(SPOILERS) Union X: Siblings

[Sign]

This isn't related to this update but official localization has decided to go with "lifeboat" instead of "ark" and I'm just going to say they can fuck off with that nonsense.

 

[The_Echo]

This isn't related to this update but official localization has decided to go with "lifeboat" instead of "ark" and I'm just going to say they can fuck off with that nonsense.

Between this and Special Attack Bonus, I'm starting to wonder if this is actually being localized by 4Kids

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

This isn't related to this update but official localization has decided to go with "lifeboat" instead of "ark" and I'm just going to say they can fuck off with that nonsense.

Your body shall be the lifeboat that sustains me!

 

[LoneFox]

Yes, that is very obviously wrong.

Am I the only one who interpreted the part where using it destroys one's body as a reference to the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark?

 

[The_Echo]

I've seen the idea floating around that the white coat might actually be Data-Strelitzia, mirroring Data-Riku as having been chosen as a vessel for the Book's data to protect it from the bugs.

Honestly, I buy it

 

[kirabook]

Why do localization teams do this? Is it laziness/indifference towards the material? Are the translators not well versed? How does one go from ark, which is epic sounding and fits in this fantasy/technology setting to.... lifeboat? Are we on the titanic?

Like I kinda get it, saves lives, keeps people afloat, takes them to safety. But ark is still more suitable for the setting.

 

[The_Echo]

Why do localization teams do this? Is it laziness/indifference towards the material? Are the translators not well versed? How does one go from ark, which is epic sounding and fits in this fantasy/technology setting to.... lifeboat? Are we on the titanic?

Like I kinda get it, saves lives, keeps people afloat, takes them to safety. But ark is still more suitable for the setting.

It's a completely intentional rewrite. The only question is why rewrite it.

The Japanese word is「箱舟」which is quite literally the kanji and words for "box" and "boat" put together.
There are a number of Japanese terms for "lifeboat" including「助け船」(verb "to save" + "boat") and「ライフボート」(the English word "lifeboat" in kana), but not 箱舟. You can paste it into Google and see how the word translates practically (cargo ships).
So whomever translated this had to have seen what the word actually meant, and decided to replace it with something vaguely similar, I guess, kind of.

Swear to God if "lifeboat" makes it into voiced dialogue in a later game I'm gonna freak

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

It’s just sheer ignorance imo—Ignoring already established themes to try and dance around any religious references.

Problem is that the Foretellers already are named after the seven sins. They tried erasing guilt from the game but it completely backfired. This might not backfire on them as much but it just sounds dumb and yet again destroys the implied themes here.

 

[KeybladeLordSora]

It’s just sheer ignorance imo—Ignoring already established themes to try and dance around any religious references.

Problem is that the Foretellers already are named after the seven sins. They tried erasing guilt from the game but it completely backfired. This might not backfire on them as much but it just sounds dumb and yet again destroys the implied themes here.

"Special Attack Bonus"

"Lifeboat"

"B r a i n"

 

[2 quid is good]

Honestly I still prefer Ephemera.


............ Oh God I sound like an FF7 Aeris boomer

 

[Sign]

Honestly I still prefer Ephemera.


............ Oh God I sound like an FF7 Aeris boomer

Haha, it still has a nice ring to it. I've let it go but I still pronounce it with the 'a' in my head.

 

[ShardofTruth]

You guys, lifeboat is the correct translation because we've seen the original form of that strange machine almost six years ago. Nomura the absolute madman has done it again.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

I've seen the idea floating around that the white coat might actually be Data-Strelitzia, mirroring Data-Riku as having been chosen as a vessel for the Book's data to protect it from the bugs.

Honestly, I buy it

Haven't considered that, but I can see it going that route.

Why do localization teams do this? Is it laziness/indifference towards the material? Are the translators not well versed? How does one go from ark, which is epic sounding and fits in this fantasy/technology setting to.... lifeboat? Are we on the titanic?

Like I kinda get it, saves lives, keeps people afloat, takes them to safety. But ark is still more suitable for the setting.

I'm trying to imagine how someone can look at what the ark is and think "Yeah, I can call that a lifeboat."

This huge story gap between Japan and the rest of us gives the the translator/localizer no excuse for not knowing the context.

It’s just sheer ignorance imo—Ignoring already established themes to try and dance around any religious references.

Problem is that the Foretellers already are named after the seven sins. They tried erasing guilt from the game but it completely backfired. This might not backfire on them as much but it just sounds dumb and yet again destroys the implied themes here.

Watch Joshua being changed to "Steve" in future games.

