Difference between revisions of "Translation errors"

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As with any work translated from one language to another, The purpose of this article is to record these discrepancies between the Japanese and English versions of Phantasy Star Universe.
+
As with any work translated from one language to another, the process of translating and localizing will result in a few different interpretations of the material. The purpose of this article is to record these notable discrepancies between the Japanese and English versions of Phantasy Star Universe.
  
 
==Mistranslations==
 
==Mistranslations==
These are the ones that are just plain wrong, and cannot be attributed to simple typos or Japanese language quirks.
+
These entries are simply and plainly incorrect, and cannot be attributed to simple typos or Japanese language quirks.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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| [[Rod]] || ロドウ || Rodou, Rodoh || Applies to all Yohmei [[Rods]] (i.e. Ulrodou, Rayharodou, and so on). [[GRM Rod]], added in ''Ambition of the Illuminus'', is simply Rod (ロッド) in the Japanese version.
 
| [[Rod]] || ロドウ || Rodou, Rodoh || Applies to all Yohmei [[Rods]] (i.e. Ulrodou, Rayharodou, and so on). [[GRM Rod]], added in ''Ambition of the Illuminus'', is simply Rod (ロッド) in the Japanese version.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Lumirus/Kaos Knight]] || ルミラス/カーズナイト || Lumirus / Cursed Knight || "Chaos" (カオス), as the English name would suggest (and misspells, presumably to fit the item's name into the provided space), is incorrect.
+
| [[Lumirus/Kaos Knight]] || ルミラス/カーズナイト || Lumirus / Cursed Knight || "Chaos" (カオス), as the English name would suggest (and misspells, presumably to fit the item's name into the provided space), doesn't really work.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Jao]] || ジャッゴ || Jaggo || rowspan="2" | The names of these room items should match the name of [[Jaggo|the enemy]], as they do in Japanese. Contrast with [[Cushion Jaggo]]. "Jaggo" itself is an intentional alteration of "Chao" (チャオ) from Sonic Adventure. Also see specific notes for [[Chao Staff]] within the [[#Inconsistent_with_Previous_Games|inconsistent translations]] section.
+
| [[Jao]] || ジャッゴ || Jaggo || rowspan="2" | The names of these room items should match the name of [[Jaggo|the enemy]], as they do in Japanese. Contrast with [[Cushion Jaggo]]. "Jaggo" itself is an intentional alteration of "Chao" (チャオ) from Sonic Adventure. Also see specific notes for [[Chao Staff]] within the [[#Inconsistent_with_Previous_Games|inconsistent translations section]].
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[Relaxing Jao]] ||  リラックス・ジャッゴ || Relax Jaggo, Relaxing Jaggo
 
| [[Relaxing Jao]] ||  リラックス・ジャッゴ || Relax Jaggo, Relaxing Jaggo
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==Typographical Errors==
 
==Typographical Errors==
These are minor spelling errors which are more likely than not unintentional.
+
These are minor, most likely unintentional spelling errors.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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| [[Neddle Cannoc]] || ニードルカノック || Needle Cannoc || The board and [[Needle Cannon|GRM version]] of this weapon are spelled correctly.
 
| [[Neddle Cannoc]] || ニードルカノック || Needle Cannoc || The board and [[Needle Cannon|GRM version]] of this weapon are spelled correctly.
 
|-
 
|-
| Barada || バラタ || Barata || All [[Shotgun]] bullets.
+
| Barada || バラタ || Barata || Prefix for all [[Shotgun]] bullets.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[Regrant]] || レグランツ || Regrants || Consistency with technique Grants in previous games.
 
| [[Regrant]] || レグランツ || Regrants || Consistency with technique Grants in previous games.
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==Deliberate Changes==
 
==Deliberate Changes==
With these, the original Japanese has been deliberately set aside. The names of the items in English do not resemble the original Japanese.
+
With these entries, the original Japanese has been deliberately set aside. As opposed to a translation error, which is an unintentional mistake, the text is purposefully rewritten with something entirely different, often bearing no resemblance to the original Japanese at all.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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| Dark || ダークネス || Darkness || Shortened for the dark elemental bullets of [[Rifles]], [[Laser Cannons]], [[Twin Handguns]], [[Handguns]], and [[Machineguns]].
 
