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One-Size-Fits-All Translation is a Myth: A Thread (/8)
A common thing we face as localizers is the question of why certain words or phrases are translated differently at different points in a game or anime. It's a sign of lazy translation if we didn't even check to make sure the same words in Japanese are the same in English, right?
Well... not at all, actually! Not only are Japanese and English drastically different languages, but there's simply no such thing as a 1:1, one-size-fits-all translation between one language and another (even languages that are more similar) - a point best shown through example
Let's take a look at one of the most famous "untranslateable" Japanese words, ใใใใ (๐บ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฌ๐ถ). In the most literal sense, it means "treat me kindly", something said commonly when you first meet a person or when you ask them to do something for you.
But "treat me kindly" isn't exactly how you'd introduce yourself in English, is it? That's why you generally see the phrase translated as "nice to meet you", which is not only more natural to the English ear, but also serves the ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ underlying purpose as the Japanese phrase.
What happens when you add another word to the mix, though? Tack on ใใใใใ (๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ข๐ณ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฐ, "from now on as well") to make ใใใใใใใใใ--literally "treat me kindly from now on as well"--a phrase meant to reassert your gratitude to someone you already know.
But again, "treat me kindly from now on as well" simply wouldn't be said in a natural English conversation. The direction I'd personally take it is "can't wait to keep working together" - which, again, serves the same purpose as the Japanese phrase without sounding stiff
What you end up is one Japanese word, ใใใใ--๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด--expressed in two drastically different ways in natural English. And that's okay! Because what ultimately matters is that the intent is preserved
At the end of the day, this is a constant challenge you have to face when localizing, not just with ใใใใ but with countless words in countless languages. How you approach it is a subjective, creative decision - and remember, one size most certainly does not fit all
