Lost in Localization

A localization/translation analysis site run by Anthony & Matthew. Please forgive any confusion that arises as a result of two people tweeting from one account.

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@yuusyaasisutant ようやく、Siriに対する対抗策を出てきました。

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@FdetentionNo2 So if you were to choose to try and retain all the nuances of 「おじさん」, I’d probably use one of those. For example, 「親父ギャグ」 translates cleanly to “dad joke” with all the same connotations.

https://t.co/WMumPpiAx9

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

Hard to imagine what happened for some of these… 「おじさん構文……」 (ojisan kōbun) is approximately “You type like you’re middle-aged…”, & even people with a casual, anime-only understanding of Japanese would get it. To confuse it with オージー (ōjī, Aussie) beggars belief…

[ゆんゆん電波シンドローム＠好評発売中 @QDenpaReceivers]

Regarding the English Localization Issues and Update Timeline
（英語のローカライズに関する対応と更新時期についてのお知らせ）

https://t.co/DtktyNovhu

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@FdetentionNo2 I don’t think there’s a 1:1 term. I’ve seen many suggestions that all seem to fall short in one way or another. One thing I’d consider is that in EN I think “dad” and “grandpa” have more of the “corny, not cool anymore” feeling 「おじさん」tends to carry in JP than “uncle”.

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@FdetentionNo2 Great info! Proper/formal grammar, capitalization, and punctuation can have a similar effect in English. My guess is that older people have a harder time seeing writing as disposable.

[FPS.No.2 @FdetentionNo2]

@lostinloc おじさん構文の特徴は、若者が使わない絵文字を多用したり、不自然な句読点や改行です。
話し言葉の語尾をカタカナにするのもよくみます。

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

It's common for localization to struggle with the use of じいちゃん (jīchan) to mean 'old man' rather than 'grandfather', but Raging Loop has a rare example of a native Japanese speaker being confused by it.

As usual, a translation is in the alt text.

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

Probably my biggest tweet ever, guess I should shill… I write about localization changes as a hobby! Here’s one of my favorite articles, about the Trails series:

https://t.co/ncalu1brF4

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

In reviewing Danganronpa 2's Japanese script since 2x2 is due this year, I got curious about the "Knifearella" gag in the finale.

While EN players tend to agree it's a Bayonetta reference, the Japanese script is more explicit: the dialogue says "God of War" outright!

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@__E5K__ Would you mind opening a DM with me? I have some YIIK-related questions.

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

The Japanese name for this item is なしのつぶて(nashi no tsubute), and refers to how a thrown pebble doesn’t come back. As a metaphor, it evokes not getting a reply even after sending a message.

[Shiny Catherine @shinyycatherine]

IT’S REAL
IT’S CALLED THE GONE PEBBLE

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@umeumeumekiti 「あの人」の手：

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

It's available on Steam!

I would change the wording on some of the English hints slightly, but they're clear enough with a little thought. JP-studiers might want to purchase the upgrade that slows the hunger speed early on!

https://t.co/NZ9qKKrolN

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

Enjoying Mimic Logic by @nniihhoohhhee. It's an addicting combination of sudoku and liar/truth-teller logic puzzles wrapped in familiar RPG tropes. The grammar and terminology used is very simple and repetitive, so it's a good game to play if studying Japanese!

[羽無エラー（aka パンダ人形） @yami_translator]

『奇々怪界 謎の黒マント』（Pocky & Rocky）

日本版（左）ではハズレのつづらは「スカ」だけど、海外版（右）ではちゃんと英語になってる。ソーリー🐵

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@yami_translator Funny enough, while this was changed in the English release of Pocky & Rocky in 1993, it was overlooked in the English release of Pocky & Rocky Reshrined just a couple years ago!

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@DailyXenoSeries Thanks for the shout-out!!

[たつなみ @qrostar]

暗号クイズを作りました

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@Shagrazir @Bryophite_Ben @scaathu The use of hiragana is intended to give the speaker a soft, feminine tone. It's pretty common and descends from a time when hiragana were known as "woman's words", since women were not taught kanji.

My friend Matthew wrote about it in his retranslation:

https://t.co/Zb7OGvRvtq

[Lost in Localization @lostinloc]

@ElonBallFunk @_VioMarks_ The foreboding music and geography above his head make it much more likely to me that the Suruga Trough and the anticipated Shizuoka-centered 8.0 earthquake that may one day occur are the joke.