As promised, hereâs an updated version of the âhubâ with links to every part of the Final Fantasy VIII English-French Translarison so far. Iâm also going to use the #Translarison Hub tag to make it easier for people to find those.
Iâm also gonna try and get part 26 done this week but no promises as Iâll be busier than usual.
Part 1 - Back to... University?
Part 2 - The field exam
Part 3 - Dream Daddy
Part 4 - President Evil
Part 5 - Laguna Vice
Part 6 - Student exchange
Part 7 - Quistisâ skewed priorities
Part 8 - Do lapdogs dream of romantic sheep?
Part 9 - Make it Raine
Part 10 - oh Zell, youâre such a (prison) riot!
Part 11 - The Great Escape
Part 12 - Going with a bang
Part 13 - School Drama
Part 14 - Romantic Cruise
Part 15 - FURURURURURURU
Part 16 - Horizon Event
Part 17 - Nothing says âromanceâ like an Irish jig
Part 18 - A tribe called Side-quest
Part 19 - the one that took entirely too long to make
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Coming soon... the return of the Final Fantasy VIII English-French Translarison!
Well... it has NOT been four years since I last touched this, is all Iâm saying.
Okay, so itâs been four years. My, how time flies. But I really want to continue it. I guess I just... recovered my mojo about it?
Anyway, I am currently working on part 25, literally as I am typing this, after finally being able to make sense of how I organized my save files (pro tip: donât go on a four-years hiatus in the middle of a gaming project) which will see us start the CD 3 content. Oooooh! Really looking forward to it. No promise on when exactly itâll go up as it does take a lot of time but Iâm hoping to post it sometime today or tomorrow.
Also, I figured since itâs been a hot minute, itâd be a good idea to compile every entry so far, so that you and all of your loved ones to whom Iâm sure youâve been sending every update to religiously may have one hub to find them all and refresh their memory.
I also intend to of course update it with every new entry, unless I forget or canât be arsed. Anyway, with no further ado, click the âsee moreâ bit for the list and see you soon for part 25! Oh, and donât hesitate to tell me if a link is broken or wrong or what have you.
Part 1 - Back to... University?
Part 2 - The field exam
Part 3 - Dream Daddy
Part 4 - President Evil
Part 5 - Laguna Vice
Part 6 - Student exchange
Part 7 - Quistisâ skewed priorities
Part 8 - Do lapdogs dream of romantic sheep?
Part 9 - Make it Raine
Part 10 - oh Zell, youâre such a (prison) riot!
Part 11 - The Great Escape
Part 12 - Going with a bang
Part 13 - School Drama
Part 14 - Romantic Cruise
Part 15 - FURURURURURURU
Part 16 - Horizon Event
Part 17 - Nothing says âromanceâ like an Irish jig
Part 18 - A tribe called Side-quest
Part 19 - the one that took entirely too long to make
Hello, the FFVIII French translation stuff is really interesting and well made, is there a place where I can access all of it easily? Is it complete? Regardless, thanks for the hard work for the stuff that is here from one FFVIII fan to another.
Hello! Thank you very much for the kind words. All I can tell you is everything posted so far is all on this blog so I don't really have an "easier" way to access it, although I did come up with the "translarison" tag if that helps. Now that you mention it, perhaps I should look into some way to catalogue them in order.
Sadly, it is not complete yet but do not worry, I do intend to return to it... you know... someday. Eventually. I think the big issue is I started this while I was unemployed so these days, it's not as easy to motivate myself to set 6 hours aside to go through both versions of the game, take screenshots, write the differences along, re-write that draft into a more coherent piece, then edit it all into Tumblr and publish it (and presumably make a dozen edits afterwards as I realize I made hundreds of typos I somehow didn't catch).
I really do want to get back to it though, as it is very fun to make. Maybe I should try doing a little bit at a time instead of one big session. We'll see.
Either way, thanks for the ask and I'm really happy you enjoy the translarison! That's a very lovely message to wake up to. Have a nice day!
FF8 English-French translarison, part 24: Return of the Translarison!
Holy shit, have I seriously not posted a new part since February?! Well, itâs time to get back to business. Since itâs been a while, in case you forgot, last time, the team was getting ready to face Edea for the second and last time. Letâs get to it.
We start with another example of Fujin telling us a bit more than in English as instead of just âFATIGUED!â, she says âI canât take it any more!â.
Meanwhile, instead of âLetâs just go. ...Letâs get it over with, ya know?â, Raijin says âCome on, letâs keep going! We gotta end this!â
To this, English Fujin rplies âREQUESTâ (which Iâm still not sure what she means by that since she doesnât actually request anything) while her French counterpart says âIâve had it!â. A little dialogue follows.
English:
Raijin: ...Weâre leavinâ Seifer up to you now, ya know? We donât know whatâs going on anymore, ya know? ...We just want the old Seifer back, ya know?â
Squall: (Seifer... He probably thinks he canât go back now.) All right.
French:
Raijin: Seifer, weâve had enough... this isnât fun for us. We donât know whatâs going on! You werenât like that before...
Squall: (Seifer wonât give up. No, not now...) I see...
Iâll give the English text that itâs a nice bit of characterization that Raijin is basically asking Squall to save Seifer from himself, or at least stop him from going even further down the deep end than he already has but man, do these annoying catchphrases and gimmick destroy any atmosphere for me. I really donât understand why English-language translators are so obsessed with them (and if they were in the original Japanese, well, not everything needs to be translated directly).
Seriously, professional translators, you gotta understand that you donât need to commit to a running gag every goddamn time to the detriment of everything else. Even if you donât think it takes you out of the story, running gags get really old really quick.
Also, we once again get a hint that Seifer used to be better, which would have been nice to actually see in the game rather than constantly be assured that it used to be the case because again, we see more genuine chemistry between the Jin Team & Squall than between him and Seifer.
Anyway, with that rant over, letâs continue. This guy, who gives you the first key card, says mostly the same thing in both versions, but I wanted to bring it up because of an UNFORGIVABLE mistake in the French version. Thatâs right, despite the sentence being pluralized, they used the pronoun âIlâ without an S, which is the singular form!! I really hope whomever wrote that atone by cutting off their pinky at the first knuckle.
On a more serious level, there is also an interesting little bit in the English version where he mentions that most students were kicked out, which is absent in the French version. And I mean, I guess it doesnât need to be stated explicitly, but I think itâs nice to have it confirmed that Galbadia Garden was completely recycled into a military base, as it adds to the tragedy that the student basically lost their home IMO. Although I guess at least it means theyâre not being held hostages.
And now itâs time to finally meet these hockey-playing monsters weâve been told about so long ago. I just love that the devs actually made those, and that they decided that their reaction to a massive battles would be to take the opportunity to get involved in the fight for no real reason.
