Egregoros · Phoenix Framework

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All-bones Jones

Here's a translation conundrum for you to ponder: The description plainly states that it restores 12% of MP at the start of battle. However, due to an oversight, it takes 12% of your max MP and restores that much HP instead.

Do I keep the inaccurate description?

cool_boy_mew

@coolboymew@shitposter.world remote

@All_bonesJones Well, fuck, that's a toughie

But I think both ways are valid in this situation

Replying to @coolboymew@shitposter.world

Blurry Moon

@sun@shitposter.world remote

@coolboymew @All_bonesJones there's nothing wrong with fixing plain mistakes imo

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Replying to @sun@shitposter.world

All-bones Jones

@All_bonesJones@shitposter.world remote

@sun @coolboymew If I'm already fixing plain mistakes, wouldn't it make more sense to fix the bug itself, though? It's essentially just a typo in the script.

But... at that point, it's not really a translation patch, is it? "Translation patch and i fixed this one bug." also runs into the issue that this has a really neat interaction where you can stack max MP buffs without raising HP to take advantage of the spells that cost x% of your max HP as fuel.

Replying to @All_bonesJones@shitposter.world

Blurry Moon

@sun@shitposter.world remote

@All_bonesJones @coolboymew there's no objectively correct answer but for some bugs yeah you could argue it's been around so long that if you changed it now it would break people's expectations, but that is kind of a special case but you're aware of it here so it's tricky yeah.

i think for translation the current relevant fear is just some stupid asshole deliberately and grossly changing the meaning of things and it can lead to maybe overcaution in the opposite direction by well meaning translators

Replying to @sun@shitposter.world

All-bones Jones

@All_bonesJones@shitposter.world remote

@sun @coolboymew i've ultimately opted to go with a mechanics-accurate description. i'm normally a warts-and-all style translator but i feel like i'm going to have too many people acting smug about "haha you fucked up" about it

Replying to @All_bonesJones@shitposter.world

cool_boy_mew

@coolboymew@shitposter.world remote

@All_bonesJones @sun the issue is that you don't know if the author fucked up the description or the code, I guess unless it's that obvious in the code that it's a code fuck up, but then, was it actually caught and he decided to not fix it? Forgot to change the description? Yadda yadda

Replying to @coolboymew@shitposter.world

All-bones Jones

@All_bonesJones@shitposter.world remote

@coolboymew @sun I mean, the code is pretty obviously the fuckup. It gets the player's max MP, divides it by 6, adds 50, and then adds that to HP, then clears the variable. the description itself clearly says restores MP at the start of battle. every other similar mechanic that does this affects its own stat type (TP, MP, HP, etc) only does its own type with no cross-pollination. also, the MP restore is in between two things that do HP restore, and it looks like he copy/pasted the code and changed it to MP except the last step.

Replying to @All_bonesJones@shitposter.world

Maroon

@Maroon@clew.lol remote

@All_bonesJones @coolboymew @sun
Changing the discriptiom is also fixing the bug, just deciding that the text is wrong and not the mechanics. Decdimg which is correct is ultimately an artistic decision and as such invokes authority over the work, which translators as a rule should not do.

Replying to @Maroon@clew.lol

Blurry Moon

@sun@shitposter.world remote

@Maroon @All_bonesJones @coolboymew all translation is exercising artistic discretion over the original work