| Dark || ダークネス || Darkness || Shortened for the dark elemental bullets of [[Rifles]], [[Laser Cannons]], [[Twin Handguns]], [[Handguns]], and [[Machineguns]].
 
|-
 
|-
| Fury || フィーバー || Fever || For all [[Machinegun]] bullets, "Fever" (Burning Fever, Frozen Fever, and so on) was changed to "Fury" in English version.
+
| Shot || シュート || Shoot || The suffix for all [[Rifle]] bullets, "Shoot", was (appropriately) changed to "Shot".
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Shifta]] || アグタール || Agtal || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with [[Retier]]'s TP boost to create a new TECHNIC called Shifta. Also see notes for [[Agtaride]] in the inconsistent translations section.
+
| Fury || フィーバー || Fever || The suffix for all [[Machinegun]] bullets, "Fever", was changed to "Fury".
 +
|-
 +
| [[Shifta]] || アグタール || Agtal || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with [[Retier]]'s TP boost to create a new TECHNIC called Shifta. Also see notes for [[Agtaride]] in the [[#items|inconsistent translations section]].
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[Jellen]] || アグディール || Agdeel || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, a new TECHNIC called Jellen with an added TP lowering effect replaces Agdeel in Phantasy Star Portable 2.
 
| [[Jellen]] || アグディール || Agdeel || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, a new TECHNIC called Jellen with an added TP lowering effect replaces Agdeel in Phantasy Star Portable 2.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Deband]] || デフバール || Defbal || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with [[Zodial]] and [[Retier]] (MST boost) to create a TECHNIC called Deband. Also see notes for [[Defbaride]] in the inconsistent translations section.
+
| [[Deband]] || デフバール || Defbal || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with [[Zodial]] and [[Retier]] (MST boost) to create a new TECHNIC called Deband. Also see notes for [[Defbaride]] in the [[#Items|inconsistent translations section]].
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Zalure]] || デフディール || Defdeel || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with [[Zoldeel]] to create a TECHNIC called Zalure.
+
| [[Zalure]] || デフディール || Defdeel || Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with [[Zoldeel]] to create a new TECHNIC called Zalure.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Reverser]] || レジェネ || Regene || Named changed to match the name of a technique in previous games; however, the effect of Reverser in previous games does not match, and its Japanese name is actually rather close to a technique present in Phantasy Star IV anyway: Raja's Regen (レジェネス/Regenes).
+
| [[Reverser]] || レジェネ || Regene || Named changed to match the name of a technique in previous games; however, the effect of Reverser in previous games (revival of a fallen party member) does not match, and its Japanese name is actually rather close to a technique present in Phantasy Star IV anyway: Raja's Regen (レジェネス/Regenes).
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==Inconsistent Translations==
 
==Inconsistent Translations==
While many of these are technically correct, they are translated inconsistently within the game itself or against a previous Phantasy Star game's translation.
+
While many of these entries are technically accurate, they are translated inconsistently within the game itself or against another Phantasy Star game's translation.
  
 
===Characters===
 
===Characters===
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| [[Durandal Replica]] || デュランダル・レプカ || Durandal Repca || Inconsistent with [[Agito Repca]].
 
