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03 Sep 2008 01:26 PM
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Nintendo has told Nob Ogasawara, the translator of Pokemon games, that his services are no longer needed. Nintendo instead plans to do any translation work internally. Below is the alleged post by Nob Ogasawara.

"So, after nearly a dozen years and nineteen Pokemon games later, I am out. I was told that my services were no longer needed because translation work will be handled internally hereafter. They assured me it's not a quality issue, but because of some bureaucratic thing.

OK, cool, whatever. As a career-long-and-not-about-to-change freelancer, I always expected this day to come, but not for this reason. But such is life.
I'll always be grateful for the incredible opportunity the franchise gave me. I mean, sheesh, as the sole translator on those games, my words went out to tens of millions of people, perhaps even more, since all the Euro translations were based on the localized-by-me English text. Tens of millions? Maybe in the hundreds of millions?

That's mindboggling for an average shmoe of an immigrant kid who grew up in a Canadian suburb. It amazes me how many people its reached and how deep it has penetrated into the sociocultural fabric of... OK, enough of that grad paper horseshit. Still, whenever I see some little kid playing a Pokemon... gently caress, yeah, I still get a surge of pride.

I hope people enjoyed what I did. Or at least didn't find it all that insufferable. As corny as it sounds, I really did pour all my love in to those games. If it helped brighten up some kid's day, then yeah, go me.

It was one gently caress of a great ride while it lasted. Thank you for being there and sharing it with me. Though, being here, I felt like a fraud since y'all's knowledge run far, far deeper than mine. You deserve better than me.
So here's to continued and greater success of the franchise in the decades to come.

I remain a fan of Pokemon.
Nob Ogasawara"

Source: http://forums.somethingawful.com/
03 Sep 2008 01:33 PM
Sunain Administrator
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
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This seems consistent with Pokemon USA current mandate of doing everything in house. It seems kind dumb move on their part though, as a guy with that much experience translating would have a great background knowledge of the games. Not only that, he would certainly be able to keep his translations consistent with he\'s previous ones.

Guess it looks like the English translation of Pokemon Platinum will be done by someone else, perhaps even a team. Will be interesting to to compare the translation style.
03 Sep 2008 03:33 PM
Joined: 24 Aug 2008
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Its always the little guy that gets it!

Though I\'m not at all surprised As it would be simpler for it to be in house. Dose this mean that they have only just started the work on the English game?
03 Sep 2008 03:54 PM
Sunain Administrator
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One would assume they are working on the English translations of Platinum and/or the new Ranger game currently with this forthcoming news.
04 Sep 2008 07:00 AM
_melee_ Administrator
Joined: 07 Apr 2008
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Aww, that\'s sad, but I guess he\'s right that that\'s what happens when you\'re freelance, and it\'s good he\'s not bitter about it.

Let\'s hope this doesn\'t mean the script of Platinum and future games suck as much as PUSA\'s anime scripts.
06 Sep 2008 09:12 AM
Joined: 24 Aug 2008
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That was not smart at all. He has Translated what, over 15 pokemon based games. Now they tell him to leave.