Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Xanadu Next translation project « Thread Started on Aug 6, 2009, 12:00am »
So, uh, yeah... still working on Ys Origin, but we're stalled for the moment (waiting on some crucial support), so I decided I'd use some of my free time to get some preliminary work done on that Xanadu Next translation I keep saying I've been wanting to do. (: So using the old decompiled game dumps given to me by Rasqual (one of the old members of the Sora no Kiseki translation project team), I located and cut out all the stone tablet and notebook text, and have begun working on it, as that's pretty much guaranteed to be THE hardest part of the entire translation... and every little bit I do now will help me out later, when I begin the Xanadu Next translation in earnest. (:
Anyway, I figured I'd create a topic for this now, so I could post little translation snippets, ask for assistance from others, etc. as needed.
Aaaaand, I already have something to ask about! (:
The Dragon Slayer... I'm obviously going to call it "Dragon Slayer" throughout most of the game. BUT, there are indications in the game that "Dragon Slayer" is a translation from "the old tongue", as it were... and since using Japanese as "the old tongue" seems silly in a game full of characters with German names, set in a land loosely based off of an English poem loosely based off of an opium-fueled hallucination of a Chinese historical figure, I thought perhaps I'd ask on the board what you all think would be the best possible "original name" for the Dragon Slayer. (:
I'm thinking it should be either German or Chinese, giving the characters and setting (respectively), and have thus come up with the following possible names:
Klinge des DracheMords Drachemordsklinge Long Sha Hai Jian Long Tu Zai Jian
My favorite of the four is "Drachemordsklinge", but I'm hoping someone on here has enough German knowledge to let me know if that actually sounds OK, or if it's absolutely terrible. (:
Bear in mind this name will likely only appear in ONE line of dialogue - something like "The sword known as Drachemordsklinge... its name means 'Dragon Slayer' in the old tongue."
So my question is... which one do you like best? Do you think it should be Chinese, or German, or something else? Does my pinyin and/or German totally suck, or are those decent-sounding names for "Dragon Slayer"?
Any musings you can provide would be appreciated. (:
Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #2 on Aug 6, 2009, 12:26am »
Well, to be honest, I'm actually KIND of taking a bit of creative liberty here... the original line is, essentially, something like this:
"It's called 'Dragon Slayer' (written out in katakana-ized English). Its name means 'ryuugoroshi' (Japanese for 'dragon-slaying')."
Rather than cutting it down to just say "It's called 'Dragon Slayer'", and leaving it at that, I think it'd be kind of neat to give it a name in "the old tongue", to preserve a bit of that "exotic flavor". And just reversing the two, and saying "It's called 'Ryuugoroshi', which means 'Dragon Slayer'", would be retardedly cheesy, so I'm not doing it. (:
Anyway, while I'm at it, another question... Kublai Khan is mentioned in some of these stone tablets. However, so is "Xanadu" - and it's very definitely "Xanadu", not "Shangdu" (the technically more accurate name for the city of Xanadu). And the name "Xanadu" was popularized in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, where the Chinese emperor's name was spelled "Kubla Khan" instead of "Kublai Khan". So how should I spell his name in-game? Should I spell it "correctly" as Kublai Khan, despite using "Xanadu" instead of "Shangdu"? Or should I spell it the "Coleridge way" as Kubla Khan, since I'm already using the Coleridge name for the city?
Joined: Jun 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 744 Location: Sao Paulo, SP
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #3 on Aug 6, 2009, 12:33am »
Go with Kublai Khan and fuck consistence! Seriously though, I'll give you two reasons: first, it sounds better. Second, I don't even know who the guy was but I've always heard the name as Kublai Khan. Kubla would seem odd to me.
Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #4 on Aug 6, 2009, 12:48am »
Cool. That was my thought, as well. (: Thanks!
