"Delivery translation spurs to the spread of this work" -Exthriter of Open World RPG "Kenshi" official translator MEG (GUMSTAR) Interview 【From the field of Japanese language of Japanese language】

A lot of people who are indebted when playing overseas PC games. This time, we talked to the official translator of the open world RPG "Kenshi" , which was officially carried out by Kohiso Japanese language.

Japanese language is to be able to play overseas games in Japanese. Among them, it is not a formal Japanese language by developer and publisher, not a user-informal Japanese language for users Niho Japanese language (volunteer translation) . It is generally performed by volunteers, and deliverables will be distributed free of charge.

Nihunshi Japanese language has been done within the extent that developers and publisher are permitted, and there are unauthorized ones. Recently, an example in which Nihunshi Japanese language is adopted as the official Japanese version, mainly indie games, has come out.

The 17th serialization was talked about the official translator MEG (GUMSTAR) of the Open World RPG "Kenshi".

# Official translation of volunteer translation

- What kind of game is "Kenshi"?

Meg (GUMSTAR) (hereinafter referred to as the following, respectively) Post Apocalypse It is an open world RPG of a highly freedom single player. There is no restriction on the play style, no linear story, and you can explore the vast wilderness. It is a merchant, a thief, rebel and adventurer, farmers and slaves, and can be attracted to friends, build a base, challenge the power, and enjoy anything.

- Please tell me the attraction of "Kenshi".

MEG (GUMSTAR) The first attraction is the height of freedom that does not make the same deployment many times. There are near 900 MODs created by the fans, and if it combines it, you can enjoy a completely different play every time. In addition, the tradition and dialogue (conversation) that spans a number of novels is also attractive to create a view of the world.

-Does Developer officially admit MOD production?

Meg (GUMSTAR) Not only is the production of MOD, but also recommended. Early volunteer translation was one of MOD. Tools for producing MOD are also released.

-What happened to the translation in this work?

MEG (GUMSTAR) No Japanese "Kenshi" success in Japan without MOD. Many play videos were produced thanks to the spread of Japanese language MOD, and spurred the spread of the game. Among them, it is a pione of Ponshu in Nico Nico Douga, and it is a live videos of Mr. Kiritan, "Kiritan," of Ponshu, and youtube. Success in Japan is also connected to success in China and Korea, and we think that the achievements of volunteer translators are very large.

-Did the developer decided to be officially Japanese language by volunteer translation?

MEG (GUMSTAR) Japanese official translation was not originally in the field. However, due to the fact that sales in Japan have been accelerated at once, the official Japanese translation was released by the translation company. After that, improvements have been stacked, but once they were rewarded and the improvement version has been released on December 13 last year.

- Why did the developer did not adopt volunteer translation as it is?

MEG (GUMSTAR) I can not answer because I was not involved at that time.

- Please tell me the reason for the improvement of Japanese translation.

Meg (GUMSTAR) I am working on public relations, community management, influencer marketing in London. We are involved in this game since the time "Kenshi" exhibited at Tokyo Game Show in 2018, but I also get stuck to "Kenshi", then Twitter, Steam, Hatena Blog as a "Person in Official Twitter" Now you can manage the community. Developers have hit the wall in the process of improving Japanese translation, and they will be consulted by consultation.

- Have you ever had experience in game translation so far?

MEG (GUMSTAR) Interpreter and translation history is long, but the game translation is the first time this time. Game translation is often different from normal translation in that many dialogs have to consider the nuances of the text before and after and have a proper conversation. Unless it is a translation of theater, there will always be a translation with a conversation so much.

- Do you think that the best ability to use for game translation?

MEG (GUMSTAR) I think it is the ability to translate not to disturb the player as intended by developers. To do this, you need to understand the intention of the developer firmly.

-What is the ability to understand developer intention?

MEG (GUMSTAR) The ability to understand the world view of the game and the game itself. And it is the ability to judge whether to select the correct words when translating. Unlike the alphabet, Japanese kanji has a power to give me some impression and meaning. You must read the original and sometimes check in English if it intended by the developer.

