Talking Final Fantasy XII's Localisation

In 2015 John Learned of USGamer did a fantastic interview of the translators and voice actors involved in localising Final Fantasy XII. It's great read, but more than that, it's a rare insight into the localisation process. This post collects four interesting points that I gleaned from the interviews, as well as some of my own personal comments.

Early Nintendo Localisation: The Origin Of Mario

A previous post discussed the arcade game Pac-Man, and how localisation defined the game and its titular character. However, the name of an even more prominent character traces back to the arcade scene of the early eighties, the beloved Italian plumber we know as Mario. The character first appeared as the user controlled avatar in Nintendo’s arcade hit Donkey Kong, but was known as Jumpman. Back in those days, gameplay was king and story mattered little, so it’s understandable why Nintendo gave him this utilitarian name to encapsulate his purpose. So what led to him ending up being called Mario?

The Localisation Of Pac-Man

The early eighties was when the videogame industry established itself in North America. This was thanks to the popularity of arcade machines. A Japanese company by the name of Namco was responsible for the most famous arcade game of this period, Pac-Man. Such was its fame that today, over thirty years later, people still know the name. However, what people likely do not know is that Pac-Man is one of the earliest examples of videogame localisation.

First, the name of the game itself. In Japan, the game was titled Pakkuman. This name was based on the Japanese onomatopoeic word pakupaku, which describes the noise a person makes when gobbling down food. This made sense given that the game is all about the titular character navigating a maze and eating pellets. For the game's foreign release, Namco transliterated the Japanese title. This resulted in the name, Puck-Man. So how did the game end up being titled as Pac-Man? The answer lies with Midway, the company who obtained the rights to manufacture the game in the United States. They were concerned by the potential for people to vandalise the machine by changing the 'P' into an 'F.' And so, Pac-Man was born! Following the North American release, Namco adopted Pac-Man as the official name for all future iterations of the game in Japan and abroad.

However, the game's title was not the only part of it touched by localisation. The nicknames of the above-pictured enemy ghosts that chase Pac-Man were also localised (as opposed to being directly translated). In the Japanese version of the game, the red, pink, cyan, and orange ghosts are called Akabei, Pinky, Aosuke, Guzuta. If translated literally, these names would read as Reddy, Pinky, Bluey, and Tardy (although note that the unifying nature of the 'y' sound is just my personal addition and is absent from the Japanese). When the game came to the West, these ghosts were introduced as Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. Pinky and Inky can be seen as  transliterations of the colours (with the caveat of regarding Inky as a reference to blue ink). In contrast, Blinky and Cylde are entirely new creations. The choice of Blinky likely stemmed from a desire to match the ending 'y' sound of the other two ghosts. Plus, it links to how the bodies of the ghosts blink as the period when they are vulnerable to Pac-Man is running out. It is a perfectly good choice of name (certainly better than 'Reddy') but it does not compare to the master stroke of naming the fourth ghost Clyde. His Japanese nickname means 'tardy', and his AI programming matches this personality. All the other ghosts are programmed to complement each other by working as a team to track down Pac-Man. The red ghost gives direct chase, the pink ghost plots ambushes, and the blue ghost reacts to the red ghost's positioning to come at Pac-Man via an opposing route. However, Clyde's behavioural programming makes him appear to act on a whim, often not capitalising on prime chances to capture Pac-Man. In other words, his behaviour is completely detached from the combined work of the other ghosts. It was therefore wonderfully fitting to give him such a left-field name as Clyde that contrasts so sharply to the unified naming scheme of the other ghosts. Whoever thought up this name deserves a pat on the back!

The arcade machine era introduced videogames to the masses in North America, and the naming of Pac-Man and its ghosts represent some of the earliest examples of videogame localisation. Approximately five years later, Nintendo entered the North American home console market with the Nintendo Entertainment System, and with it brought about a slew of Japanese videogames that needed to be localised. Next time, I'll discuss the localisation challenges of this period, as well as the surprising story behind how and why a character originally known as Jumpman ended up with the name Mario.

Localising Food: Pokemon's Rice Balls

There is a reason why the term 'localisation' exists in addition to the word 'translation.' Translating involves convey a text's meaning in another language. On the other hand, localising is deeper translation process that includes changing cultural references to make the content more relatable and understandable to a target audience. This leads to localisation work often being the target for criticism among diehard fans of a particular piece of work. They argue that any content edits bastardise the source material in straying from the original creator's intentions. I discussed this matter in greater depth in a previous post. In short, I usually have few qualms with content being changed for cultural reasons, so long as there is a good and identifiable reason behind it. The majority of a product's audience will be unfamiliar with the source material, and primarily seeking an enjoyable experience. The audience are be none the wiser if the localisation process has led to content changes. Moreover, I doubt they would even care if they did find this out. However, for those interested in localisation, such as myself, it is fascinating to research these subtle edits. One aspect that has recently peaked my interest is the issue of food being localised, which often pops up given how different cultures have different diets.

This post is going to focus on some interesting examples from the American localisation of the Japanese anime, Pokemon.

Localising Food: Inside Out's Broccoli

There is a reason why the term 'localisation' exists in addition to the word 'translation.' Translating involves convey a text's meaning in another language. On the other hand, localising is deeper translation process that includes changing cultural references to make the content more relatable and understandable to a target audience. This leads to localisation work often being the target for criticism among diehard fans of a particular piece of work. They argue that any content edits bastardise the source material in straying from the original creator's intentions. I discussed this matter in greater depth in a previous post. In short, I usually have few qualms with content being changed for cultural reasons, so long as there is a good and identifiable reason behind it. The majority of a product's audience will be unfamiliar with the source material, and primarily seeking an enjoyable experience. The audience are be none the wiser if the localisation process has led to content changes. Moreover, I doubt they would even care if they did find this out. However, for those interested in localisation, such as myself, it is fascinating to research these subtle edits. One aspect that has recently peaked my interest is the issue of food being localised, which often pops up given how different cultures have different diets.

This post is going to focus on one interesting example from the Japanese localisation of the American animated film, Inside Out.

How To Japonese - Locali Links

Be it games, manga, fashion, anime, or martial arts, Japanese culture enjoys great popularity among young people around the world. I think the prominence of these cultural exports is one of the main reasons why many people have the idea of trying to learn Japanese, and why there are many sites (such as Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese, and Maggie Sensei) that cater to this desire. These sites are great for beginners and intermediates. Moreover, I am sure the continuing popularity of Japanese culture is constantly creating new people interested in learning Japanese. However, I'd wager that the majority of these people are unable to commit the time Japanese demands, and so never progress beyond an intermediate level. It thus makes sense for the aforementioned sites to give more focus to beginners, and ensure a low barrier of entry for the site's content. However, this has led to a dearth of sites with content tailored towards experienced Japanese speakers who are looking to deepen their proficient understanding of Japanese.

JapanesePod101, another popular site for learning Japanese, advertises itself with the slogan, "Learn Japanese in the fastest, easiest and most fun way." However, the kind of slogan an experienced Japanese speaker looks for in a Japanese learning site would be something more along the lines of, "Refine your Japanese in the most detailed, nuanced, and interesting way." There are precious few sites that fit such a tagline line, so it is my truly pleasure to introduce one such site...

Learning Japanese & Translation Skills With Anime

I'm a fluent Japanese speaker. I can handle novels and text-heavy videogames. When it comes to films or anime, I am just about able to enjoy them without subtitles (though having them there certainly makes things less mentally taxing). Regardless, it's a fact that the more you read and listen, the more your reading and listening skills improve. However, this week I have found myself back watching anime with English subtitles, back to a time when I could barely speak Japanese. But why?