And yes, as you may have noticed the Slappers are called Jason in the French version of the game, because why not throw in a Friday the 13th reference for good measure? And if you remember (in which case, congrats on the good memory considering how long ago that was), this ties into another reference thatâs been invented by the French version, where they explained that these guys psych themselves up for a match by watching horror movies such as Friday the 13th. Just amazing!
But wait! Thatâs not all! Because if you scan them, the French version also explicitly mentions that the Jasons are, in fact, students at Galbadia Garden. I mean, you could gather that information in the English version as well, but to have it explicitly stated here just makes it that much funnier to me. Just imagine having to take classes with these things next to you. Do they keep the masks on? What do they look under there? Please, Square-Enix, cancel the remaster and put your resources towards giving us a spin-off expanding on this lore. THIS is what the world needs!
Sadly, we must leave the Jasons, but we do get to meet Cerberus! The original dog from Hell!
Massive difference in tone between the versions when it comes to Cerberus, or CerbĂšres in French (the last E is silent, as is the S). In English, heâs very blunt, talking less like an immortal demonic being and more like a pro wrestling Heel, yeeling in all caps âPRETTY CONFIDENT. LETâS SEE HOW YOU DO. SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!â which by the way, really makes me wish he went âI LIKE WHAT YOU GOTâ upon being defeated.
In French, he is more eloquent and collected, saying âWhat arrogance! Mere mortals! Show me what youâre capable of!â. And while his actual line upon defeat is âNOT BAD...MORTALSâ in English, in French, he simply says âInterestingâ.
One last detail about this fight Iâd like to mention. After Irvine mentions he doesnât know that Guardian Force, French Squall simply says âLetâs take it!â but I like the English version a lot more here, as Squall goes âAhh... letâs just take it.â
Yeah, sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. And I think that says a lot as to where Squall is mentally at this point. Just done. Fuck it. I mean, he just fought a team of horror-inspired hockey monsters, thereâs no point in questioning anything any more.
Much to my dismay, itâs time to meet up with Seifer again. The dialogue stays mostly consistent across both versions, with the one notable detail being that in the English version, when addressing Linoa, he says âremember a year ago we...â whereas in French, he says âand yet, a year ago...â so the English version hints at a slightly deeper, perhaps more reciprocal relationship.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the only acknowledgement Seifer gives of any previous relationship between the two in either version, and itâs in an optional bit of dialogue that only appears if Linoa is in the party at this point. This is why I am not buying this supposed love triangle for a second. Much like every part of the supposed rivalry between Seifer and Squall, it barely exists, what little is there is completely superficial and Seifer is blatantly outmatched right form the get go.
And look, Iâm not here to tell you youâre right of wrong in your headcanons or fanfics or whatever, I really donât care. However, it always annoys me when people go on and on about how deep and meaningful this love triangle when itâs really not. In fact, it barely is at all. So again, Iâm not giving people shit if they want to make it a thing, but you gotta keep in mind that whatever story you give them is entirely your creation. Because when it comes to whatâs actually shown in the game, well, itâs almost nothing, which makes me wonder why itâs even there to begin with. The extent of their story is: Linoa thought Seifer was hot, Seifer might have thought the same about her, maybe?
Anyway, second rant over, thereâs a small difference in the dialogue with Irvine. In English, Seifer says âHey, youâre a Galbadian student, get over here.â to which irvine replies âIâm happy right here, thank you.â
In french, Seifer says âHey, the Galbadian, youâre coming back home?â and he answers with âI like my new country betterâ which I donât think is actually quite whatâs going on but I will admit is an interesting take on this scene.
Again, things are pretty similar in the dialogue between Squall and Seifer leading up to the battle, with Squall saying Seifer is just another monster in both versions, although Seiferâs last line before the fight is different... and very stupid either way. In English, he says âYou guys are the monstersâ and in French he says âI think of myself as a Boss, yeahâ.
Well Iâm glad both lines are equally cringeworthy, with English Seifer cribbing his from a 12 year old trying to sound deep and French Seifer just coming across like the kind of douche that The Lonely Island likes to parody. Also, I think the French version may have attempted to be cute. Get it? Because heâs a boss battle! HA HA no.
In the auditorium, we have a slight difference in Edeaâs opening line. In English, she refers to Squall as âthe legendary SeeD destined to face meâ. In French, she calls him âthe famous Seed whose coming is announced by allâ. It seems a bit weird to me as Iâm not getting the impression that Squall is all that famous in-universe so it would be weird that âallâ would announce his arrival.
So I think the English version works a little bit better as it gives the impression she knows that due to her insight into future events. Then again, you could argue that French Ultimecia is talking about her original timeline, where perhaps Squall was leading the charge against her and he had become some kind of hero to the people of that time, and that she is trying to stop him before he can become that hero. After all, for someone like Ultimecia, it would make sense to view the various timelines as one and the same.
So we fight, I grab Alexander (known in French as Alexandre, so almost the same, but the English name will still show in my game due to my save file getting confused) and during Squallâs blackout, we get a slight difference that once again at the two translations being based off the original Japanese rather than each-other, as in English, Squall complains about his body hurting whereas in French, itâs specifically his head, so it appears we have different interpretations going on.
Similarly, after Edea asks if she was able to protect Ellone (which interestingly, shows that Edea is at least not always aware of what Ultimecia is doing), English Squall thins âI donât understandâ, showing general confusion at the situation, whereas French Squall thinks âI donât know.â replying directly to her question about Ellone.
And thatâs it for today! Next time, weâll see how differently Squall reacts to Linoaâs situation in both versions as we finally start taking on the 3rd CD content. I hope you all enjoyed this return of the translarison, I honestly didnât realize it had been this long. I promise Iâll try and be more regular again, even though as Iâve said before, the only schedule for this is âwhen I feel like itâ.
Now speaking of future updates, in case you missed it, I would like to start streaming my gameplay sessions on Twitch as I take screenshots and comment on whatâs happening, and hopeuflly take your questions and observations. If itââs something that sounds interesting to you, I would really like you to say so by commenting on this post, dropping me a line or however you see fit, and if/when it happens, you can join us at twitch.tv/ssnakeyb. Either way, likes and reblogs are always appreciated to help spread the word.
Have a nice day, everyone! Iâl be seeing you next time!
FF8 English-French translarison, part 23: Battle of the Gardens
Welcome back, everyone! We are nearing the end of the CD2 content and beginning one of my favourite parts of the game: the Battle of the Gardens.