| [[Durandal Replica]] || デュランダル・レプカ || Durandal Repca || Inconsistent with [[Agito Repca]].
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Hard / Night]] || ハルド/ナイト || Hard / Knight || Part of the "Knight" series of [[Units#Arm_units|arm units]]. This mistranslation is carried over to the French and German translations as well, where "Nocturne" and "Nacht" are used instead of "Chevalier" and "Ritter" respectively.
+
| [[Hard / Night]] || ハルド/ナイト || Hard / Knight || Part of the "Knight" series of [[Units#Arm_units|arm units]]. This is carried over to the French and German translations as well, where "Nocturne" and "Nacht" are used instead of "Chevalier" and "Ritter" respectively.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Agtaride]] || アグタライド || Shiftaride or similar || Derived from the TECHNIC [[Shifta]], whose JP name is "Agtal", which matches in the same way [[Retier]], [[Zodial]] and [[Megistar]] match their item names. Alternately, Shifta could be corrected to Agtal. See notes for Shifta in the deliberate changes section.
+
| [[Agtaride]] || アグタライド || Shiftaride or similar || Derived from the TECHNIC [[Shifta]], whose JP name is "Agtal", which matches in the same way [[Retier]], [[Zodial]] and [[Megistar]] match their item names. Alternately, Shifta could be changed to Agtal. See notes for Shifta in the [[#Deliberate Changes|deliberate changes section]].
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Defbaride]] || デフバライド || Debanride or similar || Derived from the TECHNIC [[Deband]], whose JP name is "Defbal", which matches in the same way [[Retier]], [[Zodial]] and [[Megistar]] match their item names. Alternately, Deband could be corrected to Defbal. See notes for Deband in the deliberate changes section.
+
| [[Defbaride]] || デフバライド || Debanride or similar || Derived from the TECHNIC [[Deband]], whose JP name is "Defbal", which matches in the same way [[Retier]], [[Zodial]] and [[Megistar]] match their item names. Alternately, Deband could be changed to Defbal. See notes for Deband in the [[#Deliberate Changes|deliberate changes section]].
 
|}
 
|}
  
===Enemies===
+
====Equipment Sets====
 +
These items together form a set bonus have matching names in Japanese, but were translated seperately and do not match in English.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
! English  !! Japanese !! Alternative !! Details
+
! English  !! Japanese !! Suggested Corrections
 +
|-
 +
| [[Jitseen]] || ジートシーン || rowspan="2" | "Jitline" or "Zeetseen", or change ''both'' items to "Jitoshin" and "Jitoline"
 +
|-
 +
| [[Zeetline]] || ジートライン
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Badira]] || バジラ || Bajilla || rowspan="2"| Bajilla would be technically correct. Alternatively, Go Bajilla could be changed to Go Badira for consistency, but would make both equally incorrect.
+
| [[Nafli-zashi]] || ナフリザシ || rowspan="2" | "Nafri-zashi" or "Nafli-senba".
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Go Bajilla]] || ゴ・バジラ || -
+
| [[Nafri-senba]] || ナフリセンバ
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Tengohg]] || テンゴウグ || rowspan=4 | Gohg or Goug || rowspan="4" | Half of this family of monsters uses "gohg", while the other half uses "goug"!
+
| [[Rayharod]] || レイハロドウ || rowspan="2" | "Reiharod" or "Rayha-senba". Also see entry for Rod in [[#Mistranslations|Mistranslations section]].
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Onmagoug]] || オンマゴウグ
+
| [[Reiha-senba]] || レイハセンバ
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Zoal Goug]] || ゾアル・ゴウグ
+
| [[Lidra]] || リドルラ || rowspan="2" | "Lidra-senba". "Ridolra" would be a bit difficult to pronounce.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Alterazgohg]] || アルテラツゴウグ
+
| [[Ridol-senba]] || リドルセンバ
 
|}
 
|}
  
===Equipment Sets===
+
===Enemies===
These items together form a set bonus have matching names in Japanese, but were translated seperately and different in English and do not match.
 
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
! English  !! Japanese !! Suggested Correction
+
! English  !! Japanese !! Alternative !! Details
|-
 
| [[Jitseen]] || ジートシーン || rowspan="2" | Forgo "Jitline" or "Zeetseen" and instead change ''both'' items to "Jitoshin" and "Jitoline" respectively instead.
 
