Super Mario RPG - Localisation Review (1)

This is an entry in a series of posts looking at the localisation of the beginning segment of the game, Super Mario RPG. Thanks for reading!

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	Original Japanese	Game's Translation	Literal Translation	LocaliReview Translation
Peach	クッパにきをつけてマリオ！！	Don't let Bowser bruise you, Mario!	Pay attention to Bowser, Mario!	Be careful, Mario!

The phrase Peach uses, ki wo tsukeru, is a common everyday Japanese expression. The JMDict definitions of, "to be careful; to pay attention; to take care," perfectly summarise its usage. It's a simple sentence to translate, yet the game's translation is fairly quirky. The Japanese is closer to specific advice than the official English translation, but both comments have the same function; Peach is warning Mario so that he will be less likely to be hurt by Bowser. There's no denying that the word bruise can function as a verb, but I don't think this usage is particularly widespread. It's hard to imagine a fight occurring and either participants or bystanders using the word bruise as a verb. Given that this is a Mario game, set in the fantasy world of the Mushroom Kingdom, it will always be possible to argue that quirky sounding dialogue is always passable. While I acknowledge this point, there is no such quirkiness in the Japanese. Unless the translator was given the directive to make the dialogue more quirky, I don't think it was necessary here to deviate from a more straight forward translation. In this case, the difference isn't particularly pronounced, but it is a matter that become more noticeable further down the line. (Just look at the next paragraph I discuss).

As an aside, it's worth noting that in Japanese, the villain Western players know as Bowser is called kuppa (Koopa). According to MarioWiki, "Bowser was created by Shigeru Miyamoto as the villain of Super Mario Bros. Miyamoto stated that they considered naming him either Kuppa (국밥), Yukke (육회), or Bibinba (비빔밥), which are all Korean dishes as they are known in Japanese. In the end, 'Kuppa' was chosen. For the later North American release of the game, which also introduced the anglicized spelling Koopa, the character was named 'Bowser.'" As for how this translation came about, an article on 11points,com states, 'During the import process, there was a concern that the American crowd wouldn't understand how the little turtles and big bad guy could both be called Koopa. So a marketing team put together dozens of choices for a name, they liked Bowser the best, and slapped it on him.' I'd be surprised it really was a marketing team that had the final say over this decision, but I couldn't find any other sources related to this matter.

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	Original Japanese	Game's Translation	Literal Translation	LocaliReview Translation
Bowser	ガハハハ‥‥。キョウこそけっちゃくをつけてやるぞ！！	Mario! Prepare yourself for the great beyond!	Gahaha, today is the day I settle this!	Gahaha, this it Mario!

While considering what game localisation to examine, it was this line that tilted me towards Super Mario RPG. ''Prepare yourself for the great beyond!" As the literal translation highlights, this line is a very creative translation! At a squeeze, I suppose I can agree that it retains the meaning of the Japanese; "the great beyond" is an idiom that refers to the afterlife i.e. that Bowser is going to kill Mario. I think this is somewhat strong. The literal translation shows how the Japanese keeps things vaguer, which I think is preferable. I retained this policy in my own translation. It could be criticised for not making clear what "it" is, but given the context I think it is understandable.

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	Original Japanese	Game's Translation	Literal Translation	LocaliReview Translation
Peach??	マリオ～～！ワンワン(くさり)をねらってぇ～～！！	Mario! The chain! Aim for the chain!	Mario! Aim for the Chain Chomp (the chain)!	Mario! Target the Chain Chomp!

I am fairly sure that at the time this game was made, the creature involved here had been officially titled a "Chain Chomp." In the Japanese, Peach refers to it by its Japanese name, wanwan but spells out in brackets that she is referring to the chain. For my translation, I judged this as unnecessary because "Chain Chomp" has the word chain in it! I also changed the verb from "aim for" to "target." This is not a huge point, but I feel "aim for" lends itself more to situations in which the character is using a projectile weapon such as a gun. Finally, the game's translation deviates from the Japanese by mentioning the chain twice. I don't this warps the Japanese meaning, it just adds some extra emphasis.

