...and also the only time that Solas of all people, is completely speechless, for once at a loss for words in response to an irrefutable argument.
Throughout the whole game (with a few exceptions in which he actually admits to having misjudged), whenever you get the chance to debate him on something you do not agree on, Solas, Mr “I’m a trillion years old, you know nothing, so listen carefully” will practically verbally jiu-jitsu you for every possible argument you might have, like, he’s an absolute master at playing Ace Attorney refuting any of your points, much like playing mind chess with Iron Bull, there is no chance to win an argument with Solas if he’s determined to have you recognize the flaw in your logic or at least understand his perspective, making you feel like this gif at the end of every debate.
But when Lavellan says “I would have had you trust me”, finally, there is no counter argument, no clever comeback, no objection... He has nothing. Because Lavellan is right and he knows. There’s just silence until he turns around and continues with the rest of the dialogue. And I think it’s interesting how this is kinda the culmination of all the little hints throughout the whole game at his ingrained distrust, leading up to this moment.
“An enemy can attack you, but only an ally can betray you. Betrayal is always worse.”
"The next time you have to mourn, you don't need to be alone."
“It’s been so long since I could trust someone.”
“That’s when you should lean on your friends.”
“Apologies, Inquisitor. I have learned not to do that.”
“I’ll rely on those I trust.”
"You think to share your power, to avoid the temptation to misuse it. A noble sentiment... but, ultimately, a mistake." (...) "Because while one selfless man may walk away from the lure of power's corruption... no group has ever done so."
“You created a powerful organization, and now it suffers the inevitable fate of such. Betrayal and corruption.”
"I trust my friends."
"I know that mistake well enough to carve the angles of her face from memory."
“She was betrayed as I was betrayed. As the world was betrayed!” - Flemeth about Mythal
You get the sense that him witnessing Mythal being betrayed and murdered by the Evanuris was probably the catalyst for his immense trust issues, so much so that it still has that big of an impact on him centuries later. And of course it has, when 1) it was this batrayal and power corruption that set everything in motion, it almost lead to the end of the entire world, which in turn lead to the creation of the Veil and finally the loss of his world and his people, 2) he has spent the last 1000 years walking the Fade, having to look at the ever present Black City in its center - their prison - as a constant reminder of what happened. (I know it’s not confirmed yet, but come on! 😂)
And then there is Lavellan (or any high approval Inquisitor for that matter) at the end of all this. Who proved him wrong with every action throughout DAI. Who has shown wisdom in their decisions and that the power they were given mustn’t corrupt them. That there is no reason for him not to trust them. And yet, he simply can’t, because the past still haunts him and centuries of history have taught him otherwise (and like a bunch of other reasons for him to not tell Lavellan the truth in that moment in Crestwood, but that’s beside the point here lol).
And then at the end of Trespasser, Lavellan finally throws it straight to his face, and while he could pull any of the excuses listed above, he simply can’t refute them anymore. Look at his expression as he just looks at them in response, at first still frowning for a second, as if he’s still about to argue them again, but then suddenly shifting into sorrow, slightly shaking his head in defeat. “I got nothing.” Solas, who easily managed to own you in any debate prior to this, is all out of arguments. It’s the final argument and the Inquisitor won.
(Well, technically, it even happens twice in this final conversation, if we’re counting Solas’ internal debate with himself. lol)
"We aren't even people to you."
"Not at first. You showed me that I was wrong."
But going back to his distrust, it surely can’t be a coincidence that this whole issue was also topic in a recent interview with DA4′s Creative Director, talking about what defines a hero.
I’ve talked about this numerous times now, like here, here or here, but what it all comes down to is basically just one more penny for the “Solas needs to learn how to trust again in order to be saved from himself” jar. lol
“We will save our friend from himself… if we can.”
