JAP translation?

[Cyrus_]

How do you guys manage to translate import games? I type japanese on my computer then translate it. But, it takes so looooong time!

Any tips to translate japanese?

Thanks.

[the_dude]

Any tips to translate japanese?

You could try here: http://www.worldlingo.com/wl/translate

It's not bad, but it's not great either!

[yosai]

Learning these will help some what in menus and names...

http://www.rfsd.k12.wi.us/high/hsfl/katakana.html

[babs]

If you're going to be playing a lot of Japanese games learn Katakana as suggested, and ideally Hiragana too (don't bother with Kanji). A couple of hours (say in lunchtimes) with the excellent chipchat kana drills will improve your recognition no end.

[Cyrus_]

Thanks for the tips. I learnt japanese in school long time ago. In nowdays I remember few!

But, Japanese people use a few(or many?) chinese letters. don't they?

[babs]

Many? try about 50,000 Kanji is a pain to learn, you need about 2,000 to read to a competent level, and most magazines and papers use standard ones agreed from something like 3,000.

Most magazines though will have the pronounciation written above the kanji in small kana though.

[Gabbi]

Many? try about 50,000 Kanji is a pain to learn, you need about 2,000 to read to a competent level, and most magazines and papers use standard ones agreed from something like 3,000.

Most magazines though will have the pronounciation written above the kanji in small kana though.

in addition, kanji have two readings (Japanese and original Chinese) depending if they're alone or along with other kanji/kana. So "hito" (man) will be read "jin" if related to something else, like ITARY-JIN (Italian).

[Woofer]

There is a massive list of japanese language learning sites here.

[Cyrus_]

So, you guys are just learning japanese to play import games?

[hankwangford]

*MOST* (note, most) Japanese games other than RPGs are playable providing you can translate any menus that might get in the way anyway. Since menus in certain game genres are going to use the same options (for example, in a racer you might have "new game, retry, change course, change vehicle, quit to title") you can get away with basic katakana.

If you want to play Japanese RPGs and adventure games though, well, go take a degree in Japanese.

[Cyrus_]

*MOST* (note, most) Japanese games other than RPGs are playable providing you can translate any menus that might get in the way anyway. Since menus in certain game genres are going to use the same options (for example, in a racer you might have "new game, retry, change course, change vehicle, quit to title") you can get away with basic katakana.

If you want to play Japanese RPGs and adventure games though, well, go take a degree in Japanese.

I guess most people don't play Japanese RPGs?

[babs]

I'm learning just because I wanted to learn it, and learn it properly not just memorize kana. I'm at the end of my first year studying in the evenings now and it's really enjoyable.

[Kubrick]

I can't recognise any Japanese except for basic yes/no, save/load stuff, and I'm too lazy to try and learn it.

But...

With most games, you just need to familiarise what the menus/options etc do through trial & error/guesswork and then remember it. Let's face it, once you've played an English language game a reasonable amount of time, you instinctively know what the thing does just by it's position on the screen - no-one reads what they say after a while.