Also, I'm thinking a little more about that line, and... well... I could also probably use both German AND Chinese translations of the sword's name! The person speaking that line is Char, who's already been established in the game's intro as an archaeology scholar, and is established as a talented linguist shortly thereafter, as well. It's taking a lot of liberties, but I could easily translate the line as something like this:
"The fabled Dragon Slayer... 'Klinge des Drachemords', in the old tongue. And in the time of Kublai Khan, it was called 'Long Tu Zai Jian'."
That covers pretty much everything, AND seems perfectly in keeping with Char's character, as she's very much a know-it-all sort. (:
Daggers and Wingboots, Mantras and Monsters Await You!
Joined: Mar 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 869 Location: Alpharetta, GA
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #6 on Aug 6, 2009, 12:53am »
That's awesome to hear that you started the project Wyrd. I'm looking forward to keeping up with this thread. : )
Regarding the Dragon Slayer, part of me thinks you probably should at least refer to the sword as the "Dragon Slayer" since it is such a staple name for the Dragon Slayer series, meaning that not only is it the original name for what the Xanadu series was supposed to be "Dragon Slayer II", but it is also the final weapon given in many of the game connected to the Dragon Slayer series. It is the final sword you get in Xanadu, Faxanadu and Romancia (as I understand it). Those are just the ones I know about and it is more than likely the final sword you would get in the original Dragon Slayer as well, though I haven't completed it yet.
If you absolutely must change it, I'd go with "Drachemordsklinge", but I'd make it apparent at least once in the game that the sword is the "Dragon Slayer". It could be something like, "And Legends forertold of a sacred blade, the Drachemordsklinge, or Dragon Slayer..."
As for Kublai Khan, I definitely think that is the best way to spell it/sound it out. : )
Good luck in your progress Wyrd and keep the questions coming. Though I hate to say it, I've yet to actually finish Xanadu Next yet due to limited gaming time. But one day I shall defeat time itself! *shakes fist*
Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #7 on Aug 6, 2009, 12:57am »
Oh, no, like I said, I'd only refer to it by its "original name" in that one line of dialogue. Everywhere else in the game, it would be called "Dragon Slayer", for sure. And the weapon itself would also specifically be called "Dragon Slayer". The "original name" idea is pure fluff... but just being able to USE pure fluff like that is why I've been wanting to translate this game so badly for the last few years. Its dialogue is just fantastic, and leaves sooooo many opportunities for "awesomification". (:
Also, you should totally finish Xanadu Next! Where did you stop? Did you get Castle Strangerock to appear? Because that's when things get SUPER-amazing. (:
Joined: Feb 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 1,040 Location: Offtopic Master
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #8 on Aug 6, 2009, 1:15am »
Well, shoot. I wasn't going to say anything, but...
My friend and I just started working on the game ourselves. Not sure if we should give up at this point and move to Legend of Heroes III-V or something. Sounds like you guys are further along with the hacking.
Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #9 on Aug 6, 2009, 1:24am »
Awww... I wish you would've said something! I've been dying to translate this game for YEARS now... pretty much ever since I first played it!
I don't know that we're necessarily farther along with the hacking, as all I have right now is literally just the game's code, decompiled. But Doppiapunta was going to be helping out to make the final patch, so I'm quite confident that the project will go smoothly, once it begins in earnest... which will likely be very soon, as we're actually in a good position to work on multiple projects at once right now.
How much of the dialogue translation have you guys done thus far? It looks like you have monster names... have you done anything else yet? I've only just done the game's intro, and most of the first tablet. If you want, we can join forces... though I really, really, really want to do the dialogue and tablet/note translations myself, if that's OK. I've been DYING to work on them. (: But if you guys have done some of the nitty-gritty translations, and would be willing to share them, then I'm sure Doppi can handle all the hacking, and we can get this thing knocked out in no time. (:
Joined: Feb 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 1,040 Location: Offtopic Master
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #10 on Aug 6, 2009, 1:38am »
I am totally up for that. I'm cool letting you handle dialogue and whatnot, I can take the technical stuff. I've done a bunch of the monster names and descriptions so far, that's about it.
