Like a Dragon: Ishin is one of many spin-offs from the Yakuza (o like a dragon) series. What makes this entry so unique, however, is that it is set in the 19th century and features important historical figures from that period. We were lucky enough to sit with him. Like a dragon: ¡Ishin! Members of the Localization Team, Senior Localization Producer Marilyn Lee, Editor Jason Gallop, Editor Josh Malone, Translator Shun Fukuda and Translator Tom Bayles, to ask how they approached this historical drama and what advice they would give to aspiring filmmakers. .

Kazuma Hashimoto, Siliconera: What were the challenges in locating Like a Dragon: IshinSince it’s set in the 1800s, were there any colloquialisms or language unique to that time period that you wanted to make sure were clearly visible in the text?

marilyn lee: One of the main priorities of the localization team was to ensure that we maintained the characterization and tone of the characters from the Yakuza series, but also to include elements of Edo period Japan in their dialogue. The Kyo and Tosa dialects were definitely a challenge. Several meetings took place before the team finally decided on the direction to follow. Another issue that came up often during the process was which term to localize and which to keep as a romanization, as we wanted to retain the flavor of that period as much as possible.

Like a Dragon: Ishin has an incredible amount of outside information available in an in-game glossary that players can refer to when chatting with characters. It was particularly difficult for the team to translate this information, given the sheer volume of dialogue and text in Yakuza/Like a Dragon Games?

Lee side: The Glossary, Memoirs, and New Side Stories are a joint effort between Japan and localization teams and have undergone extensive reviews and revisions. Luckily, we have several team members who are knowledgeable about Japanese history and culture and were very helpful in locating this content to ensure it was useful and interesting for the audience to read.

What was one of the most interesting side stories the team found?

Jason Gallops: Due to the nature of Were, many side stories are based on period-specific standoffs that are uplifting for research but difficult to explain concisely. The writers at RGG Studio love using side quests to explore and parody specific Japanese trends, and they’ve clearly had fun applying this same technique to Japanese history.

The side story chain “Ee Ja Nai Ka” is a great example. People will almost always stumble upon it early and we only have a few sentences to convey and contextualize the historical phenomenon on display. It has all the characteristics of the best RGG side stories: it’s current, serious and very funny. If the location is successful, it should invite the player into the opening joke and keep them emotionally aligned with Ryoma as they move from distrust to acceptance over the course of the story. Then, when the English-speaking player sees the racing chicken named “Egg Ja Nai Ka”, hopefully they will laugh with the same cathartic appreciation that a Japanese player would.

Were there any jokes that were difficult to translate because of the language itself or because of the time Like a Dragon: Ishin takes place?

Tom Bayles: Jokes often resist easy direct translation, especially as they become shorter and sharper. One of the highlights of the team effort was, you guessed it, brief puns. To see them, you will have to go to the chicken races and take a look at the names of the competitors.

In Japanese, chicken names are a mix of puns that translate well with little or no qualification, references that require context or explanation, and cute, euphonious nicknames. The “easy” naturally end up getting closer to the Japanese; for those who need more explanation, conversation becomes the best way to wink at the original while maintaining the tone and feel of the game. !) Siendo el humor una parte clave de la sensibilidad de RGG, hay a marginn de maniobra decente aquí, ya que el objetivo final es crear une experiencia para el jugador que se genuinamente divertida en Anglais. So each of these brave nicknames is a bit of a balancing act between the semantics of Japanese, the funniest thing you can think of about the chicken that’s based on it, and how you can take advantage of the tone, the setting or the unique patois of the game to accumulate. extra fun whenever possible. This is how something like “Moto-hiyoko”, literally “once a girl”, becomes “Hell Unshelled” or “Kachin-kōchin” slips right into “Ka-ching Cochin”.

It is worth mentioning that for all of this to succeed, it requires not just careful translation and editing, but a strong and continuous conversation within the local team. Clarity is key to understanding when to take the cue to be funny and exactly how to do it. A conversation like this also helps everyone have “aha” moments together – if a room of dedicated, conscientious professionals is listening to your pun, that’s probably a good sign!

Like a new translation team arriving at like a dragon series, was there any difficulty retaining the voices of the key characters, or was there some kind of compendium the team could refer to regarding how the characters speak? What did we do to make sure the tone was right?

Josh Malone: We started with a basic guide compiled from previous iterations of the series, but it was the daily conversation between the team that kept us all informed and on the same page of major and minor details. Luckily, most of our team played or worked directly on previous Yakuza games, so the voices weren’t too much of a hassle to control. The scene-by-scene availability of the previous version of Were — audio and visual reference wonders for what a localization team can accomplish.

Regarding the tone, we understood Were as an adaptation of the Bakumatsu era story made to fit the like a dragon mold. It’s part murder mystery, part national conspiracy, part sake-drinking, karaoke-singing, and sword-shooting madness. In other words, it’s what you’d expect from a Yakuza title, but with 19th century Kyoto in all its beauty and bustle at the center. With that in mind, we’ve made an effort to preserve the characters as they appeared in previous episodes, hoping to create the feeling that “the cast of Yakuzaplayed the roles of stylized historical figures. That way, those of us unfamiliar with the intricacies and jargon of the time would have something familiar to cling to; moreover, this was largely the approach taken by the original Japanese script.

gallop: There is always something to be said for how far love and knowledge of a property can take you. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours on these characters long before I had the chance to work on them. come in Were With a deep respect for the conventions already established by the localization team, as well as a personal sense of how the main cast and the word itself speaks, it was relatively easy to get started.

It is also essential to rely on the knowledge of experienced translators and revisers. At the start of the project, editors would often point out that my Ryoma seemed out of place for Kiryu, whether I had written him too esoteric in an impromptu speech or let his voice be distorted by comments from under -ground and kept them handy somewhere. in your mind in the future.

Like a Dragon Ishin interview

For those looking to enter the field of translation and localization, is there any advice you would give to new and aspiring translators?

Flee Fukuda: For budding translators, the first thing to try is to place yourself in scenarios where you will start using the source language. Dive in and discover some of the nuances of day-to-day native usage of the languages ​​you hope to translate. Sometimes it can become a trial by fire, but it’s one of the best ways to learn and hone your skills. The other tip is to have passion. If you don’t consume media that involves languages, do it! And if you already are, keep it up. Keep watching, playing and reading. Make sure you enjoy this medium and want to transfer that love to another language. You want your job to be a labor of love. That’s why it’s important to have passion.

Malone: For editors, another important role in our localization process is knowledge of your craft: a working knowledge of the source language and strong creative writing skills are the fundamentals of a localizer. Understand the tone, intent and flow of the conversation. Develop an eye for when things are weird: that’s when translators and editors need to talk. Know your product: If you’re working on a series, explore every nook and cranny of past work, learn to emulate their style, and find ways to bring your own talent to the table. If you’re working on something new, create a style guide and discuss the creative vision, ideally with a team, so that every decision is made in concert to achieve it. Finally, know yourself: your ability to produce language is directly related to your life experiences and what you can imagine in detail. Hear how people speak in a variety of media, as well as in their personal interactions. You will be amazed at how much magic is pulled from what you thought was buried in your head.

Like a dragon: ¡Ishin! is available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One PC and Xbox Series X.

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