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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix 1 | 日本で午後４時のとき、向こうでは前日の午前２時。時計で見れば、その差はちょうど、２時間になります！ |
When it's 4:00 PM here, it's 1:00 AM the next day there. The clock wasn't three hours slow, it was nine hours fast!
|
1. The translation of the second sentence is different. The Japanese literally reads, "Judging by the clock, that time gap is two hours exactly." This can be more naturally conveyed as, "The clock shows that the time difference is exactly two hours." The English strays from the structure of the Japanese but nonetheless carries out the same purpose of precisely defining the time difference. Moreover, it is a more resounding statement because it corrects the previous assumption, and then spells out the true way to interpret the time difference.
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Judge 2 | ここへ来て、状況は一変したと言っていいでしょう。亜内検事。山野 星雄は‥‥？ |
This case has certainly turned out differently than we all expected. Mr. Payne... your client?
|
2. The translation here contains an error. In a court case, the prosecution works for the state so they do not have clients. This game has such an incredible localisation that it heartens me to see this mistake, because it shows that even the most sublime translators can slip up. Given that it is not a grammar or spelling mistake, it is easy to see how this would slip past an editor checking the translation. Nevertheless, when I checked a Let's Play of the game on YouTube, the person playing the game did notice this mistake.
| Japanese | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Judge 3 | ‥‥正直に言って、驚きました。 |
I have to say, I'm impressed.
|
3. Coincidentally, this is the second time in the game that the Japanese verb "odoroku" (驚く) gave me pause for thought. As previously discussed, it typically holds the meaning of being surprised, but it can also convey admiration or wonder. I can't think of an English equivalent that conveys being moved by something unexpected. If someone is impressed they are not necessarily surprised, but nonetheless I feel this is the best translation of the verb in this context. Strictly speaking, the judge also says, "To be honest," but, "I have to say," does a similar job of giving a little preface to his remark.
This is the last post in this series examining Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney's localisation. Next week I will publish a couple of posts examining snippets of localisation from other games, before moving onto a more detailed analysis of Final Fantasy VIII the following week!
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 :)
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