Curse

Kelsey · Oct 10, 2007, 12:25 AM // 00:25

One word; pathetic.
I really want to know who was responsible for translating from english into german...
I just sent a message via the german support center at NCsoft, and will afterwards write another one to the english support center. Since it is said, that the fansites are checked regulary, I take this chance.
Here are my complaints:

About every average FIFTH skillname is translated wrong. This consists mostly of grammar / spelling failures, but also some game-mechanic mistakes in the infosection of the skill show up. This is simply awkward.
Some item names where translated wrong. My most beloved example is the "Ball Hammer" which is translated with "Wurf Hammer". "Wurf" = "Throw" because "werfen" is "throwing". The correct translation for "Ball Hammer" would therefor be "Kugelhammer" but beware, "Kugelhammer" is also a word for "Ball peen Hammer". I would dare to go that far to say that one or another area name or mission name is also wrong... I admit, I havn´t checked. Yet.
Also, mistakes are found within the texts of NPCs and quest descriptions, as well as in the cutscenes. Some phrases are translated word-by-word (which is aching literally when reading), and from time to time some sentences are missing vital parts of the translation.

Ultimately, I am no person that just complaints from the back line. I am willing to help, so if this would do any good, I can make the corrections for the skills. Quest and npc texts are such a broad mass to check, that I should get payed for...
Still, I do have to admit, I doubt somehow my work would be appreciated from official side. But I always let myself be convinced by the opposite, if the arguments are cast-iron.

So then, there go my complaints that have been stored for many months now, but no longer.

Exterminate all · Oct 10, 2007, 01:30 AM // 01:30

If there is a problem with it, I don't see why it shouldn't be fixed..

But I dont think your in the right forum?

Skyy High · Oct 10, 2007, 02:08 AM // 02:08

I believe there is a page on the wiki for submissions like these; they know that they get translations wrong. American company with non-native speakers, what are you going to do...

arsie · Oct 10, 2007, 02:22 AM // 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyy High

I believe there is a page on the wiki for submissions like these; they know that they get translations wrong. American company with non-native speakers, what are you going to do...

Zero excuse. They run an internet game and want to sell to speakers of a different language. They should at least have the decency to engage professional translators instead of some intern who did German in High School.

GW needs to make the decision. Is the German market big enough to invest in localization or not. Simple as that. Half measures just piss people off.

GW isn't the first videogame to be translated. Approach people who translate German boardgames to English and vice versa. Now thats one place where ambiguous descriptions can lead to mayhem.

We're not even talking about strange languages. There are plenty of German speakers in N.America, and plenty of business and contract translaters. (Probably not suitable for anything other than the EULA)

Kelsey · Oct 10, 2007, 02:47 AM // 02:47

Quote:

But I dont think your in the right forum?

Which else? The bug report Forum? If so, then this is no bug, but more of a plague of locusts ^^° As for the "credit" for guildwarsguru, it is listed as an elite fanpage at guildwars.com so I thought chances would be higher that they hit this.

Quote:

I believe there is a page on the wiki for submissions like these; they know that they get translations wrong. American company with non-native speakers, what are you going to do...

Thank you very much Sky high, I admit that I didn´t thought that far that this wiki is not related to game-mechanics and game-relevant content only. I will take a look there.

To say it frankly;
Every german GW player I know, who once looked after the english original translation via the right STRG button... dropped his jaw in disbelief of all the blatant mistakes. It is not like Diablo 2 where the item names itself do not make much of a sense in german (as with english, but still they sound "cooler" then). The errors are grave. As like two necro skills where translated with one and the same word! At least this was corrected... well... months later...
And to say "if you don´t look at the original, you don´t miss a thing" is not sufficient by all means. Some of the mistakes do not even make sense in german. THIS just HURTS. Most recent example from Eye of the North;
Smiter´s Boon (Segen des Peinigers). The skill name is translated correct so far, but the skill description in GERMAN says that the HEALING Prayers receive the double Divine Favor bonus, not the SMITING prayers. which is a massive mistake that has not been edited since release!

I know, they cannot take every suggestions for a correction because in some number of cases these are not right as well. And if I wouldn´t be familiar with english for about 20 years know, and received various commendations from people who speak english as their mothertongue, I wouldn´t dare to go official with this... ^^°

Phoenix Tears · Oct 10, 2007, 02:51 PM // 14:51

signed 100%, I a German can absolutely understand this problem and have also seen lots of wrong translations in the game ...

The most famous that spelling problem, that I know, that it exists at least on german translations, is this very annoying mistake in item names, when you put on your weapon a prefix Upgrade...

Whatever you do, your Stuff has then ever this:

Heat--Broad Sword of .... > (Hitze-Breitschwert der ....) < so has it too look correct, with ONLY 1 -

This 1 " - " is too much, and that since sure a year know, that this mistake exists in the german translation for Weapons.

But german Video Scenes are also horrible, the people, which have spoken the texts, god, where have they learned to speak so silly.
English Video Scenes sound much better against ours... because there the people had known at least, how to accent a written text, when they read it and talk the stuff into their micros.