We only started Sunday. My friend is still figuring out the best way to extract and re-enter text, so we really are at ground level still. I am sure we can work together and crank it out even faster.
My only other request - let me have a little say in font use. That was one thing I really was excited to have control over!
Daggers and Wingboots, Mantras and Monsters Await You!
Joined: Mar 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 869 Location: Alpharetta, GA
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #11 on Aug 6, 2009, 1:44am »
Cool, that'd be great if you two decide to merge projects. I'm sure it would get done faster that way. : )
Quote:
Also, you should totally finish Xanadu Next! Where did you stop? Did you get Castle Strangerock to appear? Because that's when things get SUPER-amazing. (:
Hehe, I wish. I just haven't had the time to really sit down and devote much time to any game for more than an hour or less a day and I'm juggling about 10 or so games off and on, so... : ) But I am enjoying it so far. It would have been easier to play if I had managed to get it working on my Mac with Crossover. I don't know how DarusGrey managed to pull his off and get his working, but it never worked for me and I don't think it worked for Adoru either. Most of my time is on my Mac since it is portable and goes where I go most of the time. : ) Such a shame, a full version of both CrossOver and CrossOver Games and not a single Falcom game I've ever installed worked.
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #14 on Aug 6, 2009, 4:49am »
FABULOUS.
Glad to see you're getting things started, wyrdy. I never did finish Xanadu (got stuck right near the end), but I look forward to reading your translation when it's done. It better live up to the standards you've set yourself
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #15 on Aug 6, 2009, 6:23am »
Ooh I'm obviously absolutely ecstatic about this - I LOVE XN so I can't wait to see what kind of progress you'll be making. And also then I get to find out what's actually going on!
Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #16 on Aug 6, 2009, 7:06am »
adoru: Sounds great! This is actually kind of unprecedented, since all the things you want to do and all the things I want to do seem not to overlap at all. I'd say that makes us a perfect fit for this! (:
I'll be in touch, I guess! (:
And Varion: Don't you worry, it will. Mwa ha ha. (: Soooooo excited! Heheheheh...
Daggers and Wingboots, Mantras and Monsters Await You!
Joined: Mar 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 869 Location: Alpharetta, GA
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #17 on Aug 6, 2009, 7:58am »
Wow! That's one kickass FAQ you've made century! I wasn't aware there was already such an in-depth walkthrough/guide for the game. Just the names and descriptions of what many of the weapons, items and cards do is fantastic!
Just one question I had regarding one of the Guardian Cards:
Quote:
12. Bel Freud Location: Talk to Anyess after obtaining the Phoenix Medicine, and give the Phoenix Medicine to her (top option) Levels: 3 Exp: 150/249 Ability: Increases Attribute points gained each level-up Progression: +1 Attribute point per level
Is this a Guardian that would most benefit the player by leveling up the Guardian as best you can to increase the Guardian's full potential and then de-leveling the player to level 1 so that you gain more and more attribute points each time you level up while the Guardian in equipped? Does it work like that or is it only attribute points given to the player that are gained per level of the actual Guardian card itself and not the player's actual attribute points gained per level.
Wow! That's one kickass FAQ you've made century! I wasn't aware there was already such an in-depth walkthrough/guide for the game. Just the names and descriptions of what many of the weapons, items and cards do is fantastic!
Thanks! I'm unsure about a lot of the names, and some of the Guardian descriptions are apparently mixed up 8p but most things are fine and I can fix the rest once this translation is on its way...
Quote:
Just one question I had regarding one of the Guardian Cards:
Quote:
12. Bel Freud Location: Talk to Anyess after obtaining the Phoenix Medicine, and give the Phoenix Medicine to her (top option) Levels: 3 Exp: 150/249 Ability: Increases Attribute points gained each level-up Progression: +1 Attribute point per level
Is this a Guardian that would most benefit the player by leveling up the Guardian as best you can to increase the Guardian's full potential and then de-leveling the player to level 1 so that you gain more and more attribute points each time you level up while the Guardian in equipped? Does it work like that or is it only attribute points given to the player that are gained per level of the actual Guardian card itself and not the player's actual attribute points gained per level.
