Kotaku Article/Video on Translations

[Mother]

Ohhhhh maaan that reveal about Red XII daydreaming about his grampappy in Costa del Sol sucker-punched me right in the feels. Thanks for yet another great set of videos, Tim. I hope your bird-hating friend makes more hilarious cameos.

 

[Ite]

Funny! I always thought Techno-freak was a jab at his artificial limb.

 

[Shademp]

I always thought Techno-freak was a jab at his artificial limb.

And I thought it was a jab at how eager Barret was to see the mako reactor being built!

 

[X-SOLDIER]

https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-viis-explanation-for-barrets-gun-arm-is-d-1821708569

Oooooh, Big Boy Daddy Man Dio Baby! You have quite the strat o sphais quois about you. Tee hee.

X

 

[leadmyskeptic]

This has been, and is, fascinating. Any time you can take a quote-unquote 'oldie' and pull legitimately new things--that were actually there the whole time--to the surface, you're on to something special. One of things I've found most captivating about this, though is that, as much as there are times where the English translators in their rush missed things, downplayed emotional beats, outright butchered things--there are seemingly as many times where the English script added a flavor without which I wouldn't have been sucked into the game the way I was. For example, the Barret that yells "si' down and shu' up!" is the one that made me go 'Whoa, this isn't like games I've played before! This has personality!', as opposed to 'Be cool' *flicks sunglasses*, which was tired, even in 1997. Same thing with "Don't say such things!" vs. "Stop being a retard and CLIMB!!". I get how those things wouldn't have carried over into Japanese, likely (just as many of the things that didn't make it over were probably deemed into the same category, often incorrectly) but I like them as interpretations. Regardless, as a 'version history', this is something really magical, and the video creator is a talented individual. Keep it up.

 

[Ite]

That ghost hotel segment made me quite melancholy. <3

 

[Lex]

Long may these videos continue.

 

[Mother]

Tim, another excellent video. Especially loved what Aerith said about comforting Barret, and the segment on Dio.

 

[cold_spirit]

One of things I've found most captivating about this, though is that, as much as there are times where the English translators in their rush missed things, downplayed emotional beats, outright butchered things--there are seemingly as many times where the English script added a flavor without which I wouldn't have been sucked into the game the way I was.

To echo this sentiment, the original script has a lot of problems. Clearly. There's enough issues to make an entire video series out of it. That, however, didn't stop it from successfully conveying a story that has captivated us for 20+ years. So it must be doing SOMETHING right.

I find this very interesting.

To Tim: Please keep up the videos. I'd donate to you on Patreon if I could!

 

[ForceStealer]

And here we goooo:

 

[X-SOLDIER]

God I love this series just the most. It's the exact perfect balance of information and humour.





X

 

[Lex]

I need MOAR THO

Liking the longer episodes <3

 

[Octo]

how come

DO I EVEN GOT A TO GO ON? hasnt become a TLS meme yet?


Oh god im fucking crying

 

[Mother]

I legitimately did not stop laughing from start to finish, I've been slain by this series. It's too good.

HOKEYBUTT BULLSTUFF

 

[T@ctic]

so i came across this video today and was immediately "triggered", to quote the user literally. however, when he referred to the translation video series, i remember seeing that already, and i don't remember anything like that being said in the video. or, maybe it's just because i don't remember. either way, i'm confused....:T

 

[Roger]

https://youtu.be/rCS7HQOs1mU?t=14m4s

Aerith indeed doesn't state outright that Zack was her boyfriend or that were dating in the original japanese, similarly when Zack and Cloud are on the truck heading for Midgar, Zack doesn't use pronouns that make it clear he is there to see one person specifically either.

Zack still wrote a letter to his parents to tell her about a girl he met though, it just doesn't look like originally Zack and Aerith's relationship had advanced to the stage depicted in Crisis Core, leaving them both to downplay their feelings when bringing it up with Cloud so as to not needlessly spoil their chances to get with the blonde.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

There's also the chance that at the time of FFVII's development, the devs hadn't decided what kind of relationship Zack and Aerith were to have yet. It might not have been until AC or CC that they decided that yes, Zack and Aerith were going to be a couple. There's a lot of things in the OG that are like that.

