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Yes, the gacha is good this time; both Leon and Colulu would be great additions to the arsenal. But you need to save up so you can get a spark on the roulette, otherwise, you won't have enough resources...
And how about you, did you get anything good, Revan?
Granblue_en: Certain characters’ names are different between the Japanese and English version of the game. What is your reasoning behind the changes?
Cygames: We believe the best kind of localization is when the audience doesn’t feel like something’s been localized, as that realization can hinder their experience in enjoying the content. This is something we constantly keep in mind as a company that strives to provide the best experience through our products and services.
When our Japanese writers come up with names, one of the things they consider is the impression the sound of the name gives. Although this can be subjective to some extent, it’s also something largely dependent on the player’s personal linguistic knowledge and cultural background.
A name that gives a certain impression to someone proficient in one language might give a totally different impression to someone more acquainted with another language. As much as we respect the original writer’s intentions, keeping a name the same can end up delivering a different idea than what was originally intended to those unfamiliar with the source language.
The English version of Granblue Fantasy has been blessed with a very diverse audience. Each player has a different understanding of Japanese language and culture, and it is our intention to make the game experience enjoyable for as many people as possible through our style of localization. Of course, if you like a character’s name in its original Japanese, that’s great too!
They even justify their poor translation and silly changes by claiming it's pandering to the masses. How obvious...
Without applying this to the evaluation of specific Granblue Fantasy translations (perhaps Mecha-Nick doesn't seem like a successful translation, just to preserve the joke from Virn), in general, I agree with their position.
As much as we respect the original writer’s intentions...
Ah, this sentence is actually important; I didn’t notice it at first. Yes, there’s a difference here. If the author provides recommendations for translation into other languages (like Tolkien did in his time), or if this is agreed upon with him, then everything should be translated, including names. However, if the author is not involved in the process at all, then trying to guess what kind of impressions he wanted to achieve with the sounds of the names is at least debatable, and it’s better not to interfere and not take risks.
No need to add anything or interpret; just translate as is. The same applies to cultural nuances and differences; there's nothing stopping us from using "-chan," "-kun," etc., in the English text. Even someone completely unfamiliar with these things wouldn't need significant intellectual effort to understand the general meaning after a two-minute Google search. But it's like with dyslexic fans of dubbing who "want to watch what's happening rather than read subtitles."
Of course, if you like a character’s name in its original Japanese, that’s great too!
This is also a stupid, typical response to a question about localization. As in Heroes of Might and Magic, for example, the same company was vandalizing the artwork, and they could have said, "We certainly respect the artist's intentions, and if you like the original artwork, that's great too... but you certainly won't see it in the game."
There's no need to overthink things and just translate as is. The same applies to cultural nuances and differences; there's nothing stopping us from using "-chan," "-kun," etc., in the English text. Even someone completely unfamiliar with these things wouldn't need significant intellectual effort to understand the general meaning after a two-minute Google search. But it's like with dyslexic fans of dubbing who "want to observe what's happening rather than read subtitles."
If the work clearly emphasizes the Japanese cultural context, using "-chan" and "-kun" is logical.
If, however, they are a feature of the language of the work, but the work itself develops in a different cultural space (neutral or, even more so, distinctly non-Japanese), and the author confirms that it can be translated, then why not translate it. For example, "sensei" in a British school is clearly "mister" or "teacher," etc.
Dubbing fans are completely irrelevant here. The absence of translation guaranteed does not interfere with the work itself, but a poor translation can easily do so, in both cases (either by not translating everything that could be translated for the most accurate transmission of the idea, or by translating what shouldn't be translated, as the idea is better perceived in its original form, even if it requires using loanwords or something else).
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