History Website / LegendsOfLocalization

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: [[invoked]] Referenced in the site's [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/about about page]], accompanied by an example (the LA Times reporting on the debut of "Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s white UsefulNotes/PlayStation4")[[note]]The second picture (CNN reporting on the ''Columbia'' disaster and saying that the shuttle was traveling [[ArtisticLicensePhysics 18 times the speed of light]]) is actually an error more than anything.[[/note]]:

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Of a sort. In [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/what-do-japanese-fans-think-of-the-cd-i-zelda-games/ this article]], covering the Japanese reaction to [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames the CD-i Zelda trilogy]], there's [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/apologize.jpg a screencap]] of a Website/NicoNicoDouga fansub of ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'' episode covering it. It's not called out by Mato,[[note]]aside from the filename being "apologize.jpg"[[/note]] but among the many Japanese comments filling the screen is a single English comment:

''[[https://legendsoflocalization.com Legends of Localization]]'' is a website created in 2012 by Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, a translator with years of experience in the field. Among many other things, he was a professional subtitler for Creator/{{Funimation}} and the lead translator for the famous ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' FanTranslation.

** ''VideoGame/DrJekyllAndMrHyde''

''[[https://legendsoflocalization.com Legends of Localization]]'' is a website created in 2012 by Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, a translator with years of experience in the field. Among many other things, he was a professional subtitler for Creator/{{Funimation}} and the lead translator for the famous ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' FanTranslation, effectively becoming a FaceOfTheBand for the ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' fandom as a result.

* CulturalTranslation: Another frequent topic of discussion. Interestingly, [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/when-peta-super-mario-and-game-localization-collide/ this article]] shows the perils of ''not'' doing this -- ''VideoGame/SuperChickSisters'' has Bowser quoting a line from the prologue of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'',[[note]]"Fungya! Foiled again"[[/note]] but the game's Japanese translation literally translates both his name and the line, ignoring the fact that [[DubNameChange Bowser is called "Koopa" in Japanese]] and that the line itself is slightly different in the Japanese version of ''Super Mario RPG''.[[note]]Specificlaly, it's just "Fungya!"[[/note]]

* MoodWhiplash: ''Funky Fantasy IV'''s livestream, which is normally light-hearted, has one rather stark moment after Rosa is [[DistressedDamsel kidnapped]] in Fabul where the king voices his concern that the BigBad might ''rape'' her. Mato is left completely speechless by this and afterwards remarks that, as {{bowdlerize}}d as the original SNES translation was, this was definitely ''not'' in the original Japanese script.

* ''Legends of Localization Book 3: VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' (upcoming): An expanded version of the previously-mentioned full-scale comparison. Unlike the previous two installments, however, this book focuses more on the global impact of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros the franchise]] (as the game itself is largely unchanged in localization, barring {{Dub Name Change}}s).

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: [[invoked]] Referenced in the site's [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/about about page]], accompanied by an example (the LA Times reporting on the debut of "Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s white UsefulNotes/PlayStation4")[[note]]The second picture (CNN reporting on the ''Columbia'' disaster and saying that the shuttle was travelling [[ArtisticLicensePhysics 18 times the speed of light]]) is actually a CriticalResearchFailure more than anything.[[/note]]:

** Likewise, [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/what-do-japanese-fans-think-of-the-super-mario-bros-movie this article]] concerning Japanese reactions to [[Film/SuperMarioBros the Mario movie]] range from [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff genuine fondness]] to disdain. [[invoked]]

Stemming from an older feature he had made comparing the two languages ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' was officially released in, the site (run primarily by him and his wife Heidi/"Poe", with help from [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/about several other people]]) aims to examine the process of translation and localization in video games, as well as covering a variety of topics regarding Japanese culture and its interactions with the West. As the site is intended to deliver a sufficient analysis on the various ins and outs of localization for laypeople, it doesn't wrap itself up too heavily in professional-level concepts or jargon, allowing it to be just as accessible to someone who knows nothing about localization as it is to someone who, like Mato, is already an expert on the subject. At the same time, it's not meant as a concrete textbook on localizing video games; rather, it seeks to explain why localization works the way it does and why it's never as simple as just running a script through Google Translate and sanding off the edges, showing not only how much work it takes to make a good localization, but also how easy it is to royally mess a localization up for the worse.

