Nederlandse vertaling (Dutch Translation, discussion mostly in english)
Merandix
Netherlands Join Date: 2016-01-05 Member: 210951Members
Netherlands Join Date: 2016-01-05 Member: 210951Members
Okay, I took some time to translate some things. Because I saw this forum. I'm a little bored because I've got my wisdom teeth extracted, and was in need of some distraction, but I got bored of translating. I'm not of the intention of maintaining this topic, but I figured I made a start, maybe someone else can add to it, replace stuff or work on it. Better than just quitting and deleting it.
Main menu:
Load game = Spel laden
(Saved Games = Opgeslagen Spellen)
New game = Nieuw spel
Options = Opties
Quit = Afsluiten (or alternatively, more literal: 'stop' or 'stoppen' but I think 'afsluiten' or 'sluiten' is more appropriate in this context).
Are you sure? = Weet je het zeker? (informal) / Weet u het zeker? (formal) / Zeker weten? (neutral)
Yes = Ja
No = Nee
Back to Dev News = Terug naar Dev Nieuws (using 'dev' as a loanword)
ALT: Terug naar Ontwikkelingsnieuws. (back to development news)
ATL2: Terug naar nieuws. (back to news)
Early Development Build xxx (I would leave this as is, or substitute for: 'Vroege Ontwikkelingsversie xxx'. Substituted 'build' for the dutch 'version'. Because 'Build' translates badly to Dutch, because it isn't used in software contexts, except as an english loan-word.
New game menu:
Survival = Overlevingsspel (added the dutch word for 'game', because 'survival' on it's own is a bit weird in Dutch in my opinion)
Vermijd gevaarlijke wezens, verzamel grondstoffen en vind voedsel en water om te overleven.
Freedom = Vrij spel
Zoals het overlevingsspel, maar dan zonder honger en dorst.
Hardcore = Hardcore spel (hardcore is an english loanword among even the youngest gamers, it should suffice better than any dutch word can)
Overlevingsspel met maar één leven. Geen O2-waarschuwingen. (literally: No O2 warnings)
ALT:
Overlevingsspel met maar één leven. Geen zuurstof-waarschuwingen. (lit: No oxygen warnings)
ALT2:
Overlevingsspel met maar één leven. Geen lucht-waarschuwingen. (lit: No air warnings)
Creative = Creatief spel
Bouw zonder beperkingen. Zuurstof, voedsel, druk, verhaal en doodgaan zijn uitgeschakeld.
Options menu:
This option screen is currently a "work-in-progress." etc etc
=
Dit optiescherm is momenteel in opbouw. Veel opties zijn nog niet beschikbaar, en de hier vermeldde opties kunnen nog niet goed werken. Voorlopig adviseren de ontwikkelaars van Subnautica om de opstart-widget te gebruiken om opties te wijzigen. De opstart-widget verschijnt iedere keer als je het spel via Steam start.
Language = Taal
Master volume = Algemeen volume
Music volume = Muziekvolume
Loading screen:[/b]
Loading = Laden
NOTE: This screen etc
=
Let op: Dit scherm kan enkele minuten nemen om te laden. Het kan lijken alsof het is vastgelopen terwijl het spel aan het laden is. Even geduld alstublieft.
Loading Cyclops = Cyclops laden
Loading EscapePod = Ontsnappingscapsule laden
Loading Aurora = Aurora laden
Ingame:
Depth = Diepte
Power 75/75 = Vermogen 75/75
(North East South West = Noord Oost Zuid West --> N O Z W)
Board escape pod (left click) = Aan boord van ontsnappingscapsule gaan (links klikken)
ALT (shorter): Ga aan boord (links klikken) (lit: 'board (left click)')
Climb ladder (left click) = Beklim ladder (links klikken)
Open storage (left click) = Opslag openen (links klikken)
ALT: Kast openen (links klikken)
Fabricator menu (unfinished)
Use fabricator (left click) = Gebruik fabricator (links klikken) (fabricator works well enough in Dutch)
Resources = Grondstoffen
Basic materials = bassismaterialen
Sustenance = Levensonderhoud
Water = Water
Cooked Food = Gekookt voedsel
Cured Food = Gedroogd voedsel
Personal = Persoonlijk
Equipment = Uitrusting
Tools = Gereedschap
Deployables = Plaatsbare objecten (I couldn't think of a fitting direct translation, my best guess literally says 'placeable objects')
Beacon = Baken
(Navigatiehulp. Blijft op een vaste locatie en diepte, en zend een positie-signaal uit.)
