Core rule books soon available in other language!

[DanyBallon]

WotC just announced (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/localization) that Gale Force Nine will soon be releasing the PHB, DMG and MM in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Polish, and Portuguese. For more détails, you can visit the Gale Force Nine website (http://www.gf9.com/)

I hope for a top quality translations.

[Spellbreaker26]

This seems like good news! It wasn't that long ago that people were arguing over whether WoTC's reluctance to localize was folly or caution.

[StrikingViking]

Saw thread title, clicked on it expecting to see the core books being offered in Draconic, Dwarvish, etc.

Left mas disappoint

[Steampunkette]

Wonderful!

You've never enjoyed D&D, fully, until you've played it in the original Klingon.

[Draco4472]

Where's our Elven translations?! This is discrimination against nonhumans and the fey community!

[DanyBallon]

Where's our Elven translations?! This is discrimination against nonhumans and the fey community!

Let them test their translator on "common" language, this way you may end up with a better elven translation that the french one :smallwink:

[Socratov]

WotC just announced (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/localization) that Gale Force Nine will soon be releasing the PHB, DMG and MM in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Polish, and Portuguese. For more détails, you can visit the Gale Force Nine website (http://www.gf9.com/)

I hope for a top quality translations.

(bolding mine)

You may hope just fine. But I fear for bad ones to only make stuff more vague and unclear as te English language by itself can be pretty vague and finely nuanced, let alone having to translate it concept for concept and nuance for nuance to another language.

[DanyBallon]

(bolding mine)

You may hope just fine. But I fear for bad ones to only make stuff more vague and unclear as te English language by itself can be pretty vague and finely nuanced, let alone having to translate it concept for concept and nuance for nuance to another language.

I believe it will depend highly on the translators and how well they are used to D&D rules. As far as french (my native language) goes if the translation is done well, the rules may be more clear as french is more precise (as for a single word in english, their may be more than one word in french, each associated with a given context). On the downside, when english rules are purposely vague, the translator may orient the ruling by the word chosen for its translation.

[Deleted]

I believe it will depend highly on the translators and how well they are used to D&D rules. As far as french (my native language) goes if the translation is done well, the rules may be more clear as french is more precise (as for a single word in english, their may be more than one word in french, each associated with a given context). On the downside, when english rules are purposely vague, the translator may orient the ruling by the word chosen for its translation.

What's interesting is that a whopping 30-40% of english words have a French origin.

The more you knoooow

[Gastronomie]

Victory is mine

[DanyBallon]

What's interesting is that a whopping 30-40% of english words have a French origin.

The more you knoooow

Yeah I know, thanks to the proximity (inbreeding) of French and English royal families in middle-age and renaissance, there are many words taken from one language to the other. There's even word in actual french that were taken from an english word that took it's origing from old french :smallbiggrin:

[TripleD]

Question I've wanted to ask for a while: what is "Dungeons & Dragons" called in other languages? Do they just say "Dungeons & Dragons"? Do they translate the title? Or do they come up with a different title altogether?

[Laereth]

Question I've wanted to ask for a while: what is "Dungeons & Dragons" called in other languages? Do they just say "Dungeons & Dragons"? Do they translate the title? Or do they come up with a different title altogether?

In french its "Donjons et Dragons". The logo stays "Dungeons & Dragons" on the cover (as far as I remember, I've bought my books in english 3e onwards).

[VariSami]

Where's our Elven translations?! This is discrimination against nonhumans and the fey community!

If memory serves, there is an unofficial Finnish translation of the 5e OGL in the works. Finnish is the main inspiration for Tolkien's Elvish and even the Elven names in the PHB include just a few Finnish nouns. It is the closest you can hope to get.

[hymer]

If memory serves, there is an unofficial Finnish translation of the 5e OGL in the works. Finnish is the main inspiration for Tolkien's Elvish and even the Elven names in the PHB include just a few Finnish nouns. It is the closest you can hope to get.

There are two Elvish languages in Tolkien terms. There's Sindarin, which is generally considered to be Welsh-inspired. It's Quenya you're referring to, as it owes a lot to Finnish (as indeed it does to Latin and Greek among others).

[Lombra]

Question I've wanted to ask for a while: what is "Dungeons & Dragons" called in other languages? Do they just say "Dungeons & Dragons"? Do they translate the title? Or do they come up with a different title altogether?