-Thomas
Yes, you got it spot on first time. IIRC the idea is that you delevel, and then get all your levels back with Lvl 3 Bel Freud. It's quite arduous, even with all your skills/spells, but you end up getting 9 attribute points each level instead of the usual 6. So definitely worthwhile (especially if you plan on going into the bonus dungeon).
You should definitely dig it out and get started playing it again ^_^
Joined: Jul 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 11,321 Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Re: Xanadu Next translation project « Reply #19 on Aug 6, 2009, 11:19pm »
Hot off the presses: the first stone tablet, fully translated! (:
Figured it'd be nice to get some feedback, and see what you all think of the voice, the language, etc. that I decided to use for this.
Note that this is just a rough draft. It'll probably be tweaked and changed bit by bit before I'm willing to "sign off" on it. So if you have any suggestions or comments, don't hold back! I can take it!
--- "To the inheritors of history"
I tell of my homeland, founded by the great Kublai Khan, and purported an Eden by all who behold its vistas - its name, Xanadu. Here, the songs of the birds ring out, the flowers are always in bloom, and the light of the sun doth shine warmly upon all the land. Truly, Xanadu is a place of beauty, and peace.
However, it is not my intent to extol the glory of my native land herein; rather, the duty that falls upon me is that of minutiae and fact - to make accurate record of this land's history.
And even in such a place as this Xanadu, there must always be a shadow cast for every light.
To those who shall inherit and succeed our history, I beg ye read this account carefully and with open mind.
I must regrettably chronicle that twice did our paths cross with a hideous calamity of unimaginable horror. The devil Galsis - he who rules the world of nothingness; he who brings forth apparitions to defile our glorious land.
At his hands, the ideals of our just and righteous community fell to ashes, and our Eden became a world governed by lust and vice.
As we stand now, however, we have overcome these tribulations, and re-established a prosperity befitting of Xanadu. We owe our gratitude for this good fortune to the heroes and wise men of the past, who drove our devil's influence from the land.
The first invasion of Galsis was held back by a valorous youth who bore the sacred sword, led to our land by his liege King Juliden and the stars of the night sky. The second invasion of Galsis was held back by a beautiful and valiant princess, who carried with her the very same sword. Both of these figures shall hereafter be regarded with the highest honor in the annals of history.
Light coexists with shadow; and so too must the tales of Xanadu's calamitous past coexist with those of its heroes. If we are to remember the trials we faced, it is important we also remember the means through which they were overcome... --- Char(lotte)'s response dialogue:
- ... Seems to have been written by a historian from Xanadu. - To think that this land was visited by a devil - and not once, but twice! - And I suspect this 'sacred sword' it mentions must be the Dragon Slayer. - I wonder who this hero and princess could be, though... - Hey, (name)... - When you hear a tale like this, do you ever stop to think of the people who wrote it? Consider that they were all men and women just like us, mixed up in these extraordinary circumstances... and imagine, would if we were them... - I can't help but think of that every time I read a historical account like this... and every time, it just gives me the shivers! - Ah, (name), I almost forgot. I made a lunch for you! - It's the least I can do. Please, accept it, with my gratitude. ---
This line, admittedly, is giving me some trouble: "The first invasion of Galsis was held back by a valorous youth who bore the sacred sword, led to our land by his liege King Juliden and the stars of the night sky."
I can't tell if it was the valorous youth AND King Juliden who held back the invasion, led by the stars of the night sky... or if it was just the valorous youth, led by King Juliden and the stars of the night sky. The latter seems like it could be interpreted either way, so that's the phrasing I went with... but yeah... I can see things like this cropping up from time to time, and making life a little more difficult for me. (:
If anyone else would like to give their thoughts on the line, here's the original Japanese for it: 一度目の襲来はジュリデン王と 星の光に導かれし、聖剣の勇者{ 64;。
Yes, my version is much longer and more flowery. That's just how I roll, yo.
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