Waterproof locker = Watervaste kast
(4x4 opslag die op zijn plaats blijft in het water)
Main menu:
Load game = Spel laden
(Saved Games = Opgeslagen Spellen)
New game = Nieuw spel
Options = Opties
Quit = Afsluiten (or alternatively, more literal: 'stop' or 'stoppen' but I think 'afsluiten' or 'sluiten' is more appropriate in this context).
Are you sure? = Weet je het zeker? (informal) / Weet u het zeker? (formal) / Zeker weten? (neutral)
Yes = Ja
No = Nee
Back to Dev News = Terug naar Dev Nieuws (using 'dev' as a loanword)
ALT: Terug naar Ontwikkelingsnieuws. (back to development news)
ATL2: Terug naar nieuws. (back to news)
Early Development Build xxx (I would leave this as is, or substitute for: 'Vroege Ontwikkelingsversie xxx'. Substituted 'build' for the dutch 'version'. Because 'Build' translates badly to Dutch, because it isn't used in software contexts, except as an english loan-word.
New game menu:
Survival = Overlevingsspel (added the dutch word for 'game', because 'survival' on it's own is a bit weird in Dutch in my opinion)
Vermijd gevaarlijke wezens, verzamel grondstoffen en vind voedsel en water om te overleven.
Freedom = Vrij spel
Zoals het overlevingsspel, maar dan zonder honger en dorst.
Hardcore = Hardcore spel (hardcore is an english loanword among even the youngest gamers, it should suffice better than any dutch word can)
Overlevingsspel met maar één leven. Geen O2-waarschuwingen. (literally: No O2 warnings)
ALT:
Overlevingsspel met maar één leven. Geen zuurstof-waarschuwingen. (lit: No oxygen warnings)
ALT2:
Overlevingsspel met maar één leven. Geen lucht-waarschuwingen. (lit: No air warnings)
Creative = Creatief spel
Bouw zonder beperkingen. Zuurstof, voedsel, druk, verhaal en doodgaan zijn uitgeschakeld.
Options menu:
This option screen is currently a "work-in-progress." etc etc
=
Dit optiescherm is momenteel in opbouw. Veel opties zijn nog niet beschikbaar, en de hier vermeldde opties kunnen nog niet goed werken. Voorlopig adviseren de ontwikkelaars van Subnautica om de opstart-widget te gebruiken om opties te wijzigen. De opstart-widget verschijnt iedere keer als je het spel via Steam start.
Language = Taal
Master volume = Algemeen volume
Music volume = Muziekvolume
Loading screen:[/b]
Loading = Laden
NOTE: This screen etc
=
Let op: Dit scherm kan enkele minuten nemen om te laden. Het kan lijken alsof het is vastgelopen terwijl het spel aan het laden is. Even geduld alstublieft.
Loading Cyclops = Cyclops laden
Loading EscapePod = Ontsnappingscapsule laden
Loading Aurora = Aurora laden
Ingame:
Depth = Diepte
Power 75/75 = Vermogen 75/75
(North East South West = Noord Oost Zuid West --> N O Z W)
Board escape pod (left click) = Aan boord van ontsnappingscapsule gaan (links klikken)
ALT (shorter): Ga aan boord (links klikken) (lit: 'board (left click)')
Climb ladder (left click) = Beklim ladder (links klikken)
Open storage (left click) = Opslag openen (links klikken)
ALT: Kast openen (links klikken)
Fabricator menu (unfinished)
Use fabricator (left click) = Gebruik fabricator (links klikken) (fabricator works well enough in Dutch)
Resources = Grondstoffen
Basic materials = bassismaterialen
Sustenance = Levensonderhoud
Water = Water
Cooked Food = Gekookt voedsel
Cured Food = Gedroogd voedsel
Personal = Persoonlijk
Equipment = Uitrusting
Tools = Gereedschap
Deployables = Plaatsbare objecten (I couldn't think of a fitting direct translation, my best guess literally says 'placeable objects')
Beacon = Baken
(Navigatiehulp. Blijft op een vaste locatie en diepte, en zend een positie-signaal uit.)