Like. It’s literally his name. Pride. Saving Solas from himself does quite literally mean to strip him off his name and the belief that, to quote John Epler again, “only he has the answers, that he is the only one who can solve this” and to accept the help of others. Which is why he has to get a new name by the end of all this. I’m dying on that hill. 😂
Skyward Sword - comparing NPC names in English and Spanish
For this I’ll be comparing mainly 2 (technically 3) translations of SkSw: English (ENG), Spanish (Latinamerica) (ESP-LA) and Spanish (Spain) (ESP-SP). If available, I’ll add the Japanese (JP) too. The spanish ones might be the same in some cases, which will be marked as (ESP). (I might also add an extra translation or two if i know them)
Link (リンク - Rinku), Zelda (ゼルダ - Zeruda) and Impa (インパ - Inpa) stay the same in all translations. Some of them have some minor changes tho (beware of slight spoilers for SkSw)
(Special thanks to @sunnylaurels for sharing the Japanese names for the Skyloft NPCs! And to @attllhak for sharing some French ones! - Really Long post under cut)
Main/Important Characters
Fi (ENG) - Fay (ESP) - ファイ (Fai) (JP)
These are basically the same, just different spelling. There’s a lot of speculation as to what Fi’s name is based on. For some reason I like to think it’s because of “Wi-Fi” but anything goes
This one’s interesting because both ‘translations’ are technically right. English follows it more “to the letter” doing “Gira” as “Ghira”, while Spanish interprets it as “Gra” since Japanese doesn’t do the two-different-consonants together thing, but overall both are the same
Groose, Groose, Groose. Probably the main character with the MOST changes. “Bado” seems to be referencing the Japanese pronunciation of “bird”, but could also be interpreted as “Birdo”. LA Spanish’s “Vilán” is sometimes seen as referencing the english “Villain”, but recently @/deerdroo pointed out to me it’s most definitely referencing the “Gavilán” bird, which resembles a little eagle (Wikipedia calls it a “sparrowhawk” in English). Not sure what Spain’s doing with “Malton” but I like it. And of course “Groose” follows the bird naming theme most of Skyloft has (referencing grouse and goose). Also his name in French is “Hergo”
Demise (ENG) - El Heraldo de la Muerte (ESP) - 終焉の者 (Shūen no Mono) (JP)
Okay this guy. “終焉の者” could be translated as “The One Who Brings The End”, according to @/sunnylaurels. So, in a way, I guess it makes sense for the English translation to just grab “Demise” for the name but also I feel it REALLY takes away from how it’s a Title rather than a name? He’s an ancient being, him existing as a “concept” and having no name adds a lot to his character imo. Anyways, “El Heraldo de la Muerte” would translate as “The herald of death” or “the messenger of death”, which is like really ominous i think - imagine having to fight some guy and everyone on earth calls him the messenger of death. I’d be so scared. Yes I’m very aware Demise means Death i just think it’s silly he just gets called that and that’s it. Also i keep reading it as Denise so really, who’s losing here? Not me.
As a fun add-on to this, in German his name can be translated to “Death-bringer” (thanks @/aureateart), while in French it’s Avatar du Néant, which would translate to “Avatar of the Void” (thanks @/attllhak)
The Imprisoned (ENG) - El Cautivo (ESP-LA) - El Durmiente (ESP-SP)
“El Cautivo” basically means The Imprisoned, but “El Durmiente” means “The Sleeping One”, which... fits, but also i find it a bit funny, not sure why. Fight the sleepy avocado everyone
Deities + The Surface’s Main Places’ Names
The Goddesses stay the same in these translations too:
Din (ENG, ESP) - ディン (Din) (JP)
Nayru (ENG, ESP) - ネール (Nēru) (JP)
Farore (ENG, ESP) - フロル (Furoru) (JP)
Hylia (ENG, ESP) - ハイリア (Hairia) (JP)
The dragons, for the most part, too. The only one that really changes is Faron, which changes to “Farone” much like in Twilight Princess with the Light Spirit of the same name.
