Bringing Fantasy to Reality

Localizing Final Fantasy

Carmen Mangiron, School of Applied Languages and Intercultural
Studies (SALIS), Dublin City University

Carmen Mangiron, a seasoned localizer for the Final Fantasy series, argues that video
games localization deserves closer attention, as it imposes unique challenges that are
different from those in conventional translation or software localization. She looks at the
key features of video games localization, based on the popular title Final Fantasy X, and
highlights some of the issues arising from this emerging field of localization.

The video games industry has flourished during the last few decades, and although the market
is still relatively small, it is quite lucrative. While the cost of developing a video game
typically runs between USD 1 and 3 million, it can easily generate USD 400 million or more at
retail (The Online Games Market, 2000). One of the main characteristics of video games
consumers is that they are very brand loyal. For example, fans of the Final Fantasy (FF) series
will typically have bought all published installments of the game. The fact that Final Fantasy
X sold 2 million copies in Japan in the first two days after its release indicates the level of
devotion and blind faith that leads many gamers to buy a new game based purely on their
knowledge of the series and its developers. In Japan, the release of a new video game title is
reminiscent of a new album release by a teenybopper band, as near hysterical fans queue all
night in order to buy the game as soon as stores open.

In Japan, the release of a new video game title is reminiscent of a new album
release by a teenybopper band.

What Are Video Games?

Video games are multimedia texts that combine various elements such as image, text, sound
and voice. They are stored in an electronic medium and share similarities with software
products, i.e. (1) they offer the possibility to save data, (2) they contain Menus, Help Messages
and Tutorials, and (3) they are interactive.
 Role-playing games are the most interesting for the translator.

There are various types of games: racing, fighting, sporting, adventure and role-playing games
(RPG). RPGs, such as Legend of Zelda and the FF series, are the most interesting from a
translator’s point of view since they contain a large amount of onscreen text. In RPGs, the
player identifies him/herself with the main character and must then obtain a series of objects
and skills/abilities which will enable them to succeed in the many challenges, trials and
dangers faced in order to complete their mission.
The main video games development companies are based in Japan, the United States and
the United Kingdom. For that reason, Japanese and English are generally the source languages.
However, the globalization of popular culture and the desire to expand to new markets have
led most producers to localize their games into other languages. This has brought about the
emergence of a new field in translation, video games localization, which combines features of
audio-visual translation and software localization.

Key Features of Video Games Localization

The term video games localization is used as an analogy to the term software localization. Like
software programs, games must be adapted to the conventions of the target culture. The main
priority of localization is to ensure that the game feels to the players as if it was originally
produced in their language. It is important that the players of the localized version have the
opportunity to enjoy it as much as the players of the original. Consequently, the language must
be idiomatic, and creative cultural references, sayings and jokes must be adapted appropriately.
Menus and instructions within the game must be easy to use and understand.
As previously mentioned, the source language of video games is often Japanese. Since the
number of translators from Japanese into languages other than English is still relatively small,
indirect translation through English is often used. In the past, games distributors were often
responsible for this localization and handed the scripts, usually without a copy of the game, to
agencies or translators who would localize them without much prior knowledge of the content.
It is now widely recognized that this approach had a negative impact (obviously!) on the
quality of the localization. In recent years, large game developers, such as Nintendo and
Square, have placed much more emphasis on quality. As proof of this, they have taken
responsibility for the localization of their products, prioritizing direct translation from Japanese
for their major titles.
Video games are developed by a team of developers, animators, etc. The localization is
also frequently carried out by a team, led by a project manager who coordinates the translators
of the different languages. A project typically kicks off with a series of meetings during which
the project manager and the localization teams thrash out the localization conventions and
translation problems across languages.
Some of the decisions taken at this stage affect all the languages, while some are specific
to individual language teams. The scenario in which a team of translators works on the same
language is also common. For example, the FF series is always localized by a team of two
translators per language. It is up to the individual teams to agree on style guidelines and
characterization issues, resolve difficulties with particular passages and to cross-check each
other’s work in order to guarantee the best possible quality for the translation.

