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[QFNS]

It's just a terribly written sentence. It's complete gibberish with the missing "is", along the lines of "The Truck have started to move." I can't believe anyone would defend it

What? That sentence has no missing words. You could argue that they could have put "Do you think..." at the start to get rid of the old style English but the rest of the sentence is modern and completely clear. You are very confused, I think.


They said, thans everyone for reminding me about this. I got the mobile version for a couple bucks a while back and now I am getting back into it.

 

[Zero-ELEC]

It's just a terribly written sentence. It's complete gibberish with the missing "is", along the lines of "The Truck have started to move." I can't believe anyone would defend it.

Is "[You think] mere will [is] enough to see you victorious?" better?

"Think you" is an acceptable, if archaic way of phrasing that, with the verb first then the subject who uses the verb. The "[is]" is implicit, and actually not necessary before "enough". This is oldish but it is in no way gibberish or Engrish.

Yes, mirth is still obscure. Pointing out that it was used once or twice in a massive book series doesn't change that.

Mirth is not an obscure. Please stop.

I think a lot of you are focusing way too much on how "decipherable" the language is rather than on how natural it seems. You're not supposed to go out of your way to decipher what's being said in a piece of media. Not when there are thousands of dialogue boxes to blow through.

Sure, Shakespeare's language has a very poetic bent to it, but I never struggle to buy that they're actual conversations.

I don't find the language necessary of "deciphering". The parts that I, at least, here break down are responses to implications that phrases themselves are obtuse or broken. I think the game itself flows wonderfully from line to line and I, personally, never struggle to buy that War of the Lions dialogue are actual conversations.

 

[Haly]

not modern = gibberish

xd

 

[Stormblessed]

I think there are individual lines that could be better, but as localisations go, it's probably one of the best. They largely achieved what they set out to accomplish, and it gives the world texture. Far, far better than the old memes and wholesale rewrites you get out of others working in the field.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

You're not reading honey, the game alternates from easily understood/beautiful to 'easily understood but awkward' (I mislike this) to just straight up difficulty for the sake of attempting to emulate older literary works...

Do you understand now? Do you honestly think I am putting "I am come" into the undecipherable category or the 'awkward but easily understood' category? Don't play strawman

Oh, I read just fine, sugar. You have given examples of phrases you think are clunky. Okay, that's opinion, whatever. But you have claimed that there are many examples that are also hard to read or decipher, and have provided none. That's my point. Not a single example you cited fits the "bad readability" criteria.

It's just a terribly written sentence. It's complete gibberish with the missing "is", along the lines of "The Truck have started to move." I can't believe anyone would defend it.

Hahaha what? No, not even close. "The truck have started to move" is bad because it's grammatically incorrect, "have" should have been "has".

The quote you cited is not grammatically incorrect, omitting the word "is" isn't an error, it's a stylistic choice. And it certainly isn't gibberish; it's perfectly understandable to even non-native speakers.

Yes, mirth is still obscure. Pointing out that it was used once or twice in a massive book series doesn't change that.

No it's not. It's slightly uncommon at best (when speaking, that is), and used frequently enough in all sorts of literature read by millions of people including kids. Not to mention friggin' Wayne's World, not exactly high literature there.

Your poor literacy and shallow vocabulary is entirely on you, I'm afraid. I'd be embarrassed if I were you, to be honest. :\

 

[hydrophilic attack]

It's just a terribly written sentence. It's complete gibberish with the missing "is", along the lines of "The Truck have started to move." I can't believe anyone would defend it.

You are wrong

"the truck have started to move" is incorrect

"Think you mere will enough to see you victorious" is not incorrect. In English, the copula "to be" can be omitted in certain cases. See the following links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominal_sentence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_copula

It is well-enough explained in these links, but you don't seem to be very knowledgeable when it comes to language so I'll help clarify with an example.

Do you at least agree that in the question "Do you, Lothar, consider yourself (to be) well-read?" "to be" can be implied and omitted?

