#heartilly

As I’ve mentioned before when Aurenare asked about this, why would Balamb Garden intentionally weaken its forces? They’re trying to build an army to fight Ultimecia and therefore save all of reality! And it’s not like many cadets graduate each time to begin with. And that’s without even taking into accounts those who die or get too injured to continue.

And I know NORG is the one financing the operation and doesn’t particularly care about heroics but even from that point of view, wouldn’t he want to have as many SeeDs to pimp out as possible?

On top of that, one thing people tend to forget is that SeeD is NOT a military group. They are mercenaries, with different methods and skills, especially since SeeD tends to go for more low-key, secret missions rather than all-out battles.

Even the one in Dollet seems to be an exception rather than the rule, and even then they were only assisting the Dollet army for a single battle, not allying themselves with them on the long term.

So with that in mind, while B-Garden has programs with various armies for graduates to join and I have no doubt many of them would be able to adapt to military life, would most of them even be interested in that? And do they expect to keep GF junctioning a secret when they keep handing out their elite forces to foreign armies?

Now, both versions do also state that instructors are allowed to stay, so maybe the idea is that all official SeeDs are expected to become instructors as well? Maybe when they’re not on missions? I guess that works, and Squall’s lack of pedagogy would be doubtlessly hilarious if he had remained a regular SeeD.

Another possibility is that it’s very awkwardly worded, as both the English and French versions specify that all students are released regardless of graduation, so maybe the idea is that graduates can stay, they just can’t be students any more.

Or maybe Balamb Garden has outposts around the world and SeeDs over 20 are dispatched around them since their training is considered to be complete and they therefore have no reason to stay at what is essentially the SeeD academy. But then again, that’s not something that’s mentioned in the game. And if training isn’t supposed to end at graduation and they’re still learning, then why are freshly graduated SeeDs sent to assassinate a sorceress?!

Right, with that massive detour into the things that baffle me about my favourite game (seriously, why did they go out of their way to include something that makes their game make less sense?), let’s go back to the actual comparison.

“Watch out! Here comes the queen of the night!”

Actually, there’s isn’t much different. The only sort of interesting bits come from Selphie asking Squall “Looks pretty good on me, huh?” instead of telling Squall that he’s “lookin’ good” in his SeeD uniform, and later, when asking Squall to join the festival committee, she tells him "you’d be helpful” rather than “you can help out whenever you have time”, continuing the trend of Selphie being one of the few things that are more forward in the French version than the English one.

By the way, I get the feeling most people would say it’s out of character, but I always have Squall accept that request, as I get the feeling that he’s the type to support people who work hard to achieve what they want, even if it’s not something he personally likes.

Speaking of that, when you get to choose, the negative option for Squall is just ellipses whereas the French one at least ha shim say “Hum, I don’t feel like it”. Again, French Squall is being ever so slightly more polite (and verbose) than his English counterpart.

Of course, Squall is still a teenage boy, meaning that the major reason he goes to parties at all is to pick up chicks.

Again, the dialogue isn’t very different but there are a few subtleties. For starters, instead of “You’re the best looking guy here”, she tells him “You really are the cutest one here tonight”. I don’t know if it comes across the same to people who aren’t native French speakers but once again, I find the French dialogue to be slightly more courteous. It just sounds more like a compliment whereas the English text kind makes it sound like she’s going “I guess I’ll settle for you”. is that just me?

Next is something a bit weird. In the English version, she says “let me guess... you’ll only dance with someone you like” and in the French one, she says “let me guess... you only dance with your friends”, with the word “friends” being spelled in the feminine.

I find the line a bit odd in both versions, but at least in the English one, I get that she means he only dances with girls he’s attracted to and is playing hard to get. In the French version, though, since dancing with someone is a fairly intimate act, especially for people their age, and since the French text makes it sound like she may talking about girlfriends... is she just assuming he’s got a whole harem of girlfriends, and is okay with that? I know us French people have a reputation for being softer on unfaithfulness than other cultures, but still.

Oh and one last bit about their conversation, when she does her little “you’re going to like me” thing, in the French version, she goes “did it work? Are you bewitched?” which is a cute bit of extra foreshadowing.

