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four-loose-screws · 5 years

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FE Heroes - Fallen Heroes Text Style in Japanese vs. English

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As the translator of the Thracia 776 light novel, Mareeta’s addition to FEH naturally got me very excited, and even inspired me to write some hypothetical Heroes supports! It’s been a while since I did that! But it will still be some time before I finish those, so that’s not what I’m here to talk about today.

Instead, I got a different idea for a post today when I was researching Mareeta’s in-game text so I could write her character properly...

Example #1:

Japanese:

私は…誰？ああ…でも…コノ剣デ… コロスの…みんな…ミンナ…

English/Localization:

Wh-who... Where am I? Ah...no matter. With this sword... Kill... Everyone...

Example #2:

Japanese:

コノ地ハ楽シイ… 争イニ満チ、血ノ匂イニ溢レテイル… 剣ハ、戦ウタメノ道具… 多クヲコロシ、血ヲ流スモノコソ最モ優レタモノ… …チガウ、違ウ、違う！私の…私ノ剣は、そんなのじゃナい… もっト大切な、何かを守ルため… でも、思い出せないの！自分の名マエ…大切な人達ノこと… 何も…アあ…マタ…意識ガ…！お母様…お父様… …[Summoner]…

Localization:

This world is good. Full of war, the scent of fresh blood on the air... Swords are a good tool for war... They can kill hordes, shedding their blood on the field... ...No, no...NO! My...sword is not meant for that... It's for something far more important—to protect. But I can't— My name... My loved ones... I-I can't remember! Th-there's nothing... Only...darkness! Mother... Father... [Summoner]...

There’s something special about her speech in Heroes, that the localization didn’t replicate: Her speech is written in hiragana when she is herself, and in katakana when the sword’s possession takes over. Both personalities use kanji regularly, but there is a clear divide between her hiragana and katakana usage. In addition, sometimes, when she is in-between the two consciousnesses, the two are mixed together.

(Skip this part if you know what hiragana and katakana are.)

In the event that anyone here is entirely new to Japanese, I’ll start from the beginning. Japanese has two “alphabets.” The “letters” represent full syllables and not individual sounds like the Roman alphabet, but they represent the same thing any other alphabet does - sounds. Kanji, on the other hand, have meaning and represent specific words and concepts.

So why two alphabets?? Simply put, long ago, women weren’t allowed to learn how to read and write, so they developed their own writing, hiragana. Men, meanwhile, developed katakana because while they learned kanji, Japanese does not translate well into kanji alone for grammar reasons (verbs conjugate, there’s grammar particles, etc.). Hiragana was adapted as the main alphabet, and is used to write all Japanese words/parts of grammar that do not have kanji. Katakana has become the more technical variation - it’s used to write scientific words, and so on, but is most commonly used to write words from foreign languages (meaning non-Japanese in this case).

To understand the Mareeta examples above, you actually don’t need to do any research! (Though hiragana and katakana charts can be found with a quick Google search.) Hiragana are the characters with curved lines - like あかさた. Katakana have straight lines and angles - like アカサタ.

Writers often take advantage of the Japanese language having 3 separate writing systems to symbolize or show something.

The most common group to use katakana in an unusual way is robots - generally, all of their text is written in katakana. Sometimes, they don’t even use kanji. It is a total nightmare to read, but shows that the robot is speaking in a robotic voice, and not a human one.

A second group - as you know now - is possessed characters. While the differentiation is certainly not necessary, it makes it really easy to see when the character is themself and when they are possessed.

And that’s all there is to analyze, really! The translation is very direct, so there's nothing to say there.

So now the second question is, do any of the other fallen characters in Heroes follow this pattern? Let’s check them out as well...

Hardin? - No.

Japanese:

我が名はハーディン。偉大なるアカネイア神聖帝国皇帝である。我が怒りに触れたくなくば、名乗るがいい。

Localization:

My name is Hardin, Emperor of the Holy Empire of Archanea. If you do not wish to be scarred by my fury, you will give me your name in return.

Celica? - No.

Japanese:

全てはドーマさまのために…… この世界も、いずれはドーマさまのもの…… ふふふ……ふふ……

Localization:

All is for Lord Duma's sake. Someday this world, too, shall belong to him. Heeheehee...

Takumi? - No.

Japanese:

ここはどこだ…？僕は…　ああ、そうだ…僕は… あいつを倒す…　そのために…

Localization:

Where am I? I am... Yes... Yes, I am here to...defeat them... I must.

m!Robin? - No.

Japanese:

我はギムレー。破滅と絶望の竜。相応の敬意を払うなら、君も苦しまずに殺してあげるよ。

Localization:

I am the wings of despair. I am the breath of ruin. I am the fell dragon, Grima. Pay me the respect I am due, and I promise you a painless death.

f!Robin? - No.

Japanese:

我はギムレー。破滅と絶望の竜。相応の敬意を払うなら、あなたも苦しまずに殺してあげましょう。

Localization:

I am the wings of despair. I am the breath of ruin. I am the fell dragon, Grima. Pay me the respect I am due, and I will consider granting you a quick death when the time comes.

Corrin? - No.

Japanese:

私は…カムイ… 血に宿る禍々しい力が目覚めれば、この地に災いを呼んでしまうでしょう…

Localization:

I am...Corrin. If the power that swirls in my blood awakens, it can bring only catastrophe...

Berkut? - No.

Japanese:

俺は…何のために今まで…… 教えてください叔父上…… ドーマ神よ…誰か……！

Localization:

All this time! All the effort! What has it all been for?! Tell me, Uncle... Duma... Someone...TELL ME!

Tiki? - No.

Japanese:

わたし…チキ… …せいいきをおかすものみんな、やきつくす…

Localization:

I am...Tiki... The holy grounds must be cleansed of those who taint it...

Delthea? - Yes!

Japanese:

ココハ…ドコ……？ボクハデューテ…… タタラサマ…ドウカ命令ヲ……

Localization:

Where...am I? ...Tatarrah? It's me, Delthea. Please...give me your orders.

BUT... She does have one line where she regains herself for a moment, and returns to hiragana...

Japanese:

助けて、お兄ちゃん…怖いよ……ボク、村に帰りたい……！

Localization:

Save me, brother... I'm... I'm scared... I want to see our village again... I want to go home!

So why do only Mareeta and Delthea use this hiragana/katakana pattern? I think the answer is very clear - they are the only two who go back and forth between personalities. The others are already completely lost from their original selves; or in the case of Corrin, is still herself, and fearing the moment she will lose it.

Originally, I thought Mareeta and Delthea’s speech was related to the robot pattern - they are written with katakana to show that their voices are not entirely natural-sounding. But if that was the case, I think at least some of the other fallen characters would use katakana as well.

Fan translations have replicated the self vs. possessed distinction by writing the possessed character’s speech in all or partial capital letters, but the localization decided not to do that, in this case. I find it kind of disappointing, because the distinction is useful, but all caps more commonly shows anger and/or shouting, etc., and people might easily confuse the tone. So I understand why they decided not to do anything at all.

#yay I finally got an idea for a Heroes translation post!#I've always wanted to #fire emblem #heroes #mareeta #hardin #celica #takumi #robin #corrin #berkut #tiki #delthea #japan #japanese #translation #localization #fe #feh

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