Zelda – Windwaker: The “Complimentary ID” in Japanese? [JPN vs ENG]

Today, I look at what I would say is an example of good localization found in the Legend of Zelda: Windwaker.

The player receives something called the “Complimentary ID” which results in a silly dialogue exchange where it is literally an item that has the shop keeper (Beedle) compliment the player –rather than offering any actual tangible goods to your purchases free of charge. A different kind of complimentary than what one may expect!

And that is where the question comes in: What was the ID’s name, and the scene like, in Japanese?

In short: It does revolve around “compliments” (or praise), but the localization team seized the opportunity to make this even more fun in the English language with a pun that was different, yet worked with the original Japanese intent.

Let’s take a closer look!

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Zelda: Does Ganondorf have a surname in the Japanese ALttP manual too? [JPN/ENG]

A reader sent me a question a few weeks ago that I had a chance to look into now.

Nintendo updated its Zelda website to include a profile of Ganon that refers to him as “Ganondorf Dragmire.” I heard this was also in A Link to the Past‘s game manual. Was there any mention of the name or some other surname in Japanese?

Zelda Legends thankfully had scanned copies of the manual for the game both in Japanese and English which I used in reference for this post. So let’s take a look:

The dialogue is highlighted in Japanese (left) and English (right).

In Japanese: He is simply ガノンドロフ　and ガノン (Ganondorf and Ganon respectively). He has the title of an Evil King/King of Thieves/etc, but no mention of a surname of any sort.

The English above is straightforward, mentioning both Dragmire and Mandrag as other names.

So, no, the Japanese manual did not make a mention of this surname at all, and it is likely a localization creation that the site decided to stick with!

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Comparisons are always fun! I hope this post can be used in reference for those who may not be aware of the lack of surname in Japanese.

Let me know if there’s anything you’d love to have looked into. Feel free to leave any comments below!

 

Zelda: Breath of the Wild Fan Comic Translation (1)

Today I translated a fun, single page comic that puts things into perspective, based on Breath of the Wild.

This comic was originally drawn by artist @sbrk_koo . See the original in the gallery here.

So please keep in mind I did not draw these. I simply translated them. I did however have to edit the graphics slightly to get the English sound effects in there!

If you have any brief fan comic/picture requests, or are feeling kind enough to donate, please use the “DONATE” button on the top right of this page!

Zelda – Windwaker: Is the “Hero’s New Clothes” a reference to “The Emperor’s New Clothes?” [JPN vs ENG]

My friends over at Source Gaming are doing a special Zelda week (February 22^nd through March 1^st) to celebrate the upcoming release of Breath of the Wild on the Switch.

They have made plenty of Zelda-themed content for the week, such as various facts about the first game of the series, and a piece on defending Skyward Sword  from backlash.

So, today, on my end, I look at a great example of localization found within Windwaker. The localization team behind the game managed to place a fitting cultural reference to an old story in an appropriately humorous moment in the game.

Zelda – Ocarina of Time: How does Ruto refer to Sheik in Japanese? [JPN vs ENG]

My friends over at Source Gaming are doing a special Zelda week (February 22^nd through March 1^st) to celebrate the upcoming release of Breath of the Wild on the Switch.

They have written various articles already, from interviews with known Zelda speedrunners to discussing what new Zelda characters could be added to Hyrule Warriors.

So, today I decided to take a look at a hotly debated topic: Sheik’s gender!

But! I am not looking at the debate as a whole. Rather, I am simply looking at two lines of dialogue that are often referred to that caused said debate.

I do not explain the debate in great detail or all the arguments, nor do I really take any sides on it. I am simply looking at two bits of dialogue that are often cited when talking about it.

Zelda Windwaker: What are the island names in Japanese? [JPN vs ENG]

My friends over at Source Gaming are doing a special Zelda week (February 22^nd through March 1^st) to celebrate the upcoming release of Breath of the Wild on the Switch.

They have written various articles already, from interviews with known Zelda speedrunners to discussing what new Zelda content should be in a hypothetical Smash Bros Switch game.

As such, I decided to spend today on a Zelda related comparison: the islands of Windwaker! We’ll take a look at how the localization team (for the North American version) tackled island names, and what they were originally in Japanese. I suggest some alternate names for them based on the literal translation, or on other factors of the island along with the translation, but by no means claim them to be superior to the official localization in anyway. It is purely for educational purposes, and is not intended to demean the hard work in anyway.

Zelda – (Fan Made) “I love you Zelda” Reaction Page Translations

Today’s translation is just a curiosity one. A friend sent a page of various Zelda’s throughout the Legend of Zelda series and their predicted responses to (presumably Link) saying “I love you” to them.

It is fan done, and is just meant to be in good fun I assume rather than anything serious. You can see the translation below. If anybody knows the source of the original (also provided), please be sure to tell me so I may add it to this post!

UPDATE: Here is the source!

Zelda: Majora’s Mask – Comparing Cremia and Romani’s “Adulthood” Dialogue [JPN/ENG]

In the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, the innocent Romani is excited to try Chateau Romani for the first time without fully understanding the circumstances as to why her older sister Cremia is suddenly allowing her to try it. I got curious to see what the conversation was like in Japanese, so decided to look into it.

Zelda: Windwaker – Comparing Ganon’s “Wind” Speech [JPN/ENG]

In the Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, Ganon makes a rather somber speech at the start of the final confrontation. I remembered it from years ago, but came across a lovely fan comic that illustrated the speech itself on tumblr It made me curious as to whether what he said in Japanese was as poetic or in-depth.

So, here it is:

SSB4: Famitsu Alternate Outfit Compilation (9/10)

This is not a translation, just a simple edit that compiles all of the alternate outfits presented by this week’s Famitsu.  It is unlikely I will translate all the pages that came out this week.