Eldin (ENG, ESP) - オルディン (Orudin) (JP)
Lanayru (ENG, ESP) - ラネール (Ranēru) (JP)
Faron (ENG) - Farone (ESP) - フィローネ (Firōne) (JP)
Levias (ENG) - Narisha (ESP)
I couldn’t for the life of me find Levias’ name in Japanese, but considering EVERY translation EXCEPT English has him as Narisha? i’m gonna take a wild guess and say it’s ナリシャ (Narisha) or similar. His name Levias is based off the word Leviathan. And Fun fact! Did you know the spaniard Zelda Wiki lists him as being one of the dragons? as in, him being a whale-shaped dragon? yeah.
The Surface (ENG) - Las Tierras Inferiores (ESP)
Las Tierras Inferiores would translate as “The Lower Lands”
Faron Woods (ENG) - Bosque de Farone (ESP)
Eldin Volcano (ENG) - Volcán de Eldin (ESP)
Lanayru Dessert (ENG) - Desierto de Lanayru (ESP)
These ones mean the same for the most part, just with the change of Faron to Farone.
Skyloft / The Sky - Places and Animals
The Sky (ENG) - El Cielo (ESP-LA) - Celéstea (ESP-SP)
“El Cielo” literally means The Sky, while Celéstea would be a play on “Celestial” (From the Heavens/Skies). Fun side note - “El Cielo” also means “Heaven”, so when i was younger everytime i went back to the sky i’d be like “rip Link he’s dead :/”
Neburia, from what I learned after a 4 am Wikipedia dive, could be based off the word “Nébula”, which can mean “Cloud”. It basically means “Cloud Town”. Altárea, I think??? would be based off the word “Alto” which means “High (Altitude)” so basically, “A Place High Up”? If anyone wants to comment on this i’d appreciate it
The Lumpy Pumpkin (ENG) - La Calabaza Flotante (ESP-LA) - Calabarza’s (ESP-SP)
“La Calabaza Flotante” literally means “The Floating Pumpkin”, while “Calabarza’s” is a really clever play on Calabaza and bar. I’m not sure what the name of the island itself is in english, but in Spanish it’s “Isla Calabaza” (Pumpkin Island) (ESP-LA) and “Calabia” (word play on “Pumpkin Place”) (ESP-SP)
Neburí would also come from Nébula, so it’d translate to something like “Cloudy (thing)”? possibly. Pelícaro seems like a play on the word “Pelícano” which means Pelican.
Remlit (ENG) - Lémury (ESP) - Remuri (JP)
Lémury is a play on “Lémur”, probably because of Remlits’ ringed tails. Remuri might be the same play of words.
Skyloft/The Sky - NPCs
(I might revisit some of these at one point since some of the references they could have flew over my head!) (haha get it? flew? the sky? ok)
My friend! my buddy! Batreaux is an obvious play with “Bat”, since he kind of resembles one. This is kept in both Spanish names - Batolo seems like a combination of “Bat” and “Bartolo” (a spanish name), and Mursego is based off the spanish for Bat “Murciélago” (as well as being the closest to the Japanese “Morusego”!!). Keeps the “flying animal” theme in all three languages.
Beedle (ENG) - Terry (ESP) - テリー (Terī) (JP)
The man, the myth, the legend. Beedle’s name is similar to “beetle”, the insects he loves in BoTW and SS. Not sure what the deal with “Terry” and similar is. He keeps the “flying animal name” theme with Beedle, sort of, but loses it in every other translation (which, btw, is also Terry or a variant in most languages)
This poor man. Working all day and all night. Bertie’s supposed to reference a type of sparrot called “lovebird” (the bird part). For Arín, besides being basically the same as Japanese, could reference the word “Cantarín”, which means “singsong” and is used to describe birds that sing a lot. Alfred... no clue.
Cawlin (ENG) - Corvy (ESP) - Ras (JP)
In the same way “Cawlin” references “caw”, which is the sound crows make, “Corvy” references this same bird, called “Cuervo” in Spanish. In french he’s “Orbo”, which if i had to guess also references crows.
Croo (ENG) - Gurriaco (ESP)
“Croo” could reference both the “cooing” of birds and “crow”, like Cawlin above. Gurriaco, if I reach enough, could be referencing “Urraca”, a type of bird in Spanish.
Dodoh (ENG) - Dodo (ESP) - Dodo (JP)
Referencing the extinct bird of the same name in all languages, I guess.
