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French Translation: Oh my god!

lerenwelerenwe
edited November 2007 in Sam & Max
Hooray! I've got the French Retail!

Well I got it, but... I've never seen a translation and a voice-acting that were so baaaaaad! There are a lot of orthography faults, typing faults... In the subtitles. The voices are cut at the end of the sentences, the subtitles are sometimes cut too.... The way the sentences are said don't match with the context, the soda poppers got voices that don't match with their personnalities...

In episode 3, Bosco has got a SPANISH accent! Sam and max ask him WHY he is disguised into a SPANISH GUY!

I am very disappointed, I thought the translation and the dubbing were a lot better...

Telltale, don't thrust JOWOOD, they're killing Sam and Max in France!!! :mad:

Comments

  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited September 2007
    It's a shame it hasn't been translated very well. Do you think you'd be able to record some of it to show us?
  • lerenwelerenwe
    edited September 2007
    Yeah, I will record a video, but I must warn you: It's... HORRIBLE O.O !
  • Harald BHarald B
    edited September 2007
    Wow, between this and the badly received german dub that's a serious blow for JoWooD, especially considering how much money they spent on these localizations.
  • Kitmit13Kitmit13
    edited September 2007
    I want to see D8 sounds bad
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited September 2007
    Here's a question for the French (and also any German and Italian) customers who are unhappy with the translations. Would you consider these localizations much worse than other localizations of adventure games that originally came out in English, or about the same? What are some examples of really good localizations of English adventure games that we could take a look at for comparison?

    Thanks.
  • Mel_O_DieMel_O_Die
    edited September 2007
    Hi! I got the french version too, and, personnally i found the dubbing very great, and performed by the original dubber of HtR (he makes himself Sam's AND Max's voice almost perfectly, just the max part who is slightly different than his work on HtR, i regret this a little bit) others characters are good too for a french game, the voices fits the original english version :)

    But the darkside of that localisation is the technical aspect (like lerenwe says) sentences cutted hardly, bad mix, errors in subtitles and, the worst episode is sadly reality 2.0 this one is crippled by localisation bugs (hahaha)
    For example, the recording device is a bug (or a cockroach) and in france we says "cafard", the translation of it is "c'est un cafard informatique" (it's a cockroach informatique) and not "c'est un bug informatique"
    Another thingy on this episode is the COPS motivation song: awfull! the english voices aren't removed and french voices are superposed on it (and not all lyrics have been recorded in french) not synchronised and the subtitles aren't synchronised too, it's a big mess and that great song is killed by it :s
    There is still many other technical problems on this localisation, these onces are the worst for me

    In any case the game is allways the same, and after doing it in english i'm happy to replay all these episodes in french, many jokes are conserved and the spirit of Sam & Max is still there!

    I can't wait for season 2 on telltale's and i hope that the future localisation will be better technically than this one :)
  • DiduzDiduz
    edited September 2007
    Emily wrote: »
    Here's a question for the French (and also any German and Italian) customers who are unhappy with the translations. Would you consider these localizations much worse than other localizations of adventure games that originally came out in English, or about the same? What are some examples of really good localizations of English adventure games that we could take a look at for comparison?

    Thanks.

    Some examples of well-executed English-into-Italian translations:

    LOCALIZED BY JINGLEBELL COMMUNICATIONS
    Agatha Christie - Assassinio Sull'Orient Express (Murder on the Orient Express)
    Agatha Christie - E non ne rimase nessuno (And then there were none)
    Syberia (1 & 2)
    Still Life
    Paradise
    The Black Mirror
    Keepsake
    Leisure Suit Larry Magna Cum Laude (great localization for such a bad game!!!!)
    Half-Life (okay, it's not an adventure game but it's a big title)

    LOCALIZED BY SYNTHESIS srl
    Fahrenheit (a.k.a. Indigo Prophecy)
    Broken Sword 1-2-3

    All these titles have been translated & dubbed and are regarded among the best localizations ever. And - yes - they're way better than Season One translations....
  • MarzhinMarzhin
    edited October 2007
    Yes unfortunately the french version has issues... As far as I'm concerned, the actors themselves are really good, but the translation itself often misses the joke. The "computer bug" Mel_O_Die mentionned is only one of the many many examples. For instance in episode 4 it seems the translator(s) didn't get there were jokes with the double meaning of "to date" in english... It's not a bad translation per se, it's just, as lerenwe said, off context far too often.

    But there are also some good things too. For instance "Midtown Cowboys" becomes in french "Nature, chasse et métrosexuels" (Wildlife, Hunting and Metrosexuals) and this one made me laugh out loud.
    lerenwe wrote:
    In episode 3, Bosco has got a SPANISH accent! Sam and max ask him WHY he is disguised into a SPANISH GUY!