And immediately weâve got some interesting stuff as the dialogue between Nida and Squall:
In English, Nida asks âThe sorceress is with them, huh? So this is going to be the final battle?â. However, French Nida is more assured, stating âThe witch is with them. This is going to be the ultimate battle.â
Anyway, back to the dialogue, English Squall replies with âI hope so,â but again the reply is quite different as he says â(yes, for whom?)â and indeed, itâs between parenthesis, implying heâs muttering it to himself, and making it very clear that he fully expects at least one of them to die.
Next, in English, Squall wonders âWhat should I do first? I have to give orders to everybody. Itâs my responsibility.â in the French version, heâs more straightforward, thinking âI have to distribute tasks and give everyone orders.â Gotta say, I do like the way the English version emphasize Squallâs sense of duty a little more.
Geesh, weâre still on the first screen and we have yet more stuff to cover when it comes to Squallâs orders:
First, in English, Squall is pretty solemn about Seifer being there, as he says âAs you may all know, Seifer is with them. I plan to settle everything, once and for all, with this battle.â French Squall is being a lot less cute about it, saying âOne of us, Seifer, is fighting on the enemyâs side. Count on me to eliminate this traitor.â DAMN, French Squall ainât fucking around!
Next, we have a bit of a strange difference in... lore, I guess? In English, Squall orders â1st and 2nd class Sabersâ to go in the parking lot. In French, however, he orders the âgrenadiersâ to do so, which is rather odd for two reasons. First, as far as Iâm aware, SeeD doesnât use grenades (which would seem redundant hen you have magic anyway), and explosives seem to be more Galbadiaâs speciality. And second, âgrenadiersâ as a specific unit isnât a thing in the French army any more, and is usually associated with Napoleonic times, so thatâs a bit of strange reference. Of course, I guess it could be kind of a non-literal term and refer to fire magic specialists.
Next, while giving orders to protect the quad and main entrance, English Squall splits the students between even and odd ID numbers. In French, itâs a bit more complicated, as he tells the âfirst year studentsâ to get the quad, and the âcandidatesâ to get to the entrance. Iâm guessing âfirst year studentsâ refers to new SeeD graduates and âcandidatesâ to the ones nearing the end who can apply for the final exam but havenât graduated yet.
Or maybe itâs kind of the opposite, and âfirst-year studentâ means people who just entered the cursus to join SeeD (as opposed to younger students who are getting a general education) and âcandidatesâ are again the ones eligible for the final exam. Not that I really have any evidence backing it up either way. :P
And similarly, instead of telling students with an ID ending with 8 (which id a bit confusing considering he already gave students with even-numbered ID orders) to take care of the junior classmen, in French, they do follow through on the previous orders by having Squall tell the second year students to do so.
After the girls and Irvine tell Squall Zell is sleeping, English Squall is quite disbelieving an asks them whet theyâre talking about. And in French, heâs actually extra snarky by asking âAre you kidding me right now?â.
And after Quistis says itâs their little secret, instead of wondering â... Whatâs he doing? We donât have any time!â, he wonders âAre they drunk or something?â. Seriously, French Squall is so done with anyoneâs bullshit.
Hereâs one of the more amusing ones. In English, this guy says his status is âIndirect magic operative, level 2âł. In French however, he says heâs in charge of... the film club. Now itâs clearly not meant to be a joke, I just find the contrast between the two version funny in this case.
Also, in English, Squall makes him a 1st class MG, as in Major General, presumably, which seems quite a high rank for someone whose background Squall doesnât know (especially since Iâm not even sure thatâs how SeeD ranks work but whatever). In French, it seems a bit more plausible as he tells the guy âFrom now on, youâre the section B lieutenantâ.
One thing I do like about the guy being in charge of the film club in the French version is how it shows how suddenly these kidsâ lives can change in an instant in this gameâs universe. Itâs clear that for the most part, education in Balamb Garden is fairly standards, so one minute you could be minding your own business, hanging out with friend, engaging in normal high-school activities when suddenly bam! War gets dumped on you and you gotta adapt or die. Pretty of scary when you think about it.
Thereâs also a slight difference with these three guys. In English, the boys are part of the âFire Platoonâ, which make me wonder if it means they use guns (which again seems odd for Balamb Garden, but maybe itâs a thing) and the girl is a medic.
In French, however, one of the boys is explicitly a gunner (so I guess it really IS a thing), the other boy is a ânurse-firemanâ (because one of these jobs just isnât stressful enough on its own apparently) and the girl is a regular nurse.
Either way, I always loved Squall thinking quickly under pressure and making sure everyone has a role. Itâs funny, there are many high-ranking (para-)military characters in video games, but itâs the only time I recall one actually acting like a leader.
The talk with Zell goes pretty much the same in both versions, I just find it funny that in English, Squall goes out of his way to encourage Zell & co by saying âZell, Iâm counting on you. Good luck, everyone.â whereas in French, he is much more laconic, merely saying âGood luck.â
Probably the smallest difference Iâll mention, but still an interesting one. In English, after the Galbadian forces invade, Squall tells the quad team to watch out. In French, he tells all âBGU Soldiersâ to get ready. Both make sense, though I do like Squall giving more specific orders in English a little more. It gives the sense that heâs observing everything from the bridge and uses that to his advantage for tactical decisions.
Hereâs another funny one. After Squall tells Zell to do whatever it takes to rescue Linoa, English Zell replies âLeave it to me!â. In French however, he seems less confident as what he says literally translates to â(Poor me!)â and itâs basically him going â(Oh, boy)â. This is especially funny when coupled with his confident-looking chest pat. I love the moment that imply that Zell is often not nearly as assured as he looks, but he puts on a brave face as to not demoralize his teammates.
Back in the headmasterâs office, where Kadowaki is once again proving herself to be the best NPC in gaming history by taking charge instead of Cid, thereâs another amusing difference. In both versions, she tells Squall that itâs his destiny to fight Seifer, but while sheâs pretty straightforward about it in French, I love that in English, she goes âItâs kind of like your destiny to face himâ. Yeah, sort of or whatever. Look, just go kick his ass.
Another Irvine speech, another surprisingly big difference.
English:
Listen... Do me a favor. YOU... go help Rinoa. It may be too late, but donât give up until youâre CERTAIN that thereâs nothing more you can do!
French:
No way you can just leave her like that! Nobody abandons such a pretty girl, as long as thereâs really nothing left to do...
By the way, that awkward phrasing at the end (as it should have been âUNTIL thereâs really nothing left to doâ) is indeed present in the actual text, so donât blame it on me! And generally speaking I do like the English take on it better, especially as he goes âYOU help Linoaâ. Itâs like heâs saying âlook, you gave the orders, we know what to do, but if YOU donât rescue her, no-one canâ.
And it really goes to show that in spite of the image he wants to give of himself, Irvine is surprisingly thoughtful. He knows Squall wonât be able to forgive himself if he doesnât try to rescue Linoa, even if someone else rescued her, heâd feel like shit for not going for her.