The conversation between Quistis and Squall goes almost exactly the same way in both versions, except for one detail, and it is once again a very subtle difference that changes a lot in the tone of the scene. Instead of saying “So you’ll dance with someone you don’t even know, but you can’t stand being around me?”, she says “You refuse to talk to me yet you dance with a stranger.”

Notice how in the French version, she seems a lot more calm, helped by the the way she states it in a way that makes it sound more like an observation than reproach. Even the punctuation contributes to that.

On top of that, I also like that the French version has her specifically mention that her problem is that he won’t talk to her, making it sound more like what hurts her is that he doesn’t trust her with his feelings and opinions, whereas the English version makes her sound upset that he doesn’t want to hang out. She sounds more like a clingy girlfriend. And of course, this difference also shows how the French text very much understates the romantic subtext.

And speaking of more subtle text, whereas English Squall replies with another brilliant “whatever” line, French Squall instead argues that the dance was an accident, which isn’t groundbreaking or anything but is at least displays human behaviour.

Another small change is that when she remembers the reason she actually went to find Squall, instead of saying “I wonder what’s to become of me?”, Quistis says something along the lines of “you really make me lose my composure, Squall!”

Again, not a huge difference, but it did make me realize one of the main reasons why i like the French translation better, I think, other than familiarity. It’s that in the French one, it feels more like there’s a link between the characters. They tend to refer to each-other by name or talk about the other person in the conversation more, it feels like there’s more of an exchange between them, making their relationships feel more real. Maybe it’s just a coincidence and it’s not something that carries on through the game, but that’s a pattern I’m beginning to notice in this playthrough.

And finally, the last change of note in this scene is that in the English version, Quistis tells Squall “this will be my last order”, but she doesn’t in the French version. However, you can then have Squall ask “what do you mean, last order?” and Quistis answers that she has a lot on her mind. But that wouldn’t make sense in the French version, would it? So instead, the option is to ask “is that an order?” and Quistis replies that as a soldier, it is Squall’s duty to obey.

I honestly don’t know which version I prefer. On the one hand, I kind of like that she doesn’t explicitly say it in the French version as it suggests that it’s hard for her to admit, or that she wants to wait for the right time to say it, but at the same time, the English take on it does give it more gravitas and I I like that Squall sounds genuinely concerned in the English version. Like for as much as he acts like he doesn’t care, he doesn’t want his friend to lose status.

Just another example of Square going the extra mile with translations by even editing the pre-rendered backgrounds as “Training Center” becomes “Serre de Combat”.(Combat Greenhouse)

The dialogue between the two is similar to an almost uncanny degree until this. In the French version, Quistis explains she was told she isn’t made to lead, but she says nothing about being told she failed as an instructor (and considering half of today’s graduates were her students, you’d think they wouldn’t say that). Even off-screen people are being more tactful in the French version!

Then, later, in the English version, Squall says “what am I supposed to say about other people’s problems?” and in the French one, he says “What could I possibly say about your disappointments and worries?”

Now, in both versions, I feel like Squall is being a bit of a dick to straight-up ignore and dismiss her like that, even if it is true that Quistis isn’t being much better by forcing him into this discussion and expecting instant sympathy from Mr Sunshine. But yet again, I find the French version to be slightly better as the English one makes it sound like he’s annoyed at the very concept of having to show even a slight bit of empathy, whereas in the French one, it seems more like he’s pointing out it’s futile to ask him about something he can’t do anything about.

And notice how my above theory does seem to pan out as he is directly addressing Quistis’ issues rather than complaining about “other people” in general. I don’t know, Squall comes across a bit whiny in this scene in the English version, in my opinion, which probably didn’t help his image in the States.

But I know what you’re probably all chomping at the bits to find out, right about now...

THIS infamous line! Possibly the douchiest thing Squall says all game. does it come out better in French?

Yeah, just a bit! basically, instead of rudely brushing her off in a time of need, he at least rationalizes it by saying there’s no point in him listening to her issues since he has no advice to give her. He’s not criticising her for daring to seek support in another person, he tells her her time would be better spent with someone more social. Which... yeah, fair enough.