Dovos (ENG) - Dombo (ESP)
Dovos feels like it’s referencing “Dove”. Dombo gives be “Dumbo” vibes - probably could reference it because he flies? not sure
Eagus (ENG) - Aquilo (ESP) - Igurusu (JP)
Eagus, Aquilo, and Igurusu are referencing Eagles. It’s more obvious in Eagus. The spanish for Eagle is “Águila”, which is just two letters off from Aquilo.
Fledge (ENG) - Gruyo (ESP) - Sebasun (JP)
Fledge is referencing Fledgling, a young bird. Gruyo comes from “Gruya”, which is Crane in spanish. In french his name’s “Célestin”.
Pretty much the same. His name is also a combination of the Owl from Ocarina of Time’s name “Kaepora Gaebora” (ENG, ESP) - ケポラ・ゲボラ (Kepora Gebora), probably because he looks a lot like the Sage of Light Rauru and the owl he turns into. One of the few Skyloftians not named after a bird in English, though technically he is if we consider the above?
Not sure what Gondo might be referencing bird-wise exactly? though i think “Gondo” is similar to “Gonzo” (from Wind Waker), with who I think shares some design aspects. Dorcon in Spain’s Spanish seems to just take from the original Japanese. In French his name’s also “Dorco”!
Goselle (ENG) - Alani (ESP) - Otaka (JP)
I’ll be real, not sure what’s going on with her names in either language. Goselle gives me bird vibes but i’m not sure. Alani reminds me of the spanish “Alaja”, which means Jewel
Greba (ENG) - Ornella (ESP) - Miho (JP)
Ornella reminds me of the word “Hornilla” (mute H), which is basically the hole where the heat comes out of in wooden ovens... but! according to the dictionary it also means “(a) hole where pigeons make their nest” so i guess it’s bird related too!
Henya references Hens, as does Galina (Hen being “Gallina” in Spanish). Zenona... uh.. not sure where that came from? I’m halfway through this post realizing i’d gladly accept comments from any spanish speaking person who wants to give an input on these things im missing
Horwell (ENG) - Asteus (ESP) - Hoonelu (JP)
i’ll be real im not sure what Asteus is referencing. Horwell seems to be pretty close to the japanese for the most part though
Jakamar (ENG) - Carpín (ESP) - Geran (JP)
Carpín is most definitely referencing Wood Peckers (“Pájaro Carpintero”/Carpenter Birds)
Karane seems to be almost the same as in Japanese, while Spanish went crazy and gave her a completely different name, tho at least they’re kinda similar between each other. Also in french her name’s “Grida” (another Gr name!!)
Cuqui could be referencing that exact same word (often spelled “Kuki”) that just means “cute”. Picalia seems like a play with “pícara” which basically means “gremlin” (google translates it as “sassy” but im not sure if that word fits)
Mandi and Amanda seem to stay close to the Japanese name, both of them being common spanish names. Luv, like i mentioned in Bertie’s part, would reference “love bird” (the love part)
I only now realized Mallara is referencing mallard ducks. wow. Pati/Patty are just a common name in Spanish. Lil fun fact related to her Japanese name! Rubia means “blonde” in Spanish
Mia (ENG, ESP-LA) - Miwi (ESP-SP) - Mi (JP)
mia my baby girl. i love her. im yeeting her off Skyloft. seems they all reference meowing in some way
Orielle (ENG) - Corina (ESP) - Kuina (JP)
LISTEN. the other day i was trying to think just WHAT Corina could be referencing. And the only thing that popped into my brain is that “Corina” is the name they gave the bird Tokyo Mew Mew girl in LatinAmerica. It’s literally the only bird related thing i can think of. Also it sounds a bit like “Kuina”. French name is “Kinaé”, similar to Japanese!
