TRANSLATION OF TIME: A translation analysis of Chrono Trigger

Abstract

The purpose or aim of this study is to analyze and discuss how the personality of the character Frog was changed during the translation and localization of the game Chrono Trigger, with focus on how the use of male speech and sentencefinal particles were translated. The theoretical framework for analyzing of how Frog’s dialogue was changed during localization will be skopos theory, Venuti’s concept of foreignization and domestication and video game localization. The analysis will be conducted by looking at specific examples in both the Japanese and English script of the video game Chrono Trigger while focusing on analyzing the translation of male speech and the usage of sentence-final particles. Only half of the script of both versions will be used during the analysis. The result of this analysis shows that the personality of Frog was changed from a tough stereotypical warrior in the Japanese version to a pseudo-Shakespearean speaking knight in the English version. As a result, Frog style of speech became very grandiose, formal, indirect and avoids profanities, in contrast to the Japanese version where he is very informal, rude, direct and uses profanities. In conclusion, this study shows that while this was a poor attempt to portray Frog as a medieval European-style knight, the core message of the character's dialogue has not been altered and remains equally coherent in both the English and Japanese version. The changes made to the way Frog is portrayed in the English version can be justified with the purpose of making the character coherent and easily recognizable by its targeted audience. Coherence to the player of a video game's characters, themes and story is the most important goal of video game localization.