By analogy, "Do you consider mere will-power (to be) enough to see you victorious?" is correct as well.

As is "Think you mere will (to be) enough to see you victorious?"

e: looks like Morrigan already beat me to the points I was making with even the exact same links lol

 

[Stumpokapow]

Yeah.... Terms like "I am come" and "I mislike this" aren't really philosophical, they're just awkward...

It's a game about the corruption of institutional religion and the nobility, of course it's going to have text that is evocative of religious traditions.

"I am come" is meant to evoke the Bible: "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." You might famously also know Robert Oppenheimer's remark after the Trinity nuclear test where he said "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds" which is one of several common translations from the Bhagavad Gita. You are fighting Belias (Velias), who is drawn to look like Baphomet and other long-standing visual renditions of the devil as having a goat head or body. Baphomet is associated with the Knights Templar historically, and you'll note that the WotL translation translates the Temple Knights as the Knights Templar, so that's an obvious intended historical parallel. So the line additionally reinforces, tonally and through allusion, his demonic nature.

It's ok if you didn't know this so it just sounded weird to you--no one is dumb for not getting a reference and the game clearly needs to balance being literate and evocative with being accessible to its audience--but when you get people pushing back on you it's because they did get it and you're flailing a little.

 

[Lynx_7]

My eyes twinkle with mirth upon the sight this thread.

I think the statement I take the most issue with is saying the original translation was easier to digest. I thought the exact opposite due to some really awkward sentences that sometimes read more like gibberish and translation errors. That, to me, sacrifices readability, not some fairly straightforward stylistic choices.

Playing the newer translation made me understand the plot better, not worse. Not to mention the script is much more immersive to read and just higher quality all around. It may not be perfect or whatever but as far as localization efforts are concerned it's one of the best I've seen.

 

[freikugeln]

It's undoubtedly and unapolegetically pretentious but that doesn't mean it's not on another level compared to the original.

I do grant you that some exhanges threw me off like It felt l could see between the seams where they tried to spice up the dialogue.

All in all, still one of the better videogame translations l 've read although l vastly prefer what they 've done with Tactics Ogre psp.

 

[Trojita]

It's a game about the corruption of institutional religion and the nobility, of course it's going to have text that is evocative of religious traditions.

"I am come" is meant to evoke the Bible: "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." You might famously also know Robert Oppenheimer's remark after the Trinity nuclear test where he said "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds" which is one of several common translations from the Bhagavad Gita. You are fighting Belias (Velias), who is drawn to look like Baphomet and other long-standing visual renditions of the devil as having a goat head or body. Baphomet is associated with the Knights Templar historically, and you'll note that the WotL translation translates the Temple Knights as the Knights Templar, so that's an obvious intended historical parallel. So the line additionally reinforces, tonally and through allusion, his demonic nature.

It's ok if you didn't know this so it just sounded weird to you--no one is dumb for not getting a reference and the game clearly needs to balance being literate and evocative with being accessible to its audience--but when you get people pushing back on you it's because they did get it and you're flailing a little.

Also going to add that St. Ajora Glabados story was an obvious analogue

Ajora was born in the Lesalian city of Bervenia twelve centuries ago. Raised in Milados, he preached openly about the coming of Paradise. This infuriated the Pharist priests, and the Holy Ydoran Empire hanged him as a traitor. When Mullonde, the center of Pharist teachings, then sank into the sea, Ajora's disciples began to preach of his divinity, eventually forming the Church of Glabados.

 

[fvng]

What? That sentence has no missing words. You could argue that they could have put "Do you think..." at the start to get rid of the old style English but the rest of the sentence is modern and completely clear. You are very confused, I think.


They said, thans everyone for reminding me about this. I got the mobile version for a couple bucks a while back and now I am getting back into it.

