Disclaimers:
I’m an amateur. My advantage over the original translation is that I have no deadline pressure, and I have the modern internet to help me. I’m assuredly wrong about some of my translations.
Translation is hard. When I point out a mistranslation, it’s not a judgment of the original translator(s). They had a deadline and poor resources.
Some of my translations are rather liberal. I’ll usually make note if so.
Please no jokes in the comments about Karen being a Karen. I really hate that trend.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
インカのイセキ入口 | Entrance to Ruins | Incan ruins entrance |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
リリィ： ここが インカのイセキの入口。 | Lilly: Here’s the entrance to the ruins. | Lily: This is the entrance to the Incan ruins. |
インカっていっても 広くってね、 ここは インカ伝説の ナゾが かくされているって いわれる場所。 | They say that this is where the puzzle of the Incan legend is hidden. | Those called Incans lived far and wide, and this spot is where the riddle of Incan legend is supposedly hidden. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
あたしが まだ ちっちゃいころ 長老様から こんな話を 聞いたことがあるんだけど．．． | I heard this story from the Elder when I was a child… | I was still little when I heard this story from the Elder, but… |
かつて インカが しゅうげきを 受けたとき 祖国をすてて 新天地を 求めようという 計画があったらしいの。 | After being invaded, the Incas decided to leave their native land to find a new world. | Once, when the native lands of the Incas had been attacked, they made a decision: that they would seek out a new land. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
しんりゃく者の目を ぬすんで きょだいな船が 建造され、 最も 貴重な 黄金細工とともに インカ人達が 乗りこんだというわ。 | They secretly built a huge ship and filled it with priceless gold artifacts. | Keeping it a secret from the invaders, they built a huge ship, and the Incans got on board along with extremely valuable works of gold. |
でもね その船が出航したという 記録は 残ってないんだって．．． | But there’s no record of the ship leaving… | But there’s no record that ship ever departed. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
たぶん インカにねむる 黄金船 っていうのは その船のことなんで しょうね。 | That’s probably the Incan Gold Ship in the story. | Maybe that ship is the legendary gold ship that lies with the Incas. |
長老様は これまで イトリー族 以外の人に この言う伝えを 話したことが ないはず。 | I don’t think the Elder has ever told that story to any outsider. | I don’t think the Elder has ever told this legend to an outsider before. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
長老様は テムに 何をさせようと してるんだろ．．． | I wonder what he wants you to do… | I wonder what he’s trying to get you to do? |
As we approach the actual entrance to the dungeon, Karen appears:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
カレン： ひどいじゃない？！ あたしを おいてけぼりにして どこまで 行こうっていうのよっ！ | Kara: You’re so mean!! Leaving me behind! How could you do that! | Karen: You two are so cruel! How far did you intend to plod ahead while leaving me behind? |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
リリィ： なんで あなたが こんな場所に いるのっ！ あぶないじゃない！！ | Lilly: Why are you in a place like this! It’s dangerous! | Lily: What are you doing here!? This place is dangerous! |
カレン： ローラおばあさまから この場所を 聞きだして 何時間も 待ってたのよっ！ | Kara: Lola told me about this place. I’ve been waiting! | Karen: I heard about this place from Grandma Laura. I’ve been waiting here for hours! |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
もう おいて いかれたのかと 思ったわ。 せめて 行き先くらい 言ってくれたって いいじゃない！ | I thought you’d left me. You should tell me where you’re going!! | I thought you were going to leave me behind. You could at least have told me where you were going! |
それに テムは イセキで 何かを さがしてるんでしょう？ | What is Will looking for in the ruins? | Anyway, what are you trying to find in these ruins? |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
テムが がんばってるのに あたしだけ 村で のんびり ごはんなんか 食べてられないわ。 | I can’t just wait around and eat while Will is working so hard. | I couldn’t just sit around the village blithely chowing down while you’re working so hard. |
あたし ここで テムが もどってくるのを 待ってる。 | I’m waiting here for Will to return. | .I’m waiting here until you come back. |
For most of these sentences, she does indeed say Tim instead of you. But that’s just how JP works. Second person pronouns are considered too direct, and people use names where we would use pronouns very frequently. Translators usually switch these over to sound more natural to English.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
リリィ： やれやれ。 これだもの おじょうさまは．．． | Lilly: Well, a princess wouldn’t understand… | Lily: Good grief. This spoiled girl… |
わかった。 あたしも つきあって ここで 待ってる。 それでいいんでしょ？ | I’ll wait for you here. OK? | Fine. I’ll keep you company and wait here. That’s ok, right? |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
リリィ： テム。 長老様の言葉を よく 思い出してね。 | Lilly: Will. I remember what the Elder said. | Lily: Tim, don’t forget the Elder’s words. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
「遺跡の地下の ラライのガケにて 神の息のとどかぬところへ インカの神をおさめよ。 | “Put the statue on the Larai Cliff below the ruins, where the spirits’ breath cannot reach. | “At the underground ruins of the Larai Cliff, offer the Incan gods, in the place where the breath of the gods does not reach. |
谷風が その者を黄金船のもとへ 導くであろう。」っていう言葉、 ちゃんと 覚えてる？ | The valley wind will lead you to the Gold Ship.” | The valley wind will guide you to the location of the gold ship” is what he said. Remember it, ok? |
Lily just repeats herself if you talk to her. Karen says this:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
カレン： どう？ さがしてるものは 見つかった？ がんばってね。 | Kara: Well? Did you find what you were looking for? | Karen: What’s up? Did you find what you were looking for? Keep it up! |
Cool. Let’s enter the dungeon!