Constraints in Video Games Localization

One of the biggest constraints inherent in this type of translation, also present in software
localization, is the space limitation in menus, tutorials and help messages. Help messages can
only have one line per menu item. Items in menus, such as the weapons menu in the FF series,
are all a certain length, and abbreviations must be avoided. This imposes a great restriction on
the translators, since weapon names, for example, must be original and evocative. Creativity is
a priority in video games, while in software localization, functionality is more important.
Video games localization is closely linked to the development of new technologies in the
software and hardware industries. Home consoles have come a long way since the appearance
of the first 8-bit consoles that used cartridges and offered very limited graphic, sound and
storage capabilities. The current platforms use DVDs and have a much larger storage capacity
that allows far higher-quality graphics and sound, thus making online gaming a reality. For the
first time, the main characters speak with audio voices, instead of the old text boxes used to
present the dialogues. Now, video games look more like animated movies than comics on
screen, and the game experience has become much more realistic and intense for the players.
This development has had great implications for the localization process, as constraints
characteristic of audio-visual translation have also come into play.
When Square developed Final Fantasy X (FFX), their first Final Fantasy game for
PlayStation II, character voices were recorded by Japanese actors in a studio. The original idea
was to dub the game from Japanese into the five languages into which Square currently
localizes its games: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. However, it was realized at
an early stage that the cost of dubbing the game into all those languages was prohibitive. It was
therefore decided that the game would only be dubbed into English and then subtitled for the
others.

When “arigato” (‘thank you’ in Japanese) becomes “I love you” in English.

Thus, the English version of FFX was dubbed with optional intralingual subtitles, while the
other European languages had English voices with optional subtitles in the respective target
languages. This decision had a great impact on the localization process. It was imperative that
synchronicity (especially in close-ups) be maintained between lip movements and character
dialogues. This constraint was partly the reason for the controversial decision taken by
American translators to translate one of the final lines in the game, “arigato,” (‘thank you’ in
Japanese) when Yuna is bidding farewell to Tidus, as “I love you.” They did so partly to
synchronize the dubbed voice with Yuna’s lip movements and partly to adapt it to the
conventions of American culture, where it would seem strange, even cold, that the girl’s last
words to the person she loves, and from whom she is forced apart, would simply turn out to be
“thank you.”
However, this decision proved somewhat controversial among some fans of the game who
believed that (1) this translation made too explicit something that was merely implied in the
Japanese original, and that (2) it was not consistent with the spirit of Final Fantasy series. This
decision, as with many other similar ones, affected all the localized versions, since they were
all based on the one dubbed in English. Translators were required to follow this version,
regardless of their agreement or disagreement, even though they had access to the Japanese
original as well.
In relation to the constraints characteristic of subtitling, as a rule, there is the subordination
of the written text to images and voices. Also, as human players cannot read at the same speed
as they hear, it was necessary to 'right size' the amount of information in the subtitles, in order
to allow the players enough time to read them. Space limitations were also a factor; the
translators were limited to two lines (or three in exceptional cases) with a total length of 480
pixels per line.
The German, French, Italian and Spanish versions of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy
X-2 (the latter to be published later this year) present a curious mix of localization approaches.
For example, the localization of the menus, help messages and in-game tutorials was carried
out directly from the original Japanese into all the target languages, whereas the localization
for the audio dialogues in the form of subtitles was done from the English version. The result is
a localized product with two languages: all written text, including subtitles, is in the respective
target language (translated directly from Japanese), while all spoken dialogues are in English,
an intermediate language. In fact, if the translators had worked from the original Japanese
script instead of the English version in producing the subtitles, there would have been
considerable differences between the English dialogues and the target language subtitles
(remember the above example of I love you for arigato). Such discrepancies would have been
picked up as translation errors by the users of the localized versions with a good knowledge of
English.

Conclusion

In conclusion, video game localization presents unique challenges and constraints, which
distinguish it from other types of translation or localization and make it an interesting subject
of analysis in translation studies. Since it is a relatively new field, not much research has been
carried out on the issues such as the localization process, the agents involved or the quality
assurance process. Further studies are needed to analyze this new phenomenon. It is also
important that universities and institutions that train translators start incorporating video game
localization in their curricula, in order to meet the demand for specialized translators and to
guarantee the quality and standards for this emerging industry.

Reference

Herz, J. C. 1997. How Video Games Ate Our Quarters, Won Our Hearts and Rewired Our
Minds. Boston: Little Brown and Co.

Carmen Mangiron is currently a lecturer in Japanese and Spanish at the School of Applied
Languages and Intercultural Studies (SALIS) at Dublin City University. She is also a seasoned
localizer into Spanish for the Final Fantasy series.
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