If you’re a Western enthusiast intrigued by Vanillaware’s Tactical JRPG “Unicorn Overlord,” published by Atlus, it might be wise decision to think twice following the discovery of its localized English translation.
Localization, or more rather TRANSLATION is undeniably the most vital element in translating media from one language to another. Naturally, our primary desire is a translation that faithfully adheres to the original source material.
At times, achieving a precise one-to-one translation may not be feasible. However, this should not serve as an excuse for Western translators to distort the source material through dubious means.
The essence of localization is to adapt a product from one nation for acceptance in another by presenting it in such a manner that another country and their culture would accept it. Translating a product is NOT the same as localizing a product.
We’ve witnessed instances where translators have injected political buzzwords into their localized efforts, effectively tarnishing the material. Moreover, they often undermine the integrity of the content by inserting Western slang and memes, inadvertently dating the product and making it incomprehensible for some to even understand.
Another concern with localized releases is that the translation, while not necessarily overrun with memes and slang, may suffer from the translators’ inclination to embellish and dramatize the creators’ work.
In such cases, the translators may presume to know better than the original creators. While the translation may be technically “accurate,” the excessive and unnecessary additions can detract from players’ immersion. The meaning and emotion conveyed by various characters’ words may be diluted, the context can also be changed by such additions impacting the overall experience for those who want an authentic translation.
In any case, the latest media property to undergo localization treatment is Unicorn Overlord, set to release on March 8th for all major console platforms except PC. A free demo of the game has been recently launched, covering the initial sequence of the main game. Players can transfer their saved progress from the demo to the full game upon its official release.
As revealed by Zakogdo, the English translation if full of embellishment, with the translators attempting to fancify the work of others for no reason other than self-satisfaction.
While Unicorn Overlord may be based in a medieval setting, it still doesn’t warrant embellishing dialogue at the expense of accuracy. For instance, the phrase “We completely fell for it” shouldn’t be transformed into “Guy laid out the bait, and we just had to have a nibble.”
While some will argue that this effectively conveys the same meaning, the original euphemism has been thrown out of the window, the meaning may remain the same but the context has changed and in this particular case it isn’t all that believable in a fantasy setting.
Zakogdo proceeds to present numerous examples where accuracy to the original script has been abandoned in favor of injecting drama through embellishments into the localized dialogue.
Basic lines like “I can’t hide anything from you” have been completely reworked into phrases such as “I couldn’t pretend otherwise. You’d sniff out the lie before it scarcely passed my lips.”
Other noteworthy instances of bizarre changes include “It’s been some tie since she was abducted, I wonder if she’s alright.” has been localized as “it’s been some time now since she was abducted, and all I’ve been able to put forth are vague prayers for her safety.“
Once more, while some may view these translations as carrying the same essence, the manner in which they deliver that essence has been fundamentally changed.
It’s been altered to such an extent that it appears rather absurd, like the mistranslation of “You can say that, but” as “Perhaps, yet the danger to Scarlett grows with each grain passing through the hourglass.”
I suspect this might be a mistake on Zakogdo’s part, as it seems highly unlikely that these two lines are meant to represent the same dialogue from both Japanese and English versions. However, it’s also possible that this is indeed the case.
Particularly when examining the embellishments in subsequent lines, where “Let her go” is translated into “What business could you have with Scarlett? Unhand her this instant,” The divergence from the original becomes increasingly evident.
This resembles fanfiction created by individuals who think they can surpass the original creators. Although not as overt as memes, slang, or political jargon, this deviation from the original text in Unicorn Overlord is disheartening for those seeking faithful translations.
Zakogdo kept sharing additional examples of how the translation strayed from the original, noting a penchant in the English localization for adding animal allusions to unnecessarily inflate the word count.
I have a hypothesis regarding the excessive inflation in the translations. It’s possible that in this scenario, translators are compensated based on the number of words they translate rather than a fixed rate. This would explain why everything, from mundane to serious content, is excessively dramatic with fantasy embellishments.
A similar phenomenon occurs with independent contractors. If they receive a percentage of the payment upfront and the rest upon completion, they tend to work efficiently to finish the task quickly. This allows them to move on to the next job sooner. However, if they are paid by the hour, you’ll find that the same job takes much longer to complete. They do this intentionally to maximize their earnings for that particular job as they genuinely cannot afford to dilly-dally if they were to be paid upon completion.
However, this is merely a theory. There must be a genuine explanation for translations that deviate from authenticity. It could be that the workers aim to maximize their pay, or perhaps they genuinely believe they can improve upon the original creators’ script.
It’s possible that both factors play a role, especially considering how retards such as JelloApocalypse boasted about “fixing” the Lovely Complex dub produced by Sound Cadence Studios.
Zakodgo highlights further examples of the translation veering away from the original material entirely. For instance, in a scene from the Japanese version where the character Alain reassures Josef that his mother needs protection more than he does, the English translation alters this to make Alain appear accusatory towards Josef, questioning why he isn’t taking action.
This scene, one of the first lines players encounter in the game, immediately creates a different impression. It’s a clear departure that cannot be defended by those who defend Western colonialization of Japanese media, as it fails to convey the same intended meaning.
In the Japanese version, Alain is portrayed as considerate and understanding despite his young age. However, in the localized English version of the game, the translation portrays him as spoiled and demanding. This significant discrepancy right at the beginning of the game serves no apparent purpose.
Zakogdo further elaborates on how Ilenia’s dialogue is altered to insult Valmore, whereas in the Japanese version, she expresses shock at the situation, implying that she had previously trusted him.
Valmore’s English dialogue is excessively embellished to the point where it’s easy to miss that he’s surprised by Ilenia’s deception.
This isn’t the sole case where character personalities have been drastically rewritten. Beaumont stands out as one of the most extreme examples of embellished fabrication, with his personality revamped to consist of constant absurd exclamations and avian allusions.
There’s much more to the botched translations in Unicorn Overlord than meets the eye. I’ve only touched on a fraction of the content shared by Zakogdo in his extensive Twitter thread. Yet, this hasn’t deterred the typical defenders of Western subversion, those being game journalists, from chiming in and defending such practices.
For instance, The Gamer published an article defending the localization, claiming it conveys the same meaning while ignoring the nuanced details. Their article is titled “None Of You Understand What Localisation Is.“
My response to that is relatively simple yet highly effective.
Whether some of the dialogue “retains the same meaning” is beside the point. A significant portion of the English dialogue in Unicorn Overlord has changed the context of the original content. Whether it’s a minor or major alteration, any deviation in dialogue still modifies the original material. As such, people have every right to be informed about these changes and to argue that such mistranslations are unacceptable.
Such markedly different translations depict the same characters with distinct personalities between the English and Japanese versions. The localization fails to acknowledge this, disregarding the potential impact on how characters are perceived.
Other users have observed that the Spanish translation of the game remains more faithful and in line with the original Japanese script. This trend is familiar in translated Japanese media, as the majority of Spanish translators are actually fans of the media themselves.
The superfluous additions to the English dialogue, which are overly embellished, fail to capture what was lost in the process, ultimately affecting characterization. To discerning eyes, this can dissuade them from playing, purchasing, or recommending the game, as the English translation invents new comments and distorts the portrayal of characters and the conveyed meaning within its dialogue.
It’s truly disappointing considering the significant hype surrounding Unicorn Overlord, especially given Vanillaware’s stellar track record.
Once again, I extend my gratitude to Zakogdo for bringing this issue to our attention. I urge you to read through his entire thread to fully grasp the extent of how much the English script diverges from the original, or ideally give him a follow to keep updated with the latest in subversive English localizations.