# Changed a familiar translation

- Why did you significantly review the translation for improvement?

MEG (GUMSTAR) As a lot of translations in this work were related, there was no sense of unity, and the proper nouns and tones were also rose. When the tone changes, it also affected the view of the world, so it was necessary to re-translate again.

-Why did you carry a translation alone?

MEG (GUMSTAR) "Kenshi" is a game developed by Chris Hunt, but the work to be pilted into sentences was the Natalie of her sister almost al1. It is also the most successful French and Spanish, translator translated by one from the beginning to the end. As an example, Japanese translators were translated by Japanese.

-Do you have any problems other than a sense of unity to Japanese language translation?

MEG (GUMSTAR) is written by the British, as it is the British people, so the unique word used by the British people, Surang, and Illonie were mistranslated. In this work, if you choose a choice, you may want to develop into no tidal situation. Therefore, it was a big issue on the game that you can not choose your choice due to the mistranslation. In addition, there was a translation that the developer was not intended by the developer even though the meaning of identifying honorifics and gender that should not be used originally.

- For example, what is translation?

Meg (GUMSTAR) The meaning is "Shrieking Bandit" for translations that the developer was not intended by the developer. Previously, it was translated as "a wilderness". However, if you play in English, Shrieking will make a mess. Using the word "慟", he has finally made the meaning of the developer's intended meaning, so it was changed after confirming that it was finally asked to have meaning to shrieking.

- Do you think that the problem of the mistranslation and the sense of unity has occurred?

MEG (GUMSTAR) I think that Japanese English education is based on American English. Isn't English for English and TV English on a daily basis? In addition, I think that it has influenced the sense of unity that multiple translators involved in aligning to the release. Development teams were the first to be involved in translation, so it would be one of the causes of experienced.

-You were in charge of Meg (Gumstar) living in England to solve it.

Meg (Gumstar) She also worked on community management and PR, and she also had a reason that she was familiar. She was already big that she had built a trust relationship.

- Tell me what emphasized when improving translation.

MEG (GUMSTAR) This time, we have improved the dialog, so we emphasized that the flow of the story is properly attached, and it emphasizes as a natural conversation. In addition, in order to make a sense of unity, we first set up a proper noun and translated while checking again and again when using a proper noun.

-What kind of device did you devise to translate dialogs naturally?

MEG (GUMSTAR) First, we first reviewed the translated text and verified whether it is better to fix or rewrite. If you want to translate, first translate and translate the accuracy, and read the translation part and edit it to sound naturally. After that, we read the conversation that contains the translation from above and took the process of editing again. When translating a particularly difficult conversation, I read and read and hear it naturally or even earlier.

- What is the reason for speaking out and checking.

Meg (Gumstar) If you read and read it, the part that does not speak like this will be remarkable. As a result, you can unplug the words that you do not need, replace the sentences and sound naturally.

-What kind of device did you devise to unify the proper nouns?

MEG (GUMSTAR) First of all, we first created a grocery of a proper noun and proceeding with the translation work while confirming the glossary many times.

- Did not use translation memory (a tool to reuse past translation)?

MEG (GUMSTAR) In this work, you need to use your own program for translation, and you need to set different settings from normal translation. It will be a story of other languages, but I heard that it has been re-translated by fixing and translating it.

-How did you respect the original for improvement?

MEG (GUMSTAR) We respect and translate with the intention of developers. Since the part of the dialog must have been explanied by all means, I was able to hear the words and change the words, changing the usual phrase, without making it absolutely. Also, ironing is a part that can not be translated if it is not a envision.

-How did you respect traditional translation?

MEG (GUMSTAR) I personally play in English when enjoying "Kenshi", but I am watching a considerable number of Japanese videos as one end of community management. When compared with two languages ​​at the same time, I was taking a note of the sense of translation and the mistranslation. As we improved while looking at the notes, I think that it was possible to understand not only translation to be fixed, but also translations that do not need to be fixed.

# Thoughts on communities

- Some works have a mechanism to replace some of the sentences in this work.

