Read on Twitter
So here's a take on the Localization = Evil discussion that has had the translators among us up in arms the past day.
I used to think localization was evil!
1/13
I used to think localization was evil!
1/13
Granted, I grew when jelly donuts were the meal of choice in Pokemon and American dollars were superimposed onto Japanese yen in Sailor Moon. Such were the days when now obvious nuggets of Japanese culture weren't as well known among a younger western audience.
2/13
2/13
It wasn't until months after I'd dried my tears and read deeply into the ending of FFX that Yuna's parting line to Tidus (See: Thank you vs. I love you) caused those infamous words to burst forth from the abyssal depths of my peak weeaboo consciousness:
"I can do better."
3/13
"I can do better."
3/13
So I began studying the language. I used self-study books and small weekly hobbyist classes, and going into my first year or so of University study I was still adamant that a janky literal translation was the solution, warts and all.
4/13
4/13
Because from a learners perspective, I felt like I was completing a puzzle. Everything I'd studied was piecing itself together and the eureka moments were fast and frequent. Now into year, what, 12 of Japanese study (because it never ends), I just want to relax.
5/13
5/13
Localization isn't for the language learners, it's for the other 90% of consumers.
If you want to play a game before it's been tainted by the Loc demons blackened talons, crack open a textbook and play it in that language yourself. That's what we did.
6/13
If you want to play a game before it's been tainted by the Loc demons blackened talons, crack open a textbook and play it in that language yourself. That's what we did.
6/13
I consume a lot of media in English, because that's how I relax and unwind. I don't want to have to pause what I'm doing to ask Google-sensei to explain a word, an idiom, or the origins of an obscure Japanese gameshow reference from the 1970s. And neither do most consumers.
7/13
7/13
I went into Japanese study knowing I wanted to translate, and studying translation taught me a lot about the choices that go into localizing a product. Because within translation, there is a degree of localization, and vice versa.
8/13
8/13
Localization is a discussion which leads to one deciding whether a reference is widely enough understood, if it can be explained without killing the mood, or if a cultural parallel can be drawn to substitute it altogether.
This isn't censorship. Open a fucking dictionary.
9/13
This isn't censorship. Open a fucking dictionary.
9/13
A bad example: I watched Lee Chung-hyeon's The Call on Netflix and had to pause it to search a Korean term they'd left in the subs. I recoiled realizing it was a room measurement, and yes I've long forgotten what the word was...because I just wanted to watch the film!
10/13
10/13
Localization is making sure the feel and the mood of the product is appropriately conveyed. That the experiences in the source language in some way match the experiences in the target language.
Although there are some outliers (I'm looking at you FFXIV)!
11/13
Although there are some outliers (I'm looking at you FFXIV)!
11/13
And so, jumping back to that early noughties FFX catalyst, I began to understand the thought processes behind why the team chose 'I love you' instead of 'Thank you'. It was the emotion that was being localized by changing the wording.
12/13
12/13
Because at the end of the day, localization isn't about censoring a product. Quite the opposite, it's about helping it reach as wide an audience as possible.
13/13
13/13