Thereâs also a bit of an odd quirk in the English version a bit later, as Quistis says âweâll clear a path. Once Squall arrives, weâll move in.â which is a bit weird considering sheâs talking to Squall. Even if you want to say sheâs speaking to the group as a whole, itâs still a bit strange, especially as sheâs still looking right at him. In French, she does address him directly saying âWeâll clear the path. Donât worry about us.â
And so we get to Squallâs speech and while itâs very moving, I want you all to picture Linoa dangling off the side of Balamb Garden the whole time. Anyway, the first half of it is actually very similar in both versions. But then things get quite different:
English:
SeeD was formed to fight the sorceress; at least, thatâs what I heard. And Garden was created to train SeeDs. So this battle is Gardenâs destiny and also our destiny. Itâs a grueling battle, and Iâm sure you guys are all exhausted. But I donât want to have any regrets. I donât want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything youâve got! For yourselves and for me!
French:
The battle we fight has many things at stake: everyoneâs life, of course, but also the future of BGU and our democracy! This is why I ask each of you for one more push, non just for yourselves, but for everyone else. I count on you! I ask you to do your maximum, for you and for others.
And finally, I donât know about you, but this is the moment Iâve been looking for. After Squall goes all tsundere on Linoa and claims him saving her was purely professional because they have a contract and it was everybody elseâs idea and ti was a coincidence anyway and itâs not like I keep saving you because I like you or anything, so donât get the wrong idea, baka, we get some small differences at first.
For example, while throwing Zell under the bus, instead of âZell gave it to me, see? Iâve been holding on to itâ, she says âZell gave it to me. That was nice of him, wasnât it?â. Rest assure that Squall swears to kill him either way. Also, I really like the animation of Squallâs shoulders tensing up and him rolling his neck while he thinks that. I donât remember seeingt hat specific animation anywhere else either, so I lvoe that they gave him one for that of all things.
Also also, in both versions, he specifies that itâs his favourite ring, implying he owns many more. Behold Pimp Squall, blowing his cadet allowance on bling. Oh and while in English, he adds âYouâd better give it back,â he doesnât say that in French, which is yet another small detail that makes him come across a bit nicer in the French version.
People also noted that on top of lions in the FF8 universe not resembling our Earth lions, Linoa sounds out the the word like sheâs never heard of it before, implying theyâre fairly obscure mythical creatures. Well, that doesnât happen in French and thinking about it, thatâs a bit of a shame as that is an interesting subtle bit of lore.
But the question is: does this L I O N of his have a name? Sure does:
Yep, Griever is known as Cronos in French, tying it back to the time theme. Oddly, itâs lacking an H to really fit, so it might be a reference to the king of Titans as well.
So in both versions, Linoa says that itâs such an accident that people might think theyâre together once she gets a copy of Squallâs ring. But whatâ interesting is the specific terms used:
In English, she says âThatâd be crazy, huh!? I mean, everyone might, yâknow, get the wrong idea about us.â
In French, she says âThe problem is that everyone will think weâre together!â
What makes this seemingly small difference have such significance is how it leads to Squallâs reply a bit later as in English, he tells Rinoa âYou sound like you want everyone to get the wrong idea.â teasing her a bit while kind of calling her out.
In French however, it take son a whole other meaning as he says âI donât know if itâs really a problem...â
And this to me really sounds like Squall openly admitting that he does have romantic feelings for Linoa. After all, why else would a guy like him be okay with people spreading rumours about him being with a girl? If nothing else, heâs certainly admitting that heâs comfortable being paired up with her by people and that heâs got some things to work out once the battle is over.
Oh and Linoaâs reaction in each version also speaks volume about what Squall just said. In English, she just vehemently denies being up to anything, going âNo-no-no-no-no!â. In French, she seems much more flustered, going âHuh? What... What do you mean?â
Weâve got one last difference to end on. And once again, itâs quite a meaningful one. It happens as Squall ends yet another rousing speech. In English, it goes like this:
Squall: âWeâve come this far. I guess there no need for me to say anything.â
Rinoa: âWeâre still listening. Squall, we want to know how you feel.â
Squall: âIâll tell you later... After we all get out of this. Letâs go.â
In French, it goes like this (note that Squall uses the pronoun âtuâ, showing heâs addressing Linoa specifically):
Squall: My little memories donât interest you, huh?
Linoa: Of course they do! Tell me what you really think.
Squall: Iâll tell you that, if weâre still alive after this trial. Letâs go!
I find it very interesting that Squall make sit more personal here, by talking to Linoa directly. Itâs a good way for him to tall the rest of the orphanage gang that they canât put the rest of humanity in jeopardy because of their childhood memories.
But really, I like this part in both versions. And in both, you once again have Squall basically admit that he wants to get closer to Linoa. So even if you donât take it as a love confession, then it certainly shows that he wants to figure out how exactly he feels about her, that he definitely wants their relationship to be more than professional, and that he intends to work out how far he wants it to go. And on top of that, itâs also a good motivator for her to give it all sheâs got. âDonât you die on me, Iâve got stuff to tall you about.â
Hhhaaa, I really enjoyed that one! And I hope you did too. Next time, itâs the second and final battle against Edea, the end of the CD2 content and the beginning of a new battle. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions, either by replying to this post or through my âaskâ thing, or to just make comments or add your two cents. I always love to see peopleâs reactions and their own interpretations of various elements. And it would be really nice if you could give this post a reblog to help spread awareness. I know some people think their own blog is too small for it to matter but I assure you, every reblog helps.
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FF8 English-French translarison, part 22: dinner with a side of quest.
Welcome back, everyone! As promised last time, today, weâll be finishing up on some side quests.
Starting with the Centra ruins, we have Odin. In the English version, he speaks in a very antiquated tone, the type that Hollywood writers think people spoke like in medieval times but is really just modern speak with some Renaissance-era words thrown in. That does not happen in French, where he speaks in a formal but still fairly modern tone. His speech is also slightly different.
English:
Excellent, prepare thyself. The weak shall perish. The strong shall triumph. Prevail over my sword, and I shall grant it to thee. For honor... let us fight!â
French:
Perfect. Prepare yourselves. There is no place for the weak in this world. Triumph over my strength and I shall swear allegiance to you. En garde, impudent mercenaries.
I do like the added implication that Odin has some level of omnipotence or mind-reading or something, and knows that they are mercenaries as a result. And while Iâm at it, what he says when you defeat him is also different:
English:
Thou art strong, mortals! I shall grant thee my powers. Call upon me in times of trouble...
French:
You know the art of war, mortal. I hand you my humble powers. Summon me should strength fail you.
I also went for Tonberry King afterwards, though there arenât many differences. Except for this!