* AmericansHateTingle: [[invoked]] [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/a-very-quick-look-at-japanese-shadowgate This article]] discusses how Japanese players regards ''VideoGame/{{Shadowgate}}'''s Famicom version as a notoriously terrible game. Mato investigates said version and discovers why - the translation strips the original script of much of the atmosphere that made the game so beloved, and adds in a number of {{narm}}y comments (not helped by a shift to first person narrative).

** On occasion, it's actually [[AvertedTrope averted]] - oftentimes when something that is assumed to be a mistranslation is actually in the original Japanese. Among these include the townsfolk from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest'' [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/digging-up-castlevania-iis-graveyard-duck/ actually mentioning a "graveyard duck"]] and the infamous "I wanna be a blitzball when I grow up!" line from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/qa-is-the-blitzball-kid-in-final-fantasy-x-really-this-dumb/ being a completely accurate translation]].

* CulturalTranslation: Another frequent topic of discussion. Interestingly, [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/when-peta-super-mario-and-game-localization-collide/ this article]] shows the perils of ''not'' doing this - ''VideoGame/SuperChickSisters'' has Bowser quoting a line from the prologue of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'',[[note]]"Fungya! Foiled again"[[/note]] but the game's Japanese translation literally translates both his name and the line, ignoring the fact that [[DubNameChange Bowser is called "Koopa" in Japanese]] and that the line itself is slightly different in the Japanese version of ''Super Mario RPG''.[[note]]Specificlaly, it's just "Fungya!"[[/note]]
* DubNameChange: Among many other examples, two separate articles reflect how the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series handles the "Dr. Robotnik/Eggman" snafu - [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/how-dr-robotnik-turns-into-dr-eggman/ this one]] shows that a conversation between Sonic and Eggman early in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' was rewritten from its original Japanese to incorporate an explanation for the change to "Eggman"[[note]]specifically, Sonic referring to him as a giant talking egg, which he takes offense to and continues to refer to himself as "Dr. Robotnik"[[/note]], and [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/qa-dr-robotnik-and-eggman-team-up/ this one]] shows that ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' (which was written in English first) conversely had a reference to the Robotnik name taken ''out'' of the Japanese version.

** [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/what-does-japan-think-of-little-mac-in-smash-bros One article]] concerning the Japanese reaction to [[VideoGame/PunchOut Little Mac]] being revealed as a fighter in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' inverts this, and then downplays it - the average reaction in the games' native Japan was indifferent to negative, with several comments indicating the franchise's obscurity in Japan and a few specifically remarking that the Western crowd might be more excited.

Stemming from an older feature he had made comparing the two languages ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' was officially released in, the site (run primarily by him and his wife Heidi/"Poe", with help from [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/about several other people]]) aims to examine the process of translation and localization in video games, as well as covering a variety of topics regarding Japanese culture and its interactions with the West. As the site is intended to deliver a sufficient analysis on the various ins and outs of localization for laypeople, it doesn't wrap itself up too heavily in professional-level concepts or jargon, allowing it to be just as accessible to someone who knows nothing about localization as it is to someone who, like Mato, is already an expert on the subject. At the same time, it's not meant as a concrete textbook on localizing video games; rather, it seeks to explain why localization works the way it does and why it's never as simple as just running a script through Google Translate and sanding off the edges, showing not only how much work it takes to make a good localization, but also how easy it is to royally mess a localization up for the worse.

* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' (completed; expanded in book form some years later)

* ''Legends of Localization Book 2: VideoGame/EarthBound'': An expanded version of the previously-mentioned full-scale comparison.

* AltText: Up until posts from around 2016, all the images on the site had these. Among the stranger ones include one page from the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' comparison where the bulk of it is comprised of local business listings, as well as [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/earthbound/ending/ the page comparing the endings in both versions of]] ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' telling a completely unrelated story in first person.