In italy we keep calling it Dungeons & Dragons, both because as a brand you are not going to translate it (you don't translate the brand "Apple" in "Mela" in italy) and because "Sotterranei e Draghi" sounds terrible.

[Spellbreaker26]

In italy we keep calling it Dungeons & Dragons, both because as a brand you are not going to translate it (you don't translate the brand "Apple" in "Mela" in italy) and because "Sotterranei e Draghi" sounds terrible.

Couldn't they just use two roughly congruent words that sounded better together? Like "Torre e terrore" or something?

[Lombra]

Couldn't they just use two roughly congruent words that sounded better together? Like "Torre e terrore" or something?

The two words work great together but the classic D&D logo is such a staple that it would bring more harm than benefit to change it IMO.

[VariSami]

There are two Elvish languages in Tolkien terms. There's Sindarin, which is generally considered to be Welsh-inspired. It's Quenya you're referring to, as it owes a lot to Finnish (as indeed it does to Latin and Greek among others).

Ah, fair enough. I knew either Welsh or (Irish) Gaelic had also been a major inspiration but my Tolkien lore is rusty enough that I had forgotten about there being two Elven languages.

Still, insofar as Finnish tends to be outed as an inspiration for Quenya (which is, of course, the one true Elvish language), it seems that translation would be the closest one gets to the requested Elven translation unless one is willing to do it oneself, using Tolkien's dictionaries.

Just to contribute something here, the Elven names in the PHB I referred to earlier are 'Himo' and 'Varis' which translate to 'lust' and 'crow', respectively. While the former might have been an accident, the second one definitely is not. Which leads me to believe both were intentional nods to that connection between Finnish and Quenya.

[hymer]

it seems that translation would be the closest one gets to the requested Elven translation unless one is willing to do it oneself, using Tolkien's dictionaries.

Well, in Quenya, I guess 'Dungeons and Dragons' would be translated as 'Mandi a Urulóci', 'custodies and fire-serpents'.

[VoxRationis]

I wonder how closely the translators will be consulting with the designers of the game. If they are working closely together, polyglots could gain a lot of insight into various nuances of the game (I've heard plenty of arguments come down to matters of articles or whether pluralization of a noun prevents it from applying in the singular, matters that a well-performed translation into other languages might firm up).

[hymer]

I wonder how closely the translators will be consulting with the designers of the game. If they are working closely together, polyglots could gain a lot of insight into various nuances of the game (I've heard plenty of arguments come down to matters of articles or whether pluralization of a noun prevents it from applying in the singular, matters that a well-performed translation into other languages might firm up).

I thought the same thing, but then it shouldn't be clearer than Sage Advice, which is supposed to tackle these matters head-on. And we would need to be able to see the difference between translation error and rules clarification to be sure.

[Millstone85]

I wasn't impressed with the French translation of 4e.

In the description of the CE alignment, "Their word is meaningless" became "Leurs paroles sont dénuées de sens", which I would translate back as "Their words are nonsense".

[Vogonjeltz]

In italy we keep calling it Dungeons & Dragons, both because as a brand you are not going to translate it (you don't translate the brand "Apple" in "Mela" in italy) and because "Sotterranei e Draghi" sounds terrible.

Worth noting that Sottreranei means Underground, rather than Dungeon.

Also, Dungeon is the exact same word in Italian. So the title would still be Dungeon e Drachi. (Or am I missing something crucial?)

[Gastronomie]

Question I've wanted to ask for a while: what is "Dungeons & Dragons" called in other languages? Do they just say "Dungeons & Dragons"? Do they translate the title? Or do they come up with a different title altogether?Japanese: "Danjonzu Ando Doragonzu".

Literally.

[VoxRationis]

Yeah, post-Imperial Japan got pretty lazy when it came to incorporating foreign words/concepts into the language.

[Lombra]

Worth noting that Sottreranei means Underground, rather than Dungeon.

Also, Dungeon is the exact same word in Italian. So the title would still be Dungeon e Drachi. (Or am I missing something crucial?)

I am italian and dungeon is definately not an italian word, it has different translations, the most specific would be "Prigioni sotterranee" or something that describes the whole mechanic of rooms and corridors typical of the classic dungeons. Some words don't really work when translated, that's why we keep it "Dungeons & Dragons". Also "Drachi" is very "latinesque" and while italian is heavily based on latin, the word for "dragons" would be "draghi", it's just a letter but you would sound wierd here if you use it with the "c".

