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Bad Translations?

Darkton93

Darkton93

Well-Known Member
Is it just me, or are the subtitles to DOA games usually quite off? Coming from someone who knows a little Japanese, I recognize that they're not really saying what the subtitles read.

For example:
Leon's "Ore no ushiro ni tatsu ja ne!"
DOA3: Stay away!
DOA2U: I never hesitate to pull the trigger.
DOA5U: You stay where I can see you!
Actual: Don't stand behind me!

Lei Fang's "Kakugo wa ii?"
All games: Ready to lose?
Actual: Are you ready?

Speaking of which, the subtitles for Lei Fang's dialogue during Helena's speech in Dimensions completely changes her character. The subtitles makes her sound condescending. In reality, she's more concerned for her safety.

Anyone else see some bad translations?
 
Drake Aldan

Drake Aldan

Well-Known Member
The subtitles (in DOA5U, I can't speak for the rest) are for the English dubbed voices.

That being said I do think a lot of characters in DOA have a terrible attitude.
I wonder if that's because of the English VA director...
 
Darkton93

Darkton93

Well-Known Member
5 and Dimensions use Dubtitles. The point is that the translation of this stuff tends to be very off. The only two games I saw got the translation right were DOA2LE and DOA4.
 
Kronin

Kronin

Well-Known Member
@Darkton93: The problem of the English mistranslation (and so of all the other language translated by it) is something that more or less the fans of DoA know, but not in detail: just about it, personally I would be really glad if you could post other examples about the right meaning of the game's Japanese lines.
 
Kronin

Kronin

Well-Known Member
Russian-chiropractic19 said:
Da fuck does that even mean? good vibration ?
Click to expand...

Awesmic said:
Elementary, my dear Russian. It's another way of saying someone has good karma, or a positive aura. From a self-perspective, it could also mean they're feeling good about themselves.
Click to expand...

Well, generally good vibration mean to feel good about something or someone: like mentioned by @SilverForte, the sentence in DoA5 was translated with "That's how a fight feels".

So the problem of the DoA2's line it wasn't a translation rather the adapatation, appearing to be a way of saying (where I live there is no corresponding of it) with a general meaning; on the opposite the DoA5 version use a clear sentence with an unique meaning (it's the fight to be good for Ein).
 
L

LightSonic

Active Member
What? "That's how a fight feels" is actually "Good vibration"? I did not know that. o:

I really wish they stuck with good vibration. lol XD
 
Kronin

Kronin

Well-Known Member
LightSonic said:
What? "That's how a fight feels" is actually "Good vibration"? I did not know that. o:

I really wish they stuck with good vibration. lol XD
Click to expand...

Well, actually I have to say that I don't remember how good vibrations sounded in Japanese so it's possible that I could be wrong with my previous post; anyway since the release of DoA5U I immediately supposed that the two sentences were two different translation of the same line, just because they have the same meaning.

Edit: I found on you tube an old DoA2 video and I can confirm that the two lines are two different translation of the same sentence:

(3:04)

(0:46)
 
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Yoyo

Yoyo

Active Member
Darkton93 said:
Is it just me, or are the subtitles to DOA games usually quite off? Coming from someone who knows a little Japanese, I recognize that they're not really saying what the subtitles read.

For example:
Leon's "Ore no ushiro ni tatsu ja ne!"
DOA3: Stay away!
DOA2U: I never hesitate to pull the trigger.
DOA5U: You stay where I can see you!
Actual: Don't stand behind me!

Lei Fang's "Kakugo wa ii?"
All games: Ready to lose?
Actual: Are you ready?

Speaking of which, the subtitles for Lei Fang's dialogue during Helena's speech in Dimensions completely changes her character. The subtitles makes her sound condescending. In reality, she's more concerned for her safety.

Anyone else see some bad translations?
Click to expand...

I know in DOA2 for the dreamcast he says don't stand behind my back.
 
synce

synce

Well-Known Member
DOA2 was the only DOA game with accurate subtitles. 99% of the dialogue in the other games was changed around to sound "cooler"
 
Darkton93

Darkton93

Well-Known Member
DOA4 had some good moments, too. Though, yeah, DOA2 is how it should've been done across all games.

Just off the top of my head...

Leon's "Ore wa Puro da."
DOA2U: I never miss my mark.
DOA5: There's nobody better.
Actual: I'm a pro. (DOA2 had something similar, "I am a professional," but in DOA3, both Leon and Bayman use "Purofeshonaru" as opposed to the shortened "Puro".)

Leon's DOA4 against the women
DOA4: Come back once you've wiped your ass.
DOA5: Come back once you've collected your teeth.
Actual: Come back once you've learned how to wipe your ass. (Given Jann Lee in DOA5 says "Learn to fight" using one of the words from the phrase Leon uses, it's a near-miss in 4.)

Leon's "Ikuze!"
All games: Prepare to die!
Actual: Let's go!

Leon's "Yowai! Yowasugiru!"
DOA3: You pansy!
Actual: Weak! You're too weak! (Note the similar wording to Bass' "tsuyosugiru", accurately translated if embellished as "too...damn...STRONG!")
 
Forlorn Penguin

Forlorn Penguin

Well-Known Member
Premium Donor
Good stuff, Darkton. Thanks for providing the corrected translations.

If you don't mind, I have a request. Would you translate Tengu's DOA4 dialogue? Here's a checklist of everything he said in the subtitles:

Intro quotes:
"You must die!"
"How unfortunate!"
"You impudent fool!"
"Filthy maggot!" (during win streak)
"See how you like this!" (during win streak)
"I refute your existence!" (during win streak)

Victory quotes:
"I know no mercy!"
"I have purified and cleansed the land!"
"Oh, the unlabored flawlessness of my being!"
"This is the power of the Tengu!" (Great)
"A blood-red flower blooms over your corpse!" (Greatest)

Time Attack defeat:
"What has... happened..."
 
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Darkton93

Darkton93

Well-Known Member
I'd need the Japanese transcript. I don't have Tengu, so I need YouTube videos, too.

As for the Great and Greatest winposes, "This is the power of the Tengu!" is a holdover from DOA2U, which should probably be "This is Tengu-do!", a reference to his fighting style. Greatest is accurate.

Some more, this time from 2U's story mode.

Leon's "Ore wa senshi. Roran no ai shita otoko."
DOA2U: I am a warrior. Lauren's warrior.
Actual: I am a soldier. The man Lauren loved. (Lauren is her name, given the characters. It's an affirmation of Lauren's dying words.)

Ayane's "Anata wa itsumo hiroine datta."
DOA2U: You were always everyone's little princess.
Actual: You were always the/a heroine.

Incidentally, the translation for DOA2 on Dreamcast got these right.

Tina's "Jibun no kao yoku miteo!"
DOA2U: Here's a mirror. Use it!
Actual: Take a good look at your own face!
 
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