Pretty Horrible English Localization

[Pixelica]

It's horrible, if you understand even a bit of Japanese, you will easily get confused because the localizer really like to tell their own story with their own wording instead of just translate it as it is. Often what you heard and what you read will be so different in meaning. It's not just the complex sentences, even the basic one got butchered.

They also like to use impression and western cringe jokes, which really ruin your immersion and made characters out of place.
Even when some characters speak proper formal Japanese, but they changed it to awkward cringe English and add out of place impression.

Top super translation:
(JP): Hmm
(EN): A wishful thinking
They somehow managed to translate "Hmm" into a complete sentence, even tho the character clearly didn't spoke a single word.

(JP): Are you two a couple?
(JP): What!? No, we are just working together
(EN): Are you two an item?
(EN): An item!? Gross, no we are not...
wtf even....

2nd example:
(JP): The ship is still being repaired
(EN): The ship is in the shop
You... sell the ship bro?

3rd example:
Character A: We can't ignore people in trouble
Character B: Exactamundo!
what??

4th example:
(JP): Still talking about that?
(EN): You guys are such a dork
Why?

5th example:
(JP): (dodged thrown spear) That is absurd!!
(EN): (dodged thrown spear) Well that is just happened...

Localization should be below translation. Localization should be suggested not enforced.

If you understand Japanese even a bit, you will know the localization is out of proportion in this game. Not on Crunchyroll level, but still disturbing.

It's cringe, it frequently changed the context, some doesn't even fit the situation, it's even changed some of the character personality. Most localization staff lack the ability to respect the original author, it's really unethical.

When I play Japanese game, I want to experience the Japanese experience from Japanese perspective. I don't buy Japanese game so I can experience sick Western ideology.

[Kurague]

Originally posted by WeskerFeetPics:

I mean, easy solution imo. If you prefer how its written in Japanese, play it in Japanese, and if you don't understand Japanese in the first place...how would you even know it was "badly translated" unless you actively searched it out to be outraged over.

I play most games and watch most movies with Original voice and Spanish subtitles.

Is it because I don't understand English? Hell no, but since it's not actually my native language, sometimes some words may get lost in translation, so to speak. This means that it is obviously much more efficient to watch subtitles in your own language, EVEN if you know the language of the voicelines.

[Meraid]

You gotta love debates that involve politics for no reason.
OP, I feel you. I don't play this game but ever since learning Japanese, it's bothered me sometimes in anime, dramas, games, etc where the translation for something is... not actually what was said. Even if it's not slang, even if it's just a different sentence meaning the same thing, I don't like it and it bothers me. Maybe because I liked testing my audio comprehension while learning, so when I saw something phrased a certain way to make it more natural, I was caught off guard.
I guess it's something not everyone agrees on, but I don't like it. It also dates the game, I feel, adding slang where it's not necessary. (Like 'jiffy' already sounds like something my grandparents would have said growing up and I'm nearly 30) When I translate for my mom, for example, I might say, "Oh, they're saying "I hope I'm not barging in", whereas the translation might be, "Excuse me, I hope I'm not intruding". Sure it means the same thing, but I thiiiink I know how the original meaning was intended.
In the end, maybe most people find it too minor of an issue and thus people who are bothered by it are being overly sensitive and picky and now it's a 'woke left pro lgbtq" debate but to me it's about doing the translation job as expected. Don't make it "sound" "american" (I'm Canadian but people here are talking Americanisms so) make it say what it says, imo.
Though if I had grown up seeing the Japanese version of a game only to get that game released in English 10 years later, I guess I wouldn't care that much at that point. I'd be more mad about paying $80 for it (wtf????)

[Cryemore]

Originally posted by WeskerFeetPics:

I mean, easy solution imo. If you prefer how its written in Japanese, play it in Japanese, and if you don't understand Japanese in the first place...how would you even know it was "badly translated" unless you actively searched it out to be outraged over.

I did play it in Japanese. The Japanese voice performance is incredible. I know enough Japanese that the poor localization used in the subtitles is incredibly jarring, yet not enough to play the game without them to follow the entire plot. Entire unnecessary phrases are added in the English subtitles for no reason whatsoever.

There are many like me, who understand it enough for the poor translation to be obvious, yet not enough to get by without it. Localizations like this are insulting.

[Kurague]

Honestly, this is really simple;

If you defend people making up stuff in translations, you are plain hypocrite white knights.

I'm quite sure if you ask for a vanilla ice-cream in a shop, you expect to receive a vanilla ice cream. The Ice Cream shop owner does NOT give you a "Vanilla with mint" because "THEY KNOW BETTER", or "Find it fun to see with how much they can get away with". That is just unprofessionalism and negligence at it's finest.

I am an IT, and if a client asks me to fix their computer(I don't work in a shop but it's an example) and I see they have Chrome installed, I'm not gonna uninstall Chrome and install whatever browser I like better and then tell the client "Well, it's because this thing is much better".
No, that's just your spoiled child brain that thinks they're so good and above everyone that what they like MUST SURELY apply to others, because their likes are "the right ones", everyone else is weird and not normal, such haters.

[nikos]

Jiffy is very old and Exactamundo is more 1970s than Gen-Z.

The NO CAP achievement title is an example of Gen-Z.

[D's Journal]

Some of it sounds dated af lmao.

