Translation Chat

Season 2 - Episode 9/10

Wesley O'Donnell is a freelance Japanese to English translator living in Japan. He's worked on a variety of manga and light novels with penchant towards fantasy and comedy.

Wesley chats about the amazing characterization and comedy in the English localization of Nindento's Paper Mario and the Origami King.

"The kingdom has been ravaged by an origami menace! Join Mario and his new partner, Olivia, as they battle evil Folded Soldiers, repair the damaged landscape, and try to free Princess Peach’s castle from the clutches of King Olly in this comedy-filled adventure."

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted and edited by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 8/10

Taylor Drew is a translator, writer, and manga proofreader based in Tokyo. She writes book reviews for her personal blog A Basket of Words and also does interview translations for Febri. Passionate for all things written and everything to do with Northeastern Japan, she chose to talk about the award-winning Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri and translated by Morgan Giles.

"Born in Fukushima in 1933, the same year as the Emperor, Kazu’s life is tied by a series of coincidences to Japan’s Imperial family and to one particular spot in Tokyo; the park near Ueno Station – the same place his unquiet spirit now haunts in death.

It is here that Kazu’s life in Tokyo began, as a labourer in the run up to the 1964 Olympics, and later where he ended his days, living in the park’s vast homeless ‘villages’, traumatised by the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and enraged by the announcement of the 2020 Olympics."

Taylor Drew

Websites:

A Basket of Words

Book and Bao

Tokyo Weekender

Twitter: @mollymay5000

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted and edited by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine SoldevillaTranslation Chat 18 – Taylor Drew chats about Tokyo Ueno Station

Season 2 - Episode 7/10

Erica Friedman is the Founder of Yuricon and has run the world's oldest and most comprehensive blog on Yuri, Okazu, since 2002. She has edited manga for JManga, Seven Seas and Udon Entertainment, most recently Riyoko Ikeda’s epic historical classic, The Rose of Versailles.

Erica is the author of By Your Side: The First 100 Year of Yuri Anime and Manga, out now from Journey Press.

She chats with us about the English translation of the manga for Whisper Me a Love Song, by Eku Takeshima, translated by Kevin Steinbach, edited by Tiff Ferentini, with lettering by Jennifer Skarupa.

"An adorable new yuri manga for fans of Kase-san and Yamada and Bloom Into You.

One day, high school girl Himari sees a girl, Yori, sing in a band, and it awakens feelings she doesn’t understand… but Yori does!"

Erica Friedman

Website: Yuricon

Twitter: @OkazuYuri

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted and edited by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 6/10

Stephen Meyerink is a freelance Japanese to English translator, writer, and author who has worked on video games, books, albums, manga, and more. He is a massive fan of video game music (in terms of both a historical practice and a listener), loves cooking (and eating) all kinds of food except meat loaf, and Final Fantasy.

He joins us to chat about the English localizations of 1998's Final Fantasy Tactics and 2007's updated localization Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, which was translated by Tom Slattery and Joseph Reeder.

"In days now long past, the War of the Lions rent the land of Ivalice in two. And it it here that two young men of note first stepped onto history's stage.

The first is a man named Delita Heiral, the hero who would draw the curtain on the War of the Lions, this dark act of Ivalice's history. The other, whose role is now forgotten is a man by the name of Ramaz Beoulve.

Peer through the eyes of these two young men, and uncover the secrets that lie hidden within history's darkened folds."

Stephen Meyerink

Website: Stephen Meyerink

Twitter: @sjmtaelus

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted and edited by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 5/10

Alexander O. Smith—who goes by Alex—is a translator, writer, and photographer living in Kamakura, Japan. As a translator, he's worked on games like Final Fantasy 12, novels in the fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery genres, and manga. He's written for Magic: The Gathering, DeNA mobile games, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and is currently writing at game studio Camouflaj on an unannounced VR title.

