#i am also not mad when people mispronounce my name because it is not english so i get it

[atropalugosi]

also this is so far outta left field but it's important to me. got lotsa new mutuals and friends lately and with how often my name is mispronounced by new people, i figured i'll just give y'all the phonetic reading so you can say it properly in your heads when you see my posts <3

loo-go-shee

[ssnakey-b]

FF8 English-French translarison, part 9: Make it Raine

Hey, everyone! Welcome back to the continuous comparison of the English and French versions of my favourite video game of all time, Samurai Zombie Na- wait no, Final Fantasy VIII. And we finally start the content from CD 2. This being the Winhill dream, I suggest keeping a handkerchief handy as a result of the waterfall of feels that is about to be unleashed.

We start with "Uncle Laguna” (aaawwww!) being called by Ellone. This brings up the first difference. although for once, it isn’t one specific line but something that carries over the whole thing. You may remember that in the English version, the text shows Ellone speaking in a typical toddler speak where she doesn’t quite pronounce every word right.

The French version doesn’t do that. She does use childish sentences, but nothing in the text suggests that she is mispronouncing words.

I was actually very surprised throughout most of the dream sequence how close the two translations were though. It’s got to be the most consistent part of the game yet. There are small differences, though, like this:

Remember how in the English version, Laguna tells Ellone that monsters will “catch you and then they’ll suck all your blood out!” if she isn’t careful? That already seems like a gruesome image to give to a small child, but the French version is even worse! There, Laguna says that they will not only catch her but also rip out her eyes, then drink all her blood. Jesus, Laguna, I know you want to keep her safe, but holy crap.

Downstairs, we have another one. After Ellone asks if she’s been a good girl, Laguna says yes and turns to a picture of her biological parents (Nnggh! Can’t cry now, we’ve only just started!). In the English text, he calls them “Ellone’s father and mother” even when addressing them directly, but in the French version, he calls them “Daddy and mommy Ellone”. Nnnggggh!! Gotta hold it in or I won’t make it through this post!

God, everything about this scene is such a tear-jerker. Ellone’s general cuteness, Laguna caring so much for her, the fact that he keeps the memory of her parents alive to help her cope, the bullet holes still in the wall.

Also, there’s a small detail I literally only noticed for the first time while taking screenshots for this. There’s a cane propped up against the table or counter in the foreground. Now, that may be a coincidence, but do you think perhaps Laguna was the one using it while recovering it? If so, it’s a brilliant way to subtly tell a story without showing every detail.

Another small one. In the English version, when Laguna calls to Ellone to tell her the ways is clear, he says “now’s your chance” and Ellone replies with “Cha-nce!”, which I’m guessing means she’s repeating it in a sing-song way?

In the French version though, he says “Ellone! Now’s the time” and she says “Here I go!”. The sing-song repetition thing is a bit weird to me. Is that something that’s associated with child-like behaviour in English-speaking countries?

Then, we have two changes for the price of one. First, there’s a difference in dialogue as shown above. The thing is, “bêtise” isn’t a word that can directly be translated into English, it’s a somewhat childish word for something bad or stupid. It comes from “bête”, which i can best translate as “silly”. So basically, she’s saying “I’ve been naughty.”

You may also notice that she’s whispering it to Laguna in English but says it out loud in French. I kind of like the idea of her whispering it to Laguna as it very much is something little kids do with adults but at the same time, I guess I can understand why the French version wouldn’t do that as it would make more sense for Raine to be able to hear them that way.

Speaking of that! When playfully scolding her for breaking her promise, English Laguna replies with “Too baaaad...” and Raine then scolds him by telling her “Use proper English when speaking to Ellone!”

Man, I love Raine, she doesn’t take any shit. Such a shame she doesn’t get more scene. Also, good to see that much like how the French translation decided the characters are speaking French in-universe, so does the English version with speaking English.

But anyway, that’s different in the French version, unsurprisingly. Here, Laguna calls Ellone a piggyhead and Raine says “Laguna! When speaking to Ellone, talk to her properly!”. Also, I think the translator made a small mistake as when Laguna says he’s been naughty, there’s a word missing and he says “J’ai fait bêtise!”, which is kind of the equivalent of him going “I’ve naughty!”. Maybe it’s just the translator giving him a childish speech pattern.

But there is a far more unforgivable mistake...

Kyros?! KYROS?!! Yes, for whatever reason, Kiros’ name is misspelled as Kyros here, and it happens again twice during this section and, as far as I remember, in no other part of the game. That’s just weird. This is truly the hugest of deals, I hope the translator cut off their pinky finger as penance.

