This is an entry in a series of posts looking at the localisation of the first chapter of the game, Phoenix Ace: Ace Attorney. You can find the first post here. Thanks for reading!
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Payne | 事件があった日、きみは彼女の部屋に行かなかったかな？ |
You went to the victim’s apartment on the day of the murder, did you not?
|
| Larry 1 |
‥‥‥‥！
|
Gulp!
|
1. Even people unable to read Japanese can see that in the Japanese, Larry's reaction to Payne's question is just a set of ellipses and an exclamation mark. It could be argued that since these punctuation marks are used in both languages, the English dialogue could be the same as the Japanese. However, as a native English speaker, I feel that a set of ellipses followed by an exclamation mark conveys a sense of confusement followed by a sudden cottoning on to something. This is not how the scene plays out in the game. The use of, "Gulp!" is fantastic because it is a specific word/sound in the English language that conveys a sudden sense of fear or foreboding. I am not a native speaker of Japanese, but to my knowledge there is not such a succinct word in Japanese.
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Payne | ‥‥それで？ 矢張くん！ |
Well, Mr. Butz?
|
| Larry 2 |
う‥‥。そ、そんな目で見るなよな！
|
Dude, chill!
|
2. Initially, this translation struck me as strange. In the Japanese, Larry says, "D-don't look at me like that!" This suggests a certain degree of fear on Larry's part, yet this is not at all evident in the English. However, I checked Larry's animation in the Japanese game as he says this line, and as displayed below, he seems very laid back. When reading text alone, there is no animation that hints at the manner in which the line is delivered. I think in English it is just as easy to say, "D-dont look at me like that!" in a scared manner as it is to say it in a dismissive manner. After consulting the animation, I think the translation of "Dude, chill!" is perfect. This goes to show how important it can to be to also consult a game's animations when translating its dialogue.
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Payne | 我々には、今のウソを立証する証人がいます。 |
The prosecution would like to call a witness who can prove Mr. Butz is lying.
|
| Judge 3 |
‥‥それは話が早い。どんな証人ですか？
|
Well, that simplifies matters. Who is your witness?
|
3. The translation here is perfect, but I am pointing it out as it is as example of something that I misunderstood and would have mistranslated. I interpreted "hanashi ga hayai" literally, which would have led to a translation along the lines of, "That's quick/sudden." I thought the judge was expressing surprise at Payne's statement because it implies that case will soon be wrapped up. However, "hanashi ga hayai" is a set expression that is used in situations where a decision can be reached quickly and easily. This shows how important it is to pay close attention when encountering short statements that could very well be a set expression with a meaning that differs from its literal translation.
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Payne 4 |
念のため、停電の記録を提出します。
|
I have a record of the blackout, for your perusal
|
4. The sample translations for "nen no tame" in a dictionary are along the lines of, "just for the record" or "for confirmation" or "just to be sure." I therefore love that this was translated so smoothly with the additional remark of, "for your perusal." It is a great example of the translator stepping away from a more traditional translation in favour of natural and situation-appropriate English that still contains the sentiment of the Japanese. Great work!
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Judge 5 | では、弁護人。 |
Now, Mr. Wright...
|
5. This highlights the translator's awareness of the different way lawyers are addressed in Western courts. In Japan, lawyers are often directly addressed via their job title, but if this form of address was translated literally the English would end us up as, "Mr. Lawyer" or just, "Lawyer." This would sound very strange in English. It's conceivable that knowing that lawyers are addressed by their surname is common knowledge among native English speakers, but this is nonetheless a nice reminder that it is important to check the terminology used in the target localisation setting. In a more unfamiliar setting, a careless direct translation could result in an unnatural localisation.
Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above points or Phoenix Wright's localisation as a whole, so please comment if you've got something to say.
If you enjoyed this post, I bet you'll like the next post in this series:
http://www.localireview.com/2015/03/4.html
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