Alex chose to chat about the sci-fi novel—which later became a blockbuster movie staring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow—All You Need Is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and translated from Japanese by Joseph Reeder and edited by Alexander O. Smith.

"When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill.

Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On the 158th iteration though, he sees something different, something out of place: the female soldier known as the Bitch of War.

Is the Bitch the key to Keiji’s escape, or to his final death?"

Additional

J-EN Translations translation review of All You Need Is Kill

Alexander O. Smith

Website: Kajiya Productions

Twitter: @aokajiya

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted and edited by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 4/10

Keith Spencer is a visual artist and translator based in Kyoto. His artwork has been exhibited in the US, Japan, and Canada, while his translations have appeared in artist books, galleries, and numerous art-related online publications.

Keith chose to chat about the novelThe Emissary (also known in the USA as The Last Children of Tokyo), by Yoko Tawada and translated by Margaret Mitsutani.

Japan, after suffering from a massive irreparable disaster, cuts itself off from the world. Children are so weak they can barely stand or walk: the only people with any get-go are the elderly. Mumei lives with his grandfather Yoshiro, who worries about him constantly.

They carry on a day-to-day routine in what could be viewed as a post-Fukushima time, with all the children born ancient--frail and gray-haired, yet incredibly compassionate and wise.

Mumei may be enfeebled and feverish, but he is a beacon of hope, full of wit and free of self-pity and pessimism. Yoshiro concentrates on nourishing Mumei, a strangely wonderful boy who offers "the beauty of the time that is yet to come."

Additional

In this episode we mention a few articles and books.

Keith Spencer

Website: Keith Spencer

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted and edited by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 3/10

Mercedez (Meru) Clewis (they/their) is a Japanese to English translation and localization editor working primarily with light novels and visual novels, such as Idea Factory’s Cupid Parasite. They’re also a pop culture critic, anime and manga reviewer, and a freelance journalist, contributing to websites like Anime Feminist and the Anime News Network.

Mercedez chose to chat about Spring 2021’s Super Cub, an anime produced by Studio Kai based on the Super Cub novel by author Tone Kouken.

"A lonely girl's eyes are opened to the many possibilities when she buys a Honda Super Cub. In her old life she had nothing, but now she has a Cub and many opportunities before her."

Additional

In this episode we discuss Mercedez's articles on Super Cub for Anime Feminist and Anime News Network. You can read them here:

Mercedez Clewis

Twitter: @pixelatedlenses

Portfolio: Pixelated Lenses

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 2/10

Kaylyn S. Wylie (she/they) is a Japanese to English media localization specialist working primarily with video games. You can see her work most recently in Ender Lilies and Artesnaut. If you’d like to catch what she’s up to, you can find her on Twitter where she gushes about Quagsire, shares her gaming hyperfixations, and frequently talks about the topics of accessibility and equality in the industry.

"Welcome to a new world! Take on the role of a hunter and slay ferocious monsters in a living, breathing ecosystem where you can use the landscape and its diverse inhabitants to get the upper hand. Hunt alone or in co-op with up to three other players, and use materials collected from fallen foes to craft new gear and take on even bigger, badder beasts!"

Kaylyn Wylie

Twitter: @kaymozone

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 2 - Episode 1/10

Christina Rose is a video game and manga translator who enjoys demystifying the J-E media translation industry and its practices for people new to the field or looking to break in.

Final Fantasy XIV is a sci-fi/fantasy MMORPG that has been running in some form or other since 2012, making it nearly ten years old! The most recently released expansion at the time of this podcast is Endwalker, and the expansion right before that is Shadowbringers. Christina discusses the Shadowbringers content, with only minor spoilers.

"Warriors of Light, embrace the darkness and forge a new fate!

