Confused about japanese games.

I have played some Japanese games in the past. While the majority of the games are mostly Japanese, there are a few snippets that are in English. This is mostly in areas like the menus and stuff, Why is it like that? Do all Japanese players understand a certain amount of English to get that stuff?

I have played some Japanese games in the past. While the majority of the games are mostly Japanese, there are a few snippets that are in English. This is mostly in areas like the menus and stuff, Why is it like that? Do all Japanese players understand a certain amount of English to get that stuff?

JangoWuzHere

Unfortunately, there is virtually no English language support for games produced for distribution in Japan, nor is there any English language support on Xbox Live or the Playstation Network in Japan.

Some english words have no kanji equivalent, so they are written in latin alphabet (one must be 'options' since it's often spelled in latin letters). Other times developers choose to insert english words to give the game a more western feel. Anyways, yes, it's common for japanese people (at least younger generations) to easily read latin alphabet rather than the other way around: keep in mind we only have 26 letters, while they have thousands of ideograms, so our alphabet is a piece of cake in comparison

EDIT: 26 letters, not 22 :P

keep in mind we only have 22 letters, Black_Knight_00

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"] keep in mind we only have 22 letters, CrimsonpugTwo

:shock:

*mind blown*

:lol:

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"] keep in mind we only have 22 letters, CrimsonpugTwo

Some english words have no kanji equivalent, so they are written in latin alphabet (one must be 'options' since it's often spelled in latin letters). Other times developers choose to insert english words to give the game a more western feel. Anyways, yes, it's common for japanese people (at least younger generations) to easily read latin alphabet rather than the other way around: keep in mind we only have 26 letters, while they have thousands of ideograms, so our alphabet is a piece of cake in comparison

EDIT: 26 letters, not 22 :P

Black_Knight_00

Katakana is usually used to phonetically spell foreign words in Japanese. The Roman alphabet, or "Romaji," is also used to phonetically spell English words in Japanese, but its use is not usually at a level that would be comprehensible to a native English speaker.

English is huge in advertising over there. I bet some Japanese devs put English in their games just for the "cool" factor.

English is huge in advertising over there. I bet some Japanese devs put English in their games just for the "cool" factor.

yokofox33

English words are popular decorations on signs and in printed media in combinations that sound "cool" but their usage tends to be rather nonsensical in many cases.

[QUOTE="yokofox33"]

English is huge in advertising over there. I bet some Japanese devs put English in their games just for the "cool" factor.

capaho

English words are popular decorations on signs and in printed media in combinations that sound "cool" but their usage tends to be rather nonsensical in many cases.

Well yes, but that's part of the appeal I think.

[QUOTE="capaho"]

[QUOTE="yokofox33"]

English is huge in advertising over there. I bet some Japanese devs put English in their games just for the "cool" factor.

yokofox33

English words are popular decorations on signs and in printed media in combinations that sound "cool" but their usage tends to be rather nonsensical in many cases.

Well yes, but that's part of the appeal I think.

They learn to read english in high school. They can't speak it but, they can read it.

[QUOTE="yokofox33"]

[QUOTE="capaho"]

English words are popular decorations on signs and in printed media in combinations that sound "cool" but their usage tends to be rather nonsensical in many cases.

capaho

Well yes, but that's part of the appeal I think.

It's the Japanese. They cannot be explained. I lived there for 2 years. For some reason they love goofy English.

They learn to read english in high school. They can't speak it but, they can read it.

morrowindnic

English grammar is taught as a set of minutiae to be memorized for school examinations in junior and senior high school, but there is virtually no listening or reading comprehension that results from the way English is taught in the public schools there. It's a bureaucratic rite of passage that has nothing to do with learning English as a language for communication.

It's the Japanese. They cannot be explained. I lived there for 2 years. For some reason they love goofy English.

yokofox33

Actually, they can be explained, and they love goofy English because they never learn proper English (except for those who take it upon themselves to study English outside of the public school system).

[QUOTE="yokofox33"]

It's the Japanese. They cannot be explained. I lived there for 2 years. For some reason they love goofy English.

capaho

Actually, they can be explained, and they love goofy English because they never learn proper English (except for those who take it upon themselves to study English outside of the public school system).

Errrr, no. It's extremely hard to understand the actions and customs of the Japanese. But honestly, this is way off-topic. I think we can both agree that they obviously don't have a firm grasp of the English language.

Errrr, no. It's extremely hard to understand the actions and customs of the Japanese. But honestly, this is way off-topic. I think we can both agree that they obviously don't have a firm grasp of the English language.

yokofox33

They may be a mystery to you but I am intimately familiar with the actions and customs of the Japanese. You seem to be a believer in the myth of inscrutability.

You're right about one thing, however, this is off topic.

分かりますか。

I wish they always did translate their games so we won't need to wait for so long.

[QUOTE="yokofox33"]

Errrr, no. It's extremely hard to understand the actions and customs of the Japanese. But honestly, this is way off-topic. I think we can both agree that they obviously don't have a firm grasp of the English language.

capaho

They may be a mystery to you but I am intimately familiar with the actions and customs of the Japanese. You seem to be a believer in the myth of inscrutability.

You're right about one thing, however, this is off topic.

分かりますか。

Want a cookie for being intimate with Japanese customs?

I don't want to understand the Japanese nor do I think we can truly understand why the Japanese do certain things unless we are Japanese. I am not, and I don't want to be. But whatever, I'm done. Obviously we disagree, but that's what forums are for. You can have the last word.

Do all Japanese players understand a certain amount of English to get that stuff?JangoWuzHere

[QUOTE="JangoWuzHere"]Do all Japanese players understand a certain amount of English to get that stuff?ChiliDragon

Unfortunately, Japan lags behind most other non-English speaking industrialized countries when it comes to English proficiency. The fundamental problem is rooted in Japan's ethnocentric and nationalistic culture and an anti-foreigner mentality that still carries over from the Edo period, Japan's centuries-long period of military dictatorship. That influence remains deeply seated even today, especially among the right-wing establishment that controls every aspect of Japanese life. English isn't taught as a language for communication because communication with foreigners is dangerous.