|-
 
| [[Zeetline]] || ジートライン
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Nafli-zashi]] || ナフリザシ || rowspan="2" | Change either the dagger to "Nafri-zashi" or the line shield to "Nafli-senba".
+
| [[Badira]] || バジラ || Bajilla || rowspan="2"| Bajilla would be closer to the original. Alternatively, Go Bajilla could be changed to Go Badira for consistency, but would make both equally more inaccurate.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Nafri-senba]] || ナフリセンバ
+
| [[Go Bajilla]] || ゴ・バジラ || Go Badira
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Rayharod]] || レイハロドウ || rowspan="2" | Change either the rod to "Reiharod" or the line shield to "Rayha-senba". Also see Rod in first Mistranslations section.
+
| [[Tengohg]] || テンゴウグ || Tengoug || rowspan="4" | Half of this family of monsters uses "gohg", while the other half uses "goug"!
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Reiha-senba]] || レイハセンバ
+
| [[Onmagoug]] || オンマゴウグ || Onmagohg
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Lidra]] || リドルラ || rowspan="2" | Change line shield name to "Lidra-senba".
+
| [[Zoal Goug]] || ゾアル・ゴウグ || Zoal Gohg
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Ridol-senba]] || リドルセンバ
+
| [[Alterazgohg]] || アルテラツゴウグ || Alterazgoug
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
===Inconsistent with Previous Games===
 
===Inconsistent with Previous Games===
The Japanese names of these items match those of their counterparts in other Phantasy Star games, but are translated differently in Phantasy Star Universe.
+
The Japanese names of these items match those of their counterparts in Japanese versions of other Phantasy Star games, but are translated differently in Phantasy Star Universe.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! English  !! Japanese !! Alternatives !! Details
 
! English  !! Japanese !! Alternatives !! Details
 
|-
 
|-
| [[TECHNICs|TECHNIC]] || テクニック || Technique || Reasoning unknown; similar to other fully capitalized in-game terms such as [[RELICS]], or [[GUARDIANS]].
+
| [[TECHNICs|TECHNIC]] || テクニック || Technique || Reasoning behind change is unknown, but is similar to other fully capitalized in-game terms such as [[RELICS]], or [[GUARDIANS]].
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[Bardiche]] || バルディッシュ || Berdysh (PSO) || Phantasy Star Online's original naming is a rather horrible mangling of an actual weapon term for a long poleaxe.
 
| [[Bardiche]] || バルディッシュ || Berdysh (PSO) || Phantasy Star Online's original naming is a rather horrible mangling of an actual weapon term for a long poleaxe.
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| [[Yasminakov 0002|Yasminakov]] || ヤスミノコフ || Yasminkov (PSO), Yasminokov (PSZ) || Reference to the Yasminkov series of weapons from PSO. "Yasminokov" would be the most accurate translation.
 
| [[Yasminakov 0002|Yasminakov]] || ヤスミノコフ || Yasminkov (PSO), Yasminokov (PSZ) || Reference to the Yasminkov series of weapons from PSO. "Yasminokov" would be the most accurate translation.
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Jigo Booma]] || ジゴ・ブーマ || Gigobooma (PSO,PSZ), Gigo Booma || A familiar enemy from the forest area of PSO.
+
| [[Grinna Bete C]] || グリナ・ビートC || Grinna Beat C || rowspan="3" | The names of these machine enemies reference PSO's Sinow Beat (シノワビート), but both "Sinow" and "Beat" are spelled differently in PSU. "Shinowa" is closer to the original Japanese than the more liberal "Sinow", however.
 +
|-
 +
| [[Grinna Bete S]] || グリナ・ビートS || Grinna Beat S
 +
|-
 +
| [[Shinowa Hidoki]] || シノワ・ヒドキ || Sinow Hidoki
 +
|-
 +
| [[Jigo Booma]] || ジゴ・ブーマ || Gigobooma (PSO,PSZ), Gigo Booma || A familiar enemy from the forest area of PSO. "Jigo" is closer to the original Japanese, since the "G" in "Gigo" could be mistaken for a hard G sound (as in "go" or "gravity") instead of the "j" sound (as in "jelly" or "jury") it should be.
 +
|-
 +
| [[Dark Falz]] || ダーク・ファルス || Darkfalz (I), Dark Force (II,III,IV), Dark Phallus (Saturn Collection bonus material) || The Japanese name, which is closer to "Falz" than "Force", has been mostly consistent throughout the series' entire history. "Falz" is the most common variation now, even after bundling expanded versions in the series (e.g. Blue Burst, Ambition of the Illuminus) with their originals.
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===Others===
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! English  !! Japanese !! Alternatives !! Details
 +
|-
 +
| [[Tyrant Spada]] || タイラントスパーダ || Tyrant Sparda || rowspan="2" | Both alternatives have equal merit.
 +
|-
 +
| [[Special Ops (Sparda)]] || 特務兵・スパーダ || Special Ops (Spada)
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Dark Falz]] || ダーク・ファルス || Darkfalz (I), Dark Force (II,III,IV), Dark Phallus (Saturn Collection bonus material) || The Japanese name has been mostly consistent throughout the series' entire history. "Dark Falz" is the most common variation now, even after bundling expanded versions in the series (e.g. Blue Burst, Ambition of the Illuminus) with their originals.
+
| [[Bil De Vear]] || ビル・ヂ・ビア || - || This translation is technically accurate, but take note and compare its characters to PSO's Hildebear (ヒルヂベア).
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==Japanese Errors==
 