Ala Mhigo is at last free from imperial rule, but that liberty may prove fleeting as the Empire moves to both reclaim this bloodied nation and subjugate all of Eorzea. In their hour of need, however, they cannot turn to the Warrior of Light. Nor to the Scions, who yet slumber, their souls adrift. The realm is left to struggle without its saviors, for they have been beckoned beyond time and space─beckoned to the First."

Christina Rose

Twitter: @dramata1

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 10/10

Daniel McCalla is a Japanese to English video game translator and (occasional) editor. During his four years as a freelancer, he worked on titles such as Phantasy Star Online 2, Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, Dragon Quest XI S, and Ender Lilies. He now works in-house at Capcom as part of their localization team.

In this episode he chose to chat about The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which was released in English (and sadly English only) for the first time on the Switch, PS4 and Steam in 2021.

The localization was directed by Janet Tsu, with English localization by Plus Alpha (translation by Will Blatchley and edited by Clare Saracine).

"With all the fun and drama of the Ace Attorney series set against the backdrop of Victorian-era Britain and Japan, there's sure to be no "Objection!" to the adventures of Ryunosuke Naruhodo as he turns the courtroom upside down!

Featuring an intriguing overarching mystery spanning across two games, it's the most engrossing story in the series yet! ‘The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles’ is the definitive version of this beloved series!"

Additional

In this episode Daniel and I discuss a blog by a Japanese person who breaks down the English localization of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. It's a really interesting blog from the perspective of a Japanese native speaker!

英語版「大逆転裁判1＆2 -成歩堂龍ノ介の冒險と覺悟-」解説 冒險第1話 法廷【その1】（1）

Daniel McCalla

Twitter: @Clidante_D

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 9/10

Gavin Greene is a freelance localization director, translator, and interpreter specializing in video games. In his ten years in the industry, he's translated more games than he can count (he's better at writing than math), many of them for well-known franchises such as Final Fantasy and the Tales of series.

As a localization director, he organizes multilingual teams bringing fun and games to various corners of the world. And as an interpreter, he talks and sometimes people listen.

For this episode he chose to chat about the sci-fi novel Harmony by Project Itoh, translated by Alexander O. Smith.

"In the future, Utopia has finally been achieved thanks to medical nanotechnology and a powerful ethic of social welfare and mutual consideration. This perfect world isn't that perfect though, and three young girls stand up to totalitarian kindness and super-medicine by attempting suicide via starvation. It doesn't work, but one of the girls--Tuan Kirie--grows up to be a member of the World Health Organization. As a crisis threatens the harmony of the new world, Tuan rediscovers another member of her suicide pact, and together they must help save the planet...from itself."

Gavin Greene

Twitter: @GawyntheGreen

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 8/10

Morgan Watchorn is a manga translator for Seven Seas Entertainment. Titles she’s worked on include Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire?, Desire Pandora, and Call to Adventure! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board.

She chose to talk about the English dub adaptation for the 2005 anime Black Cat, which was translated by Masako Ollivier, then adapted by Andrew Rye and Eric Vale for dubbing.

"Completing every job with ruthless accuracy, Train Heartnet is an infamous assassin with no regard for human life. Donning the moniker "Black Cat" in the underground world, the elite killer works for the powerful secret organization known only as Chronos.

One gloomy night, the blasé gunman stumbles upon Saya Minatsuki, an enigmatic bounty hunter, and soon develops an odd friendship with her. Influenced by Saya's positive outlook on life, Train begins to rethink his life. Deciding to abandon his role as the Black Cat, he instead opts to head down a virtuous path as an honest bounty hunter. However, Chronos—and particularly Creed Diskenth, Train's possessive underling—is not impressed with Train's sudden change of heart and vows to resort to extreme measures in order to bring back the emissary of bad luck.

This assassin turned "stray cat" can only wander so far before the deafening sound of gunfire rings out."

Additional Information

Anime dubs involve the translator but then a whole bunch of people who are in charge of the dubbing itself. When a voice actor records a voice to a set video, this is called automated dialogue replacement (ADR). The translated script must therefore be adapted for ADR so the lines will match the lip flaps of any on-screen characters.

