{"id":26484,"date":"2024-01-31T17:42:13","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T08:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=26484"},"modified":"2024-02-01T10:16:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T01:16:13","slug":"20240131-26484","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20240131-26484\/","title":{"rendered":"Sega\u2019s take on the localization of Japanese games causes controversy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The official Sega X (formerly Twitter) account shared a PR article by The Japan Times on January 28. The topic of the article \u2013 the localization of Japanese games to adhere to Western standards, has since caused mixed reactions in the non-Japanese speaking community, with many gamers expressing disagreement with the idea of Japanese developers culturally revising games for the Western audience. This comes right after Sega\u2019s release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the latest addition to a series adored for its unapologetic Japanese-ness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u30b2\u30fc\u30e0\u3092\u3001\u5404\u56fd\u306e\u8a00\u8a9e\u3084\u30ab\u30eb\u30c1\u30e3\u30fc\u306a\u3069\u3092\u9451\u307f\u3066\u9069\u5207\u306b\u7ffb\u8a33\u3059\u308b\u300c\u30b2\u30fc\u30e0\u30ed\u30fc\u30ab\u30e9\u30a4\u30bc\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u300d\u3092\u3054\u5b58\u3058\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f\u3000\u30ed\u30fc\u30ab\u30e9\u30a4\u30ba\u306e\u53d6\u6750\u3092\u53d7\u3051\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<br><br>From Japan to the world: how to translate a game &#8211; The Japan Times\u3000<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LikeADragon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LikeADragon<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/InfiniteWealth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#InfiniteWealth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E9%BE%8D%E3%81%8C%E5%A6%82%E3%81%8F%EF%BC%98?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u9f8d\u304c\u5982\u304f\uff18<\/a> \u3000<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pvFoYS5WDr\">https:\/\/t.co\/pvFoYS5WDr<\/a><\/p>&mdash; \u30bb\u30ac\u516c\u5f0f\u30a2\u30ab\u30a6\u30f3\u30c8\ud83e\udd94 (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SEGA_OFFICIAL\/status\/1751414554779881713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 28, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLocalization VS direct translation\u201d has been a continuously heated topic among fans of Japanese anime and video games, largely fueled by cases of localizations that take too much liberty in adapting or censoring the original script, resulting in altered meanings or \u201ctoo US-sounding\u201d language. A recent example would be the English localization of Cygames\u2019 \u201cGranblue Fantasy Versus: Rising,\u201d which was criticized for out-of-character dialogue translations and the use of slang such as \u201csimping\u201d and \u201cvitamin D\u201d in unbefitting contexts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what is the article that Sega shared about? Essentially, it discusses localization as one of the important factors for successfully launching a game outside of Japan. It describes how localization has, over the years, improved in quality and become properly standardized.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The SEGA of America localization team comments that localization has changed in favor of being \u201cmore faithful to the cultural and emotional content of Japanese games than ever.\u201d While this is an ideal all gamers will likely agree on, the problem probably lies in the next idea presented: \u201cThe player, whichever country they&#8217;re from, should understand and feel the same thing as someone playing in the original language.&#8221; Judging by what users have been saying in response to Sega\u2019s post, players (especially the kind that enjoys the Like a Dragon series) want to experience Japanese games as \u201cJapanese games,\u201d i.e., they want the feeling of the game being \u201cculturally foreign\u201d to be preserved, rather than having things adapted and estimated to (often not close enough) western equivalents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-001.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-001.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-001-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-001-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-001-600x338.jpg 600w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It would appear that, for non-Japanese speaking players, a big part of the fun in Japanese games comes from encountering concepts and phrases that can only be found in a Japanese game, as well as getting an unfiltered insight into social climates in Japan and the minds of Japanese creators. This is also related to another point video game localization is criticized for \u2013 alterations that make the game&#8217;s content more acceptable in relation to western societal standards. Many users believe localizers make (or are instructed to make) too many changes that interfere with a work\u2019s original creative expression, putting them into a position closer to co-authors than localizers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Obviously, \u201cno more localizing anything\u201d is not a solution, as video games, much like literature, cannot function by literal translation alone (particularly with a language pair as drastically different as English and Japanese), but it is important to recognize that localization can be done in varying degrees \u2013 some of them just right, some of them excessive. Coincidentally, the Like a Dragon series is known for a lot of good-quality, memorable localization, and Sega made a good example of \u201cdelocalizing\u201d to just the right amount by renaming their signature IP.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sega made the decision to rename the \u201cYakuza\u201d series the \u201cLike a Dragon\u201d series as the word \u201cyakuza\u201d is nowhere to be found in the original Japanese titles, and more importantly, has a negative ring to it to the Japanese ear. Speaking for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/life\/2024\/01\/25\/digital\/yakuza-video-game-masayoshi-yokoyama\/?cx_testid=8&amp;cx_testvariant=cx_1&amp;cx_artpos=0&amp;cx_experienceid=exs7rzfqg0f7&amp;cxtrackingid=%7bkpdx%7daaaaqwu5vs7zbaokyldpv1nkafhwahiqbhmxoxlknm92zxrkzdi4ehomrvhtn1jarlfhmey3iiuxoddncm4wmdgwltawmdazm2f0bmjkzhblnxzhoxvpddnky2fjkijzag93umvjb21tzw5kyxrpb25zvezdszloqlq3runtmje1uhj2lw0a8bp4ogzoegs4cmjadziyms4yndcumti5ljezmwidzhdjao-17k0gcaf4ga#cxrecs_s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Japan Times<\/a>, the director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Yokoyama Masayoshi commented, \u201cHaving the word &#8216;yakuza&#8217; in the (English) title harms sales in Japan,&#8221; (&#8230;) &#8220;Japanese society is getting tougher and tougher toward yakuza. In the past, we could talk about it on television, but it has become a taboo word.&#8221; While the word \u201cyakuza\u201d may sound cooler and &#8220;more Japanese\u201d to non-Japanese players, doing away with it actually did a better job of conveying the modern Japanese mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-002-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-002-1.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-002-1-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-002-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-002-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240131-26484-002-1-600x338.jpg 600w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, the Sega localization team makes the remark that, thanks to Japanese culture becoming more popular, localization has become easier, commenting: \u201cPeople know what ramen is now &#8230; we don&#8217;t need to say &#8216;noodles&#8217; any more.\u201d But ironically, if all localizations of Japanese media had been sticking to \u201cnoodles\u201d to refer to ramen throughout the years, it\u2019s questionable how many people would get to know the dish\u2019s real name. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This exemplifies how important it is to strike the right balance in localizing \u2013 if every second term is obscure and followed by long footnotes explaining them, no modern player will have the patience to play. On the other hand, &nbsp;if everything that makes a game Japanese is replaced by vague western equivalents, this can spoil immersion just as much. Going forward, developers may be held to increasingly high standards in terms of making sure this balance is achieved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sega recently shared an article on game localization that has sparked controversy among non-Japanese speaking players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":26487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-26484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sega\u2019s take on the localization of Japanese games causes controversy\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20240131-26484\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sega\u2019s take on the localization of Japanese games causes controversy\u00a0 - 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Currently devoted to growing Automaton West to the size of its Japanese sister-site, while making sure to keep news concise and developer stories deep and stimulating.","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/author\/amber-vjestica\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26484"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26516,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26484\/revisions\/26516"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}