Translation Policy

The policy of TV Tropes when it comes to translations of foreign-language works is to use the most recent translation of the name(s) in question.

There are several things that should be kept in mind when deciding what translation to use.

Our translation policy only covers names and titles, not Fan Speak or the plot of a work.
The most recent translation of the name is not necessarily the most recently released translation of the work.
On a work page or an entry discussing a specific work, use the name that was used in that work, ignoring later-released sequels or prequels. Similarly, when specifically discussing or quoting from an older version of a work, use the name from that version.
Translations from the work itself (or its promotional material) are considered more valid than translations from an external source (e.g. a reference in another work.)
Obvious typos or errors in a script are not considered new translations. However, if the "error" is retained in later material after there has been sufficient time to correct it, it is considered official.
- "Error" here means, as an example, forgetting that something has already been translated. It does not mean questionable translations in general.

Multiple Concurrent Translations

When there are multiple translations of a work being developed at the same time, the issue of "most recent translation" may become complicated.
- Examples include separate translations for anime & manga, dub & subtitles, North America & Europe, and original work & Spin-Off.
If the translations differ only in American and Commonwealth Spellings, it falls under our existing rules on that topic.
Often, the European version of a video game will be released after the North American version, or vice versa. If the two versions have different translations, the release date alone is not sufficient to make one "more recent" than the other.
For works not originally written in Latin script, official translations take precedence over any transliterations, but official transliterations take precedence over fan translations.

Works originally released in English are not subject to the "most recent" rule. Use whatever the most popular name is in the author's country.
- For example, the first Harry Potter book is referred to as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, not ...Sorcerer's Stone, despite the latter being a more recent localization.
- Similarly, Agatha Christie's 1939 novel is And Then There Were None, as that name is now in use on both sides of the Atlantic, despite not being its original name. (The rhyme the novel takes its name from remains popularly known as "Ten Little Indians".)
If the English version is not intended as a translation of the original-language version, or large portions of the English version were not in the original, it is considered a separate work. For example, Robotech is not considered to be a translation of Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Power Rangers is not considered to be a translation of Super Sentai.

When discussing a particular fan work, use whatever names were used in that fan work, not the source work.
- If possible, characters not referenced by name in the fan work should be named according to the translation the author of the fan work was using, to maintain consistency.