As discussed in the episode, here are the credits for the people involved in the Black Cat anime dub.

Masako Ollivier - translator
Andrew Rye - ADR writer
Eric Vale - ADR writer
Tyler Walker - ADR director / line producer
Caitlin Glass - assistant ADR director
Jeremy Inman - assistant ADR director
Tara A. Williams - talent coordinator
Scott Garner - assistant talent coordinator
Chris Cason - assistant ADR writer

Morgan Watchorn

Twitter: @mwatchornbooks

Website: morganwatchorn.com

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 7/10

Wesley Bishop is a localization director at video game developer and publisher Capcom. Wes grew up in Indiana in the USA. After earning his degree, he went on to work at the Japan-American Society of Indiana, an NPO dedicated to strengthening the bridges of friendship between the Japan and the USA.

Wesley moved to Japan in 2013 to become an English teacher on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. In 2016 he began work for Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education in an advisory role, and has been working since 2018 to share the wonder of Japanese games with people around the world.

He decided to chat about the English localization of Final Fantasy XII, which was translated by Alexander O. Smith and Joseph Reeder.

"Enter an era of war within the world of Ivalice. The small kingdom of Dalmasca, conquered by the Archadian Empire, is left in ruin and uncertainty.

Princess Ashe, the one and only heir to the throne, devotes herself to the resistance to liberate her country. Vaan, a young man who lost his family in the war, dreams of flying freely in the skies.

In a fight for freedom and fallen royalty, join these unlikely allies and their companions as they embark on a heroic adventure to free their homeland."

Wesley Bishop

Twitter: @EatsMeatsWes

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 6/10

Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher, also known as Rook, is a wildly successful light novel and manga translator who's worked on titles such as Torture Princess,The Eminence in Shadow, Spy Classroom, and High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World.

Rook chose to chat about the popular Shonen Jump manga Spy x Family, written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endoand, and translated through Viz Media by Casey Loe.

Rook
(Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher)

Twitter: @HiroshiThrasher

Retrospring: Rook

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 5/10

Andrew Echeverria is a Japanese-to-English media translator with a focus in games. He's been in the industry for half a decade, in which time he has had the opportunity to work on manga, tourism, tech, and games such asPhantasy Star Online 2 and Ender Lilies. He also loves all things horror, especially the more surreal, cerebral, and phantasmagoric entries in the canon.

Andrew chose to chat about the 2001 survival horror game Silent Hill 2 which was localized by Jeremy Blaustein.

"The silence is broken... James Sunderland's life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffer a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill.

Now James must go back to that special place to uncover the truth, unaware that the answers he seeks require the ultimate sacrifice."

Andrew Echeverria

Twitter: @DigDugpa

Professional Website: yaiaac.com

Kowai High: kowaihigh.com

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 4/10

Liz Bushouse is a Japanese to English video game translator and has worked on titles such as Phantasy Star Online 2, STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town, and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. She has a masters degree in translation and loves to talk about translation theory.

Liz shares her insight from her excessive research into the Final Fantasy localizations by talking about how the Final Fantasy VII Remake localization was handled. The English of which was translated by Ben Sabin, John Crow, Noriko Iwahara, Philip D. Gibbon, and Ryan Patterson, and edited by Morgan Rushton and Tim Law.

"FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a reimagining of the iconic original game that re-defined the RPG genre, diving deeper into the world and its characters than ever before. The first game in the project will be set in the eclectic city of Midgar and presents a fully standalone gaming experience that provides a great starting point to the series."