==Japanese Errors==
A mistake made in the original Japanese, usually stemming from incorrect use of Anglicisms, essentially translating English to Japanese and back to English again.
+
A mistake made in the original Japanese, usually stemming from incorrect use of Anglicisms—essentially translating English to Japanese and back to English again.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

Revision as of 23:51, 1 June 2010

As with any work translated from one language to another, the process of translating and localizing will result in a few different interpretations of the material. The purpose of this article is to record these notable discrepancies between the Japanese and English versions of Phantasy Star Universe.

Mistranslations

These entries are simply and plainly incorrect, and cannot be attributed to simple typos or Japanese language quirks.

English Japanese Suggested Correction Details
Rod ロドウ Rodou, Rodoh Applies to all Yohmei Rods (i.e. Ulrodou, Rayharodou, and so on). GRM Rod, added in Ambition of the Illuminus, is simply Rod (ロッド) in the Japanese version.
Lumirus/Kaos Knight ルミラス/カーズナイト Lumirus / Cursed Knight "Chaos" (カオス), as the English name would suggest (and misspells, presumably to fit the item's name into the provided space), doesn't really work.
Jao ジャッゴ Jaggo The names of these room items should match the name of the enemy, as they do in Japanese. Contrast with Cushion Jaggo. "Jaggo" itself is an intentional alteration of "Chao" (チャオ) from Sonic Adventure. Also see specific notes for Chao Staff within the inconsistent translations section.
Relaxing Jao リラックス・ジャッゴ Relax Jaggo, Relaxing Jaggo
De Rol Le ヂィ・ロレイ De Rolei The Japanese name is a deliberate alteration of the PSO boss De Rol Le (デ・ロル・レ) and does not match. Compare Delsaber and Delnadian.

Typographical Errors

These are minor, most likely unintentional spelling errors.

English Japanese Suggested Correction Details
Ank Bico アンク・ピッコ Ank Piko, Ank Pico A reference to the "Piko Piko Hammer" weapon used by the Sonic the Hedgehog series character Amy Rose. Similar to Toy Hammer from Phantasy Star Online.
Assasin アサシン Assassin The board for this weapon is spelled correctly.
Neddle Cannoc ニードルカノック Needle Cannoc The board and GRM version of this weapon are spelled correctly.
Barada バラタ Barata Prefix for all Shotgun bullets.
Regrant レグランツ Regrants Consistency with technique Grants in previous games.

Deliberate Changes

With these entries, the original Japanese has been deliberately set aside. As opposed to a translation error, which is an unintentional mistake, the text is purposefully rewritten with something entirely different, often bearing no resemblance to the original Japanese at all.

