Hey, everyone! When last we met, I was complaining about the quality of fan translations. Typically, criticisms like that are met with “well, if you don’t like it, why don’t you do better?”
Well, I’m here to do just that. Not once, but several times!
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All posts in TL Check
TL Check: Fan Translation Edition (Fire Emblem: if)
Hey, everyone. Long time, no translate. Here’s a fun thing to look at, though: the internet is buzzing about Fire Emblem Fates, and I might as well shamelessly capitalize by dissecting the fan translation.
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TL Check – Castle Shikigami 2 – Part 1.5: Character Limit Interlude
Hey, guys! We’re about ready to start actually looking at Castle Shikigami 2, but I wanted to get a word in about a special bugbear that lurks in every localization project…
THE DREADED CHARACTER LIMIT
For the uninitiated, the character limit is the amount of text you can fit onscreen/in a text box at once. It’s usually broken up to how many characters per line, plus how many lines fit into the box itself.
This is a very important thing to know about as a translator: if a game is coded with Japanese text in mind, the idea of having 20 characters per line and only 2 lines of text in the box isn’t too unnatural. You can fit a lot of Japanese text in 40 characters. English, on the other hand… well, let’s look at an example after the jump. Read More
TL Check: Castle Shikigami 2 – Part 1: Introduction
This is a game near and dear to my heart. Released as a budget title for the PS2 by a company that did not actually do localization work, Castle Shikigami 2 has a bit of a reputation.
It’s actually a solid little vertical shooter, but certain other things tend to overshadow its gameplay…
What went wrong? Read More