[Giant2005]

I'd be more impressed if it were announced the books would soon be available in the PDF format.

[Draco4472]

ah, fair enough. I knew either welsh or (irish) gaelic had also been a major inspiration but my tolkien lore is rusty enough that i had forgotten about there being two elven languages.

Still, insofar as finnish tends to be outed as an inspiration for quenya (which is, of course, the one true elvish language), it seems that translation would be the closest one gets to the requested elven translation unless one is willing to do it oneself, using tolkien's dictionaries.

Just to contribute something here, the elven names in the phb i referred to earlier are 'himo' and 'varis' which translate to 'lust' and 'crow', respectively. While the former might have been an accident, the second one definitely is not. Which leads me to believe both were intentional nods to that connection between finnish and quenya.

How dare you forget of sindarin, the most pure of all elven languages! Kill this uncultured swine!

[Steampunkette]

Yeah, post-Imperial Japan got pretty lazy when it came to incorporating foreign words/concepts into the language.

... They literally created a third writing system to include foreign names while maintaining two different writing systems for the native definitions.

You've gotta learn two syllabaries and around eight thousand kanji just to function, but you're calling them lazy?

... dude.

[Samayu]

Dungeon is a weird word in this context. Was that a Gygaxism? I mean, a dungeon is generally a basement prison? What does this have to do with underground lairs, complexes, cities, tombs, cave systems, etc.? And do you translate that? You just stick with the original term - dungeon. It's entered common usage in the context of the game anyway.

[Eldariel]

Ah, fair enough. I knew either Welsh or (Irish) Gaelic had also been a major inspiration but my Tolkien lore is rusty enough that I had forgotten about there being two Elven languages.

Still, insofar as Finnish tends to be outed as an inspiration for Quenya (which is, of course, the one true Elvish language), it seems that translation would be the closest one gets to the requested Elven translation unless one is willing to do it oneself, using Tolkien's dictionaries.

Just to contribute something here, the Elven names in the PHB I referred to earlier are 'Himo' and 'Varis' which translate to 'lust' and 'crow', respectively. While the former might have been an accident, the second one definitely is not. Which leads me to believe both were intentional nods to that connection between Finnish and Quenya.

Finnish version actually already exists: Legendoja ja lohikäärmeitä (albeit it's not translated by WotC - the goal was also to refurbish much of the Finnish fantasy lexicon while at it, which was done pretty well). That said, Quenya has fairly significant divergence from Finnish: while the grammar is heavily influenced (agglutinative, fusing language relying heavily on cases for conveying relations, mostly the ones already in Finnish), most of the vocabulary and phonetics comes from elsewhere (Welsh, Norse, Latin roots all; though few Finnish roots do exist too as well as some original ones).

[Dork_Forge]

Finnish version actually already exists: Legendoja ja lohikäärmeitä (albeit it's not translated by WotC - the goal was also to refurbish much of the Finnish fantasy lexicon while at it, which was done pretty well). That said, Quenya has fairly significant divergence from Finnish: while the grammar is heavily influenced (agglutinative, fusing language relying heavily on cases for conveying relations, mostly the ones already in Finnish), most of the vocabulary and phonetics comes from elsewhere (Welsh, Norse, Latin roots all; though few Finnish roots do exist too as well as some original ones).

Slight tangent, whilst there's often odd accents or vocal effects, you can hear the Welsh inspiration for Tolkien's Elvish pretty well, though the Welsh language seems to have permeated the hobby a bit further. In the Forgotten Realms, for example, Bryn Shander is appropriately named in Welsh fashion.

Just a shame that a language that is immortalised in so many people's recreation is often unnoticed whilst it sadly languishes at home.

[Rukelnikov]

... They literally created a third writing system to include foreign names while maintaining two different writing systems for the native definitions.

You've gotta learn two syllabaries and around eight thousand kanji just to function, but you're calling them lazy?

... dude.

What I recall from when I studied Japanese some 20 years ago was that the language incorporates about 5000 Kanji from chinese, and most japanese finish high school with knowledge of about 2000

[truemane]

Metamagic Mod: thread necromancy.