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	Original Japanese	Game's Translation	Literal Translation	LocaliReview Translation
Bowser	ん？ な、なんだこのオトは‥‥。 ゲッ！ ゲゲェッ！！ ハ、ハナすんじゃないぞ！ ぜったいハナすな！！ がんばれ、ワンワン！ おマエには、ワガハイのミライがかかっている ぞ！！ たのむ、ハナさないでくれ～～！！ あ～れぇ～～～～～！！ マリオォ～！ きさまもみちづれだぁ！	What was that sound? N...n...NO!!! It's a chain reaction!! Hang on, Kinklink!! Eyaaaaa!! Coming, Mario?	Hm? What was that sound? NO! N-N-N-N-OOOOOOO! Don't let go! Absolutely do not let go! Hang in there, WanWan. My future is in your hands! I'm counting on you, don't let go! AHHHHH! Marioooooooo! I'm taking you too!	Hm? What was that sound...? Huh?! Uh-oh-uh-oh-uh-oh. Hold on, Chompy! Whatever you do, do not let go! Just hang in there! It's all on you, Chompy! I'm counting you! Don't. Let. Goooooooooooooooo. Marioooooooo! You're coming too!

In a cointuation of the previous point's topic, here Bowser refers to what we commonly understand as a Chain Chomp as a "Klinklink." The separate entry Klinklink has on the Super Mario Wiki (and its definition as "a variety of Chomps that are used to hold up chandeliers in Bowser's Keep") suggests that it is seen as a different kind of Chain Chomp. In the Japanese though, Bowser refers to it as wanwan, the same name given to Chain Chomps in other games. This led to me think that the translation of "Klinklink" was a mistranslation. However, after doing some more research, I found that in the Japanese game, when you put your cursor on this enemy in question, it is possible to see it has a unique Japanese name of Shanderiwan, a portmanteau of chandelier and Wan-Wan. (See the screenshot below). Nevertheless, in my translation I chose for Bowser to refer to the enemy in question as "Chompy." It's a fun name, and conveys Bowser's sense of affection towards his minion, which is particularly relevant given that he is pinning his life on it hanging on!

The game's translation has no reference to the remarks highlighted in the literal translation of "My future is in your hands!" I see no reason for this to be omitted. I included it in a slightly roundabout manner with, "It's all on you, Chompy." The specific wording is slightly different, but the sentiment is the same.

As the Shanderiwan falls, the game's English follows the Japanese in Bowser expressing a cry of alarm. Given that the Mario RPG games are well known for its humourous text (and that in the build up to Bowser falling he repeatedly urges Shanderiwan to hold on,) I feel good about being creative and injecting some fun with, "Don't. Let. Goooooooooooooooo." Clearly, as he says "go" the Shanderiwan starts to come crashing down.

Finally, as he is falling, Bowser remarks that is he is taking Mario with him. I don't love the game's English of "Coming, Mario?" It feels too light for me, especially when his Japanese seems a lot more forceful. The translation I propose, "You're coming too," is less creative, but comes closer to conveying the vigour of Bowser's Japanese.

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	Original Japanese	Game's Translation	Literal Translation	LocaliReview Translation
Bowser	マリオ～～！　がんばってぇ～～！！ファイトよ、マリオ！！ファイトォ♥	Fight, Mario! FIGHT!!!	Mario! Do your best! Keep going Mario, keep going!	Keep going Mario, I believe in you! You can do it!

5. I think the game's translation fell into the trap posed by a waseieigo word (a Japanese word constructed of elements of English that are unable to translate back into English smoothly). Here, we have the word faito (born from the word "fight.") It is a commonly used word, but does not mean "to fight." In Japan, the term is said to a friend someone (usually a friend) they are about trying doing something challenging, when they are really trying their best at something, or when they are down in the dumps. In other words, it's a remark intended to spur someone on. It's better to think of the term along the lines of, "Go for it!" and "Hang in there!" Although the game's translation does sound like encouragement, the "FIGHT!!!" remark sounds slightly too strong and demanding.

As for my translation, I think "I believe in you" and "You can do it" carry an adequate amount of encouragement to stay true the spirit of the Japanese. Nonetheless, I am not totally content with the translation because, given my experience with other Mario games, I am not completely sure if it's the type of thing that Princess Peach would say. However, given that this game was a created back in the early nineties, there would have been few precedents for how Peach spoke. Finally, although in the Japanese Peach says Mario's name twice, I follow the game's English by making the speech more natural by omitting it.

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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 :)