Owlan (ENG) - Buhel (ESP) - Aoulu (JP)
Owlan seems to keep the owl theme across all three! Aoulu seems to just be “owl” quite literally, and Buhel is a play on the spanish for Owl (”Búho”)
Parrow (ENG) - Golondro (ESP) - Parou (JP)
Golondro comes from “Golondrina”, a type of bird! I think it’s called “swallow” in english ... so it kinda fits Parrow anyways! Also Parrow seems to be his japanese name too
This guy. man. Seems to be “Jackson” in Japanese? But everyone grabbed a P and ran. Panolo seems like a play on “Manolo”, a nickname for people with the name “Manuel” - maybe mixed with the P for “Pájaro”(Bird)? Paul’s just a common name as far as i know.
Peatrice seems to always be named after her dad. “Jackeline” in Japanese i believe, and barely “feminized” names for the rest. Panalí sounds a bit more like “panal”, the spanish for “hive” (as in beehive)
Piper (ENG) - Joana (ESP)
There’s not much to comment here. Joana’s a common name in Spanish
I have NO clue where Vito came from. It sounds like a badly spelled “Victor”. Where did the Pumpkin theme go???? huh?????. Ruperto’s kind of the same? Unless i’m missing some pumpkin related words in spanish, it’s just a common name.
This guy. It seems a lot of languages kept the C/K sounds in his name? He’s Kiko in French and Cuco in german (thanks @/aureateart). They seem to reference cuckoo clocks maybe? and the german’s really close to cucco.
Gorronte seems to be a play on “Gorrión” (Sparrow), so, pretty close to English. Aspir..... I’m not sure?
Strich (ENG) - Vestro (ESP) - Osta (JP)
Vestro, like Stritch, references Ostriches, with Ostrich in spanish being “Avestruz”. Seems Japanese references the same animal? and I think french too, since he’s “Latruche” in that language!
Alisia seems to stick to the Japanese name Arisu (Alice), while Elenia went... a different direction. Elenia is a variation of a common spanish name, Elena.
Pokespe Japanese to English Comparison Readthrough
Volume 1- Chapter 10
Man I sure am slow about this, huh? Time for another!
Round 10: Vs Voltorb/ Danger: High Voltorb
-Translation Notes:
Right from the start, En Red makes a joke about the ocean being a giant pool, not present in the Jp version.
Red reading out the Romaji for "St. Annu" is replaced with him just commenting how cool the ship is, which makes sense as it's the same alphabet as everything else if you're reading the En version.
En Red seems a little more frightened of the strange sounds and shadows on the ship than Jp Red, he stutters a bit more.
Seems the replacement of "da" with "jya" is just an old man thing, the Pokemon Fan Club director does it just like Professor Oak.
When Red is taken to the Pokemon Fan Club, the Jp version gives the location as their clubhouse while the En version just says that it's in Vermillion City.
Oops, Viz, looks like you accidentally assigned a word balloon to the wrong person again! In the Jp version one of the club members is elaborating on how many pokemon have been stolen, while in the En it looks like it's Red responding to one of the other members, based on the dialogue.
Minor wording change when Red decides to head to the SS Anne, Viz went with the more punny "time for me to take a cruise!" instead of the original where he just says he's going out for a little bit.
More puns in the translation, Surge saying that Poliwhirl is "in shock" instead of just that it's taken too much damage.
-Commentary:
Huh, you would've thought Poliwhirl at least would've seen the ocean at some point, with Route 21 just south of Pallet Town.
Seems Jp Red can read Romaji but is a little bit uncertain of it.
Red's a bit of a rascal, huh? Just sneaking onto a boat for no reason other than the joy of doing things he's not supposed to.
Really like the close up of Red's face on page 134, it just looks really good.
Seems Pikachu's not a fan of the fan club, judging by his expression in being petted.
Poliwhirl likes being praised, though!
Don't know why Red decided to have Bulbasaur wait in the water instead of returning it to its Pokeball or pulling it up with him by the vines... Maybe to head back and get help if something went wrong?
That's a tiny little Voltorb!
And here's the first of our antagonistic gym leaders!
Okay, way more stuff this time around, see you next time, whenever that may be!