 

[Antifa Lockhart]

I wanna chime in and say that the actual translation work for Kingdom Hearts has usually been pretty good, historically. Likely the fault isn't entirely the actual translator's or the adaptation team but may have come from above or someone in the Western team saying "now wait a minute"

 

[The_Echo]

I wanna chime in and say that the actual translation work for Kingdom Hearts has usually been pretty good, historically. Likely the fault isn't entirely the actual translator's or the adaptation team but may have come from above or someone in the Western team saying "now wait a minute"

These kind of rewrites and mistakes happen in every game, though I feel they've increased in frequency since DDD. (It's also evident in FFXV, WoFF and VIIR so it's not just KH either.)
For example, when Riku tells Sora that "there can't be two Keyblade masters" in KH1, the actual JP dialogue says "we don't need two heroes." And that scene wound up making a huge part of the Western fanbase wrongly believe (many still do) that there was only supposed to be one "Keyblade master" period.

I'd say like 90% of KH dialogue is faithfully translated, maybe more.
But that other 10% kind of really sucks

We'll never know how much of this is on the localization team themselves, or the result of meddling from higher up.
Either way, I don't like it

 

[OneDandelion]

And that scene wound up making a huge part of the Western fanbase wrongly believe (many still do) that there was only supposed to be one "Keyblade master" period.

you're splitting hairs. Riku was an "unreliable narrator" at that point in time, people only believed him because that's how the typical hero story is told. Even with the proper translation, fans would probably still assume there was only one keyblade master anyway.

Dialogue is also rewritten in ways that simply appeal more to the west. Imo, things like minor translation errors are significantly less important than the cultural context that is lost. That is to say, in order to really get the full message of the game translated into english you would have to add dialogue and footnotes in order to explain the nuance in the japanese character dialogue. I don't know how often this sort of things happens in KH because I'm not familiar with the JP version of the game at all, but in manga and anime it happens all the time.

 

[The_Echo]

you're splitting hairs. Riku was an "unreliable narrator" at that point in time, people only believed him because that's how the typical hero story is told. Even with the proper translation, fans would probably still assume there was only one keyblade master anyway.

Although there are three Keyblades present in KH1, people still hold onto the idea that Sora is "the chosen one" largely due to the choices made during localization.

Dialogue is also rewritten in ways that simply appeal more to the west.

Too often is this an excuse for rewriting the script. In all cases I would rather they prioritize the meaning and intent of the original writing than rewriting it into "what the West would like more."

Imo, things like minor translation errors are significantly less important than the cultural context that is lost. That is to say, in order to really get the full message of the game translated into english you would have to add dialogue and footnotes in order to explain the nuance in the japanese character dialogue. I don't know how often this sort of things happens in KH because I'm not familiar with the JP version of the game at all, but in manga and anime it happens all the time.

That sort of thing typically happens when a work references Japanese history or culture in some way, or a pun is being made that doesn't translate.

The only point that I know of where this happens in KH is in Re Mind when Xigbar tells Luxord about the black and white goats passing letters to each other. But because he's actually explaining the story, nothing needed to be added for a non-Japanese audience to understand what he meant.

 

[MATGSY]

Wait a minute. White coats, "Graceful Assassin".....

Well mobile games do love their random crossover events.

 

[OneDandelion]

Although there are three Keyblades present in KH1, people still hold onto the idea that Sora is "the chosen one" largely due to the choices made during localization.

And riku saying there can't be two heroes isntead somehow undermines that idea? "Hero" or "Keyblade Master" the idea in the west of a young man inheriting a sword tends to lend itself to the idea that they were a "chosen hero".

That sort of thing typically happens when a work references Japanese history or culture in some way, or a pun is being made that doesn't translate.

No, I'm talking about common Japanese themes in stories that are less relatable to western audiences due to our predominately Christian values. This sort of thing comes up all the time in dialogue, but most people are content chalking many of those moments up to "those crazy, eccentric Japanese" stereotypes when there is some historical/cultural context for the way Japanese people/characters tend to act

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

These kind of rewrites and mistakes happen in every game, though I feel they've increased in frequency since DDD. (It's also evident in FFXV, WoFF and VIIR so it's not just KH either.)
For example, when Riku tells Sora that "there can't be two Keyblade masters" in KH1, the actual JP dialogue says "we don't need two heroes." And that scene wound up making a huge part of the Western fanbase wrongly believe (many still do) that there was only supposed to be one "Keyblade master" period.

I can see reasons why this piece of dialogue was changed, so I can't completely blame them on this one nor put in in the same box as "lifeboat". The timing would be off if using a straight translation and they may not have been able to lengthen it without it sounding clunky. "Heroes" itself might have sounded off to the translator. It doesn't help that this was done on the idea that this would be the only game.

I'd say like 90% of KH dialogue is faithfully translated, maybe more.
But that other 10% kind of really sucks

^ When the translating matters the absolute most, it falls on its face.