Yes, in French, they are called Tomberry. With an M instead of an N. Now thatâs probably just to do with French grammatical rules, but I remember being very surprised to learn itâs spelled with an N in English considering it just seems to make sense for their name to include the word âtombâ, seeing how in every game they appear, they tend to roam tombs, or ruins, or creepy dungeons, etc... also, if I recall, even in English, a B is usually preceded by an M rather an N. Oh well.
Oh and by the way, this specific creature is actually known as Tomberry Senior in French during combat, although the full name doesnât fit afterwards.
And thatâs it for the Centra ruins! Now letâs move on to Winhill. And first, iâd like to bring up this freaking cat:
Yeah, in case you missed it, the bloody thing talks, and it doesnât seem to think itâs weird. I guess that IS a very âcatâ thing to do to be able to talk but just not being arsed with it most of the time. And yes, it does talk in meows, so you may be wondering, does it do the same in French?
Sure does! And it actually says pretty much the same thing in both versions, and it never fails to baffle me in either version.
Now for something far more rational: ghosts. And here we have another case of the French version being a lot more down-to-earth with the way characters speak, as this lady doesnât say âpu-leaseâ or anything simila in French. She just says âA ghost? Come on, now... those donât exist... right?â. Well lady, hate to burst your bubble, but I met one after beating up two minotaurs. It gave me playing cards.
Thereâs also an odd little difference where in English, she says she noticed stuff being rearranged by itself whereas in French, she instead mentions the closet getting tidied up on its own, which doesnât sound like a problem to me and also sounds especially funny when you know the conclusion to this quest.
This isnât really a translation difference, but I love this bit too much to ignore it. If you go there with Quistis in the group and examine the armour, youâll get this text box (itâs the same in French)... only for Squall to immediately turn to Quistis and tell her to cut it out, and she dejectedly admits to being the one to be saying it, seemingly disappointed that Squall figured it out so quickly.
I love the implications of this scene, not only that Quistis randomly knows to throw her voice, but that she uses that for pranks, and apparently does it frequently enough that Squall immediately knows itâs her. It seems there are A LOT of untold stories behind this moment, many of which I assume end up with Squall being embarrassed. And I also love that Linoa swallows it hook, line and sinker, and then quickly looks away in embarrassment once Squall exposes Quistis.
And hey, there IS a little bit of a difference, as in English, Linoa tells Quistis âDonât scare me like that!â, but in French, sheâs a bit more direct, telling her âQuit fooling around!â.
Another small difference. In the French version, this ladyâs lines are shorter. In English, she asks âhow are you today?â at first and âAre you here to visit an acquaintance?â, which she doesnât in the French version. Donât why, but if I had to hazard a guess, Iâd say itâs due to technical limitations as they could probably only fit so many words in one box (and French is often quite wordier than English).
Newt we have these DISGUSTING FRAUDS. In English, after Squall informs them that theyâre actual SeeDs, in English, the fake SeeD tells them âHahaha... So that makes you our junior. Keep up the good work. Hahaha...â but in French, we donât really have that concept of calling younger students your âjuniorsâ, so instead, he says âAh ah ah, youâre still green. Make sure you listen in class, kid!â.
But hereâs the most interesting part, especially since I forgot about it in both versions. When you talk to the one in the cadet outfit (who Iâm pretty sure still tries to make people believe heâs a graduate, bonus points for a detail that makes the joke work even better), he mentions someone helping the town in both version, but the way he brings it up is quite different.
In English, he says âIâve heard thereâs an undercover figure that helps this town out. I wonder if this person has some kind of sentimental attachment to this place?â.
However, in French, he says âThey say a mysterious stranger gives this town a hand. I wonder what their motive could be.â
Now Iâm guessing that in both versions, theyâre referring to Laguna, but notice how in English, the way they put it seems to imply he physically comes to the town to help them out, whereas in French, the term âmysterious strangerâ seems to imply that heâs supporting them from afar, in more indirect ways.
And assuming they are indeed talking about Laguna (who else could it be?), I like that second interpretation better. First, even for FF8, it feels a bit weird to me to imagine Laguna coming into town in a disguise and somehow fooling everyone. Not only do I have a hard time believing nobody in Winhill would recognize him, letâs not kid ourselves, Laguna isnât a subtle man, and he canât do âundercoverâ. On top of that, if he physically came to Winhill, I also donât buy that he wouldnât have found out about Ellone & Squallâs whereabouts, and that he wouldnât have gone after them in turn.
But if you think of it as him sending anonymous help, perhaps through various channels, from Esthar (fpr example, it would make sense for him to send packages to Horizon, who would then send it to WInhill), it makes a lot more sense. It could have taken him a very long time to even learn that Raine died, and considering Winhillians are probably not to keen on speaking to Estharians after two invasions, multiple deaths and at least one child kidnapping, he probably wouldnât have learned the details of how she died, thus not knowing that he had a son, and similarly would have lost Elloneâs trail (because I donât believe for a second that Laguna wouldnât drop everything to find his kids if he knew where they were). And if you consider it that way, it also feels more like heâs doing it as a way to apologize for indirectly causing Raineâs death and not being here for her when she last needed it.
And on that bombshell, we end this entry. Sorry itâs a short one after such a long wait, I thought there would be more to it than that, but as it turns out, the two versions are actually quite similar on all those parts. Hope you had fun reading it though and next time will definitely make up for this small update as we will begin a big undertaking: the Battle of the Gardens. Yeah, this will doubtlessly provide A LOT of material, especially since just from memory, I remember some fairly big difference that Iâll have a lot to say about, so itâs probably going to be covered across multiple parts.
Iâm very excited about it, and in the meantime, donât hesitate to comment on the differences, ask questions either through the âaskâ feature on my blog or by commenting on these posts in some manner and if you enjoy the translarison, please make sure to reblog it as it really, really helps its visibility, especially now that Tumblr has decided that the only thing that was allowed to be screwed on its site is the users.
Hi, everyone! So itâs been a while since the last Translarison post and while Iâve stated form the start that I work on a âwhenever I feel like itâ schedule, I do want to keep them at least somewhat steady, so I wanted to give you some info about whatâs going on.
So for starters, Iâve had computer issues lately, Iâve had some computer issues, which led me to get a new one. Unfortunately, I took the screenshots for the next part on the old one, and in spite of my copy-pasting my Steam file, they didnât transfer over, meaning Iâm gonna have to retake them before I can start writing.
Also, work has just been a major pain in the ass lately, between management screwing us over, customers being annoying, and not getting a proper week-end in about three weeks. All that left me drained of any energy and motivation when I went home, so I just wanted to sit back, relax and play something I didnât have to put too much thought into, and certainly not make some literary comparisons and analyses.
