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Why does text on VN's take up less space in JPN than ENG? (feddit.online)

submitted 2 weeks ago by animemann80@feddit.online to c/gamedev@programming.dev

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When I compare between visual novels that are originally developed & written in Japanese first before localization into English, often or not: the information density is different between the two. As in, the original text only comprises of like 2-3 sentences while the translation feels like reading a 4-5 line paragraph in English. Is it because translators who managed to secure the rights can't cram all the information in a limited UI?

For example, Aksys Games is the one who does the translation while the IP holders from the source material is Otomate. They only focus on the text rather than re-doing voice acting for the English release. Lip sync is another issue since both JPN & ENG have different speech patterns, how would you even find the right casting pool in English that can deliver the same performance & emotional impact as the original JP voice actors?

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[–] flamingos@feddit.uk 0 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Relevant Tom Scott video.

Edit: VNs also tend to use pretty large fonts for English in my experience.