Game Translations.

[Ren3004]

What is you opinion on translated games?

I personally don't like translated games very much. In my country there aren't many translated games for the Xbox 360, but a few PS3 games are dubbed. While the voice acting in those games doesn't seem to be bad, sometimes there are some mistakes. For example, a line in a Ratchet and Clank game was left in another language.

I can understand translating games intended for a younger audience who may not speak English, but I don't think there's a reason to remove the original language, like some games do. I'd like to have DVD style options, so I can choose the language for both voice acting and subtitles. That way if the dubbing feels "forced", I can just switch to the original language.

So, what are your opinions on this?

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

I prefer subtitles to translations in most cases.
Although I can understand other people preferring to focus on the action at hand, rather than what people are saying.

To each his/her/is/er own, remember that before you post people.

 

[Ren3004]

I prefer subtitles to translations in most cases.
Although I can understand other people preferring to focus on the action at hand, rather than what people are saying.

To each his/her/is/er own, remember that before you post people.

Since this wasn't very clear in my OP: I usually turn on subtitles. In case I can't hear something, it's good to be able to read what the characters are saying. Even in a dubbed game, I'll probably turn them on. What I don't like is being forced to hear bad voice acting, and not having the option to change it to another language I know.

 

[Swaki]

beside a few disney games i dont think there have ever been a game dubbed to Danish, usually theres subtitles but even those aren't guaranteed.

but I'm against them, personally i learned (arguably poorly) English from games at a young age, and when you look at country's like Germany that dub almost everything are generally worse at English (i love Germany but on my last trip i had to ask over 10 people "could you tell me where the train station is?" before someone understood me)

 

[Fappy]

I'm glad they have fixed subtitled translations (for the most part) since the good ol' 90's. Final Fantasy VII's translation was GAWD AWFUL! Cloud: "Dunno, dunno, dunno, dunno...."

 

[Nutcase]

I want characters to speak the story-appropriate language. Togglable subtitles in English. No translated subtitles for foreign language when your character does not understand it.
Can't say the game industry is doing a good job at this. English-speaking Russians and Japanese everywhere = LOL.

 

[Small Waves]

I don't know man I kind of like reading things in a language I can comprehend.

Joking aside, dubs are not inherently bad. Disgaea, Persona 4, and Tales of Vesperia all had fantastic dubbing. If we are talking about the dialogue translations, you have to remember that they're going for feeling and capturing the emotion of the original Japanese version, which sometimes means different speaking patterns. If they were to translate it perfectly, it would be boring and fail to create the same feeling that the Japanese version had due to being cut and dry.

I would rather have "crappy" translations than it be flat and uncaptivating.

 

[WafflesandBacon]

I prefer Translated games, I rather have horrible voice acting then being lost in translation on reading a wall of text every 5 minutes.

 

[Baby Eater]

I think that if you really have a problem with the translation you should be able to change the language and use subtitles

 

[Macgyvercas]

Mistranslated games can be quite funny.

"All your base are belong to us" anyone?

 

[Crowghast]

I don't usually play games that have to be translated from a language not my own into mine. However, I do play the vice-versa of that situation. Gears of War is eleven times more bearable in German.

Man, I would KILL to find a good game with Russian dialog in it! I hope Metro 2033 has an option for full-on Pa-Russkiy.

 

[reg42]

I'd rather have plain text boxes than bad voice acting. That's why I enjoy the older Final Fantasy games than the new ones.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I like my subtitles in games...and if done right i can handle dubs but most of the time dubbed games look like they're rushed.

 

[GoldenRaz]

I hated Resistance 2 for this reason. Fuck you game, I refuse to play while hearing the same voices that are in almost every single dubbed kids cartoon I've ever seen.

Yeah, I hate dubbed games. And making me change the system language to 'un-dub' it is just stupidly complicated.
Subtitles all the way!

 

[Ren3004]

I'd rather have plain text boxes than bad voice acting. That's why I enjoy the older Final Fantasy games than the new ones.

Now that I think of that, I don't mind text boxes. Especially considering that sometimes voice acting is just painful to hear.

 

[GodKlown]

I almost can't stand not to have subtitles on for a game with lengthy cinematics. Take for instance the game Assassin's Creed 2. Bad enough with the bad Italian accents like some episode of Jersey Shore, but sometimes they talked too fast to understand. I find it funny when the subtitles don't actually match what the actors are saying, but I've never heard them flub an entire line of dialogue.
Even with subtitles, it is hard to follow just what is going on in the story in some JRPGs. That stuff can just get a little too out there.

 

[Ren3004]

I almost can't stand not to have subtitles on for a game with lengthy cinematics.

Yeah, subtitles are pretty handy. The last game with no subtitles I remember playing was Wolverine. Sometimes the voices got muffled under the sound effects and the music and I couldn't understand what they were saying.