[Pixelica]

Top super translation so far:

(JP): Hmm
(EN): A wishful thinking

They somehow managed to translate "Hmm" into a complete sentence, even tho the character clearly didn't spoke a single word.

Case closed... smh

[Laurence I of Yharnam]

Originally posted by Anya:

You guys realize that the localization team is in Japan and works on the actual granblue game lol, you people really just wanna stomp your feet and cry about HECKING pronouns :jeannehappy:

Lol? What have pronouns to do with this bad localisation? Are these pronouns in the room with us right now?

[Kollie]

Originally posted by Tiasmoon:

Originally posted by Kollie:

the first two literally mean the exact same thing lmao, you people are embarrassing

Originally posted by Kollie:

literally

Originally posted by Kollie:

the exact same thing

Originally posted by Kollie:

exact

Originally posted by Kollie:

you people are embarrassing

:Tio:

Originally posted by Aueberon:

Maybe the localisation is bad. But the first two examples in the OP are genuinely laughable.

Originally posted by Pixelica:

1st example:
Character A (JP): Will be done in a seconds
Character A (EN): Will be done in a jiffy
You seriously need to change "seconds" to "jiffy"?

-Adds a word that many won't know or understand, because its slang.
-Changes the sentence into slang, thereby changing the character's way of expressing themselves and thus the way the character will be perceived.

Originally posted by Pixelica:

2nd example:
(JP): The ship is still being repaired
(EN): The ship is in the shop

Adds context that was not present in the original (location: "in the shop")

Also removes context for those not aware of the intrinsic meaning of "in the shop"
(in the shop for what? : to be repaired. This is infered meaning, its not defined within the words themselves)

I mean, I still think its interesting to see how little people are actually qualified to discuss the accuracy of translations, yet still seem to think the translations are done well.

Now if you want to argue that its OK to have less then excellent translations since its just a game.. and its not a scientific publication or something, then sure. I think thats a good argument to make. But in order to make that argument you do have to accept that the translation is not very high quality.

Originally posted by CHAO$$$:

People acting like original japanese anime writing is peak fiction is hillarious.

Strawman. People are not acting like that.

Originally posted by Amongus:

people who only speak one language will never understand you can't just word for word translate, you have to deliver the meaning and context. many thing won't work at with direct word for word translations, when you know more than one language you know that quite a lot of things just can't be translated from one to another word for word, so your best options is to deliver similar context.

Skill issue. :Tio:

Also gaslighting by using a strawman.

People are not talking about "direct word for word translations". This is a strawman used in order to make people's complaints seem a lot less reasonable.

this might be hard for you to comprehend, but yes, those examples do MEAN literally the exact same thing.

crazy concept, but different words can mean the same thing. Feels like you quoted me saying literally as some kinda gotcha, but I was obviously not saying they were worded the same, just that the string of words used mean the exact same thing.

[ANDS!]

Originally posted by ℜitz:

Not even Americans speak like that. While we might understand the meaning, it's cheesy and bad lol.

Localizing is often more than just translations but sometimes they go a bit heavy handed in infusing their own personality rather than sticking closer to source.

"Cheesy" is in this games DNA regardless of localization. All these takes sharting on the English-loc, while somehow holding up the original Japanese as being this nuanced work are hilarious. The story - whether in English of Japanese - is pure mass-produced anime pap and easily takes a backseat to the combat (which is the star of the show).

. . .Tales of Berseria this game is not.

[Monochrome]

No one uses the word jiffy, I live in the country where the word originated from. Its been like 4 years or more since I last heard someone use that word, maybe more. Who the hell is translation or localising this XD Apart from a bad attempt at making someone sound English its a really weird word to decide to add and I don't understand why they would, especially for other English speakers who don't live here. Its just confusing.

[HolyGrail]

Originally posted by ANDS!:

Originally posted by ℜitz:

Not even Americans speak like that. While we might understand the meaning, it's cheesy and bad lol.

Localizing is often more than just translations but sometimes they go a bit heavy handed in infusing their own personality rather than sticking closer to source.

"Cheesy" is in this games DNA regardless of localization. All these takes sharting on the English-loc, while somehow holding up the original Japanese as being this nuanced work are hilarious.

Whatever you say, brofam.

[Windfire]

Its a problem and became a problem only when they pour they political view on it.... if not, its not a problem really, i mean they done it like that since the beginning of translation so why change it now ?

[KneeKo]

Yup. They butchered the characters too, it's not just translations. They ruined Vaseraga, Vane, and Siegfred to name a few. They literally CHANGED the personalities, even though the untranslated version is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY different from the translations. It does not even come close, it's just pure Gen Z disrespect at this point, thinking they can do a better job than the actual character designers and game developers on what personality each character should have.

What's more surprising is why Cygames allowed this to happen. Japanese devs usually are very strict with localization, e.g. Yuna's dialogue from FFX was denied so many times when the English dub said "I love you" because the literal Japanese dialogue was "Thank you". But nowadays, we get sh*t like this.

[HolyGrail]

Originally posted by Windfire:

Its a problem and became a problem only when they pour they political view on it.... if not, its not a problem really, i mean they done it like that since the beginning of translation so why change it now ?

People are more aware of it now with fancy gadgets like the internet being here that's why.. just because they got away with it doesn't mean it was ok in the first place.

The rest of the English speaking world's entertainment shouldn't be culturally appropriated into American social engineering slop. Dry humour shouldn't be "localized" into slapstick humor.

The world doesn't evolve around America.