This is an entry in a series of posts looking at the localisation of the beginning segment of the game, Super Mario RPG. You can find the first post here. Thanks for reading!
| Original Japanese | Game's Translation |
Literal Translation
|
LocaliReview Translation
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowser | フンギャ！ |
Fungah!
Foiled again! | Fungya! | Fungah! Foiled again! |
At first I was suspicious of the game's original translation because it replicates the sound Bowser makes in Japanese, albeit finessed from fungya to fungah to include the word gah, a common noise of dismay in English. Many Japanese noises, if exactly replicated, do not translate well. For example, the animal sound, gero gero. I doubt any native English speakers would imagine that this is the sound of a frog. This is because in English, we write the sound frogs make as ribbit ribbit.
In this case, fungah has no meaning in English and is not a common term. However, to my surprise, I found that the same can be said about the term in Japanese! Googling the term revealed only a very sparse usage. In this way, I've come to appreciate the game's translation! I also like the addition of foiled again. I initially thought this might have been added because the translator was concerned about whether the meaning of fungah would carry across in English. However, upon reviewing the game footage, Bowser utters this line right after Mario stomps on his head and is sent plummeting to his doom. A single fungah would seem rather lacking, so I think adding foiled again is a much more natural way for Bowser to bow out.
| Original Japanese | Game's Translation |
Literal Translation
|
LocaliReview Translation
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peach | あぁ、よかった♥ ぶじだったのねマリオ♥ とぉ～っても心配したのよ♥ |
Oh, Mario!
You had me so worried. Let's get out of here! | Ah, I'm glad. ♥ Mario, you're unharmed. ♥ I was reallllly worried! ♥ | Oh Mario, thank goodness you're safe! I was so worried! |
The third and fourth third columns shows that the game's English is fairly different from the Japanese, though this not in that consequential to the story of characterisation. Over the Peach's three dialogue sentences, first she expresses her relief, then comments on Mario being unharmed, and finally adds that she was very worried about him. For some reason, the game's translation cuts out the sentiment of the second part, but adds in a line about Peach wishing to escape the castle. I like the game's wording of You had me so worried, but overall I think my translation reads better (and as a bonus, also sticks closer to the Japanese). Incidentally, I also removed the heart marks of the Japanese for my translation. I have no particular citation, but I feel the use of these marks in text is far rarer in English than Japanese, and thus could seem unnatural.
| Original Japanese | Game's Translation |
Literal Translation
|
LocaliReview Translation
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peach | キャ～～～！！
キャ～～～！！
ゆ、ゆ、ゆれているわぁ～～～！！
|
Shriek!!
Mario!!
I'm going to fall!
| Gyahhhhh!! Gyahhhhh!! It's sh-sh-sh-shaking!! | Aghhhhhhhhh! The ground's sh-sh-sh-shaking!! |
Again we return to the issue of vocalised sounds. Unlike the section of text seen at the start of this post, this time the translator avoided writing out the sound Peach makes in Japanese, and instead opted for Shriek!! I think people can shriek (i.e. used as a verb) and shrieks can be heard (i.e. used as a noun), but I do not think that shriek is how the noise of a shriek is written. I'd be more inclined to express this noise as eeeek! or aaaah! Indeed, there is a series of children's books (pictured below) entitled, EEK! Stories to make you shriek. For this part, I think it would have been fine to translate the sound literally as gyahhhhh, but ultimately I opted for a more natural solution of Aghhhhhhh.
The second part of this section is interesting because it relates to a translation issue that I have recently become more aware of. At first glance, the game's translation and the literal translation are markedly different. However, both are accurate to the situation. Both translations imply the information contained in their counterparts; the floor is shaking so Peach looks likely to fall over and that Peach looks likely to fall over because the ground is shaking. This may get into the territory of trying to read the minds of fictional characters, but I think in this situation it makes sense for Peach to first and foremost be concerned about her own safety. It is for this reason that I think the game's translation is superior to my own, which took a more literal route. It's important to remember that a single sentence contains many layers of information, and when translated this does not always need to conveyed in the exact same way as its source.
| Original Japanese | Game's Translation |
Literal Translation
|
LocaliReview Translation
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toad | マリオさん！家には、ドアから入ったほうがおぎょうぎがいいですよ。 |
Hey Mario! Lots of people use something called a "door" to go in and out of their houses...
| Mario! It's more polite to enter a house through a door. | Mario, it's considered basic manners to use a door when entering a house. |
4. I love the game's translation because of its sassiness. It's such an enjoyable line to read; it makes me beam (and also sticks to the core meaning of the Japanese). I think this translation is a good example of a great writer localizing a game that has the flexibility to benefit from humourous writing. I don't think I could come up with a better line. The translation I came up with closely replicates the Japanese, and is thus far more drab when compared to the game's original English translation. If I had peeked at it before coming up with my own translation, I am sure I would have been compelled to intimidate it by also including some sass. For example, "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's standard manners to use the door when entering a house." Overall, this is a great piece of translation work, and one of my favourite lines from the beginning of the game.
| Original Japanese | Game's Translation |
Literal Translation
|
LocaliReview Translation
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toad | ぼくはピーチ姫をむかえにきました。 かえりがおそいので、「キノコ城」ではしんぱいしてます‥ピーチ姫、いないですね。 ここにいるって 聞いたんですけど‥ |
Anyway, I came by to pick up Toadstool, since she's a bit late.
Hey I thought the princess was here with you, Mario! So where is she? | N/A | N/A |
| Toad | マリオさん！ ながいおつきあいなだけに、なにがあったか気づいてしまいました！ |
Mario, what's with the silent treatment?!
You're not telling me something. | Mario, given that we've known each so long I can tell something's happened. | Mario, over all these years I've come to know when there's something up. What's happened? |
I don't feel as positively about this line as I did about the previously discussed line. As the literal translation shows, the first sentence of Toad complaining about Mario him the silent treatment isn't present in the Japanese. Moreover, it lacks the core part of the Japanese. It does not conveys a sense of comradery between the two of them. Specifically, that they have a relationship that dates back a long time, and because of this Toad can sense something has happened. With the previously discussed line, the translator took the core of the Japanese and from there created an amusing line. In this case however, I think the conversation dynamic strays too far from the base Japanese. It almosts seems slightly confrontational, which runs counter to the vibe of the Japanese dialogue. I really like my translation because I think it effectively produces a sense of warm friendship between the two characters.
Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above points or Super Mario RPG'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:
COMING SOON!
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