On the plus side, considering that typo doesn’t happen in the English version, I guess that lends credence to my theory of the French version not being based on it.

Alright, so here are the differences in the multiple-choice conversation:

- When Kyros Kiros says life’s boring with Laguna as entertainment, in the English version, Laguna answers “that’s a harsh thing to say. I’ve been living a  productive life here.”

In the French version, he says pretty much the same thing (literally “Here, I have a pretty full life”) but oddly, the part about Kiros’ remark being harsh isn’t there. Then again, I’m not sure if English Laguna means Kiros is being harsh on himself for saying his life is boring without Laguna, or if it’s harsh of him to imply the reason he went to find Laguna is for entertainment. I do wonder if it’s English version that added that of if it’s the French version that removed it.

- The D-District is called “Zone D” in French;

- Not sure if I missed it earlier or it didn’t come up, but the English version of the game calls the place where Julia played the piano a night club whereas the French one calls it a bar;

- English Laguna calls Ellone “Elle” for short (and IIRC that’s something the orphanage kid do as well). That doesn’t happen in the French version;

- Instead of “I’m looking forward to the battles,” French Kiros says “I haven’t fought in a while...”;

- Interestingly, when picking the option of Squall wondering “where am I?” a second time, English Laguna  thinks to himself that he knows there’s something here but he doesn’t know it’s saying, but French Laguna thinks “Odd... It’s as if someone was talking inside my head.

That’s probably the biggest deviation in the whole sequence. I kind of like the more vague take on it in the English version. “Voices in the head” is kind of a fantasy cliché, even if it’s not for the usual reasons here, so I like the idea that Laguna instead feels a presence but can’t figure out what it’s about.

And that’s it for the conversation between Kiros and Laguna. There is however one last difference once you end it and they’re getting ready to go on their patrol. In the English version, Raine tells him “Your work for what you eat” but in the French one, she says “appetite comes with work” which makes it less explicit that she expects him to work if he’s going to eat her food.

I kind of like the English version better again because it further highlights the fact that this is her place and while she is gentle and loving, she also expects people to carry their weight.

At the end of the patrol, English Kiros says Raine “seems like a really nice person. But easily taken in by a hotshot,” while French Kiros says “She seems like a nice person. Maybe too nice...”

And if you thought English Kiros calling Laguna a hotshot was a bit rude, get a load of what French Kiros has to say on the way back:

He refers to what Laguna does as “this useless patrol”! Wow, Kiros, that’s almost Squall-level mean. Also, considering we get to fight multiple monsters during this section, I would consider it anything but useless. Imagine the state of the town if there wasn’t a hunter around.

And yet, French Laguna takes it better than English Laguna does to Kiros calling it “this patrol thing”. English Laguna goes “’Thing’?! What’re you callin’ ‘THING’?!” while French Laguna goes “Useless patrol? What do you mean?”.

Thinking about it, he was also lot more collected when reminding Kiros of Raine’s name earlier. He simply stated “Her name is Raine”, whereas his English counterpart goes “ Her name’s Raine. Raine. OK!?”

When we go back to the pub, the conversation between Ellone and Raine is pretty much the same, except when Raine finishes saying Laguna wouldn’t be happy being stuck in a small, quiet village, English Raine says “...Ouuu, it makes me so mad” while French Raine says “it makes me sad...”

I don’t know I just find the difference in tones amusing. And here’s the most bizarre difference in that dream segment:

Laguna only pretends to be out of breath in the English version. It’s not changed to different dialogue in the French one or anything, that speech box just isn’t there.

But I know what the question on your minds is. What is the French name for the Buchubuchus and Bunbuns?

Well hold on to your panties, because here it is:

Wait, what?! Okay, we’ve seen some pretty strange differences in these two translations so far, but the fact that “Buchubuchus” of all things is present in both translations has got to be the weirdest thing I’ve seen in this whole project yet. Sadly, the Bunbuns are nowhere to be found in the French version, presumably eaten by the word count.

And that’s it for this dream section. And unfortunately, that freak Kyros returns to play us off:

You disgust me, Kyros.

i noticed that the typo sticks around for that entire last bit of dialogue, which makes me wonder if there were two different translators working on this and poor communication caused the inconsistency, but if that’s the case, it’s really weird that they’d not only have two different people working on the same segment, and that it’s the only moment in the entire game where something like that happens.

Anyway, that wraps up part 9. Next time, we will go to prison. As ever, I hope you had fun reading all that. If you have any questions or remarks, don’t hesitate to drop an ask or a comment and if you enjoy the translarison and wish to see it grow, please reblog this post. It’s the only way to keep Kyros at bay.