What? That sentence has no missing words. You could argue that they could have put "Do you think..." at the start to get rid of the old style English but the rest of the sentence is modern and completely clear. You are very confused, I think.

They said, thans everyone for reminding me about this. I got the mobile version for a couple bucks a while back and now I am getting back into it.

It's a sin you haven't played one of the greatest games ever. Anywho its a poorly worded sentence even if you accept the writing style they were shooting for. There is nothing modern about that piece of dialogue and if you attempted it in any modern fiction it would be laughed at

 

[Mr_Appleby]

It's not even true to old english in the way it was originally spoken, as far as i know, so it doesn't even succeed at being authentic.

Well, no, it's modern (Shakespearian) English.

Old English looks like this:

Nū scylun hergan hefaenrīcaes Uard,
metudæs maecti end his mōdgidanc,
uerc Uuldurfadur, suē hē uundra gihwaes,
ēci dryctin ōr āstelidæ
hē ǣrist scōp aelda barnum
heben til hrōfe, hāleg scepen.
Thā middungeard moncynnæs Uard,
eci Dryctin, æfter tīadæ
firum foldu, Frēa allmectig.

 

[fvng]

Well, no, it's modern (Shakespearian) English.

Old English looks like this:

Old English is being used colloquially and interchangeably with with dated English. Ya know, the type of English used in the entire game. I think In this case "old" is meant in a literal sense

 

[duckroll]

It's a sin you haven't played one of the greatest games ever. Anywho its a poorly worded sentence even if you accept the writing style they were shooting for. There is nothing modern about that piece of dialogue and if you attempted it in any modern fiction it would be laughed at

Or maybe you're just uneducated when it comes to linguistics? Possible?

 

[fvng]

It's undoubtedly and unapolegetically pretentious but that doesn't mean it's not on another level compared to the original.

I do grant you that some exhanges threw me off like It felt l could see between the seams where they tried to spice up the dialogue.

All in all, still one of the better videogame translations l 've read although l vastly prefer what they 've done with Tactics Ogre psp.

I agree with this overall. My thread is mostly about the times they unnecessarily throw the player by trying too hard. Knowing the biblical reference of "I am come" adds another layer to that line that I appreciate but it's still awkward to most players.

Or maybe you're just uneducated when it comes to linguistics? Possible?

Oh my god. I forgot to complete my major in linguistics before playing this game.

not modern = gibberish

xd

Nobody said that. The point is the game isn't consistent in delivering great prose that is also very readable. For the most part it does, but this is about when it doesn't get it right

 

[duckroll]

Oh my god. I forgot to complete my major in linguistics before playing this game.

I mean, you weren't arguing that the game should not have a high barrier of entry, you were saying the line is objectively bad and would be "laughed at" in "modern writing." So one has to question your competence in making such a statement.

 

[GearDraxon]

This thread reminds me of when a poster dared use a 25-cent word in the title, derailing any sort of actual discussion. Same situation: those with familiarity of the word and its contextual use were fine, those who weren't immediately got super-defensive.

An example from my own life: I was driving past a field with my wife, when I saw some smallish horses. My wife and I started talking about them, and I saw her face turn to horror as she realized that I thought that "pony" was what you call all young horses. She explained that no, that's a totally different thing. I was embarrassed at first, but then thought about it: I don't have much experience in the equine realm, so it's not something I would necessarily have picked up on during my day-to-day.

Whether you take such situations as learning experiences or not is much more important than knowing everything about a given thing.

Spoiler

And seriously, "mirth" is not obscure. If you weren't familiar with it, that's fine, but just say so.

 

[Haly]

Wait what are ponies?

 

[Durante]

thats okay bro.. if "What once was hers, now kin to naught but woe" makes total sense to you, more power to you.

In context, it does make perfect sense, yes.

I think a lot of you are focusing way too much on how "decipherable" the language is rather than on how natural it seems.