MEG (GUMSTAR) its function was the souvenir of the translator of each country. Since the development team was originally said, "I would like to use it as needed", so it is disabled if it is difficult to use in Japanese. In Japanese, there has been a unique problem that the verb does not change with a single name and a plurality of names, and there has been a unique problem that the connection word after adjectives has changed, so it has disabled a considerable part.

- You are disabled with the understanding of the development team.

MEG (GUMSTAR) This feature is not used at all. Words such as "brothers" and "flat skin" when calling to people, screams, text used for threats, animals are left.

- How did I verify the behavior of a huge dialog?

The flow of the MEG (GUMSTAR) dialog was almost known, but there is also a part where you need to make a fine adjustment if you look at it in the game. I actually played the game and let me interact randomly in some areas and checked whether it was exactly moving.

- Is it only a dialog that has been improved this time?

MEG (GUMSTAR) The memo displayed in a proper noun or game has also been changed. With regard to the user interface, the conversation has not needed as much as possible, and this improvement version has not been changed. We are currently reviewing and will be changed somewhat with the next update.

- How is the reaction to improved Japanese translation?

MEG (GUMSTAR) There are many players who are used to translation before the improvement version appeared, so I intend to be careful not to make a mistake as much as possible. However, the MOD that returns to previous translations especially for proper nouns. I think that it can not be helped because I changed the environment I am used to.

- It is also grasped that there is a MOD that returns based on translation.

MEG (GUMSTAR) I also manage community, so we are translated by the regular translator close to the player. If there is a tweet such as "such translation", I was asked to take a note of note. In addition, near the end of the translation, we introduce part of the new translation in quiz format and look at the community response. It is only because of community management, but the reaction is transmitted to the community only. It is rather reasons for the reason why it works hard.

- The community opinion after the official release of "Kenshi" was reflected in translation.

Meg (GUMSTAR) is so. I think it is really blessed that you can translate in a place close to the community.

- The community's opinion is reflected in translation, it also leads to volunteer translation.

MEG (GUMSTAR) "Kenshi" developers have introduced MODs in the game in the game and are very important to communities. Everyone involved in "Kenshi" is inherited by the thought.

-How is the translation of "Kenshi 2" to be sequel?

The translation of MEG (GUMSTAR) "KENSHI" was also a single paragraph, so translation of "Kenshi 2" was started last month. "Kenshi 2" is also to translate each translator from the beginning to the end. The previous work has been advanced, but the developer side was not well known, but based on the experience we got in advance, a more translated environment is prepared.

- "Kenshi 2" can expect further improved translations.

Meg (Gumstar) The previous work was quite playful before translating, so it was a translation of the world well. "Kenshi 2" will translate the unknown world, but it is also a challenge and it is also fun.

# Message from the on-site

- Please give me an advice to those who want to translate.

MEG (GUMSTAR) games are expanded in a world that is unrelated to your different dimensions worldwide. However, there is a part that is connected to the real world, so it is surprising and useless experience that seems to be wasted. For example, I went to a Catholic School in Japan, but there was a time to read the Bible every week, and I was not a Catholic, I thought it was a waste time. However, the experience was very helpful to translate religious national scripulation and dialogs that appear in Kenshi.

-Do you want to tell the volunteer translation community?

MEG (GUMSTAR) I work in the United Kingdom game industry, but I am always impressed by the son of indie games in this country. However, there are few works that came to be known in Japan like "Kenshi". While being a wonderful game, there are many budgets that spend in Japanese translation and public relations activities in Japan, and there are many works without touching the eyes of Japan. As with the power of "Kenshi" began to be known by the power of a volunteer translator, please excavate other games.

- Please give me a word last minute.

MEG (GUMSTAR) This time there were also the first game translation, and there may have been places that never reached. I'm glad if you played "kenshi" again at the time of this period or for the first time. The world of "Kenshi" is large and its tradition is also connected to "Kenshi 2". Please enjoy "Kenshi" by all means.

- Thank you for dividing valuable time today.