Waterproof locker = Watervaste kast
(4x4 opslag die op zijn plaats blijft in het water)
Comments
1. Dit optie scherm is nog in ontwikkeling. Verschillende opties zijn nog niet beschikbaar en de vermelde opties kunnen fouten bevatten of instabiel zijn.
2. That part could perhaps be removed?
"Loading" wordt in Nederlandse software meestal "Bezig met laden"
Let op: Het kan enkele minuten duren voor dit scherm om te laden. Het lijkt alsof het spel is vastgelopen, terwijl het spel nog bezig is met laden. Even geduld alstublieft.
We tend to not "climb" ladders so to speak. We tend to "use" ladders. -> "Gebruik Ladder"
Maybe "Berging" could be used, it sounds less weird than "Opslag"
I'm also impartial to Dutch translations myself, but I know quite a few people with very limited understanding of English, and also loads of younger children who could benefit from a translation.
Just I hate the 'bezig' illness that's in dutch software: 'loading' means 'laden' otherwise it would've said it was busy
Also, I usually climb ladders. When I use a ladder, I'm generally placing it
Also, I considered many synonyms. Kast, kist, doos, opslagkist...
A 'Berging' generally is a room to put stuff in. The annoying thing is that this thing is not context sensitive as far as I know, so it appears for the little storage box in the lifepod, for the chests you can place on the seafloor, and on the lockers. I really think 'kast' is the closest fit. An alternative would be 'inventaris nemen' (take inventory), but that again sounds weird.
P.S. I feel keeping this as close to the English version as possible is the best thing we can do. But I also think (and this may divert, as I'm not going to maintain this topic) that we should discuss as much as possible in English, so the topic is all the more useful to the devs.
Also English tends to have words with multiple meanings, sometimes even up to three or four
Just use Liters and make up some sensible amounts?
Which brings me to another point... why use the fluid ounce in the first place? I think it's the ONLY US customary unit in the game; the rest is in metric. We use degrees celsius, metres for distance... why is that fluid ounce there?
Which again brings me to another point... 6 and 12 oz bottles... that's 1,8 litre bottles and 3,6 litre bottles. And I need to gulp up several of those a day? A human needs about 3 litres of moisture a day, that's including the moisture from food, which is a fairly large portion.
The translation of "Dismiss" in the main menu says "Nee danku", and i believe this is supposed to be "Nee dank u".
"Communications Relay" can be translated into "Communicatie Relais".
"storage container" can be roughly translated to "opslagruimte", though this may not be the proper translation, as it indicates it is a "storage space".
"Compartment", the structural pipes used in making a base, can translate to "Compartement."
"Vertical Connector" can be translated to "Verticale Verbinder", as "to Connect" is "om te Verbinden" in Dutch.
"Vending Machine" can be translated to "Automaat". Usually this is connected to a specific food such as candy, where it will be called a "Snoep automaat", but here i don't know if it has a specific food.
Enjoy.
Hello, Ugyuu.
I'm an administrator of the Dutch translations project.
If you find any grammatical errors, or want anything changed, feel free to tell me and I'll correct it.