    Lol, obviously they couldn't give Bosco a french accent in the french dub... And it is actually very funny.
  • YohmiYohmi
    edited October 2007
    Marzhin wrote: »
    Lol, obviously they couldn't give Bosco a french accent in the french dub... And it is actually very funny.

    As it has been done in Shrek for Robin Hood, they could give him a countryman's accent, or I don't know, an exagerated south one...
  • DiduzDiduz
    edited October 2007
    Marzhin wrote: »
    But the translation itself often misses the joke. [...] But there are also some good things too.

    Yeah... the same goes with the italian version. I have the strong impression that the translation hasn't been tested. It seems... schizophrenic. Sometimes there are avoidable embarassing mistakes - such as typos, occasional misinterpretation of idioms, different translations for the same item throughout the episodes, singular/plural or male/female errors - whereas some other sections are incredible.
    "Abe Lincolm Must Die!" has been translated very well. And the "Reality 2.0" final section (no spoiler) blew me to stitches. Perfect.
    In addition, some signs in the street are not always translated in each episode. E.g. the Bosco's front sign is translated only in Episode 1, but it remains in English in episodes 2-6.
    I wouldn't bash JoWood completely, but it seems to me that, their intentions being good, they didn't manage to deliver the high standard they were aiming to. They got mixed up along the way?
  • CWallaby55CWallaby55
    edited October 2007
    I wonder if Still Life and Syberia were translated so well into Italian (and hopefully into other languages) because, afaik, they had to be translated into English, having originally been made in French. So, because they had to translate for one large market, they might as well do good translations for others? I don't know.
  • YohmiYohmi
    edited October 2007
    hmm... the only adventure games well translated I can think of are Curse of Monkey Island and Grim Fandango. Sorry, it's a bit old...

    CWallaby55> I don't know how is the Syberia's translation, but I finished Syeria 2 several months ago, and the french version is not very good.

    For Sam&Max, I read two tests of the french translation (made by pro websites) and they find the translation great. The only real complaint is not about actors, but about bugs (typo, cut, untranslated sentences).
    I watched a short video of the cheese episode, translated in french, and it appears to be a very great job to me :)
  • Harald BHarald B
    edited October 2007
    Yohmi wrote: »
    I watched a short video of the cheese episode, translated in french, and it appears to be a very great job to me :)
    Where? I'm still trying to find a video of that dub.
  • lerenwelerenwe
    edited October 2007
    Well, okay, I maybe have a little bit exagerrated, the translation is not SO horrible, it's just irritating sometimes...

    Here's the beginning of episode 1 in French, by jeuxvideo.fr:

    http://www.jeuxvideo.fr/video-sam-max-saison-1-video-exclu-1-un-apercu-des-voix-francaises-8163-0-0.html
  • Jay33eJay33e
    edited October 2007
    Wow, the translated voices don't sound right for the characters. Sam's voice reminds me from that old guy from the casino in Grim Fandango.
  • Murray the ChaoMurray the Chao
    edited October 2007
    The voices weren't TOO bad, try listening to Sam's voice in the TV series.
  • Jay33eJay33e
    edited October 2007
    Wait there's a TV series? Why wasn't I informed sooner?
  • tobartobar
    edited October 2007
    I think the real question is, why weren't you paying attention? :p
  • GresmanGresman
    edited October 2007
    I watched the vid. I don't understand a word because it was in French but the voices sound better than the german ones.

    The german translation is absolute crap. They missed so many good jokes and the actors sound a like they were not really into it. Another example for a good game ruined by bad translation and voice acting.
  • Mel_O_DieMel_O_Die
    edited October 2007
    For the french version, there is the same actor who perform Sam & Max voices in season 1 AND in Hit The Road, so french players are happy to get the same voices :D
  • MarzhinMarzhin
    edited October 2007
    By the way, I had the great pleasure to discover that Agent Superball's is dubbed in french by the actor who was doing Ben in Full Throttle :)

    Edit : Oh, and while I'm here, french newspaper "Libération" did a nice article about Season 1 :) It can be read online as well. The journalist says that Telltale actually performed three miracles at once : doing a funny game, resurrecting mythical characters, and making a good adventure game. He notes Season 1 will probably not become as legendary as Hit the Road! was, but can't wait for Season 2.
  • ErwinErwin
    edited October 2007
    Localization always sucks. But that's just my unhelpful and often voiced opinion. :D

    --Erwin
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited October 2007
    Speaking of sucky localization, I used Google Translate to read that newspaper article, and it produced amusing results.
    The kind, dying man since years (only some rare pearls arty like Syberia or Dreamfall had tried to record the level), seemed dedicated with the lapse of memory. But Sam & max: Season 1 it play was initially diffused in English in the form of series episodical on the Web could change all that well. The play marks the return of heroes already seen in 1993 in Sam & max Hit the Road, since become worship among the aficionados. Sam, placid giant dog, are disguised as Humphrey Bogart Casablanca way. Max, suractif rabbit psychopathe, are equipped with consequent hooks and a direction of devastating humour. That is to say a duet of detectives in a universe mild nutter and attaching, where each business seems to precipitate the universe a little more towards the madness.
    The intrigue, benefitting from the total universe of the play, tends towards is delirious complete, always in the total exaggeration. And, especially, the dialogues and the situations created give a purely laughing result. To also enjoy, a gallery of completely struck characters, the paranoiac and surarmé grocer to the insane-insane president of the United States, while passing by the painful psychiatrist and the rat burglar. Sam & max belong to this category of rare plays, those able to cause in the player of large, very large insane laughter. In a kind congested by the shitting plays, serious and failures, that missed.

