Wanna get some translations going? Tell me about it. (srs)

[rml93]

Hi.

I've been trawling the pits of the internet desperately searching for any worthwhile translation efforts and have started tracking progress of a great many of them only to end up disappointed when they eventually get a poor Google translate patch, halt due to legal action or just lose momentum and fizzle out.

What I am setting out to do is translate and release patches for video games that never made their way to English speaking territories.

Now about me! I'm a busy guy. I understand what I'm looking to do will be a heavy undertaking but I won't be letting this consume me. If I find myself with any free time over this summer I will be devoting it what I can spare of it to this end but I refuse to release anything as a rush job.

I would like to start off with some earlier games so we can all enjoy them before they're too far in the rear view to be of any consequence. That being said I would like to start within the range of my own experience, meaning GameBoy Color and Gameboy Advance are as far back as I'm willing to go. I would also like to translate some titles for other systems, however, I'd like to limit it to systems that I own so I can check my work as I go. This opens the floor to the aforementioned GBC and GBA as well as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

If you can recommend any resources to help me with my eventual efforts, please don't be shy. I'll take all the help I can get. And while you're at it, feel free to give me the title of a game or two that you'd like to play in English.

-rml93

P.S. Please do not ask for anything released within the last year, with ongoing translation projects elsewhere or games that are just plain bad.

 

[FAST6191]

How many translations have you found that were abandoned because of legal reasons? Ignoring homebrew remakes/"fan games" and specifically going for ROM hacks and translations I am coming up somewhat short here, after the dead or alive stuff back on the xbox and the somewhat more recent troubles ratsan faced for 7th Dragon anyway.

Are you a hacker, a translator, both, one looking to branch into the other?

 

[rml93]

The game I came across that was ditched in the interest of not getting sued was actually 7th Dragon for the DS, I assume that's the same reason that there is little to find find for both of the 7th Dragon PSP games after 2011.

As to my background in this sort of thing I have had moderate experience with translating from French and Spanish to English and the other way around. I also work in my colleges IT department as a network specialist and I've taken on hacking as a hobby over the past couple years. I figure now I may as well put my interest and practical knowledge of translating to use in pursuing two hobbies at once, hacking and video games!

 

[FAST6191]

I am not sure how much there is in the way of French or Spanish language exclusives that might warrant your attention. It is not like German or Russian PC games where you often see some great little RPG or RTS type things going on ( http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00010150-brico-utile-test.htm and http://www.gamekult.com/video/secre...el-de-lemission-mauvais-buzz-2009784802v.html being among the more notable French exclusives). Most of the tie in stuff worth a damn was already translated and if you really want to translate Koh Lantra (French Survivor) or one of the other gameshows you can. I may have been a bit too hasty on the tie in stuff though and you can find the odd puzzle/card game that is worth playing, this might go double if you go as far back as the GB/GBC.
As I do not actually know much in the way of anything as far as Spanish is concerned I am a little more hazy there, however I do not think the situation is any different.

If you reckon you can translate from English to the others (a fair skill in any field, let alone a more entertainment/creative focus) then you might be able to clean up some less than stellar translations there, or convert from European equivalents to American versions if they later got good translations there.

Anyway as we are in the introduction section, and I neglected to do it last time around, welcome to GBAtemp. More translation and hacking inclined people are always welcome here.

 

[Snailface]

Just came across this today:
http://www.gonintendo.com/s/225324-7th-dragon-gets-a-fan-translation

Might be of interest to some of you.