But it doesn't have to be "natural" according to the standards by which we judge contemporary conversation. Those are characters in a fantasy setting talking amongst each other -- they can use whatever grammar or vocabulary they want, that has no impact on how believable and fiting their conversation is. At least for me.

And "decipherable" makes it sound more complicated than it is -- there isn't really any example I've seen posted so far which would require the type of effort to understand which that word implies.

Wait what are ponies?

A type of horse which is smaller than a standard horse

 

[Haly]

What about the horses Genghis' troops used. Are they horses or ponies or small horses that are not ponies?

 

[Android18a]

I really disliked a lot of FF12 because it sounded kind of like this. Also the subtitles often didn't match the voice acting too.

 

[Grewitch]

Ah, I am filled with mirth at some of the posts in this thread, including the op. Your examples, op, do not elicit from me any of the problems you have with it. the translation is grammatically fine and perchance it is merely the style that you have issue with. But to be so dogmatic about your view in the face of the posts written, does not become you. Accept you that possibility of your error and be willing to change your opinion.

So I have decreed, let this post stand as a testament to the great work that was undertaken in the translation, let us toast to that.

Also, did you refer to a poster as 'honey'? For shame. Are you given to patronizing, or is this something new you picked up?

 

[Mr Git]

Well, no, it's modern (Shakespearian) English.

Old English looks like this:

Thanks - was about to post this.

Old English is being used colloquially and interchangeably with with dated English. Ya know, the type of English used in the entire game. I think In this case "old" is meant in a literal sense

Well no, Old English is Old English. The language in question is definitely imitating Early Modern English. I don't think that makes any of the language examples pretentious. It's a choice of style. I think it adds character and thought to the translation if anything.

 

[fvng]

Well no, Old English is Old English. The language in question is definitely imitating Early Modern English. I don't think that makes any of the language examples pretentious. It's a choice of style. I think it adds character and thought to the translation if anything.

Like I said, they're not saying it's "old english" in historically accurate sense. they're using "old english" colloquially. if you keep insisting on the actual definition of 'old english' you're going to argue yourself into a wall.

I mean, you weren't arguing that the game should not have a high barrier of entry, you were saying the line is objectively bad and would be "laughed at" in "modern writing." So one has to question your competence in making such a statement.

No. I do not think WOTL has a high barrier of entry at all, in fact everyone should buy it on PSN and mobile right now. what I'm saying is the translation occasionally goes off the rails into superfluous territory, but that somehow makes me some inbred anti-intellectual according to several people in this thread... it's faux old english... if that makes someone feel like a literary scholar, more power to them.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I mislike the anti-intellectualism in this thread👿

I have a soft spot for the original too since 20 years of nostalgia and all but there's nothing particularly obtuse or weird about this one considering the setting.

If you don't use "mirth" frequently you're missing out

 

[fvng]

I mislike the anti-intellectualism in this thread👿

Only real smart folk love this translation!

 

[gblues]

Yikes at the literacy shaming going on in this thread.

I do think the WOTL script has its head a little too far up its ass when it comes to the dialogue. The examples in the OP aren't really that bad, but this one is a good example:

Now, if you heard this line of dialogue spoken aloud, you'd get its meaning immediately. But in print, it's hard to parse. The writers at least had the courtesy to put emphasis on will to signal that it is will-the-noun not will-the-verb. Even that is not enough--I have to slow down and mentally insert the missing bits into modern syntax:

"Think you [that] mere will [is] enough to see you victorious?"

Two words, and the line becomes far easier to parse for a modern audience.

If the game was 100% voiced, a lot of the complaints would go away because if the role that tone, inflection, and emphasis play in understanding the words. in WOTL, you basically have to reverse-engineer those things and it makes the dialogue more difficult to process.

So, to that extent, I can empathize with the OP, and the literacy shamers can fuck off.

 

[Wulfram]

Just for fun, here's a chart from google ngrams showing how frequently some of the more obscure words in this thread are used over time.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...bootless;,c0;.t1;,mislike;,c0;.t1;,succor;,c0

Mirth has definitely been declining in use. I'm surprised that "behest" actually seems to have had a slow but steady rise in use, since it seems old fashioned to me.