Additional Information

One reason I invited Liz to the podcast was because of her translation comparisons of games, including the original Final Fantasy VII and the Remake. You can read her complete breakdowns here on her website: Liz Bushouse's Final Fantasy VII Remake Script Comparison

If you want to learn more about the challenges behind the localization of Final Fantasy VII Remake then check out this article: Why The Localization of Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Amazing

Liz Bushouse

Twitter: @LizBushouse

Professional Website: Liz Bushouse

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 3/10

Katrina Leonoudakis is a professional translator and localization specialist. In addition to working full-time at SEGA as a project coordinator, she subtitles anime for Funimation and Sentai Filmworks, as well as translates manga for Seven Seas.

She has credits on projects like Persona 5 Royal, the Yakuza series, and anime like Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou. Her favorite thing in
the world is translation theory-- ask her about equivalence!

Katrina shares with us her passion for anime translation by talking about the subtitle translation for the anime Odd Taxi, released in the West by Crunchyroll and translated by Mikka Stifler.

"Eccentric and blunt, the walrus Hiroshi Odokawa lives a relatively normal life. He drives a taxi for a living, and there he meets several unique individuals: the jobless Taichi Kabasawa who is dead-set on going viral, the mysterious nurse Miho Shirakawa, the struggling comedic duo "Homo Sapiens," and Dobu, a well-known delinquent.

But Odokawa's simple way of life is about to be turned upside-down. The case of a missing girl the police have been tracking leads back to him, and now both the yakuza and a duo of corrupt cops are on his tail. Set in a strangely familiar city filled with unusual individuals, Odd Taxi is a bizarre story about a humble taxi driver and the mystery of a lost high schooler."

Katrina Leonoudakis

Twitter: @katrinaltrnsl8r

Professional Website: Katrina Translation

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 2/10

Anne Lee is a freelance Japanese to English translator and editor, with credits including Hitorijime My Hero volumes 1-3 and video games such as Giraffe and Annika, and Tokyo Afterschool Summoners.

She also writes and podcasts about Japanese pop culture at Chic-Pixel.com in addition to her day job in communications. She's particularly passionate about otome games, which is why she's chosen to talk about one today.

Anne chose to chat about Taisho x Alice by Primula, translated by Molly Lee.

"A fairytale visual novel in which YOU must save your Prince Charming! You will take on the role of the fairytale heroine in order to rehabilitate your chosen love interest and guide him to his "happily ever after!"

Additional Information

In this episode Anne mention an article that came out in 2017 talking about the issues with the original release of the game. You can read it here: Please Save My Money: Taisho x Alice x Disaster

You can get the new release of the game (translated by Molly Lee) here: Taisho x Alice on Steam here!

Anne Lee

Website: www.chic-pixel.com

Patreon: apricotsushi

Twitter: @apricotsushi

Instagram: @apricotsushi

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla

Season 1 - Episode 1/10

Daniel Morales is a writer, translator and former association professional based in Chicago. He writes the website HowtoJapanese.com and is a regular contributor to the Japan Times Bilingual page.

Daniel chose to chat about Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami, translated by Alfred Birnbaum and edited by Elmer Luke.

"A narrative particle accelerator that zooms between Wild Turkey Whiskey and Bob Dylan, unicorn skulls and voracious librarians, John Coltrane and Lord Jim. Science fiction, detective story and post-modern manifesto all rolled into one rip-roaring novel, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is the tour de force that expanded Haruki Murakami's international following. Tracking one man's descent into the Kafkaesque underworld of contemporary Tokyo, Murakami unites East and West, tragedy and farce, compassion and detachment, slang and philosophy."

Additional Information

You can read Daniel's collection of blog posts breaking down the translation of Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World on Daniel's blog, the Hard-boiled Wonderland Project.

Daniel also mentioned the book Who We Are Reading When We Are Reading Haruki Murakami by David Karashima which you can find in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.

Daniel Morales

Twitter: @howtojapanese

How to Japanese Website

How to Japanese Podcast (Apple Podcasts)

Translation Chat

A podcast where professional Japanese to English translators and editors chat about their favorite translations.

Hosted by Jennifer O'Donnell

Music by Alex Valles

Logo by Katherine Soldevilla