* AmericansHateTingle: [[invoked]] [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/a-very-quick-look-at-japanese-shadowgate This article]] discusses how Japan regards ''VideoGame/{{Shadowgate}}'''s Famicom version as a notoriously terrible game. Mato investigates said version and discovers why - the translation strips the original script of much of the atmosphere that made the game so beloved, and adds in a number of {{narm}}y comments (not helped by a shift to first person narrative).

* CulturalTranslation: Another frequent topic of discussion. Interestingly, [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/when-peta-super-mario-and-game-localization-collide/ this article]] shows the perils of ''not'' doing this - ''VideoGame/SuperChickSisters'' has Bowser quoting a line from the prologue of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'',[[note]]"Fungya! Foiled again"[[/note]] but the game's Japanese translation literally translates both his name and the line, ignoring the fact that [[DubNameChange Bowser is called "Koopa" in Japan]] and that the line itself is slightly different in the Japanese version of ''Super Mario RPG''.[[note]]Specificlaly, it's just "Fungya!"[[/note]]

** [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/what-does-japan-think-of-little-mac-in-smash-bros One article]] concerning the Japanese reaction to [[VideoGame/PunchOut Little Mac]] being revealed as a fighter in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros 4'' inverts this, and then downplays it - the average reaction in the games' native Japan was indifferent to negative, with several comments indicating the franchise's obscurity in Japan and a few specifically remarking that the Western crowd might be more excited.

* JapaneseRanguage: [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/the-problem-with-l-r-and-other-letters-in-japanese-translation/ This article]] explains why this is a common translation mistake, notably mentioning that [[NotSoDifferent Japanese people stereotype English speakers as not being able to pronounce their L/R sounds correctly]]. (It also dives into similar issues with the language, such as B/V and "uh"/"ah" sound confusion & the lack of "ar"/"er"/"or" sounds.)

* SpiceUpTheSubtitles: [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/mother-3/chapter1-1/ This page]] explains some reasons why this happens - generally speaking, Japanese rudeness levels are much more complicated than English swear words, so a translator has to ascertain the context and then go with an appropriate level of language. The trope is what happens when translators (usually inexperienced ones) get excessively intense.

''[[https://legendsoflocalization.com Legends of Localization]]'' is a website created in 2012 by Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, a translator with years of experience in the field. (Among many other things, he was the lead translator for the famous ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' FanTranslation.) Stemming from an older feature he had made comparing the two languages ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' was officially released in, the site (run primarily by him and his wife Heidi/"Poe", with help from [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/about several other people]]) aims to examine the process of translation and localization in video games, as well as covering a variety of topics regarding Japanese culture and its interactions with the West.

** Unsurprisingly, the site [[ConversationalTroping talks about]] too many of these to list. It tends to examine exactly ''why'' changes

** Likewise, [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/what-do-japanese-fans-think-of-the-super-mario-bros-movie this article]] concerning Japanese reactions to [[Film/SuperMarioBros the Mario movie]] range from [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff genuine fondness]] to disdain.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:

--> "GOD DAMN [[PortOverdosed HOW MANY VERSIONS OF THIS GAME ARE THERE]]"

** Some of them specifically touch on the controversy arising from less faithful translations adding in meme references (or even more specifically, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTriforceHeroes'''s American release [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/the-latest-zelda-game-is-such-doge/ adding a reference to]] the doge meme). In [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/mc-hammer-in-a-zelda-game-vanilla-ice-in-a-japanese-rpg another article]], Mato points out that the practice isn't unique to Nintendo of America, showing how the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' dubs one item the "Music/MCHammer" (which the English version changed to the "Magic Hammer").

* {{Woolseyism}}: Covered a few times, most notably in various ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' translations and [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/yakuza-0s-fisting-artist-in-translation/ this page]] (where a joke alluding to sexual activity in ''Yakuza 0'' is altered to work better in English).