Translatable hero names?
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Re: Translatable hero names?
I'm sure translators will happily tell you where it breaks ;-) So that's for the audit part...yann wrote:or audit all uses of name and replace those by uses of id - or, more realistically, play, and replace where it breaks ;)
I can't resist to list one more example (sorry Shade, from TRoW again): Lady Outlaw. And names like this neither can nor should be avoided IMHO.
-std::string font_name = "Vera.ttf";
+std::string font_name = "Bepa-Roman.ttf";
+std::string font_name = "Bepa-Roman.ttf";
Names
Actually, Slavics (Languages that use MOSTLY Cyrilic to write, but not all, mind that) can deal pretty easy with names. Since most of them are phonetic (what you see is what you say) you don't have to change the way the name is pronounced. You DO have to wite it down with cyrilic symbols though, because you cannot expect people to be able to spell Latin names. I know that English is way too spread now for people not to know basic things, but if it was so much known, we wouldn't be doing translations anyway.
Example:
Konrad goes to "Конрад"
Khalenz (whas it like that?) goes to "Кхаленц"
Deflador is "Дефладор"
The thing that should NOT be done is using local counterparts of names.
Like George is in English, Georgios (ior-gos is how you read it) is in Greek, and it is Georgi("Георги") in Bulgarian. This is Evil, although it's fun
Example:
Konrad goes to "Конрад"
Khalenz (whas it like that?) goes to "Кхаленц"
Deflador is "Дефладор"
The thing that should NOT be done is using local counterparts of names.
Like George is in English, Georgios (ior-gos is how you read it) is in Greek, and it is Georgi("Георги") in Bulgarian. This is Evil, although it's fun
I'm working on the Latin translation, and would go strongly for allowing translated names. Otherwise, most of the dialogue makes no sense, as I can't decline the words. Even the victory conditions look silly, as there is no way to say "of" in Latin other than slapping an ending onto the name. Then there are the non-Latin letters, like "W" and "J" (debatable) (I am retaining distinction between u and v, but not i and j, as most modern texts do.) Y and Z technically should only occur in words of Greek origin, as well.
Even the "Victory Conditions" screen looks silly if I can't decline the names, since there is no word for "of" in Latin other than slapping an ending on the name. I suppose I could make all the heroes be "mighty", so you can pick up their case by the ending on the adjective. Or do as Jerome did with bizzare Hebrew names -- simply use them in every case without endings. Unfortunately, that solution only works when those names are in the minority. A sentence like "Konrad pulsat Delfador" could mean "Konrad hits Delfador" or "Delfador hits Konrad", and there is absolutely no way to differentiate this. I would prefer to be able to write "Conradus pulsat Delfadorem", for example.
Insisting on English spellings would greatly reduce readability as well. "Ashviere" (ignoring the unpronounceable "sh") would be pronounced something like "As - vee - ay - ray" by a Latin speaker -- I assume that the developers pronounce this as two syllables in English, as I do. (This is one of the major weaknesses of Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis, IMHO... The Ancient Greek version does it much better, translating the names.)
Well, enough ranting...
Even the "Victory Conditions" screen looks silly if I can't decline the names, since there is no word for "of" in Latin other than slapping an ending on the name. I suppose I could make all the heroes be "mighty", so you can pick up their case by the ending on the adjective. Or do as Jerome did with bizzare Hebrew names -- simply use them in every case without endings. Unfortunately, that solution only works when those names are in the minority. A sentence like "Konrad pulsat Delfador" could mean "Konrad hits Delfador" or "Delfador hits Konrad", and there is absolutely no way to differentiate this. I would prefer to be able to write "Conradus pulsat Delfadorem", for example.
Insisting on English spellings would greatly reduce readability as well. "Ashviere" (ignoring the unpronounceable "sh") would be pronounced something like "As - vee - ay - ray" by a Latin speaker -- I assume that the developers pronounce this as two syllables in English, as I do. (This is one of the major weaknesses of Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis, IMHO... The Ancient Greek version does it much better, translating the names.)
Well, enough ranting...
I do also think that names should be translatable to make it easier for people with radically different languages. I think the argument about speaking of Konrad in the forum is rather mood - once you consider that scenario names are translated! So if someone writes about Konrad in X, people who only play a translation may recognize which campaign it is but have to find out what level it is. If someone asks a question with a translated name - just politely tell them to switch to english and post the original name if it's not understandable.