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.

Language & Locale - Localisation Thoughts

When thinking about a game’s localisation, it's easy to think only of the script. However, there are many other important matters to consider! Today, I want to examine one of these, the linguistic elements present in the game’s environment that go unspoken by the game's characters but are seen by the player's eyes. Shop signs, posters, notice boards, letters, and books all fall under this category. How developers build the environment for foreign locales when they themselves may not speak its language? This post examines the way a number of developers (originating from both the USA and Japan) have tackled this issue, and discusses its effect on player immersion. Read to the end to see an example from a Japanese game that demonstrates the incredibly jarring effect a disparity between the language used in the game's dialogue and its environment can have.