ScrolledTooFar

A message from me and my girlfriend

While there are some egregious examples of specific individuals within localization openly bragging about their vandalization of Japanese games, anime, & manga, the concept of localization itself has enabled this loose approach to translation. The stated purpose of localization is "adapting a foreign work for the target region/culture" it will be released in, thus this inevitably leads to changing core elements of Japanese works that do not align with so-called "Western sensibilities" that often truly just means political correctness. However, political correctness is only a symptom of the larger problem with localization, which is the fact that it is a process that's intended to edit the original work to make it "palatable" for a foreign demographic. There are a lot of edits that aren't political in nature & just amount to localizers making changes they personally think are better because Japanese scripts are viewed as "too boring"; such as adding humor, slang, or memes where it wasn't present in the original script, changing character personalities, names etc., which shifts the overall tone of the story & strays from the creator's intent. Many Western fans of Japanese media oppose these changes, because they want a faithful translation that respects the original & find the unique nature of Japanese works appealing. Localizers often tell the audience this is not possible due to differences across languages, but many of the script comparisons that have been shown are fairly easily translatable bits of dialogue that demonstrate this is manipulation to justify their preferences over remaining true to the original work. When fans bring this to their attention, they are often mocked or dismissed, labeled names like "weeb" or "Japanophile," when in reality it's just normal to want accurate translations that reflect the creator's vision. Localizers are also guilty of whispering in the ears of Japanese companies & creators telling them that certain elements of their creations "won't work for an English audience," thus giving a false impression that many changes are necessary despite people across the world loving Japanese media for its differences. This has unfortunately led to an increase in Japanese companies incorporating localization teams into the creative process so that Japanese works will be the same across all regions from the outset, often removing what makes them special by focusing on not including anything that will be falsely labeled incompatible with foreign audiences. This approach has come to be known as "localization at the source." The ultimate problem is that the process of localization itself is flawed, so even if you get rid of the loudest localizers of the bunch, the issues with localization will persist until the industry is revamped to focus on faithful translation over making changes for cultural reasons. Basically, Japanese media must be free to be authentically Japanese.