Thursday, November 6, 2008

Massive Post of Ar tonelico II Localization Changes

Alternate title:
Me Being an Ar tonelitard

Link to NISA’s official AT2 site
Spoilers might be floating about, so tread carefully. Last updated 11/25.

Characters
Chroah Vatel - Croix Bartel
Chroche Latel Pastalie - Cloche Leythal Pastalia
Luca Truelywaath - Luca Truelyworth
Cocona Vatel - Cocona Bartel
Legris Branchesca - Leglius Branchesca
Amarie Jerhad - Amarie Gelade
Shun - Shun
Jakuri - Jacqli
Reisha Truelywaath - Reisha Trulyworth
Batz Truelywaath - Batz Trulyworth
Soup - Soope
Gengorou - Goro
Infel - Infel
Nenesha -
Alfman Uranous - Alfman
Dr. Roudness - Dr. Laude
Targana - Targana
Chestar Lu Whinoah - Chester Lou Winoah
Reionsetsu Rakura - Lakra
Sincere - Cynthia
Sasha - Sasha
Soraneko (Rerena) - Skycat (Lelina)
Rhaki - Raki
Rheki -
Pepen - Pippen
Reika - Leyka
Frelia - Frelia
Tyria - Tyria
Spica - Spica
Nono -
Asche - Arshe

Locations
Pastalia - Pastalia
Rakshak - Rakshek
Ena - Enna
Mint Ward - Mint Block
Forest of Mikuri - Mikry Forest
Yumemino - Dreamy Fields
Kanakana (not sure what this was called, really) - Kanakana Pier

Other
Infel Phira - Infel Pira
Replekia - Replakia
Musume Power - Hymn Code
Funbuns - Funboons
Grathnode Inferia - Grasno Inferia

My VA guess list
Chroah: Yuri Lowenthal
Chroche: Mela Lee
Luca: Karen Strassman
Cocona: Sandy Fox
Amarie: Jessica Straus
Legris: Steven Jay Blum/Kirk Thornton (so what if I put two names?)
Shun: Dave Wittenberg
Jakuri: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Frelia: Michelle Ruff
Infel: Stephanie Sheh
Gengorou: Mona Marshall
Reisha: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (yeah I put her twice, so what?)
Alfman: Jamieson Price
Spica: whoever voiced her in the first game
Sasha: Lara Jill Miller

General Comments
Whew, okay. First I guess a speech about how I usually am with translations? I really don’t care most of the time. Persona 4 and changing Kuma to Teddie and adding in bear puns…I’m fine with that, it makes the game make sense to use English speaking people. Different translations from katakana are fine too (see Reika to Leyka for an example).

The major beef I and others have? The hymmnos. One of the original things about the game is this language. The hymmnos changes are near unacceptable to me, even if the katakana makes sense.

Take Truelywaath for an example. The katakana is トゥルーリーワース (Turūrīwāsu). So Trulyworth makes sense since worth would be written as wāsu anyway. BUT! “waath” means “revive/rebirth” in hymmnos, so her name translates to “true revival/rebirth” which really fits in with the fact that she’s one of the priestesses who sing Metafalica, the song of rebirth. Also, Infel Phira means “love seed”. There is no “pira” in hymmnos. And there’s no “replakia” either.

There’s the “hymn code” issue. Why call it that when the hymn code is what you use to install into a Reyvateil? The Musume Power (Girl Power) isn’t a code or anything, it’s just an IPD equipped to you. Plus on the site I believe they say hymn codes were used to augment weapons in AT1. That was called Grathmelding…

I’m sure someone out there understands all of this stuff about translations, right? Right? D: On a Sliding Scale of Game Translation Bitching, with the right side being the “If they change anything it sucks” and the left side being the “I don’t give a damn if they name Tomoyo Madison”…I’m kinda between the center and right, drifing to the right.

And it worries me.

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