English Japanese Approximate Romanization Details
Fortetecher フォルテクター  Fortecher An extra "te" was added to make this type syllabically consistent with Fortefighter and Fortegunner.
RCSMs シャドゥーグ Shadoog Known as both ranged combat support machines and R-Mags in English, but consistently Shadoog in Japanese.
TCSMs マドゥーグ Madoog Known as both TECHNIC combat support machines and TECH-Mags in English, but consistently Madoog in Japanese.
Grav グラブター Gravata Shortened for the ground elemental bullets of Rifles, Laser Cannons, Twin Handguns, Handguns, and Machineguns.
Dark ダークネス Darkness Shortened for the dark elemental bullets of Rifles, Laser Cannons, Twin Handguns, Handguns, and Machineguns.
Shot シュート Shoot The suffix for all Rifle bullets, "Shoot", was (appropriately) changed to "Shot".
Fury フィーバー Fever The suffix for all Machinegun bullets, "Fever", was changed to "Fury".
Shifta アグタール Agtal Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with Retier's TP boost to create a new TECHNIC called Shifta. Also see notes for Agtaride in the inconsistent translations section.
Jellen アグディール Agdeel Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, a new TECHNIC called Jellen with an added TP lowering effect replaces Agdeel in Phantasy Star Portable 2.
Deband デフバール Defbal Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with Zodial and Retier (MST boost) to create a new TECHNIC called Deband. Also see notes for Defbaride in the inconsistent translations section.
Zalure デフディール Defdeel Name changed to match a similar technique in previous games. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Portable 2, its effect is merged with Zoldeel to create a new TECHNIC called Zalure.
Reverser レジェネ Regene Named changed to match the name of a technique in previous games; however, the effect of Reverser in previous games (revival of a fallen party member) does not match, and its Japanese name is actually rather close to a technique present in Phantasy Star IV anyway: Raja's Regen (レジェネス/Regenes).

Inconsistent Translations

While many of these entries are technically accurate, they are translated inconsistently within the game itself or against another Phantasy Star game's translation.

Characters

English Japanese Details
Obel Dallgun オーベル・ダルガン The seventeenth President of the GUARDIANS, his first name is often seen as "Ohbel" instead.
Orson Waber オルソン・ウェーバー Referred to as "Olson" in earlier story missions, most notably Valley of Suspicion 2.
Reyna レイナ The receptionist at the Ohtoku City GUARDIANS Branch, her name is often seen as "Reina" instead.

Items

English Japanese Alternative Details
Durandal Replica デュランダル・レプカ Durandal Repca Inconsistent with Agito Repca.
Hard / Night ハルド/ナイト Hard / Knight Part of the "Knight" series of arm units. This is carried over to the French and German translations as well, where "Nocturne" and "Nacht" are used instead of "Chevalier" and "Ritter" respectively.
Agtaride アグタライド Shiftaride or similar Derived from the TECHNIC Shifta, whose JP name is "Agtal", which matches in the same way Retier, Zodial and Megistar match their item names. Alternately, Shifta could be changed to Agtal. See notes for Shifta in the deliberate changes section.
Defbaride デフバライド Debanride or similar Derived from the TECHNIC Deband, whose JP name is "Defbal", which matches in the same way Retier, Zodial and Megistar match their item names. Alternately, Deband could be changed to Defbal. See notes for Deband in the deliberate changes section.

Equipment Sets

These items together form a set bonus have matching names in Japanese, but were translated seperately and do not match in English.

English Japanese Suggested Corrections
Jitseen ジートシーン "Jitline" or "Zeetseen", or change both items to "Jitoshin" and "Jitoline"
Zeetline ジートライン
Nafli-zashi ナフリザシ "Nafri-zashi" or "Nafli-senba".
Nafri-senba ナフリセンバ
Rayharod レイハロドウ "Reiharod" or "Rayha-senba". Also see entry for Rod in Mistranslations section.
Reiha-senba レイハセンバ
Lidra リドルラ "Lidra-senba". "Ridolra" would be a bit difficult to pronounce.
Ridol-senba リドルセンバ

Enemies

English Japanese Alternative Details
Badira バジラ Bajilla Bajilla would be closer to the original. Alternatively, Go Bajilla could be changed to Go Badira for consistency, but would make both equally more inaccurate.
Go Bajilla ゴ・バジラ Go Badira
Tengohg テンゴウグ Tengoug Half of this family of monsters uses "gohg", while the other half uses "goug"!
Onmagoug オンマゴウグ Onmagohg
Zoal Goug ゾアル・ゴウグ Zoal Gohg
Alterazgohg アルテラツゴウグ Alterazgoug

Inconsistent with Previous Games

The Japanese names of these items match those of their counterparts in Japanese versions of other Phantasy Star games, but are translated differently in Phantasy Star Universe.