And finally, on top of all that, but luckily in much more uplifting news, Iâm in the process of buying an apartment, so Iâve been very busy visiting, gathering and sending documents, etc... and that has been my priority when it comes to my own time for the past couple weeks.
So basically, hang in there, everyone! It might still take a little longer but the next part should be there within the next week, hopefully.
FF8 English-French translarison, part 18: A tribe called Side-quest
Hello again, everybody! Itâs been a while but weâre back! Quick refresher: last time, we went over the many differences in the concert scene and the stuff leading up to it.
And now, Squall wakes up and is being summoned to the bridge, but before that, letâs take another look around Balamb Garden and see if thereâs anything of interest, shall we?
First little thing, the CC Club. For the most part the dialogue with Jack here (or Valet in French) is pretty much the same in both languages, but there is one small difference, in that in English, the CC members other than the King are described as âCard _____â whereas in French, they are just referred to as their title. So for example, you get âThe Knight of Clubsâ instead of âCard Knight Clubâ (by the way, âKnight Clubâ sounds like the name of a place that specializes in all-sorceress bachelorette parties).
Also, the Joker is referred to as just that, not Magician Joker, although the Jack does call him a magician once.
Hereâs something interesting if you talk to Irvine. Most of lines are pretty much the same, except for one, where in French, he says âThereâs no big secret to hitting on girls, you gotta look cool!â whereas in English, he gives Squall the following advice: âLike... Iâve been thinking about this for a while now... Maybe you should loosen up a bit? Youâll be sure to get girls that way...!â
Weird that only that one line would be so different. Also, thanks for your input, mister Love Doctor, but I think Squall is going to stick to the patented Loire-Leonhart seduction technique: be lucky enough that youâre so hot girls go after you, and not you after them, in spite of your massive awkwardnessâ. Seriously, between Lagunaâs cramp and Squallâs... self, their family line would have extinguished itself centuries ago if it werenât for their absurdly good genes and actually had to put any effort into wooing ladies.
Skipping ahead to plot stuff, this is a good spot to tell you that in French, Squallâs title isnât âcommanderâ but âchefâ. And no, that doesnât mean heâs a cook, that word actually just means âchiefâ or âbossâ. The term used in English comes from the title âchef cuisinierâ, which translates as âHead cookâ.
But yeah, the French title is kinda lame regardless. Itâs such a generic title. Donât know why they couldnât use âcommandantâ, which you know, actually is a military rank and would describe Squallâs role far better. âChefâ sounds more like something cops would call their boss in a TV show. Although I will say, now that I think of it, I so want a whodunnit series where Balamb Garden is a police headquarter.
More importantly, though, we have a very different reaction from Squall depending on the version. In English, he actually gets annoyed and asks Quistis not to call him that. In French, heâs more confused and just repeats âChef?â as shown above.
Anyway, Squallâs filthy assistants suggest checking on Balamb but fuck that, weâre going on side quests! Yeah, I figure that now that the game world is finally almost completely opened up, itâs a good time to start doing these, and generally exploring. Plus, Iâve worked out a neat way to alternate between side quests and plot stuff at least until the battle of the Gardens, so itâs nice to have a bit of organization for a change.
First stop, Obel Lake. We have another bizarre change here as in the English text, the shadow you can meet after humming a song sends you on a quest to find his friend, Mr. Monkey (and with that, it just occurred to me how freaking weird that game can get). But in the French version, his friend is called âRyo the idiotâ.
Yeah, theyâre nothing a like and I really wonder what prompted each version. Again, if you played another localisation of the game and they call it something else, Iâd love to hear what it is.
After we find the idiot / monkey / idiot monkey and return to mr. Shadow (hm, is it the same one from Fifth Element?), we have another interesting difference as in French, the shadow says âBooyakaâ to great you. Looks like Selphieâs catchphrase did catch on to someone after all!
Now then, you may be aware that relaying his friendâs whereabouts makes the shadow give you some helpful hints as a reward, and of them is to âtake some time off at Eldbeak Peninsulaâ. Once you get there, you find some weird message, and the trick is to literally take the words âtimeâ and âoffâ away from the message the reveal another hint.
Of course, that would only work in English, so what did they do for the French version? Well, the shadow tells you âRetire tes pompes Ă Eldbeak Peninsulaâ, which means âtake off your shoes at Eldbeak Peninsulaâ. And indeed, removing the words âtes pompesâ pulls the same trick.
If you go back to the dumbass ape after you manage to skip the rock âmany, many timesâ (or âan incalculable amount of timesâ in French), heâll get angry and start yelling âAhhh! Darn it! Y-Youâre just a big loser! Iâm able to skip the rock as many times as I want! So there! Ha-Hah! Loser! Dork! Idiot! Your mom wears combat boots!â
Well that certainly was creative, although I think most of the cast except Linoa and Zell is immune to âyo mamaâ jokes, what with being orphans and all. ANyway, he is a bit more restrained in French, going âFor Godâssake! How can anyone suck so bad? What a butterfingers, really! I can skip rocks 100 more times than you!â
This guy says that his girlfriend keeps nagging him, saying heâs a loser. In the English version, he than whines that if someone had told him not to give up back then, he would have tried harder, proving his girlfriend right. Oddly, he doesnât say that second part in the French version, so you donât get a hint that you should have encouraged him earlier, because apparently this guy makes career decisions based on the advice of random passers-by.
Hereâs a very interesting one as the dialogue with both NPCs goes in waaaaayyyy different directions. In English, the mom says âIâm so proud of my daughter. You guys help your parents out, too while you can. They may not ask for it, but itâll make them really happy.â
Tssssss... about thaaaaat...
Letâs move swiftly on. In French, she instead says âFrom time to time, I feel like I am my daughterâs grandmother. Strange, isnât it?â.
As for the daughter, in English, she says âItâs quite tough being the eldest daughter. I have a lot of responsibilities... But I love my parents who adopted me and my twin brothers.â
Gee whiz, it keeps getting more and more awkward. In French, she says âSometimes, I feel like Iâm my parentsâ mom... Thatâs strange, right?â.
So yeah, very different and all kidding aside, I once again have to give it to the English version, as I like the mention of the kids being adopted. It goes to show that the main characters arenât the only orphans in that world.
Back to smaller differences with these two. For the most part, their dialogue is the same, with the girl saying she used to get fired up but calmed down later on, and in English, the guy says âyou were just as attractive when you used to beat me up.â whereas in French, he says âOh! The beatings she would give me whenever I tried ti give her a little kiss!â.
Well... still a healthier relationship than 50 Shades of Grey, I suppose. Not by much, but hey...
Alright, so in the English version, she explains that her boss and his wife are part of different resistance groups, respectively, the Forrest Duck and the Forrest Fox, and that it resembles their relationship.
