4 ms·
Never been a fan of localisations, this idea that audiences can’t understand things outside their culture seems a pretty low view to have of your audience and t
by whywhywhywhy 7y ago
Never been a fan of localisations, this idea that audiences can’t understand things outside their culture seems a pretty low view to have of your audience and the changes that the localisers add just tend to add confusion rather than clarity.
Like how in 90s videogames localisers thought they were being smart renaming items from Rice Ball to Hamburger. Usually without changing the sprites.
I’d prefer it if the initial ideas and setting of the story were kept in tact and just translated rather than someone trying to be smart about it and failing.
- chrisseaton 7y ago> Never been a fan of localisations, this idea that audiences can’t understand things outside their culture seems a pretty low view to have of your audience Did you hear how many changes they had to Harry Potter to make it understandable to an American audience? And that's the same language even!
- kibwen 7y agoWere there any changes beyond turning "the Philosopher's Stone" into "the Sorcerer's Stone"? I recall 12 year-old me routinely glossing blithely over Britishisms like "dustbin", or what felt like 90% of what was served in the cafeteria.
- chrisseaton 7y agoQuite a few, yes, but having to change the title is pretty drastic! https://www.hp-lexicon.org/2001/08/25/differences-between-british-and-us-versions-of-ps/ https://www.hp-lexicon.org/2001/08/25/differences-between-br...
- citizenkeen 7y agoThose aren't localizations, those are translations. Changing trainers to sneakers is different than changing broccoli to a different vegetable.
- chrisseaton 7y agoHow is philosopher’s stone to sorcerer’s stone a translation? What is a sorcerer’s stone in America? And how is adding a whole extra character a translation?
- naravara 7y agoThat change wasn’t even because they didn’t think American kids would understand it. It was because they had a low opinion of the readership and thought nobody would read a book with “philosopher” in the title.
- lonelappde 7y ago... because "philosopher's stone" isn't well known in USA and "philosopher" means something different. Perhaps because USAns don't have as much interest in pseudoscience as British ;-)
- chrisseaton 7y agoThe people who used to search for the philosopher’s stone are common ancestors of both our cultures. If you aren’t aware of it it’s because you’ve stopped reading history, not because it’s some new idea of ours.