 

[fvng]

Just for fun, here's a chart from google ngrams showing how frequently some of the more obscure words in this thread are used over time.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...bootless;,c0;.t1;,mislike;,c0;.t1;,succor;,c0

Mirth has definitely been declining in use. I'm surprised that "behest" actually seems to have had a slow but steady rise in use, since it seems old fashioned to me.

This is great because it confirms how ludicrous it is to simply say "Just read more!" as a response to this thread. (Which also assumes I don't read fiction, when I do)

What they are actually suggesting is read more literature from 1800 to 1920. I'm so glad all the staunch defenders of this script are so well versed in literature from those 120 years.

Neat!

(I've started using behest a lot more after recently, mostly due to Jimmy Dore)

 

[duckroll]

No. I do not think WOTL has a high barrier of entry at all, in fact everyone should buy it on PSN and mobile right now. what I'm saying is the translation occasionally goes off the rails into superfluous territory, but that somehow makes me some inbred anti-intellectual according to several people in this thread... it's faux old english... if that makes someone feel like a literary scholar, more power to them.

The problem here is that you say something dumb, get corrected, and then argue something entirely different in defense. The sentence you chose is not poorly written. It isn't unusual or strange. You can argue that some people not being able to understand it instinctively makes it counterproductive, but that's a matter of taste. Instead you argued it was poorly written, and then in defense of being called out, exaggerated the offense people made against you to play a victim. It's just a string of shitty debate skills.

 

[TheYanger]

Yeah, not a huge fan of these translations. It's like trying to sound like Shakespeare, but without his sensibility. Instead of coming off as authentic it just feels like a modern writer trying as hard as he can to sound "theatrical." Shakespeare had a penchant for coming up with gripping, memorable lines.

I also feel that even when you can figure out what's going on after a few reads it ends up killing the emotion of the scene. Especially when the dialogue isn't spoken.

Of course you wouldn't want to just put contemporary English into the game either, but the examples in the OP are several steps too far.

Have you ever read Shakespeare? Serious question.

This is NOTHING like reading Shakespeare.

 

[ethomaz]

not modern = gibberish

xd

The biggest issue is that his examples are correct in the modern English lol

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Just for fun, here's a chart from google ngrams showing how frequently some of the more obscure words in this thread are used over time.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...bootless;,c0;.t1;,mislike;,c0;.t1;,succor;,c0

Mirth has definitely been declining in use. I'm surprised that "behest" actually seems to have had a slow but steady rise in use, since it seems old fashioned to me.

Shame about envenomed and succor, those are the jams

 

[BigDes]

Some of the people in this thread seriously need to be less proud of their ignorance.

 

[fvng]

The problem here is that you say something dumb, get corrected, and then argue something entirely different in defense. The sentence you chose is not poorly written. It isn't unusual or strange. You can argue that some people not being able to understand it instinctively makes it counterproductive, but that's a matter of taste. Instead you argued it was poorly written, and then in defense of being called out, exaggerated the offense people made against you to play a victim. It's just a string of shitty debate skills.

Bro, if you're going to play strawman here, why even bother participating in this thread? I didn't say the game was poorly written. I've pointed out particular lines of dialogue as poorly written or lines that could have been improved.. I've even said the game mostly does a great job in its writing. Swing and a miss for you. I never said the game as a whole was poorly written, so you're lying off the bat.

Re-imagining what's been said in this thread is shitty debate skills.

I wasn't "corrected" there have been differences of opinion and verifiable claims (many cited words have fallen out of usage, which is undeniably true). I'm not playing victim either, I've stuck to what I've said. I've gotten defensive, but never played victim (The trump supporter shit, and literary shaming as though not frequently reading lit from the 1800s means you're anti-intellectual or ignorant).