Greetings, Tuur Martens..
copper ore - Koper erts, ore translates to "erts"
cave sulphur - Grotten Zwavel
Diamond - Diamant
Gold - Goud
Lead - Lood
Kyanite - Kyaniet
Lithium - Lithium
Metal Salvage - "Metalen Onderdelen" or "Metalen schroot"
Quartz - Kwarts
Salt deposit - ZoutAfzetting
Sea tredder feces - feces translates to "uitwerpselen"
Silver ore - Zilver Erts
Stalker tooth - tooth translates to "tand"
Sulphur - Zwavel
Uraninite crystal - Crystal translates to "kristal"
Coral Sample - Koraal monster
Coral translates to "Koraal"
Sample to "Monster"
Fungal - schimmel
Fungal sample - Schimmel Monster
Table coral sample - Tafel koraal monster
purple brain coral sample - Paars brein koraal monster
Acid - Zuur
Mushroom - Paddestoel
Acid Mushroom - Zuur paddestoel
Marble - Has multiple translations "knikkers" are Glass balls that are used to play
Melon - Meloen
Marble Melon - Knikker Meloenen
Spore - Sporen
Acid Mushroom spore - Zuur paddestoel sporen
Blood Oil - Bloed olie, Oil translates to "olie"
Blue - Blauw
Palm - palm
Seed - Zaad
Blue palm seed - Blauwe palm zaad
Bush - Struik
Cave bush seed - Grotten struik zaad
Chinese - Chineese
Patato - Aardappel
Chinese patato - Chineese aardappel
Lantern - Lantaren
Fruit - "Fruit" or "vrucht"
Lantern fruit - Lantaren vrucht
I hope it helps and i will be translating other items soon
Small marble melon - Kliene knikker meloen
Speckled rattler - Gevlekte rammelaar
Gel sack - Gel zak, Gel is a loan word
Fern - Varen
Fern palm seed - Varen palm zaad
Ghost - geest
weed - "onkruid", "wier" or "knol
Ghost weed seed - Geest wier zaad
Alternative:
Ghost weed seed - Geest ontkruid zaad
Jelly shroom spore - Gelei paddestoel sporen
Deep shroom spore - Diepzee paddestoel sporen
Sea crown seed - Zee kroon zaad
Tiger plant seed - Tijger plant zaad
Titanium - Titanium
Ingot - staaf
Titanium ingot - Titanium staaf
Flashlight - Zaklamp
Habitat builder - Habitat bouwer, Habitat is a loan word
Hardened blade - Verstevigt mes
Knife - Mes
Laser - Laser
Cutter - snijder
Laser cutter - Laser snijder
Light stick - Licht staaf
Repair tool - Reperatie gereedschap
Scanner - Scanner
Thermoblade - Verwarmd mes
Fiber mesh - Vezel gaas
Silicone Rubber - Siliconen rubber
Glass - Glas
Bleach - Bleek
Benzene - Benzine
Synthetic fibers - Synthetische vezels
Uranium - Uranium
Copper wire - Koperen draad
Battery - Batterij
Power cell - Accu
Computer chip - Computer chip
Wiring kit - Bedradings uitrusting
Advanced wiring kit - Geavanceerde bedradings uitrusting
Reactor rod - Reactor staaf
Filtered water - Gefilterd water
Disinfected water - Gedesinfecteerd water
Small marble melon - Kliene knikker meloen <- "Kleine" instead of "kliene".
Marble can also be translated as: "marmer" (the stone type used in kichens and bathrooms) wich seems to be more appropiate due to it's texture.
Ps: Do you think it's a good idea to use "Extreem Spel" instead of "Hardcore"
However perhaps it should be translated for the younger audience.
ion crystal - ionen kristal
ion battery - ionen batterij
ion power cell - ionen accu
Modification station - Modificatie station
Fabricator - Fabricator
Resources - Middelen
Sustenance - Levensonderhoud
Personal - Persoonlijk
Deployables - "Deployables" or "Inzetbaar"
Compass - Kompas
Fins - Vinnen
Fire extinguisher - Brandblusser
First aid kit - EHBO kit, "kit" is a loanword
Floating air pump - Drijvende luchtpomp
Radiation suit - Anti-straling pak, i added the word "anti" because we don't just say "stralings pak", "anti" means the same in english.