Also those wrong translations are naturally too in the german versions of the Video Scenes ... thats really sad, then there are points sometime,s where simle the text skips and where something totally different gets spoken, what the player can read below, where you can also exactly see then the translation mistakes.

Please anet, do the german community a favor, and correct those silly mistakes, they let you really look not good, in kind of "Image" - I thought ever, the Image of a professional Game Developer Company is so extreme important ... so care for it better and don't make such heavy and often translation mistakes.

Where is the problem, to let your translations check read by german native german teachers !!! before you release the game, when they can't find and correct everything for you...err who then oO?

philo · Oct 10, 2007, 03:01 PM // 15:01

There is a German translation task force on the official wiki. That's where you might want to go and help.

All localization issues are "out-sourced" to NCSoft Europe in Bristol, England, where teams of native speakers take care of them. So these are the people you want to reach with your complaint, not the English-speaking AN employees in Wahington, Seattle, which would be the ones to monitor this place, the Guru. In order to be heard, your chances will increase slightly if you post on one of the two German elite fansites.

However, don't be too optimistic. I have been staff member of one of those fansites for 3 1/2 years now, and I have been in so close a contact with the developers for a while that I could post my suggestions and corrections at a place where all members of the localization team are supposed to look at least once a day. I never received an answer nor even a comment, and my reported issues have never been adopted into the game.
Which leaves me with the conclusion that the German localization crew is an haughty bunch who refuse to take well-meaning advise. So personally, I simply don't care anymore. I play the game in the English, French, Italian and Spanish versions, but never in my native German.

ps.
One of my favourite examples so far is the following translation of "Ebon Gavel of the Nephilim":
Ebon-Hammer des Nephilim

These 4 words contain 3(!!) mistakes: one grammatical error, one word that doesn't exist, and one inadequate rendering.
1. "Nephilim" is a plural in Hebrew; so it should be "der Nephilim"
2. "Ebon" is a horrible anglicism. The word does not exist in German, and Germans wouldn't even know how to pronounce it!
3. "Hammer" is a translation for ... well ... "hammer"

Gavel, however, is a very special kind of hammer and efforts should have been made to find a correspondingly rare and special term in German.

'Nuff said.

Kelsey · Oct 10, 2007, 05:47 PM // 17:47

It is not done with teachers, since the "basics" they teach and where taught would not suffice, and the teachers who would be qualified either do not have the time or do not have the capabilities. I know, there are young teachers also, but it is like german synchronisation of movies; hardly anyone cares about the backgrounds (best recent example; the silly translation in the movie "Transformers" of the line "more than meets the eye" which was something resembling to a slogan so to speak. it was violated by persons who did not care). Like business english, there soon has to be something like "gaming english". Games - computer, board and whatsoever - are a vital part of modern society. F**k it up for good, and you get a revolution startet.

Thank you dearly for the link, I will register myself asap when i am able to deliver PLENTY of stuff. I also got answered mail from the support center. They told me i should sent in the errors and they will be forwarded to the respective department. I don´t know if i should take this for granted or not, I guess I will - again - spread out my efforts in various directions.

Quote:

2. "Ebon" is a horrible anglicism. The word does not exist in German, and Germans wouldn't even know how to pronounce it!

This is wrong, there is such a word.
Ebony = Ebenholz
ebon = ebenhölzern.

As far as i know, a "gavel" is a special english word for a hammer that is used by auctioneers, presiders and judges. Still, it is ONLY a Hammer in german. To make this more accurate you should add a word like "Richter Hammer" -> "Judge Hammer"
But then again, how would it sound to have a "Ebenhölzener Richterhammer der Nephilim" ^^°

Quote:

I never received an answer nor even a comment, and my reported issues have never been adopted into the game.
Which leaves me with the conclusion that the German localization crew is an haughty bunch who refuse to take well-meaning advise.

This might be a very harsh comment from mine, but if the original makers of the game are convinced that the localisation team is nothing but a pack of pinheads... well, there is still hope. It is not done by just the community, there also needs to be a fulcrum within the developer team itself. I don´t mind if i could play the game in english, but there are many that simply CAN NOT because their english is not sufficient (either if they are just beginning to learn it or they never got really used to it. We still have plenty of gamers that range from 30 to 40). As for me, my english knowledge also was boosted because of english games. If there is such a fluid possibility to switch the language in GW by pressing a button, the possibility of learning by gaming should be seriously taken into consideration!

oh and; did you know what happened in the german fansites? you want to know? there is the link; http://guildwars-forum.onlinewelten....59#post2220459
For those who lack german skills; They told me that such a thread to suggest errors in translation already exists, but most of these mistakes mentioned there are still not edited in the game. So it obvisously is not enough.

"Lost in translation" - yeah right.
Should I mention that I am Austrian, and not german? This could help -.-

MithranArkanere · Oct 10, 2007, 06:42 PM // 18:42

The same goes for Spanish translation.

My solution? When wikies come out, add in each one a policy to denote translation mistakes... for example... well... one of the wors ones in Spanish versions are those that put Shiro as a Female or Kormir as a male.