In French, she says her boss is a âCanard de la ForĂȘtâ, which does translate to âForrest Duckâ... but then adds that his wife is part of a different group (which she doesnât name) and that she always changes one letter from he name of her husbandâs group.
Now, this to me seems like a covert yet very obvious reference to the word âconnardâ (meaning she technically changes two letters but letâs not nitpick), which is a variation on âconâ which is French for âcuntâ. The closest I could translate that is would be âcunterâ.
So yeah, thatâs some classic crap getting past the radar right there, although Iâm not sure it was even necessary considering the translations of later FF games include similarly coarse language such as âmerdeâ and âconnerieâ, another variation on âconâ.
I should point out that the French are generally way more cool with swearing than Americans seem to be, and boy howdy do we love ourselves some cunts and variations of it. We have cunters, cuntesses, cunteries, etc... Yeah, youâre not gonna have the outraged reactions youâd get from that in America over here. We basically use âcuntâ the same way you guys use âfuck / fucker / fuckery / etcâ.
In fact, I remember the French dub of one of the Harry Potter movies has Harry call Ron a cunt as well, at some point. It doesnât help that with a few exceptions, we donât really have mild swears in French, itâs usually either tame or strong, so translators often go for the stronger option when a scene needs the extra punch, with sometimes hilarious results.
Anyway, letâs move on. Iâm putting this above screenshot in English because this guy seems to have an accent or something, which is absent in the French version. Although that does seem to confirm the previous mention of accents in the FF world, which is a neat bit of lore.
If you go back to the area where two kids are playing on the train tracks, you can rescue the little girl after she falls and nearly gets crushed by a train, because apparently Squall just wasnât sexy enough, so he also has to save adorable little girls to make women will swoon some more. More relevantly, after the girl thanks you, a model train appears to bring some news, which apparently travel very fast in Timber.
In English, it says the girl was saved âin the nick of timeâ by a brave young man. The French version make sit a bit more grisly, saying she was saved âfrom a horrible deathâ.
If you talk to this girl a couple times, sheâll tell you a story about how she was nearly hit by a train and was saved by a very handsome man named Loire (guess it runs in the family) and how he was the man of her dreams and Squall presumably starts feeling nauseated and ddoesnât understand why. In French, she tells the same story but oddly, she canât remember his name as well, and calls him La Gooma instead.
And now we move on to Dollet, where there is quite a bit to look at. First thing of note is this guy and his sister; they have quite a bit to say, but the reason I bring him up is that at some point in the French version (and only that one as far as Iâm aware), he name-drops Corto Maltese by saying he wants to be a sailor, like him.
For anyone who may not be aware, Corto Maltese is the titular character from a cult classic Italian adventure comic series by Hugo Pratt. Even though it never really became a huge mainstream name, it was still very popular, especially in the seventies it seems. As a result, you probably wonât be surprised to hear it often gets pretty psychedelic, not to mention the art style is rather unusual (but gorgeous) to begin with.
Corto is indeed a sailor, although I donât remember him ever actually doing much sailing (not that I have read many of the albums although I do recommend them), to the point that in the movie adaptation (which, much like the comics, is excellent yet very obscure), he claims his sailor hat was a gift, and he always ends up embroiled in massive adventures and conspiracies, somewhere between Indiana Jones and James Bond.
And as I alluded to, although the comic is pretty famous, itâs still fairly obscure so itâs pretty amazing to see it brought up in Final Fantasy of all things.
If you talk to this kid, whom is playing hide-and-seek, he tells Squall to go away in both versions, but thereâs a slight difference. In English, the kid calls him âmister,â which surprises Squall a bit and he replies that heâs only 17. In French though, the kid calls the group âold guysâ and Squall understandably gets more upset about it. Either way, I do love how thatâs one of the few things that gets him to explicitly react to what an NPC is saying. Guess even he canât always be above vanity.
Hereâs a bit I love. When you talk to the guy in the green vest and you tell him the town hasnât changed, he then starts to recognize you as the kids who were being chased the giant robot spider (or robo-crab, as the French version puts it). You then get two options. The English ones are fairly standard: either âdonât knowâ or âcanât say who, but we know.â
The French one got a bit cute with it, and your choices are âNot at all, What robo-crab?â and âIt was our brothers and sisters...â. If you pick the first answer, itâs also different. In English, he just says itâs his job to make repairs. In French, he says âforget it, I got you confused with those 3 kids who destroyed the townâ.
Not sure why heâs blaming it on them though, considering itâs Galbadia who did it during the whole âinvasion of your dukedom that these kids actually helped stopâ thing. At most you could argue Seifer disobeying orders is what led to the Galbadians launching the robot, but that wouldnât be the other kidsâ fault. Also, thatâs something to think about when you talk to that little girl by the beach who says she wants her mommy back.
But anyway, if you pick the other option, he more or less says the same thing, except in French, he of course says to tell their siblings they owe the town money and on top of that, while the English version has him mention the specific sum of 1 370 000 gils, the French one rounds it out to 1 000 000.
Next is the painterâs house. Couple things here. First, in the French version, the grandpa explicitly says heâs going to spank the kid if he keeps messing with his paintings, whereas the English version had him says something about âcuchi-cuchi-cooâ his neck, which frankly sounds worse. However, in both versions, in the last part of this quest, the grandpa does mention tickling the kid as âpunishmentâ.
Also, in the English text, the kid says adding the white bones are his way of expressing himself and to be novel and original. In French, he just says that in comics, dogs always have a bone in their mouths, so why couldnât Rex have one?
Finally, after youâve ended the quest, the grandpa gives different lines depending on versions. In English, he figures that maybe he should have played with the kid more so he wouldnât be so bored and trying to get his attention, but that heâs too old for sports, and is considering poker instead (so card games other than Triple Triad do exist in this universe!).
In French, he says heâll stop including dogs on his landscapes and that heâll try painting cats instead, though heâs afraid the kid will start painting fish bones.
Also, while the kid feels like heâs grown a little from being able to express himself in English, the French one says heâs gonna stop his pranks and that he wants to be a veterinarian, now.
In the bar, there are some changes in what the guy in the white shirt says. In English, he says itâs nice to have a drink after work, and his friend asks him what heâs talking about since heâs always drinking there. Then, if you talk to him again, either he or his friend drunkenly mentions playing ball.
In French, itâs kind of the opposite, as he asks for his last drink of the day, only for his friend to point out itâs only 7 in the morning (which still seems early to start drinking to me, but hey, you do you and your liver problems). Bizarrely, if you talk to him again, he says itâs time for his first cognac of the day, and his friends asks what heâs talking about since he finished the bottle an hour ago.