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
ラライのガケT | Larai Cliff | Larai Cliff |
Tim has some flavor text when you enter.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
テム： インカの ラライのガケには すさまじい風が ふきあれていた。 | Will: There was a tremendous wind at the Larai Cliff. | Tim: Here in the Larai Cliffs, a fierce wind blows violently. |
それが 長老の言っていた 神の息 なのだろうか．．． | That’s probably what the old man meant by the breath of the spirits…. | I wonder if that’s the “breath of the gods” the Elder mentioned. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
このガケのどこかに 風のない場所が ひっそりと ねむっているのだろう。 ボクは 胸の高なりを 感じた。 | This is the cliff with no wind. My heart beats fast. | Maybe there’s a place in the cliffs where the wind sleeps quietly. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. |
This is most definitely NOT the cliff with no wind. Will just got finished saying that there was a “tremendous wind”. The JP does say this cliff: このガケ (konogake) but that’s immediately followed by a possessive particle + somewhere: のどこか (no dokoka). Together it means somewhere in/on this cliff.
Not long into the dungeon, we find a unique treasure:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
ひし型のブロックを 見つけた！ | You found the diamond-shaped block! | Found a diamond shaped block! |
ひしがたブロック | Blue Block | Diamond block |
While we’re in the menu, let’s look at the description for the idols. They’re both identical except one says A and the other says B:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
インカのぞうＡ | Inca Statue A | Inca statue A |
In this dungeon, we’ll finally get more than 100 dark jewels, yielding an extra life. Here’s the message you get if Tim/Will dies. (It’s the same whether you have 100 jewels or not.)
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
テム： 気がつくと ぼくは 見覚えのある 場所に たおれていた。 悪い夢を 見ていたのだろうか．． | Will: I am sometimes aware of having fallen in a place I know. Must have been a nightmare. | Tim: When I came to, I was lying in a familiar place. Guess I had a bad dream. |
This is actually the sentence that started this whole project. I was watching a streamer play this game and was reminded of this message when he died. It’s obviously a mistranslation, but I wondered how they could possibly have gotten this gibberish. Sometimes aware of having fallen in a place I know? wtf?
気がつく (kigatsuku) is a verb which means to notice/realize/become aware of. But 気がつくと (kigatsukuto) is an expression that means when I came to or next thing I knew or all of a sudden, etc. The translator must not have been familiar, or didn’t notice the と at the end. Given that mistake, it’s no surprise they didn’t know what to do with たおれていた (taoreteita) which means to have fallen down/collapsed. Tim isn’t saying that he’s aware of having collapsed, he’s saying that when he regained consciousness, he was collapsed on the ground.
Here’s the message you get if you die as Freedan:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
フリーダン： 気がつくと そこは 見覚えのある 場所だった．．． | Freedan: When I think about it, that place seemed familiar… | Freedan: When I came to, I was in a familiar place. |
Same problem. The translator didn’t understand that he’s saying when I woke up or something similar.
