Interview with Zero no Kiseki Fan Translators

I was lucky enough to secure an interview with the very passionate and talented people who are unofficially translating Zero no Kiseki, aka Trails to Zero (not confirmed to be the final translated name).

1. Have you guys brought this fan translation up with Falcom? And if so, what is Falcom's stance on the matter?
Zerker: I don't think we have?

Gu4n: Nope, we haven’t. There isn’t really any reason to.

Zerker: Either way, Falcom has been fine with fan translation projects in the past, so I'm sure this is no different.

2. Any challenges unique to this translating this game?
JoseJL: Getting Aerial to run at a proper framerate.

Gu4n: (laughs) How long did that take again?

JoseJL: 3 weeks. Sure, not full time, but still 3 weeks...

Zerker: There are always a few barriers to get over. For example, the format of the spreadsheet we use to edit can be confusing at times. Occasionally, conversations will jump around the sheet and you have to figure out what piece of dialogue connects with what.

Gu4n: Yup. For example, dialogues that are part of the story are in the bottom half of each sheet. And within that half, the dialogues are chronologically sorted from the last chapter down to the first. It might seem counter-productive, but it’s actually more helpful to start at the bottom of a sheet and work our way up than the other way around.

Zerker: As for the game itself, the scope of the project was a little daunting at first. There's so many different NPCs walking around Crossbell City and we have to try to flesh out every one. But hey, that's a huge reason why so many people love this series. Another challenge, for me personally, is sometimes editing the younger characters. Getting that kiddy way of speaking is a bit challenging to get down-pat for some of them.

Gu4n: We each have our own forte. Zerker, for example, nails the enthusiasm of Crossbell News Service reporter Grace Lynn or the bonding moments between Lloyd and Elie. I prefer Randy’s quips or Tio’s deadpan jokes. Sergei, their chief, has this laissez-faire attitude I can also appreciate. Oh, and I love working on ace detective Dudley as well.

Zerker: Last challenge that comes to mind is trying to keep it consistent with XSeed's writing style. It's mainly grammatical issues, but it's also how they write certain words, like "y'know" and "heehee", just to give a few examples. I've been keeping my eye out for how things are written while replaying Trails of Cold Steel on PC actually!

Gu4n: Second that. Whenever I’m working on the script, I always have XSEED’s scripts open as well to ensure consistency between the games. Since they have consistenly localised Müller as Mueller, we’re following suit with Sonya Baelz (Bälz) and Joachim Guenter (Günter), for example.

3. Do you believe this game will ever see an official localisation, and why/why not?
Gu4n: Pretty much everything gets localised these days, so I’m sure this will be brought over sooner or later as well.

Zerker: Honestly, I have no idea if it will or not. I hope it does (after we finish our project, of course), but I don't see it happening before Sen no Kiseki III is localized. Sen III seems, to me, like the most important game that people will want to localize first.

JoseJL: I think so, too.

4. Finally, sorry but I'm morally obligated to ask this (😉): any release date, even a tentative one?
Gu4n: Nope. 😊

Zerker: I won't make any promises, but I hope that we'll be able to release the final version of the project before Sen no Kiseki III drops in English. Well, that's the goal, at least.

To check out the progress of the fan translation for Zero no Kiseki, check out The Geofront, which posts occasional progress reports.

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Friday's Child is Loving and Giving: Valiant Hearts

Today, for all the "Friday's Children" out there, I will be looking at one specific game, namely, Valiant Hearts: The Great War, and how it depicts love and self-sacrifice in various forms.

As the name implies, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is set during World War I, and at various points the player is put in the shoes of four characters; the Frenchman Emile, his German son-in-law Karl, American soldier Freddie, and Belgian nurse Anna.

Emile undergoes various hardships, such as seeing his entire military unit being wiped out. However, there is a silver lining, as he meets Freddie through the course of his struggles, and together they forge a strong, almost brotherly bond, in which each is willing to sacrifice their well-being and even their life for the other's sake.

Karl is separated from his wife and son early on in the game, and goes to extreme lengths, risking life and limb, to reunite with them. He also stays in touch with his wife via letters, demonstrating just how strong their love for each other is.

Freddie's love for his wife, who was killed in a German bombing raid, compels him to voluntarily join the French army in order to exact revenge on the leader of the bombing raid. However, once he finally gets his chance for his revenge, he realises that it will not bring his wife back or achieve anything else, and he spares the bombing raid leader's life.

Anna is a battlefield nurse, who goes to great lengths to help the wounded and sick, even those from the enemy's army. She also has a bone to pick with the bombing raid's leader, who captured her father, and she risks her life to rescue him.

All four characters, in their own way, are "Friday's Children" - people with great love and compassion for others; people who put themselves in harm's way even when there is no guarantee that they will be able to protect or save anyone. This game is a brilliant, touching tribute to all who served in World War I with love and kindness. I highly recommend that you buy it.

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