Undubbing is a type of video game hacking that restores the original language audio content of a game that has been
localized for export while retaining the translated text of the language into which it has been localized.
A typical candidate for an undub is a Japanese game which has been
published
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...
in the United States, with voice acting dubbed in English and text content translated into English, but lacking an in-game option to use the original Japanese audio. The process of undubbing consists of identifying the location and format of the relevant audio content in both the localized and the original versions of the game, then grafting the audio data extracted from the original language version into the localised game.
Oftentimes, dialogue will be completely rewritten in translation, which prompts some to do a total or partial
retranslation
Retranslation refers to the action of "translating a work that has previously been translated into the same language" or to the text itself that was retranslated. Retranslation of classic literature and religious texts is common. Retranslation may ...
of the game in order for the displayed text to fit the actual context of the audio content. Content present in the original game, but cut in the process of localization (due to reasons such as
censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
, or, in some cases, a lack of time) may also be restored in an undub.
Reasons for undubbing
Voice acting is a considerably bigger business in Japan than it currently is in English-speaking countries (see also
Voice acting in Japan). It is not uncommon for acclaimed TV
animation voice actors to be signed by a video game publisher to provide voice acting for a high-profile game. In the west, on the other hand, voice localization projects usually have smaller budgets, and as such, do not have as professional a market as the Japanese one. Due to this, there is a perceived notion that Japanese voice acting is of higher quality, and as such many fans prefer to listen to the Japanese audio track while playing the game, even if they do not speak or understand the Japanese language. Undubbing thus caters either to an audience who does not speak the original language or has not mastered it well enough to enjoy the untranslated text in an
imported
An import is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade.
In international trade, the importation and exportation of goods are limited ...
version of the original game, but still prefers the original audio for the reasons mentioned above, or to an audience that speaks the original language, but prefers to read in the Latin alphabet (or simply hear the original voice-actors chosen by the original studio, as it's not uncommon in Japan to create a character with a specific voice-actor in mind). Because the localized text is left in place where present, an undubbed game can usually still be fully played by those who could not play the import.
Notable undubs
The U.S. versions of some ''
Final Fantasy
is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' games have been undubbed, including ''
Final Fantasy X-2
is a 2003 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation 2. Unlike most ''Final Fantasy'' games, which use self-contained stories and characters, ''X-2'' continues the story of ''Fin ...
'', a PlayStation 2 game by
Square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
, released in 2003 and undubbed in 2008.
Other series that have been undubbed include ''
Mega Man'' (''Rockman'' in Japan), ''
.hack
''.hack'' (pronounced "Dot Hack") is a Japanese multimedia franchise that encompasses two projects: Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate. They were primarily created and developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. ...
'', ''
Xeno'', ''
Megami Tensei
''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...
'', ''
Persona
A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatr ...
'', ''
Kingdom Hearts'', and ''
Tales''.
See also
*
Fan translation of video games
In video gaming, a fan translation is an unofficial translation of a video game made by fans.
The fan translation practice grew with the rise of video game console emulation in the late 1990s. A community of people developed that were interes ...
*
ROM hacking
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a ROM image or ROM file of a video game to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to improve an old game ...
References
External links
The Undubbing FAQ
Video game mods
Hacker culture
Video game culture