Moving on with the dungeon, we have to use the Diamond Block to progress:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
タイルに ひし型のブロックを はめこんだ！ | He fit the block into the tile! | Placed the diamond shaped block into the tile. |
In the dungeon, we come across a few different skeletons, almost all with different notes or journals on them. Here’s the first:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
インカの 黄金船を 求めた 探検家だろうか．．．？ | An explorer who sought the Incan Gold Ship…? | Is this an explorer who was searching for the Incan gold ship? |
白骨化した その手には お守りの ようなものが にぎられている。 中には 紙きれが入っており こんなことが 書かれていた。 | In the skeleton’s hand is some kind of charm. | A hand that was reduced to bone was clutching something like an amulet. Inside, something was written on a scrap of paper. |
Inside it is a scrap of paper with this written on it. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
お父さん 死なないでね。 ナナ 黄金船を見つけたら、 クルックを買おうね。 サーバス | Father, please come back alive. Nana | Don’t die, father. -Nana |
When you find the Gold Ship, buy a Kruk. Sabas |
Oof. Unsurprisingly, we’ll meet Nana and Servas later in the game. They’re still waiting for their father to come home, and Tim doesn’t have the decency to tell them that he found this corpse.
The next skeleton:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
遺体の 近くの 他面に 何か かかれているようだ．．． | There’s something on the ground there… | Something seems to be written on the other side of the corpse. |
あの 黄金像さえ 動かせれば 先へ 進むことができたのに．．． | If I can move that gold statue, I can pass… | If only I were able to move that gold statue, I could keep going. |
We come across a room with 4 tiles. When you step on a tile, it tells you how to solve the puzzle.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
この 黄金のユカを ふむと 何か 音がするようだ．．． | Stepping on a gold tile emits a sound. | A sound can be heard if the gold tile is stepped on. |
黄金のユカは ４つ．．．． 何か 重りにできるものは ないだろうか．．． | There are four gold tiles. | There are 4 gold tiles. Maybe there’s something that can be used as weight. |
Stand on each of the four tiles at the same time. |
Save points offer free healing from Gaia:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
きずついて いるようだね。 さあ 目を閉じて じっとして．．． | It looks like you’re hurt. Close your eyes. | I see that you’re injured. Here, close your eyes and stand still. |
Dark Spaces also allow you to change between Freedan and Tim in most dungeons.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
ヤミの戦士 フリーダンに 変身しますか？ | Change into the Dark Knight, Freedan? | Transform into the Dark Knight, Freedan? |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
少年テムに もどりますか？ | Return to young Will? | Return to young Tim? |
We have to change to Friedan to complete the dungeon, to hit an enemy that’s out of reach of Tim’s flute. On the way there’s another skeleton:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
ンカの 黄金船を 求めた 探検家だろうか．．．？ | An explorer who sought the Incan Gold Ship…? | Is this an explorer who was searching for the Incan gold ship? |
トラップに かかって 命を 落としたんだ．．．． | He lost his life in a trap… | He lost his life in a trap. |
At one point we exit onto one of the head statues dotting the cliffside.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
谷風が 何かの メロディーを かなでている。 まるで インカの石像が 歌っているようだ．．． | The wind in the valley plays a melody. The statue seems to be singing… | The valley wind is playing some kind of melody. It’s almost like the stone statues are singing. |
風のメロディーを 覚えた！ | You’ve learned the Melody of the Wind! | Learned melody of the wind! |
Here’s the inventory description for Melody of the Wind:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
かぜのメロディ | Wind Melody | Wind Melody |
There’s one more skelly lying around for us to investigate:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
遺体は 何か 手帳のようなものを もっているようだ．．． | There’s some kind of journal… | The corpse seems to be holding some kind of diary. |
インカについてわかったこと | Note about the Incas | I learned something about the Incas. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
インカ地方には 文字が 存在 しなかった。 そのため 人々は 音で 言い伝えを 後世に 残したようである。 | They have no written language. They’ve left their legends in sound. | In the Incan land, there was no written language. The only records they left for later generations are in the form of music. |
私は インカの谷風が メロディを かなでていることに 気がつき その解読に 成功した。 | I have succeeded in deciphering the Incan Melody of the Wind. | I managed to successfully decode the melody of the valley wind. |
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
「黄金の しきつめられた部屋にて われを となえよ．．．」 谷風がかなでるメロディを そこで 吹けということだろうか．．． | “Chant in the Golden Room.” Does that mean to play the Melody of the Wind…? | “Chant me in the room covered in gold.” I guess it’s saying to play the melody there? |
Yes, it does say chant me, using the first person pronoun われ (ware). The OE does fine in telling you what to do, but it’s unfortunate to have lost this weird detail.
