Japanese Import Stupidity

[Atari7800]

In my quest to complete my Saturn shooter collection (only 2 games to go!) I've purchased a game called G-Vector. Here is what it says on the FRONT COVER of the CD case...


"Now, you get into the fighter, and take off this place. You are our last hope, the fates of the earth rest on your shoulders. Your sally has begun, but nobody knows, which is brought the destruction or maintaining from the sally."


Does this crap make any sense whatsoever? What the hell is a "sally"? What's with the translators? I've noticed this utter lack of sense in other games as well... Why can't these game companies hire a native English speaker who also knows Japanese to do some half-decent translating for them?

[IGotTheDot]

Because Babel Fish is cheaper.

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

It's fun to translate a sentance back and forth a few times in a couple different languages and then back to English to see what you get.

[bargora]

A sally is, according to merriam webster:

an action of rushing or bursting forth; especially : a sortie of troops from a defensive position to attack the enemy

So your act of setting forth has begun, but nobody knows whether it will result in destruction or survival [of whatever it is that you are defending, I suppose].

If you are successful, all their base will belong to you.

[Atari7800]

Well, that make's some sense. Thanks!

[IntvGene]

I know that sounds logical, but it isn't the Japanese way...

I spent three years in Japan, and from what I've experienced is that even if they hire a native English speaker on the staff, they don't listen to him/her anyway. I knew a guy who was translating, and the Japanese staff would come up with the craziest stuff, so he'd tell them they were wrong, and they'd send him the same stuff again... no edits. Furthermore, the top people in a lot of Japanese companies don't typically have the best English skills. So, if a native speaker writes something, the president or whoever doesn't understand it, so they re-do it. I know it sounds ludicrous, but it's true.

There are a lot of Japanese who speak broken English, but broken English is fun. It's cool to speak broken English. After years of trying to teach them proper English, you just end up shaking your head in disgust. If you're looking for some other examples of poor English, check out http://engrish.com/..