 

[Theozilla]

so i came across this video today and was immediately "triggered", to quote the user literally. however, when he referred to the translation video series, i remember seeing that already, and i don't remember anything like that being said in the video. or, maybe it's just because i don't remember. either way, i'm confused....:T

Check the end of the first page and most of the second page of this thread, there are quite a number of posts discussing that translation difference/revelation, and what the creative narrative intention at the time might have been taking in account other OG material (such as Zack's letter to his parents, and his truck conversion with Cloud) and later Compilation directions.

 

[T@ctic]

thank you everyone for the information. i will check it out!

 

[T@ctic]

okay so watching the translation again, i'm assuming that this has something to do with zack being one of the late created characters (unless i have that wrong). aerith was just to have this mysterious potential love interest that was in soldier who resembled cloud, but then that was changed to zack at the end of the game when cloud's memories were revealed?

i don't see how this will affect the RM, though. clearly CC solidified any vagueness in VII, so the most i will anticipate is either aerith using clearer words or a flashback/memory, one that doesn't give much away of course.

anyway, regardless of what i think and/or feel, this was pretty interesting to (re) learn about. i don't blame the translators at all since it's '97 after all and translating was more "what letters can fit in with how many kanji were in the box while making half sense" than making everything flow perfectly. however, due to this, there will be a LOT in the game that fans could mistake as the new content when it's just been correctly translated...lol

 

[T@ctic]

Spoiler

ho boy, i came to watch the 9th part and so many people in the comments rejoicing that "zerith is dead* (yes, zerith is dead, zack and aerith are no longer with the living ) and many proofs of clerith. disappointing that they rely on the small knowledge and connection of zack and aerith in '97 instead of the game that clarified it in CC. so, even if S/E didn't want to make zerith in '97, that choice was definitely changed in '07. but i don't want to make this an LTD convo, it's just that zack is my favourite character in FF. the way people ignore his importance in cloud and aerith's life is so frustrating, which is pretty ironic now that i think about it because that's the major point that connects them - not their love for each other but for a best friend and a lover.

EDIT:okay, so i ended up basically repeating the same thing from my post above. but I'M ANGRY GUYS ;_;

 

[X-SOLDIER]

https://kotaku.com/what-going-on-a-date-with-aeris-is-like-in-japanese-1828094269

IT'S STILL GOING!!!






X

 

[Theozilla]

Spoiler

ho boy, i came to watch the 9th part and so many people in the comments rejoicing that "zerith is dead* (yes, zerith is dead, zack and aerith are no longer with the living ) and many proofs of clerith. disappointing that they rely on the small knowledge and connection of zack and aerith in '97 instead of the game that clarified it in CC. so, even if S/E didn't want to make zerith in '97, that choice was definitely changed in '07. but i don't want to make this an LTD convo, it's just that zack is my favourite character in FF. the way people ignore his importance in cloud and aerith's life is so frustrating, which is pretty ironic now that i think about it because that's the major point that connects them - not their love for each other but for a best friend and a lover.

EDIT:okay, so i ended up basically repeating the same thing from my post above. but I'M ANGRY GUYS ;_;

Well the @108 dude did also admit in the 9th video
that the original Japanese script being comparatively more vague about Zack and Aerith&#8217;s romantic relationship doesn&#8217;t automatically equal evidence against it (i.e. a lack of evidence doesn&#8217;t not equal evidence proving the contrary), and makes clear in a big spinnig hashtag that he has a Cloud x Aerith bias/preference. Basically because the OG in the original Japanese painted Zack and Aerith&#8217;s romantic relationship more vaguely, he prefers to interpret it as having been unrequited, in spite of later entries (or additions to the OG, like Zack&#8217;s letter to his parents) explicitly clarifying otherwise (based on his tweets it sounds like he isn&#8217;t a huge fan of Crisis Core, or at least it&#8217;s fans: https://twitter.com/108/status/948982327165714434?s=21).

EDIT; Skimmed through the newest 10th video, it&#8217;s kinda amusing/charming how unabashedly Tim Rogers loves &#8220;#Clerith&#8221;.

 

[ForceStealer]

On twitter he's been saying he was working on the last two videos, but that they'd both be extra-long.

Can't watch it just yet, but I'm very eager to

 

[Ite]

but Disc 2 is where the localization needs the most clarification. So many lines of dialogue are just... wtf.