Speaking to the friend, we have a choice. In English, the prompt is âYeah, thatâs so true...â and the choices are âWhat is?â and âYeah... sure...â. If you pick the first, he says life is nicer during peacetime. If you pick the second, he advises not to eat off the floor.
In French, the prompt is roughly âI needed thatâ and the answers are âWhat?â and âthat hits the spotâ. If you pick the first, he asks how many drinks an hour make you an alcoholic. If you pick the second, he says he doesnât feel too good.
Boy, that sure was a rousing conversation! Letâs talk to the lady on the left.
In both versions, she laments the fact that the rich young men in the dukedom are all married, then asks Squall what he thinks of her. Surprisingly, the answers are the exact same in both versions, but the womanâs reactions are quite different.
In English, picking âyouâre very attractiveâ has her say maybe she should go for older men. In French, it has her say that while itâs true, only perverts like her. And then thereâs the much ruder âAre you really a woman?!â. In English, she tries to laugh it off, saying sheâs not his type, only to turn around and mumble to herself, wondering how Squall know (s)he was a man. Her French counterpart gets more offended, complaining about all the men she spends at beautician. After she turns around, she makes the more subtle remark that he must have a 6th sense.
WELP. Not opening THAT can of worms.
Next, that female NPC who says sheâs window-shopping. In English, she then asks Squall if he has a problem with that (not sure why he would, but okay). In French, she asks him if he wants to buy her something.
In the town Square, we have this guy. In French, he says that due to taxes as a result of hiring SeeD, heâs gonna have to sell his cards collection, which is far nicer than in English, where he said "Better get ma young bride and start havinâ childrenâ. What the actual fuck, dude?!
In the hotel, the two employees have a weird accent which I think is supposed to be vaguely German, but Iâm not sure. In the English version, only the one in the back has any sort of special speech pattern, and itâs just a habit of saying âyâallâ. Either way, more accent shenanigans.
And here we have one of the strangest differences yet, to the point it actually caught me off guard because I didnât remember that text in French at all, and for good reasons since it says something completely unrelated! Right, so if you beat that guy in the upper floor of the bar, heâll invite you to his private room(or secret room in French), where heâll give you some cards and you can find some of other stuff.
There are also several piles of books, and when checking one of them, youâll find what is presumably the previous ownerâs diary telling a truly harrowing tale of meeting a woman who kept beating him at Triple Triad, eventually marrying her and having a daughter with her, but it ends with her trying to save their daughter from drowning, only to drown herself. It ends with the bleak statement that neither the daughter or he himself can comprehend their loss. Jesus Christ! Even for a Final Fantasy game, thatâs dark.
But in the French version, it seems to just be a collection of random thoughts. For example, it first says that his son is studying the Sorceress War (one of the few times Sorceresses are referred to as such in French, instead of âpriestesssâ), and how he doesnât understand any of it in spite of having lived it, then he ponders why extraterrestrials in movies always look like animals, and that maybe itâs because humans are bestial in nature as well, concluding that being at the pub sometimes feel like being at a zoo.
It just fascinates me that it could be so different. I canât fathom what caused this and itâs one of those things that really makes me curious about other versions.
To make this even more baffling, if you check another book pile, the text is very similar, including a bit about Laguna coming along and getting his ass kicked at cards. Interestingly though, in the English version, he canât quite remember his name, simply remembering it started with Lag, and says an easy win doesnât leave much of an impression, but in French, he calls him La Gouma and says heâs a ânice guy, but sucks at cardsâ.
And now we can continue onward to Deling City! First little thing, when asking Caraway about Edea, in the French text, he says that he fears her influence will lead to âa new world warâ. Now, the French version does use the term âsorceress warâ, so itâs interesting to see him also refer to it as a world war, and it seems fitting for a serious military type.
Another interesting tidbit comes when you ask him about Esthar. For starters, in English, he says that Esthar took over the world under Adel, which isnât mentioned in French and I donât remember being said at any other point. This makes me wonder if that was a strange decision on the English translatorâs part, but that does make sense as Esthar making it to part of the Galbadian continent would explain why theyâre even at war, why Galbadia started invading other countries and forcing them into their army, and even why Galbadian people where paranoid of Sorceresses before Edea.
At the same time, the French version also has an interesting detail, where they mention that even after Esthar went silent, relationships between the two nations remained strained, alluding to the situation turning from a world war to a cold war situation. He also theorizes that perhaps this is due to Galbadia being jealous of Estharâs technological success and the efficiency of their democracy. Compelling, although I do wonder how Galbadia would know about âthe efficiency of Estharâs democracyâ since it stopped all contact with the outside world right after Adel was dethroned.
There isnât a huge difference in what the various NPCs say, but this oneâs pretty intriguing. In French, she just says that she heard a sorceress can transfer her powers to the person of their choosing. In English though, she explicitly says that she learned in the Garden that any person can receive a sorceressâ power, and I thought thatâs obviously wrong since itâs stated multiple times that only women can inherit such powers,
But just as I thought that, the next speech box has her explain that while she did go to Garden, she wasnât a very good student, which would explain why she wouldnât have gotten it completely right.Cleverly done. Also, I like the implication that the average person isnât all that aware of exactly what sorceresses are and how their powers work. Itâs an interesting treatise on the link between fear, admiration and ignorance.
In fact, reading what the Deling City citizens have to say about Edea and how they blindly believe sheâll lead the country to greatness because sheâs tough, promises a renaissance for their country and that even the smaller guys wild be able to make it is fascinating in general... and disturbingly true to real dictatorships.
Thereâs a small difference I find amusing where in English, one NPC says that people like Edea because âpeople follow strength, not charismaâ whereas contrariwise, the same guy says in French that âEdea is much more charismatic than old Delingâ.
ANd hereâs a guy who straight-up calls Edea their Messiah in French!In Eglish, he just says he now know he has to abide by Edea after feeling a surge of energy during the parade (which might allude to at least partial mind control).
And finally, we finish with this NPC, whom in the English version, says sheâs been sending Edea fan mail daily, but in French, she says, that she hopes Edea will publish a magic cookbook. Which does sound awesome, but unlikely. To be fair, what she says is literally âbook of magical recipesâ, so she may be referring to like, potions and stuff, but I prefer to believe she means how to use magic to enhance the flavour of your dishes.
And so we reach the end of our first part dedicated entirely to side content and my God there was way more stuff to cover than I ever expected. I hope you enjoyed it because I certainly found a lot of these differences very interesting. As always, if you enjoyed this post, reblogging it would be very appreciated, do not hesitate to commentate or send me asks, maybe even suggest things youâd like to see that I may have missed, and Iâll be seeing you next time for part 19, where we return to Balamb City. Have a nice day, everyone!