Mates, @needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves did her reaction to RiD15 S03E18, and I had to think of my own post I did to this episode:
And because I watched the show in german, I am talking about the german line delivery xD But wanted to add the english one as well so yall know what the line says ~ Swoon with me please, so I feel less weird! :^)
English version:
“Afraid you missed your train, lieutenant.”
German translation:
“Ich fürchte du hast deinen Zug verpasst, Lieutenant.”
Literal translation is the same.
Gotta say, that’s an episode I’d watch again just because the Steeljaw’s voice actor speaks in that awesome tone the whole time! In other episodes he spoke less throaty.
Original English vs. Japanese Dub Comparison (The Transformers: The Movie (1986))
In the past, I found a couple of scenes from Shadow The Hedgehog (2005) in two different languages, and compared them side by side. Now, I have found a scene from The Transformers: The Movie (1986), where the Decepticons disposed of their own comrades (including Megatron) to lighten the load from Astrotrain.
There is an interesting twist: the English version of the scene is the original, while the Japanese version is the dubbed version with English subtitles (or should I say, dubtitles).
Here is the original version:
Astrotrain said to “jettison some [sic] weight, or he’ll never make it to Cybertron,” and the Decepticons (led by Starscream) voted on who will be disposed of (survival of the fittest), and those who said “nay” were to be jettisoned. We see Skywarp and Thundercracker falling into space, and then Starscream, about to toss Megatron, gives this exchange:
“Oh, how it PAINS me to DO this!”
And then Megatron weakly said, “WAIT! I STILL FUNCTIIION!!” and then Starscream replied with, “wanna BET?” and let Megatron go (the way Megatron yelled his second-in-command’s name was hilarious).
Afterwards, Starscream declared that since Megatron is gone, then he is the new leader. But then, conflict ensued, as the Constructions protested, saying that since they form Devestator, “the most POWERFUL robot,” then THEY should be leaders of the Decepticons. And then, Soundwave came with this iconic exchange:
Well, that really riled up the Constructicons. One of them called Soundwave an “uncarismatic bore,” which provoked Soundwave’s Cassettes, and then the Decepticons started brawling all the way to Cybertron. (It is implied that one of the Constructicons won the battle, but then Starscream sucker punched him, and that was how he was being crowned leader of the Decepticons; before Galvatron annihalated him.)
Now, here is the dubbed version:
(Pardon the quality change)
Basically, it is the same scene with some differences (besides the language and voices). After Starscream declared that those who said “nay” will be jettisoned, we actually get to hear Skywarp and Thundercracker SCREAM as they were falling into space. And when Megatron was about to be disposed of, this exchange is not as iconic as the original, but still:
“Oh, my heart aches having to say goodbye to you.”
“W-Wait! I can still function properly!”
“Then, function!”
“S-STARSCREAM! UWAAAAAAAUUGGGHHHH!!!!!”
So, while Starscream declared himself as the new [Decepticon] leader (Decepticons are called Destrons in earlier Japanese canon), the Constructicons (called Buildrons) said that since they form Devastator (called Devastor), then they should be leaders. And then Soundwave came with this exchange:
“Soundwave: intelligent. [Constructicons]: nothing but idiots!”
Like the original version, the Constructicons got riled up; one of the Constructicons called Soundwave a “sycophantic piece of trash,” which provoked the Cassettes, and a more intense brawl ensued.
Most of the time, the original version is better, but this dub also had more intriguing moments and changes in this particular scene. For example, the dub made the Transformers a lot more human than the English version (like in Micron Legend and Superlink), and some of the dialogue and environment are darker and more intense than the original; even though the original film itself is more intense than the G1 show it was based on.
That said, even the Japanese dub of the film had extra dialogue thrown in, which may kill off the mood of a scene (like the death of Optimus Prime, for example).
So, I will call this a tie, since they are both good, even though the original version is almost always the best. I will always like the environment (voice cast, characters, music and soundtrack, and the premise) of the original version, but I will also like the darker themes in the dub, as well (Micron Legend and Superlink are darker, which is why I actually like these shows better than the original G1 show).
Like if you found this post useful. Reblog for the original version. Comment for the dub.
