2011-11-24, 18:25 | Link #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The dog gossips too much.
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About US/EU localizations
I've been wondering this for years, so I'm finally going to ask.
When the same game receives a localization in the US and in the EU from different companies, do both companies carry out the process separately or do they buy rights from each other? Let take Ar Tonelico, for example. It was translated and localized for the US by NIS and for Europe by 505 Game Street. Now obviously NIS already went through the trouble of translating it into English, so did Game Street simply buy the English rights off Atlus and add the other languages or did they start from scratch? If it's the latter, does this mean there are two different English translations of Ar Tonelico out there?
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2011-11-24, 18:28 | Link #2 |
reading #hikaributts
Join Date: Feb 2009
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I have seen companies doing their own and sometimes very different translations, like advance wars (forgot which sequel, but it was not the original) for the US and Eu came out at roughly the same time. While some other company would buy the rights from the american translation, like probably Zen united did with blazblue when they ported it to europe.
edit: so i think it's cheaper to buy the rights from the translation from the company who relesed the game before you did, but if the 2 companies are releasing the same game at roughtly the same time then they would use their own translators. Last edited by hyl; 2011-11-24 at 18:45. |
2011-11-25, 07:46 | Link #6 |
Senior Member
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That is only because the EU translation was rushed and the US version just has a better translation (plus it has extra material (and trophies) that the EU version doesn't have).
Also some companies might change some parts to match correct spellings in other countries. |
2011-11-25, 10:11 | Link #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Edinburgh
Age: 42
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Some nintendo published games have different translations, like Another Code: Two Memories/Trace Memory; Professor Layton series, the european version of the Last Specter/Spectre's Call has London Life scarped because of translation time; Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and probably more.
An older but good article is over on gamasutra. It always comes back to the budget a project gets assigned. If they have a big budget most companies would redo the work to please their target audience. It is pretty much like fansubs, some people prefer an adapted approach others a more 1:1 translation/interpretation. |
Tags |
localization, translation |
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