Radiation helmet - Anti-straling helm
Radiation gloves - Anti-straling handschoenen
Pipe - Pijp
Reinforced dive suit - Verstevigt duikpak
Swim charge fins - "Oplader vinnen" or "Lader vinnen"
Thermometer - Thermometer
I saw a couple of Youtube clips of people playing the Dutch language Subnautica and noticed that the translation is both incomplete and, uhm, how to say this nicely... a bit challenging?
I've spent a day or two going through the current English language file, using the current Dutch language file as somewhat of a guide. Give me two or three more days and I'll have a complete translation.
I am trying to keep as much of the current Dutch language file as what I deem accurate enough. However, the translations as they stand are a mishmash of Standaardnederlands and dialect (and even some Flemish?). Many translations are merely word substitutions, which, considering the grammar differences between American English and Dutch, often just don't work. This becomes even more pronounced in longer texts. Some, such as "Tijdelijke ligtbron" and "Taai maar smaakvol" are simply wrong (ligt vs licht and smaakvol vs smakelijk/lekker). And then there are the many inconsistencies.
Other considerations are:
Formal vs Informal
In my opinion a game should never be formal. From that point of view, some levity can be added to not only address the actual pronouns, but also some of the more terse words the Dutch language is riddled with and do work their way into word substitution translations ("Je stierf en verloor enkele bezittingen" vs "Je bent de pijp uit en een paar van je spullen kwijt", "Ben je er zeker van?" vs "Zeker weten?"). I believe it creates a closer and more personal connection with the player.
Artistic Freedom
Sometimes, using the English words does not at all convey the meaning of an item or concept -- especially with bleed-over compound words, such as Eyeye (Eye-eye), Ampeel (Amperage-eel), Plasteel (Plastic-steel), etc., or words that don't exist at all, or words using a comparison as a brand name, such as Prawn Suit, Seamoth, etc. In such cases it should be up to the translator to grasp the intended meaning and convey that in their native language. In some cases a change may work adversely, or a partial translation will suffice. In other cases a whole new construct is necessary to still remain true to the original.
Example: Prawn Suit. Sorry, but the word "Prawn" sounds pretty dismal in Dutch -- Prawnpak even more. It's just not a comfortable combination of letters. Yet, its literal translation "Garnalenpak" kinda leaves you with visions of a little kid in a shrimp suit at a dress-up party. "Gamba Exopak" would be a good compromise. It more or less sounds what it looks like, because it's an exosuit, and Gamba could be a brand name. It is, however, also a type of prawn used in Dutch kitchens. Again, this is just an example, and nothing is written in stone, of course.
The little green book
This is a well-known resource for anyone concerned with Dutch literary standards. I've worked with it for over a decade. Besides letting you know what the standards are, it also explains why Dutch is written the way it is and how it has changed over the years. One of the more important changes happened not even that long ago and has shown a tendency to flip-flop around. This is the connected vs disconnected issue. Originally (however meaningful that may be) Dutch compound words were written as one word. Then, for a while it became a fashion to not do so, followed by a return to the good old days in the latter half of the 20th century. Now, in this modern day and age, the tendency to disconnect them has again popped up -- which may very well be either from laziness or an influence from English. The standard still is, however, that compound words are written as one (so "koraalbuizen", not "koraal buizen"), and I will use it as such.
Loan words
Loan words are great. Dutch as bazillions of them. Seriously, way too many, and most aren't even recognizable as loanwords. That said, why use one if a perfectly normal and acceptable Dutch word is available? Technical words may be an exception, but even with those there is a surprising number of actual Dutch words that are perfectly fine. I tend to use them where applicable, hopefully without losing the futuristic magic of Subnautica.
I could write a lot more, but I figure the translations will speak for themselves (when they're done).
Cheers!
- Willem
My background: I worked for almost ten years as a translator and editor (English to Dutch).
It's taking a bit longer. There is a lot more untranslated material than I initially thought and, honestly, a lot of the existing translations almost look like they were done by Google.