You also don't speak for the vast majority of people here. My opinion isn't gospel. Some have taken the translation to task, some have defended the translation, some people are in the middle... I've enjoyed all points of view including those that have challenged me... but you'd rather reduce this conversation to "Your opinion is dumb!", which earns you a spot in my ignore list [Since that doesn't work, I'll just ignore your opinions then]

 

[jblank83]

Yikes at the literacy shaming going on in this thread.

I do think the WOTL script has its head a little too far up its ass when it comes to the dialogue. The examples in the OP aren't really that bad, but this one is a good example:

Now, if you heard this line of dialogue spoken aloud, you'd get its meaning immediately. But in print, it's hard to parse. The writers at least had the courtesy to put emphasis on will to signal that it is will-the-noun not will-the-verb. Even that is not enough--I have to slow down and mentally insert the missing bits into modern syntax:

"Think you [that] mere will [is] enough to see you victorious?"

Two words, and the line becomes far easier to parse for a modern audience.

If the game was 100% voiced, a lot of the complaints would go away because if the role that tone, inflection, and emphasis play in understanding the words. in WOTL, you basically have to reverse-engineer those things and it makes the dialogue more difficult to process.

So, to that extent, I can empathize with the OP, and the literacy shamers can fuck off.

This line could also be fixed with italics. The dashes are what make it difficult to read, not the lack of "that" or "is". "That" would be superfluous.

 

[Haly]

This line could also be fixed with italics. The dashes are what make it difficult to read, not the lack of "that" or "is". "That" would be superfluous.

Italics would necessitate an entire additional typographic sprite sheet, which is likely why they had to make do with dashes.

 

[duckroll]

Bro, if you're going to play strawman here, why even bother participating in this thread? I didn't say the game was poorly written. I've pointed out particular lines of dialogue as poorly written or lines that could have been improved.. I've even said the game mostly does a great job in its writing. Swing and a miss for you. I never said the game as a whole was poorly written, so you're lying off the bat.

This is why reading comprehension is important. Maybe calm down, take a few deep breaths, and actually read what I typed before getting all worked up and ready to defend yourself against something no one said. This is what I mean by having shitty debate skills. You have to debate against what people actually say, not what you misread and thought they said.

 

[akira28]

Wait what are ponies?

mythical flying creatures with four legs, wings, and long hairy tails. They don't really exist in Ivalice though.

and fvng is getting hot over some transliterated literary language that was probably translated from Japanese in the first place, and it's not that serious. The localization boys did a pretty good job with the flowery "old-timey talkey" prose. And if it seems awkward to your modern english eyes, that's the freakin point. you're supposed to notice how weird it is. but it is not wrong. I will go back, but your original examples were completely fine. He said he would provide more, and maybe I missed it.

Spoiler

why is it always the nier avatars...

 

[ethomaz]

mythical flying creatures with four legs, wings, and long hairy tails. They don't really exist in Ivalice though.

Ohhhhhh I thought ponies were Sony's fans... just kidding

BTW pony (ponies in plural) is not mythical... it is a small horse in real life.

 

[fvng]

This is why reading comprehension is important. Maybe calm down, take a few deep breaths, and actually read what I typed before getting all worked up and ready to defend yourself against something no one said. This is what I mean by having shitty debate skills. You have to debate against what people actually say, not what you misread and thought they said.

Yeah totally with you on "debate against what people are actually saying"

Instead of practicing what you preach, you decide to misrepresent what I said for the purpose of your argument. I said some lines of dialogue in the game are poorly written, not the entire game. you're either being disingenuous by playing strawman, or not reading my posts, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it's the latter. Nothing more between of us to discuss on this topic since you keep putting words in my mouth. Have a good one

 

[Zero-ELEC]

Yeah totally with you on "debate against what people are actually saying"

Instead of practicing what you preach, you decide to misrepresent what I said for the purpose of your argument. I said some lines of dialogue in the game are poorly written, not the entire game. you're either being disingenuous by playing strawman, or not reading my posts, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it's the latter. Nothing more between of us to discuss on this topic since you keep putting words in my mouth. Have a good one

Duckroll never claimed that you said the entire game was poorly written. If anyone here is not reading posts it's you, dude.