English Japanese Alternatives Details
TECHNIC テクニック Technique Reasoning behind change is unknown, but is similar to other fully capitalized in-game terms such as RELICS, or GUARDIANS.
Bardiche バルディッシュ Berdysh (PSO) Phantasy Star Online's original naming is a rather horrible mangling of an actual weapon term for a long poleaxe.
Stag Cutralli スタッグカットラリ Stag Cutlery (PSO) A double saber originally from PSO.
Neiclaw ネイクロー Nei's Claw (PSO) Known as "Nei's Claw" in English versions of PSO. Neiclaw is actually the most accurate.
Falclaw ファルクロー Rika's Claw (PSO), Rikaclaw Known as "Rika's Claw" in the English versions of PSO. "Fal" is the Japanese name of Phantasy Star IV's Rika.
Sonichi ソニチ Soniti (PSO,PSZ) A Mag from Phantasy Star Online, now a RCSM. Like PSO, Phantasy Star Zero uses "Soniti".
Chao Staff チャオの杖 Striker of Chao (PSO) Known as Striker of Chao in the English versions of PSO. Note that Chao, and not Jaggo, is correct here and only here.
Shato シャト Sato (PSO), Chato (PSZ) A Mag from Phantasy Star Online, now a TCSM. Confusingly, Phantasy Star Zero, released later, uses a third spelling.
Yasminakov ヤスミノコフ Yasminkov (PSO), Yasminokov (PSZ) Reference to the Yasminkov series of weapons from PSO. "Yasminokov" would be the most accurate translation.
Grinna Bete C グリナ・ビートC Grinna Beat C The names of these machine enemies reference PSO's Sinow Beat (シノワビート), but both "Sinow" and "Beat" are spelled differently in PSU. "Shinowa" is closer to the original Japanese than the more liberal "Sinow", however.
Grinna Bete S グリナ・ビートS Grinna Beat S
Shinowa Hidoki シノワ・ヒドキ Sinow Hidoki
Jigo Booma ジゴ・ブーマ Gigobooma (PSO,PSZ), Gigo Booma A familiar enemy from the forest area of PSO. "Jigo" is closer to the original Japanese, since the "G" in "Gigo" could be mistaken for a hard G sound (as in "go" or "gravity") instead of the "j" sound (as in "jelly" or "jury") it should be.
Dark Falz ダーク・ファルス Darkfalz (I), Dark Force (II,III,IV), Dark Phallus (Saturn Collection bonus material) The Japanese name, which is closer to "Falz" than "Force", has been mostly consistent throughout the series' entire history. "Falz" is the most common variation now, even after bundling expanded versions in the series (e.g. Blue Burst, Ambition of the Illuminus) with their originals.

Others

English Japanese Alternatives Details
Tyrant Spada タイラントスパーダ Tyrant Sparda Both alternatives have equal merit.
Special Ops (Sparda) 特務兵・スパーダ Special Ops (Spada)
Bil De Vear ビル・ヂ・ビア - This translation is technically accurate, but take note and compare its characters to PSO's Hildebear (ヒルヂベア).

Japanese Errors

A mistake made in the original Japanese, usually stemming from incorrect use of Anglicisms—essentially translating English to Japanese and back to English again.

English Japanese Suggested Correction Details
Vullseye ヴァルズアイ Bullseye V and B are often confused/interchangeable in Japanese. The proper spelling for "bullseye" would be ブルズアイ instead.
BT Lovers BT・ラバーズ VT Lovers The "BT" is supposed to stand for "Valentine", and thus should probably have been VT. Also, conjecturally, rendering it "VD" (for "Valentine's Day") would probably have been problematic—"VD" also stands for "venereal disease," an older term for sexually transmitted diseases.
BT Box BT・ボックス VT Box


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