Copper wire - Koperen draad
->koperdraad
Resources - Middelen
-> bevoorrading/voorraden
Repair tool - Reperatie gereedschap
-> misschien "reparatie gerei" of "reparatie werktuig"
Fins - Vinnen
-> zwemvliezen
Swim charge fins - "Oplader vinnen" or "Lader vinnen"
-> oplaad zwemvliezen
Sustenance - Levensonderhoud (dit is iets anders dan sustenance)
-> etenswaar komt er eerder mee overeen
Wiring kit - Bedradings uitrusting
Advanced wiring kit - Geavanceerde bedradings uitrusting
-> Bekabelingskit
->Geavanceerde bekabelingskit/Uitgebreide bekabelingskit
Cutter - snijder
Laser cutter - Laser snijder
-> snijmachine
-> laser snijmachine
Acid Mushroom - Zuur paddestoel
Acid Mushroom spore - Zuur paddestoel sporen
-> Zure paddestoel
-> Zure paddestoel sporen
--> Zat te denken aan "bijtend" maar dat is vast verwarrend en "bijtende paddenstoelen" klinkt te grappig
@WillemV Hebben ze serieus Prawn suit vertaald naar Garnalen pak? Die is goed, ik lig dubbel hier
And apparently it's a thing!
Yeah, real menacing there bub
Also, I don't want to risk sounding nitpicky, but you argue against word-for-word translations, then you pretty much stick to the English word-order.
'Je bent een paar spullen kwijt omdat je doodging' (or 'bent gegaan' but that sounds more passive) fits the spirit of the original English text much closer than either of your translations in my opinion.
Plasteel is a real material. Research. Seriously. That's the one thing that I often find terribly lacking in professional translations. The incredible lack of subject-knowledge. And yeah, this sounded way harsher pre-edit then I intended. It's often knowing what a word means and using the proper translated jargon.
"Z.W.E.M.-pak Zelfaangedreven Waterdicht Elektro-Mechanisch-pak" works much better.
They just made backronyms using water and fish related words and picked the best one. I suggest we do the same.
Write down a bunch of water and sea related words, make some backronyms and THAT works.
People here could probably come up with something way better than I just did.
A few seconds of Googling learns that the general species of coral is called 'pijpkoraal' in Dutch. It's sometimes a tip to use google image-search to quickly match meanings over languages. Thoroughly agree on compound words though. On university, we used to call it "English disease".
Couldn't agree more.
Cheers! But please take my tips on subject-research to heart. I notice it so incredibly often on professional subtitle-translations. It's sloppy... I get there's very little time for a translation, but a tiny bit of research for an hour long documentary would literally be in the order of 20-40 minutes or so, and yield a MASSIVE boost in quality. Not wanting to be insulting here, but it's something I notice A LOT, even from otherwise excellent translators who sometimes even take the effort to translate jokes that don't work into ones that do. And yeah, I totally sound condescending... sorry, not at all intended.
My background: Just being a nitpicky bastard who happens to know a little bit of English
Haven't looked at this topic in ages. Good to see some activity
Not sure about this one. I'd rather go with 'grondstoffen' if it actually means 'natural resources' which is, if I'm correct. The context.
"Zwemoplaadvliezen"
This describes the menu showing food and drink... why not just call it 'eten en drinken'?
edit: Lol, just noticed the original one was suggested by me in the first post. Also, sustenance DOES mean 'levensonderhoud' according to most dictionaries, remember it doesn't just describe food. So 'etenswaar' is per definition incorrect. Even walked into this trap myself prior to edit.
"snijapparaat" en "lasersnijapparaat"
This is closer to a cutting device than a cutting machine. A cutting machine is stationary, a device isn't. I'd argue it's much closer to a 'lasapparaat'.
I'd say the Acid Mushroom needs a proper Dutch name before we worry about its spores. The original translation was halfway there, but again 'English disease': "Zuurpaddestoel" is a descriptive name for an Acidic Mushroom, but it doesn't really sound right... so I'd argue we use 'Zuurzwam' which sounds like a proper descriptive name for a mushroom.
I think I'm off again, hopefully my two cents are worth something.