Quistis has a good follow-up line too as she says it’s not a problem and that listening can already help a lot. And the last couple lines by Squall, while not being great in either language (again, it’s kind of uncharacteristically whiny in my opinion. Remember, Squall is angsty, sure, but he’s not whiny), are once again better in French.

English: “Everyone has to take care of themselves. I don’t want to carry anyone’s burden.”

French: “Talking, listening, all that is useless. We are all alone in this world. I don’t want to carry any other burden than mine.”

I feel like the French text does a better job of articulating the fact that Squall  doesn’t think things are harder for him than other people, he just doesn’t want them to expect him to help them deal with their issues when he has to deal with his own.

I will however give the English version credit for “everyone has to take care of themselves” as I feel it sums up Squall’s belief that in order to be strong, one should only ever have to rely on themselves quite nicely. If they ever do remake this game, I’d like to see a version of that line that kind of mixes the two.

Nothing to say about the part where Ellone gets attacked, unfortunately. As they lreturn to the main hall, Quistis and Squall leave us with one last slight difference in texts.

In the English one, Quistis says “Squall. It’s not like anyone can get by on their own, you know?”, to which Squall replies “says who?”

In the French one, she says “You know, Squall. Having friends is nothing to be ashamed of” and he answers with “It’s not all that great either.”

This is one of the few cases where I have mixed feelings on it. I like the English version of Quistis’ line better as it seems a bit more meaningful than the generic “friendship is magic” moral, but while Squall’s line in French is pretty lame to begin with, the English one is downright cringe-worthy to me. Like, really, Squall? You just have to find the most childishly contrarian thing you could say? Urgh.

But enough about that! It’s time for our first mission briefing and the most important change in the whole game!

That’s right, T-boards are now F-boards! Why did they change that, you may ask? I don’t know, but I guess F-board makes a bit more sense the F could stand for “Flying” and the word is in English anyway. Is there a word that begins with T I’m not familiar with that could work here?

For a more relevant comparison, the French name of the Magic Lamp is the Aladore and this is where things get a bit weird. You see, I looked up the word “aladore” to see if it was a reference I didn’t catch and at first, i couldn’t find anything. I figured it was just a variation on “Aladin”, which would tie it to the Magic lamp stuff, but then I found out that Aladore is the name of a novel by Henry Newbolt.

According to Wikipedia, it is about a knight who goes on a quest to find his heart’s desire and falls in love with an enchantress. I see no connection to Final Fantasy VIII whatsoever.

Inside the train, Zell decides to give us the perfect illustration of how subtly each version of the game handles characterisation:

Speaking of that, even dialogue options tend to be slightly more tactful in the French version as when Zell asks Squall if he knows Timber, the negative option reads “That doesn’t really interest me” instead of “I don’t care” in English.

And now, it’s time for our first look at the differences between the English and French versions of the Laguna dreams!

So whereas the English Kiros is in disbelief that Laguna would bring them back to Deling City just for the booze, French Kiros has no such qualms as he straight-up says “You know, we never say no to a lil drink of plum alcohol.”

By the way, does anyone know why there are two variations of this scene and what determines which one you get? I’m getting this one here, with Laguna saying it’s just supposed to be a friendly collation in both the English and French version, but there’s also an alternate version of the scene where Kiros says Laguna doesn’t drink and it’s just an excuse to go see his pianist, and Laguna gets all embarrassed.

I’d like to say more about the dream but honestly, there aren’t any notable differences, with the exception of a line when Laguna tells himself it’s time to use his “manly charm”...

For some reason, in the French version, the word “charm” is greyed out like when it’s one of the present-day guys talking. This doesn’t happen in the English version. Don’t know if it’s an error or if it’s supposed to have any significance.

Aaaand that’s pretty much it for the dream sequence. Oh! I almost forgot, one thing that’s interesting is that French Laguna doesn’t have the English version’s speech patterns where he uses a lot of shortenered words and generally has a very streetwise way of talking. I actually think that’s one tic the French version could have kept as I feel it gives Laguna more personality (then again, maybe it’s just something the English translator added).