I need to clear some inventory space, so I’m going to use some Red Jewels. Here’s the Red Jewel message when you use one as an item.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
赤い宝石を かかげた！ | He raised the Red Jewel! | Raised the Red Jewel! |
赤い宝石は 宝石商ジェムのところへ ーすじの光となって 飛んでいった！ | Red Jewels fly to Jeweler Gem’s in a single ray of light! | The Red Jewel turned into a streak of light and flew to Gem the Jeweler! |
We finally get to that room covered in gold, where we’re asked to play the Melody of the Wind.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
風のメロディーを 静かに ふきはじめた。 | He softly played the Wind Melody. | Began to quietly play the Melody of Wind. |
笛の音が あたりに こだまし 黄金のブロックが 光りはじめた！ | When touched by the echo of the Flute, the Gold Block began to glow! | The flute’s sound echoed through the area, and a gold block began to shine. |
After this, we exit onto the cliff face where we’re supposed to use the two Incan idols. You do actually need to put statue A in the rightmost altar and statue B in the left altar. If you don’t, it tells you the shape is wrong. Unfortunately I forgot to grab a screenshot of this, but I have the Japanese text from a previous playthrough.
Japanese | Translation |
|---|---|
さいだんの形と 像の形が 合わないようだ | The altar’s shape and the statue’s shape don’t quite match. |
Some day I’ll nab these screenshots and come back to edit this post, but for now I’d like to keep some forward momentum. When you use the right statue:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
さいだんに インカの像Aを ささげた。 | He set the Inca Statue A on the mantel. | Offered Incan Statue A to the altar. |
Gaia’s got more to say.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
私は 生命のみなもと ガイア。 そなたに ひとつ 助言を あたえようと思う。 | I am Gaia, the source of all life. I’ll give you some advice. | I am the origin of life, Gaia. I will give you a piece of advice. |
このあと そなたは とてつもなく きょだいな敵と 戦うことになろう。 | Then you will fight a huge enemy. | Soon you will have to fight an unbelievably large enemy. |
JP says このあと (konoato) which means after this or henceforth. OE translates it as Then, leaving a quite puzzling sentence.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
この敵は ダメージを受けると 頭から 何本もの 光のすじを 放ってくる。 | When he suffers damage, rays of light will shoot from his head. | When this enemy takes damage, many beams of light will come out of its head. |
ダメージをあたえたら すぐさま 敵の後方に ひなんすることだ。 | If you suffer damage hide behind him. | After dealing damage, immediately take refuge behind the enemy. |
The upcoming boss has a basic pattern. Let out some attacks → Become vulnerable → Shoot a bunch of head lasers → Repeat. Gaia is trying to explain this, and saying that the head lasers won’t hit you if you run behind the enemy. (They also won’t hit you if just go to the bottom left or right corner, which is much easier than running behind.) OE mistranslated ダメージをあたえたら (dameeji o ataetara ). It means after dealing damage, but was taken to mean something like after taking damage or after damage is dealt (to you).
I had a lot of trouble with this boss as a kid, but once you know the trick about standing in the corner, it’s simple. It’s even easier in the JP version. In the US version, the boss has two hands which must be defeated each cycle before you can damage its head. In the JP version, the hands are there, but you can ignore them. There’s no requirement to defeat them before the boss becomes vulnerable. Hilariously easy.
Once the fight is done, if you’re fighting as Freedan:
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
まものの気配が消え テムの変身が 解けてゆく．．． | After the demon disappears, Will returns to his original shape… | With no more sign of monsters, Tim’s transformation reverts. |
Beyond the boss is a hole. Tim jumps down and finds himself on the legendary gold ship.
Japanese | Original English | Translation |
|---|---|---|
テム： これが インカの 黄金船か？！ | Will: This is the Incan Gold Ship?! | Tim: Is this the Incan gold ship? |
おやっ？ 人の気配がする．．． | What?! I feel like someone’s there… | Oh? I think someone’s here. |
Next time: Karen steals from a corpse, and there is a RIVERSON ATTACK.