- grondstoffen
- eten en drinken (now that I know the context)
- lasapparaat
Not so sure about the charge fins, that entire word is weird in Dutch in any case
And I kinda like "zuurzwam" more, but ya gotta admit my non-suggestion "bijtende paddestoel" is hilarious
I wouldn't put that beyond our lovely devs hehe
THAT BLOODY SHROOM JUST BIT ME!
What I found interesting is that there is most definitely a scientific highlight to the game, but I find it mostly in the game's environment as far as technology is involved.
On the other hand I have found the tongue-in-cheek approach of the developers quite refreshing, starting right off the bat with the most notable statement: "Greetings survivor. Good job not dying..."
Other little gems:
Membrain Tree, from Membrane + Brain (because it looks like a brain).
"Spongy. Gristly. Thankfully odorless."
"Never eat the antennae."
"Your daily dose of salt in a single portion."
"Useless glass container."
"A variation on a useless glass container."
"A particularly useless glass container."
"Your hands, enhanced!"
"This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions of being objectively creepy."
"Weapons were removed [...] the knife remains the only exception. Sorry about that."
"You've been down too long in the midnight sea."
"Consider disguising the flavor of unsavory meats with salt, or locally sourced herbs and spices."
"Data indicates that swimming was your favorite activity."
"Swimming is fantastic for your glutes and endorphin levels."
"[...] select carefully which lifeforms you bring onboard - they may also be studying you."
"Famous shipwreck survivor Craig McGill survived 47 months on live tree-roaches and stankroot, prepared as a healthy, raw salad."
"If Craig McGill can do that, you can survive another day."
"Small, aggressive specimen. 94% muscle, 4% connective tissue, 2% brain."
"Never tap the glass: you don't know what will tap back, or how hard"
"Because drinking reclaimed urine is better than death by dehydration"
"Disclaimer: You are not invulnerable when wearing this suit"
Ah, you get the point.
I guess what I meant to say was that word-for-word translations don't always hold up. Sometimes, obviously, it's all you get, because there are only so many ways you can say the same thing. I am not expecting or requiring that translations I come up with are the all in all. Far from that. But considering that I've seen a lot of mechanical translations, for lack of a better comparison, I am suggesting that we should not be afraid to sometimes let go of the words to get the meaning across.
Agreed. Real or not, though, given the facts that not everyone may know that and that the term is still a contraction of plastic and steel, we should be able to adapt it to our audience.
I've given this one a lot of thought, going through many iterations. Then I found that the posters for the Prawn Suit aren't readily accessible for text modification. So no matter what translation we'd come up with, those posters will still say Prawn Suit. That's why, at least for now, I figured to just suck it up and consider it as much of a brand name as Cyclops and Seamoth, and leave it as such.
Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, and it would fit in well with the random humor the developers have peppered the game with.
Perhaps they will at one point make the poster texts configurable.
Great find. I left it unchanged because there already seemed to be a consensus, but yes, due diligence indeed. I did do that with "aardlaag", though, which clearly shows that it is an unfitting translation for "outcrop" in the context of the resource containing nodules. Geode or nodule, perhaps?
I've lived in the USA for over 20 years and am still told regularly that I am often too straight forward. So don't worry, it's a Dutch thing.
Also my choice.
Opladerzwemvliezen?
Honestly, even in English "swim charge fins" sounds a bit botchy...
Because an extension of the "English disease" you mentioned earlier is to try and cram as much meaning is as few words as possible, without understanding that Dutch as a language is generally much more verbose than English (there are exceptions).
You make a good point here, though. The menu of the fabricator seems to indicate that the functionality in question pertains to food and water only.
Voeding, does encompass both.
But it doesn't weld. It's a futuristic version of the good old acetylene torch (snijbrander), with some added tech terms that, in my opinion, don't do particularly well in a Dutch translation.
The actual welder was renamed to Repair Tool, although it pretty much still looks and acts like a welder (Lasser / Lasapperaat, still my preference).
Also my choice. I wouldn't use the word paddestoel at all for any references to mushrooms I have seen in the game.
No, they didn't. I just figured that a literal translation would be out of the question. As mentioned, I currently agree that these brand names are best left alone for now.
Something else...
