Lost in Localisation: a Translation Analysis of Final Fantasy
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JAPANSKA Lost in localisation A translation analysis of Final Fantasy VII Theo Gillberg Handledare: Martin Nordeborg Kandidatuppsats Examinator: HT 2013 Pia Moberg Abstract This paper details issues involved in localising video games through analysis of the Japanese and English scripts of a popular role-playing game, Final Fantasy VII. The goal of localisation is re-creating a comparable experience, not necessarily a perfectly accurate text, for its target users. With this in mind, specific examples are examined using Vermeer's skopos theory and Venuti's concepts of foreignisation and domestication as frameworks, focusing on changes found in the translated version, and how they can be explained. The results show that some are deliberate adjustments, notably some of the game's humorous remarks and how the translators handle Japanese gendered speech. However, many of the changes are ultimately mistakes: some of them stem from confusion over the Japanese writing system, while others are due to flaws in the localisation process itself, or, more rarely, the translators possessing inadequate background knowledge. In conclusion, the study shows that localisation of video games deserves more attention from a translation studies perspective, not only because of their popularity, but also because they are capable of delivering rich narratives, and because they present both familiar and unique challenges to translators. Keywords: Japanese, video games, localisation, translation, foreignisation, domestication, male/female language Table of contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. 2 2. Aim ......................................................................................................................................... 3 3. Theory ................................................................................................................................... 3 3.1 The skopos theory ............................................................................................................ 4 3.2 Foreignisation and domestication ..................................................................................... 4 4. Previous research ................................................................................................................. 5 5. Method ................................................................................................................................... 6 6. Material ................................................................................................................................. 7 7. Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 8 7.1 Video games ..................................................................................................................... 8 7.2 RPG's ................................................................................................................................ 9 7.3 Final Fantasy .................................................................................................................. 10 7.4 Localisation .................................................................................................................... 12 8. Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 13 8.1. Proper nouns .................................................................................................................. 14 8.2. Male and female speech ................................................................................................ 19 8.3 Culture-specific terms .................................................................................................... 25 8.4 Humour ........................................................................................................................... 28 8.5 Notable mistakes ............................................................................................................ 31 9. Summary and conclusion ................................................................................................... 37 10. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 41 1. Introduction Whenever mentioning that I have done some work as a translator, I always get the impression that people perceive translation as a rather simple process, that basically, if you are fluent in the two languages involved, surely there cannot be any major problems. Indeed, I too have found myself yelling at subtitling mistakes countless times, wondering how one could fail at something so ostensibly straightforward as translating. The truth is, translation almost invariably involves many layers of consideration; deciding whether to convey the essence or the literal meaning of what is said, whether something sounds natural or not, whether something may not be clear in the target language without additional explanation, etc. Total mastery of both the source language and target language does not guarantee a perfect or even good translation, depending on the context. Furthermore, even a truly excellent translation will never be a perfect replication of the original in every sense. This means that a translator must prioritise certain aspects over others, and I would like to see which aspects tend to be prioritised in video games, primarily in practice but also in theory. I have been playing video games for as long as I can remember, everything from the primitive two-dimensional games of the 80's to today's more cinematic three-dimensional experiences. Video games have over the last 10 years become a truly enormous industry, with sales figures matching or even eclipsing those of the film industry, and the budgets for making these games are no different; the recently released Grand Theft Auto V had a budget higher than that of any feature film to date. Even so, video games have struggled to break out of their stereotypical designation as a mindless form of entertainment, made predominantly for teenage boys with too much time on their hands. It is only quite recently that video games have begun to be accepted as something worthy of consideration from an artistic and academic standpoint. The automatic stigma that was previously associated with video games (and which is indeed still prevalent to some extent) has always frustrated me greatly, the idea that one of my main interests in life, shared by so many others, is not taken seriously. Translation studies concerning video games are important for several reasons: (1) video games are widespread in the community and have tremendous impact, (2) the work done on this subject has so far been rather scarce, (3) video games possess certain characteristics that set them apart from other forms of media. In video games, relative to books, and to a lesser extent film, language is secondary to other aspects in terms of presenting the experience that their creators want to convey; the primary experience comes from the gameplay. Moreover, 1 current debate notwithstanding, games are still considered entertainment first, art a distant second. Perhaps for these reasons, game translation tends to take more liberties with the source material, as long as it manages to convey the same essential experience to the player, to the point where video game translation is more commonly referred to as localisation1. As the name implies, localisation involves making the game seem like a product of the local culture, and making the game feel as relatable to consumers playing a localised version as it does for those playing the original version. As such, there are bound to be many things that are removed, added and adjusted in video game translations, sometimes deliberately and sometimes simply because there is no other way. I want to know what problems arise when translating games and how translators handle them, and the benefit of being able to look at a Japanese game is that I believe language and cultural aspects will become especially apparent, leading to potentially interesting conclusions about the localisation process of video games. 1.1. Abbreviations A number of specific abbreviations will be used frequently throughout this text, and in order to facilitate the reading experience these will be listed here. RPG: Role-playing game, referring to the video game genre rather than the more general term. NPC: Non-player character, a term referring to characters in a video game that cannot be controlled by the player. AAVE: African-American Vernacular English, a linguistic variety of English. ST: Source text, i.e. the original version of a text. RT: Romanised text, i.e. the source text spelled out using the Roman alphabet. TT: Target text, i.e. the translated version of a text. AT: Author's translation, referring to the author's own attempt to translate the source text. For the sake of clarity, all of these abbreviations will be explained again, and in slightly more detail, in the respective sections that they are first introduced. 1 Mangiron, Carmen, and Minako O'Hagan. "Game Localisation: unleashing imagination with ‘restricted’translation." The Journal of Specialised Translation6 (2006): 10-21.