Norwegian which don't make perfect sense in English, but you can fill in the blanks of the overall point he is getting across with descriptions and dialogue even though it isn't grammatically correct all the time.

Atom RPG had a ton of references and sayings I did not get due to the cultural differences. If you want a good localization, you need someone who can translate and change all the idioms, sayings, slang, etc, to match the language and customs. Even Canada and the US who both speak English have different sayings that wouldn't always make sense to each other.

[armabe]

I will chime in with just a single remark.

Please stop separating localization from translation.
Any translation IS inherently localization. I say this as a professional translator for 8+ years.

The problems people bring up are just a sign of the translator not knowing the language beyond the bare minimum (i.e. how to construct it properly). Ideally you would want an editor (not a localizer) that would smooth out the initial translation (working in tandem with the translator to retain nuance and implications, should that be relevant).

I know this is slightly off-topic, but as a professional, I am extremely annoyed at the modern discourse on this topic.

[Pinkubōrumaunten]

Originally posted by armabe:

I will chime in with just a single remark.

Please stop separating localization from translation.
Any translation IS inherently localization. I say this as a professional translator for 8+ years.

The problems people bring up are just a sign of the translator not knowing the language beyond the bare minimum (i.e. how to construct it properly). Ideally you would want an editor (not a localizer) that would smooth out the initial translation (working in tandem with the translator to retain nuance and implications, should that be relevant).

I know this is slightly off-topic, but as a professional, I am extremely annoyed at the modern discourse on this topic.

Direct translation is not localization. Localization involves changing the text to be relatable to that countries sayings and making sure it is understandable. You said the editor is smoothing out the translation since it wouldn't make sense with just a translation in some cases since the translator may not have knowledge beyond the bare minimum. Many Japanese games get their jokes and language changed to make more sense to a North American audience. There is a difference. I say this as a professional with years of experience as well.

[rane]

Originally posted by S0vETRC:

Direct translation is not localization. Localization involves changing the text to be relatable to that countries sayings and making sure it is understandable.

No. What you're imagining to be a direct translation would be equivalent to, for instance, rendering a common German saying, "sich zum Affen machen" as "self into monkey making" instead of the proper "making a fool out of yourself". After all, the order is preserved, mention of monkeys is preserved, this clearly must be the correct, direct translation, right? Right?

[Dongmyeong]

It shouldn't be translated. It's a retro game. Back during the days of Ultima, Bard's Tale and the SSI Goldbox games we didn't get translations. We had to play with an English dictionary next to us.

[Hinamina]

Originally posted by armabe:

I will chime in with just a single remark.

Please stop separating localization from translation.
Any translation IS inherently localization. I say this as a professional translator for 8+ years.

The problems people bring up are just a sign of the translator not knowing the language beyond the bare minimum (i.e. how to construct it properly). Ideally you would want an editor (not a localizer) that would smooth out the initial translation (working in tandem with the translator to retain nuance and implications, should that be relevant).

I know this is slightly off-topic, but as a professional, I am extremely annoyed at the modern discourse on this topic.

For a "professional" you don't even understand why people don't appreciate localizators.

[gyrspike]

This game is very text heavy as well. So translating/localizing would take time.

[Pinkubōrumaunten]

Originally posted by gyrspike:

This game is very text heavy as well. So translating/localizing would take time.

And a ton of money.

[Talamarie]

If people wants localization/translation so bad for this game, well be generous :

MAKE A FAN MADE AND GIVE IT TO THE DEV.

It will greatly accelerate his work.

[.//slayer]

Originally posted by S0vETRC:

Direct translation is not localization. Localization involves changing the text to be relatable to that countries sayings and making sure it is understandable. You said the editor is smoothing out the translation since it wouldn't make sense with just a translation in some cases since the translator may not have knowledge beyond the bare minimum. Many Japanese games get their jokes and language changed to make more sense to a North American audience. There is a difference. I say this as a professional with years of experience as well.

I mean, it depends on which school of translation studies you subscribe to, but the works of classic Russian linguists and translators such as N. Garbovsky, K. Chukovsky, N. Gal, V. Komissarov, etc., all insist that, generally speaking, a professional translation is intended to convey the culture-specific jokes and linguistic realities into the language of translation.

Exceptions occur when, for instance, you leave the original system of measurements in place (like pounds when translating an American English text into a language with the metric system) to strengthen the reader's bond with the original culture. Everything else - from charactonyms to humour - has to be understood by the reader exactly in the same manner as if the reader were also the native speaker of the original language.

The division between translation and localization has never been a topic of the classic translation studies.