    I especially like that it describes adventure games as a "kind, dying man."
  • RMJ1984RMJ1984
    edited October 2007
    what i dont get is what makes german and french people think they are so special, and not just stick to english like everyone else. I wouldn even want this game in my native language it would sounds to stupid.
  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited October 2007
    RMJ1984 wrote: »
    what i dont get is what makes german and french people think they are so special, and not just stick to english like everyone else. I wouldn even want this game in my native language it would sounds to stupid.

    Be fair. Even though I'm sure way more French/German people know better English then we do their language, some of the jokes may be lost on them and they might not know exactly what is going on sometimes.

    I'm really glad the Simon the Sorcerer 4 is getting an English translation... let's just hope they make it good.
  • GresmanGresman
    edited October 2007
    I bought it because it was said that there would great bonus stuff on the dvd. the only great was a making of video. the rest was stuff which can be found on the telltale games site. i also thought maybe the translation is not a crappy as expected but i was wrong. another good point about the product is it is a multilang dvd so i can install the english version.
    first i am not german i am austrian there is a difference.
    second jowood who is responsible for the horrible translation and for publishing is an austrian company so it is only logical that there would be at least a version in german
    third i know many people who would have quite their difficulties with the english version because they never had english in school
    so i think these are enough reasons for a localized version

    btw from where are you, RMJ1984???
  • wispwisp
    edited October 2007
    RMJ1984 wrote: »
    what i dont get is what makes german and french people think they are so special, and not just stick to english like everyone else.

    i don't think germans believe they're so special. i'm pretty sure there even is a law that forbids us to do so. ;)
    ..but we get everything translated here and people are used to it. of course, if germans would have to play english games or watch movies in english, your average german english wouldn't be so horrible. can't say anything about the french.
    i mean, i learned english by watching english cartoons and playing "zak mckracken" and i still stick to original versions if possible, since, as erwin mentioned, localizations usually suck. but there a big difference between sucking a bit and sucking full scale. so, if there is a local version it should be as good as possible.

    @jake: somehow i get the impression aficionados is not an english word..
  • estebanesteban
    edited November 2007
    Marzhin wrote: »
    Yes unfortunately the french version has issues... As far as I'm concerned, the actors themselves are really good, but the translation itself often misses the joke. The "computer bug" Mel_O_Die mentionned is only one of the many many examples. For instance in episode 4 it seems the translator(s) didn't get there were jokes with the double meaning of "to date" in english... It's not a bad translation per se, it's just, as lerenwe said, off context far too often.

    But there are also some good things too. For instance "Midtown Cowboys" becomes in french "Nature, chasse et métrosexuels" (Wildlife, Hunting and Metrosexuals) and this one made me laugh out loud.



    Lol, obviously they couldn't give Bosco a french accent in the french dub... And it is actually very funny.

    I think the translation is quite good... Of course, they have to change the accent from episode 3 if they want to make some jokes (For example, from the italian version of "Friends", the italian Paolo is spanish for the same reason)...
    I really appreciate Jean-Claude Donda was called to taking back the voices of Sam and Max... It's like going back in time !
  • estebanesteban
    edited November 2007
    By the way, for french-speaking fans, I found this article about the dubbing :

    http://www.jeuxvideopc.com/articles/1507-coulisses-doublages-sam-max/

    Very interesting...
  • barchettabarchetta
    edited November 2007
    esteban wrote: »
    I think the translation is quite good... Of course, they have to change the accent from episode 3 if they want to make some jokes (For example, from the italian version of "Friends", the italian Paolo is spanish for the same reason)...

    In the british comedy 'Allo 'Allo! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/'Allo_'Allo!) about a French café owner, everybody spoke with an accent, yet in English. When the British airmen spoke, they would go like 'I say, jolly good ole chap! Pip pip!' :D
  • SquinkySquinky Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2007
    Erwin wrote: »
    Localization always sucks. But that's just my unhelpful and often voiced opinion. :D

    Agreed. It'd be easier if they just translated the subtitles and left it at that.
  • Joe2Joe2
    edited November 2007
    I know NIS America (publisher of Japanese games in the states) has been thanked for leaving in the original Japanese audio but having the option of both English subtitles and English dubbing.
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