Back in the present day, our heroes wake up, and Squall didn’t dream he was a moron...

He dreamt he was a clown! Just a small difference I find funny for some reason. Also, it’s a bit nicer to call Laguna clown than a moron, isn’t it? By the way, Squall isn’t the only one whose feelings on Laguna are different, as Selphie doesn’t think he’s “sooooo cooooool!”

YUP. She thinks he’s “funny and sexy.” Oh you, French Selphie! You and your wanting to bang the entire Loire lineage.

Let’s move swiftly on as we arrive to Timber. You may remember one of the few NPCs you can talk to for the moment:

Well, for some reason, the French version decided to include a really stupid joke in her line, as she says “I sell souvenirs but... myself, I am an amnesiac.”

...

Because “souvenirs” means “memories” in French, you see.

Bloody hell, even I have higher standards for puns.

Anyway, lets’ move even more swiftly on! To inside the train , when Zone asks Squall to go wake their princess up.

There are some oddities there. First, instead of asking “... were we hired to run errands? Well?”, Squall asks “Wake up an old princess?! Some mission...” which, er... I’m not sure what’s going on with the French translation here. First of all, I have no idea why Squall calls her old when there is no indication that she is (and indeed, she’s not), and the English version just... seems more appropriate for the situation.

But next, as shown in the screenshot above, instead of saying to himself “We’re not gophers... We’re SeeD... special forces”, he says, I shit you not “This is a video game, not a fairytale, Mr Owl!).

Guys, I... I think the French translator may be drunk.

Not gonna lie, though, I do find the fourth wall-breaking joke to be pretty funny, as nonsensical as it is. And it’s not the only time something like that happens, but we’ll get to it in due time.

Another telling difference in the way the characters are portrayed. When Squall does wake the girl up (and I bet he’s not so angry to have to do so once he finds out who it is) and she glomps him in joy, in the English version, he tells her to take it easy, but in the French one, he seems to be going along with it, saying “Woah! It’s getting you fired up!”

In general, I like the attitude of French Squall here. He seems, if not flirtatious, at least a bit playful with her, jokingly telling her stuff like “so it’s to go talk to him that you shamelessly abandoned me...” when she mentions talking to Cid. He just seems more relaxed when he’s around her. I don’t really get the impression from the English text. At least not as much. Also, we finally get her name:

That’s right, not Rinoa, but Linoa! If you’ve been following my blog, you’re probably aware I keep referring to her as Linoa, and now you know why. Now, I usually do use the English names when discussing the game with English-speaking people, but as petty as that may be, I really don’t like how “Rinoa” sounds. It gives me the image of a rhino in the blue wool duster, which is amusing, but kind of spoils the mood of the game.

And speaking of Squall being more relaxed...

He’s accepting Linoa’s handshake!! Seriously, I can’t be the only one who didn’t notice that for years and whose mind was blown when they did! Up to that point, there’s a running gag where Squall ignores handshakes offered to him, yet here he instinctively accepts it. And yeah, we may not have noticed it at first, but our brains did.

Man, I love the subtle ways this game manages to tell a story without calling attention to it! Shit like this is why this is my favourite video game. Even to this day, with more modern technology, the stuff FF8 does with body language surpasses all other titles.

back to something that actually has to do with the translations, after Squall fails to fool anyone by claiming that he was totally the one sneakily approaching Linoa, in the English version, she says “Ohhh... so it’s work related. That’s too bad...” and Squall just stands there in silence. But in the French version, she says “Oh! So it was just a military manoeuvre, then? I thought it was more serious... between us.” to which Squall thinks to himself “More serious!!”

I’m guessing that in both versions, she’s teasing him about how transparent it is that he was nowhere near as much in control as he says he was, but I feel like it’s more clear in the French version. Could just be because it’s my native language so I pick up on this kind of clues more easily, though.

Anyway, if you thought Rinoa/Linoa’s name change was mind-blowing, try to stay conscious after THIS:

OH.

MY.

GOD.

There is no O at the end of her name. Meaning the female dog isn’t saddled with a masculine name for no reason.