[DragonSpikeXIII]

There's a line in this game I'm working on (Ace Combat 3) where a pilot says as soon as the mission begins:

レナはフランカーに乗れていいよな。
Good thing Rena’s flying a Flanker!

Whole conversation:
ERICH    　レナはフランカーに乗れていいよな。
FIONA    　お喋りしない。 Cut the chatter.
RENA    　攻撃を開始します。 Commencing attack.

Video, starts at 8:35 so you can hear the voice actor's inflections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D05iZDOvzB8

It's a pretty simple line all things considered. I've asked 3 skilled translators to make sure it's correct and the answer was always positive. And I don't doubt them but I keep having this nagging issue with the scene.

Now bear with me here. Every one else in the wing is flying the worst plane in the game while Rena has a late-game plane right from the get-go. I always thought that by いいよな that he meant they wouldn't have to worry about the enemy planes, since the Flanker is technically superior in every way but the way Fiona tells him, in a stern tone (she's not at all friendly with Rena, even jealous according to a Japanese fan), to stop makes me think that he's actually using いいよな to say "Rena's flying a Flanker. She's got it nice, eh?".
I have found a reference online that translates いいよな like this and now the scene clicks finally, but I'd like to confirm this with another translator. Does this alternate interpretation of いいよな Ii yo na make sense?

In short this is how it reads right now in the v2.0 patches (available now btw):

Erich: I'm so happy she's flying a really good plane, we have nothing to worry about!
Fiona: Shut up!
Rena: ...

to

Erich: Man look at her in her fly plane, she's got it good, huh?
Fiona: Stop praising her!
Rena: ...

The second interpretation makes more sense to me but does it accurately translate the Japanese script, that's the question I have.

Thanks for reading the ramblings of a distraught editor

[DarknessSavior]

I interpret that as "Must be nice to fly in a Flanker, like Rena."

Also, the translations at the bottom are pretty bad, and don't re-create the tone well of the original, IMO.

"Rena's lucky. Must be nice to fly in a Flanker like that."

"This isn't the time for chatter."

"Right. Commencing attack!"

That would be better, to me.

~DS

[DragonSpikeXIII]

Thank you for your input, it seems my hunch was right. I can't use your version verbatim because there isn't enough space for it in-game but at least I know where to start from and go from there.

Oh and the translations at the bottom of my post aren't translations, it's just me spelling everything out in a very broad way, sorry for the confusion (the current translations are at the top). Just saying this so people don't think we're mangling the script.

[Psyklax]

I interpret that as "Must be nice to fly in a Flanker, like Rena."

That sounds logical to me. The lack of an exclamation mark suggests they're more jealous than pleased. If space if an issue, maybe use "A Flanker for Rena. Lucky her." It'd carry the same tone and meaning I think.

[DragonSpikeXIII]

The character who says that line is more neutral-to-friendly towards Rena at the start of the game. It isn't that obvious just from this very short exchange but it becomes clear as the player advances into the game. The other girl on the other hand, not so much (she and Rena never talk to each other, unlike Erich, just to give you an idea).

I just tested the new translation as "Must be nice to fly in a Flanker like Rena." and it fit like a glove, not too short and within limits.

So:

Must be nice to fly in a Flanker like Rena.
Cut the chatter.
Commencing attack.

I think that like this the dynamic between them at the start of the game is clear now. "Good thing Rena's flying a Flanker, eh?" just wasn't doing it for me but it took me a long time to figure it out.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys, really!

Byyy the way, did you guys know that the company that made this game used the wrong version of this line for one of their games, they actually put the "Good thing..." line verbatim in Ace Combat Infinity during a special event for that plane. I^mean, I'm fine with that, but see what happens when pros copy fan-translations, things like this happen.