I had originally started working directly in the JSON file and didn't find out until later that Unknown Worlds has a translation interface for Subnautica:
http://translate.unknownworlds.com/translations
I got a couple of pages in before I noticed that:
- Mistaken additions cannot be removed
- Comments can only be added as "translations"
- By the time a wrong translation has more than 3 up-votes, it's likely there to stay
- The same for correct translations with multiple down-votes
- You can vote on your own translation
- There is a translation history, but no vote history (see where that can go?)
- Only admins have the power to mark a translation as the chosen one (Tim Dekort, Grey Hunter, Tuur Martens)
- Tuur seems to have been the most active, though I do not know if he still is, or if any of the admins are, for that matter
- There are many bad translations with multiple down-votes that are still set as the chosen ones
And again, a large portion of the game remains untranslated. I have gotten about halfway the approximately 5,000 line file. Most of what remains are the Mission briefs, PDAs, Base descriptions, and Data Bank entries.
I actually came back to this forum today to delete my posts and forget about the whole thing, as I had not seen any responses and didn't get the impression that there was much interest in a Dutch translation, anyway. After all, 99% of Dutch people are pretty fluent in English to begin with.
So, I guess my question is: Is it worth it?
There would always be people using it. Perhaps it would open up the game to some people... but I honestly have NEVER heard of anyone not buying a game because it's only available in English...
If anyone here has translations/suggestions, feel free to directly give them in at http://translate.unknownworlds.com/translations
This thread has long been inactive, and it's a mistake on my part, but I've forgotten to check this thread.
To answer Willems question, I am active, I have set up an RSS reader to notify me whenever someone has translated a string. However, I have not seen activity from other administrators. If anyone finds another bug, horrible translation, informality, non-existing words, please tell me by tagging me, or by writing a note next to given translations (I know it's messy, but what other way can be used). It would be great being able to easily talk to fellow translators and admins. To establish this, I have set up a Discord server, which you can join at this link: https://discord.gg/aUdBW
Greetings, Tuur Martens.
Well, as Tuur already knows, I'm back in the (translation) game -- as an admin this time.
I just got back from vacation and currently have guests over for a couple of weeks, so I am moving a bit slower than I normally would.
@quaqiem ik zal mijn best doen!
Cheers!
- Willem
Truckin' through the Data Bank entries. After that it's time for the PDAs.
Cheers!
- Willem
I have been gone for a while because of a drive crash and system change. Picking up again. Right now I am going through all the translations for which the original entries have changed (which deletes the associated translations).
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been helping out. Kudos to @JohnyTheCarrot for his tenacity and hard work and to all those who cast their votes and supplied translations. Your enthusiasm is so much appreciated.
We certainly take the votes into account, especially because there was a major influx in recent times that is reflected specifically on the first 3 pages. However, I do want to clarify that a majority vote does not automatically mean that the translation becomes the accepted version. There are several reasons for that:
- Majority votes were cast for a new and very different translation for an entry that already had an accepted translation that was auto-deleted because of a minor change.
- Majority votes were cast for a translation that contains dialect, improper punctuation or capitalization, or misunderstandings (American English vs British English, for instance).
- Majority votes were cast for a translation that is out of context.
These are the most common and the majority of them are simply the result of lack of fluency in both languages and/or experience with translating.
What we also see happen is that votes are cast in accordance with the number of Dutch words that are exact substitutes for each English words in the original entry -- however odd the outcome may sound. The assumption here is that fidelity is only achieved by literally translating every word exactly. This, however, is not how translating works. A translation is achieved by understanding the meaning, impact, attitude, and form of a foreign language and putting that into one's native tongue.
In addition, there is a certain artistic license for translators in applying this understanding. This becomes notably apparent with the names for the flora and fauna. Not only does Dutch not have to follow the Anglo-curiosity of adding "fish" to most names of fish, the names themselves are also open for interpretation and adjustment to context, idiom, and how it rolls off the tongue.
Enough of that, though. I don't mean to curb the enthusiasm. Just wanted to give you a glimpse into the world of words and what is involved.
Peace!
- Willem