 

[duckroll]

Yeah totally with you on "debate against what people are actually saying"

Instead of practicing what you preach, you decide to misrepresent what I said for the purpose of your argument. I said some lines of dialogue in the game are poorly written, not the entire game. you're either being disingenuous by playing strawman, or not reading my posts, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it's the latter. Nothing more between of us to discuss on this topic since you keep putting words in my mouth. Have a good one

Since you continue to insist that I have at any point suggested that you think the entire game is poorly written, I shall have to conclude that English is not your first language.

 

[Skilletor]

Yeah totally with you on "debate against what people are actually saying"

Instead of practicing what you preach, you decide to misrepresent what I said for the purpose of your argument. I said some lines of dialogue in the game are poorly written, not the entire game. you're either being disingenuous by playing strawman, or not reading my posts, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it's the latter. Nothing more between of us to discuss on this topic since you keep putting words in my mouth. Have a good one

Dude...nowhere in his post does he mention you saying the entire game was poorly written.

 

[fvng]

Duckroll never claimed that you said the entire game was poorly written. If anyone here is not reading posts it's you, dude.

Since you continue to insist that I have at any point suggested that you think the entire game is poorly written, I shall have to conclude that English is not your first language.

Dude...nowhere in his post does he mention you saying the entire game was poorly written.

Ah, shit you're right Duckroll, my bad. That being said the passive aggressive tone in your post and straight up dismissively calling people's arguments 'dumb' is not conducive to healthy debating. Not as bad as others outright hostility, but still not appreciated.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

The original is much more memorable, for its highs and its lows, while the retranslation is much more consistent and polished.

I prefer the original, but my ideal script would be somewhere between the two.

 

[duckroll]

Ah, shit you're right Duckroll, my bad. That being said the passive aggressive tone in your post and straight up dismissively calling people's arguments 'dumb' is not conducive to healthy debating. Not as bad as others outright hostility, but still not appreciated.

The argument that I am calling dumb in particular is your claim that a specific sentence is poorly written because you find it difficult to parse. As others pointed out, there is nothing wrong with the sentence itself in context or in grammar. It fits. There is an argument that it can be hard to understand for people who are not accustomed to this sort of language, but that doesn't mean the sentence was poorly written, it was a stylistic choice. Such a style does not work for everyone, but outright dismissing it as poorly written -is- a dumb general statement to make because it allows for no nuance to further the debate. It becomes a "it sucks" -> "no it doesnt" -> "yes it does" -> "your mom" -> "eat shit" cycle of debate. Which isn't helpful to anyone.

In my opinion, the argument against FFT War of the Lion's translation should always be whether the tone always fits the characters, and not whether any individual sentences are poorly written. There is a hard case to make against the language use because it's generally really well written. My personal issue with it is that I always felt that in pursuit of the flowery language, characters tend to lose their individual voices. There isn't much differentiating each character, and everyone sounds like they are performing off a script rather than actual characters who lived in such an era. Delita in particular, I felt should use more common language as it would have been a great opportunity to showcase his disdain for the nobility.

 

[akira28]

Delita was raised with his best friend, and educated with him as well, right? He wouldn't be using the same commonspeak that the thieves and other more rough characters would have. Especially since he was pretending to be a noble knight at the end.

 

[Skilletor]

Delita was raised with his best friend, and educated with him as well, right? He wouldn't be using the same commonspeak that the thieves and other more rough characters would have. Especially since he was pretending to be a noble knight at the end.

That's always how I interpreted his character.

 

[NewGame]

Pretentious prose is better than <VIDEO GAME TERM HERE> prose.