Total Localizer Death.
Fans of foreign media, especially Japanese video games and entertainment, are in for a treat with the test introduction of “ELLA” AI translation tool, debuting alongside the release of Eiyuu Densetsu: Kai no Kiseki
ELLA is a specialized AI-driven translation engine, co-developed by Digital Hearts and Rosetta. This tool merges Digital Hearts’ extensive game translation experience, having worked with the likes of SNK, SEGA, NetEase, Spike Chunsoft, ArcSystem Works, ATLUS, Capcom, Dimps and so many more with Rosetta’s cutting-edge AI translation and digital cloning technology, allowing for the automatic translation of emotionally expressive content, something traditional machine translation systems have struggled to achieve.
As the global reach of the Internet has made international media more accessible, one glaring issue has come to light, particularly with foreign content released in the West: mistranslations that significantly deviate from the original material.
These translations often inject unnecessary buzzwords, pop culture references, or even political agendas, straying from the creator’s intent. With region locking removed and Japanese media more widely exported, such issues have become increasingly prevalent as its popularity grows.
ELLA aims to provide a more authentic and faithful localization experience, preserving the emotional depth and meaning of the original work.
With the rise of the internet, gamers have grown increasingly aware of problematic localization practices, where some translators take liberties with the original content to make it more “relatable” to Western audiences or push specific agendas.
These changes, sometimes subtle, can drastically alter the original intent, transforming characters and entire storylines at worst. A notable example is Fire Emblem: Engage, where localization significantly diluted the romantic and marriage-focused aspects of the game, often translating romantic dialogue into platonic expressions of friendship.
Such alterations can fundamentally change a key portion of the game’s experience.
Gamers have grown increasingly frustrated with “translations” that reflect the personal agendas of translators rather than staying true to the original content, leading to a loss in sales and audience trust. With the rise of artificial intelligence, Japan has taken interest in leveraging this technology for translating media like manga for international markets, with potential applications extending to anime and video games as well in the coming years.
Not only are many localized releases riddled with inappropriate “jokes” and poorly translated dialogue that distort characters’ personalities, such as what happened with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes but traditional translation is also a costly process, requiring significant manpower.
AI-driven translations offer a solution, not only by reducing costs but also by better preserving the authenticity of Japanese media, protecting it from translators who might inject their own biases into the content. This promises a more faithful and engaging experience for global audiences.
Eiyū Densetsu (The Legend of Heroes) is a highly popular JRPG series by Nihon Falcom, but its Western releases have often suffered from poor localization efforts by publishers like NIS America and XSEED Games over the years.
One of the most notable examples is the first game in the Trails sub-series, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, which originally debuted in 2004.
However, when it was localized for Western audiences in 2011 by XSEED Games, the translation strayed from the source material, resembling fanfiction more than a faithful adaptation in certain aspects.
The beloved character Estelle underwent a significant personality shift in the Western localization, as much of her dialogue was unnecessarily embellished. Instead of providing a straightforward, faithful translation, the text was padded with additional content, altering her original tone.
One of her regular catchphrases in the Japanese version was completely replaced with unique lines, further distancing her Western portrayal from the character fans knew in the original version. This change detracted from the authenticity of her character, a common theme of localized Japanese products today but was much harder to analyze decades ago.
Nihon Falcom recently announced a full-fledged remake of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, set for release in 2025. Interestingly, the company has not yet confirmed whether it will continue its long-standing practice of outsourcing its beloved franchises to Western publishers like XSEED or NIS America.
This has sparked hope among fans that Nihon Falcom may take the reins on the localization process themselves, potentially avoiding a repeat of the flawed translations that marred the series’ original Western releases decades ago.
The ELLA AI translation technology will be featured at a user-participation event at the 4Gamer.net booth during this years Tokyo Game Show.
During the event, ELLA will demonstrate its capabilities by translating content from Nihon Falcom’s upcoming title, The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria.
For the event, four unique character lines, not found in the main game, will be crafted, and ELLA will translate them into four languages: Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese, each with five variations.
Attendees at the 4Gamer.net booth, as well as online readers, will have the chance to vote on which translation best captures the characters’ personalities.
The results are sure to surpass the kind of work seen from NIS America’s localization team. With NISA based in California, it’s no surprise that their localizations have been plagued by translation errors, censorship, and the forced inclusion of jokes and humor that alter characters’ original personalities.
While AI translations may not always be 100% accurate, they still offer a significant improvement over the biased and agenda-driven changes often seen in traditional localization like the controversial practices by Crunchyroll with Japanese anime.
By adopting AI-driven translations, Japanese companies can reduce costs, handle translations in-house, and ensure a more faithful representation of their content across various languages. This could potentially render companies like NISA obsolete.
Their mishandling of localizations has not only resulted in fan-demanded translation patches for already localized games but has also shown that fan translations can sometimes be completed years before Nihon Falcom officially greenlights a Western release. Even after approval, these official localizations often require additional months of production.
It’s clear that “ELLA” isn’t commercially viable just yet, and Nihon Falcom won’t be relying on AI-driven translations for their games on a large scale anytime soon. However, machine learning technologies like this are still in their early stages, and as they evolve, their accuracy will improve rapidly as will the process.
Companies will begin testing and applying these systems more broadly, leading to more reliable translations. English localizers, understandably, are fearful and resentful of AI and machine learning translations, and for good reason.
As automation advances, many will find themselves out of a job, an outcome that many believe is deserved, given the way many localizers have gone out of their way to interject social issues and political bullshit in foreign made media alongside generally mishandling translations for years.
While this may displace people who are genuinely good at the trade, the industry has been inundated by activists who alter Japanese media to fit Western preferences and narratives, at the expense of authenticity.
This shift has frustrated consumers who value the original Japanese content. The rise of AI translation offers hope for a future where Japanese media can remain true to its origins, without being diluted to cater to audiences who don’t appreciate the source material.
As AI technology advances, the need for human translators will decrease, saving companies money while delivering a more accurate and enjoyable experience. In the long run, there’s little downside to automation, and it’s only a matter of time before these technologies take over—and honestly, it can’t come soon enough.
