Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Spanish Translation (Latin and European)

[RadioTails]

So I am working with Max1323 on translation Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine into Spanish.

Please remember that this is a English speaking forum, so please speak in English when talking about the translation.

Please also note that I don't speak Spanish, and I am dealing with the hacking side. Max1323, Jate (European), & CMDreamer (Latin) are the ones one providing the translations. If you do spot any translations errors/have better suggestions, then please mention.

The aim is to release the translation during the Sonic Hacking Contest 2021 in October.

What is translated:
- Title text
- Dialog for the Enemies
- Options text
- Input Test text
- Sound Test text (unlocked by default)
- How to Play text
- Cast Text
- Credits
- VS and Exercise text
- Scenario text
- Password text
- High Scores text
- Pause text
- Main Menu text
- Rank text
- Continue text
- Checksum text (this appears if the checksum doesn't match)
- Region text (this won't appear unless you hack the game)

The only thing that won't be translated is the game's title.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To finish:

- Adding HIGH SCORES titles.
- Check dialog.
- Update Á and Í 16 x 16 font graphics.
- Update SE ACABÓ text (GAME OVER text on playing field).
- Change GAME OVER text on CONTINUE screen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Screenshots (in progress):

[RadioTails]

The RANK text was using the same values as the High Score letters. Luckily I had them figured out in my DX Edition hack. So that can be changed:


Figured out how the CONTINUE text works.


Now I've got to figure out how the Main Menu frame works. I know where the data is.

[RadioTails]

The Sonic Hacking Contest is over, so I can now finish this translation off.

It seems a Mean Bean Machine Disassembler is currently in the works by a user called Devon (or Mother****ing Satan). He has managed to provide me with the required details to finish the translation.

It turns out the localization team added Nemesis and Enigma compression. The tile data for the Main Menu plane was compressed with Enigma. So I went ahead and fixed ELIGE UN MODO. text:


He also helped fixed a bug that was allowing Á to be selected during the HIGH SCORES menu (this occurs in the original, but loads a blank tile instead). So that is cool.

Edit:
CONTRASEÑA title has been added! Woohoo!

[RadioTails]

So sics has commented about some of the translations. I will discuss them here:

The phrase: "Cuidado con los beans refugiados que no se pueden agrupar...", at first glance I cannot interpret what it means, especially the term "refugiados".

So the original text says "Watch out for the refugee beans which cannot be grouped..."  Basically the refugee beans are the gray ones, that are known as Garbage Puyos in later games. For some, calling them a "refugee bean" is strange since the word is used to describe "a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster."

In the game, they basically appear in the other player's field (dungeon) and are unwanted beans. I can sort of see why they are called that, but they could have used something else.

Originally Max didn't translate them as "beans refugiados" (the EU manual uses refugiadas / 3DS Virtual Console manual uses refugiados). It was my suggestion since I felt there was a suitable translation to use. It seems I was wrong, and perhaps keeping the English name / giving them a different name would be best.

In the case of "Pulsa botón START y botón A para salir", although technically it is fine, Spanish tends to be more concise in structuring these kinds of sentences, so it would be more direct to say; "Pulsa el botón START o A para salir" or "Pulsa A o START para salir", since by the context it is implicit that it refers to the buttons.

That makes sense. The original does say PRESS START BUTTON AND BUTTON A TO EXIT could have easily been written as PRESS START AND A TO EXIT. Using the translation PULSA A + START PARA SALIR would be best, since Y (AND) does make it look like part of the button combination.

The same goes for the term SIGUE, which when referring to parts/beans should be SIGUIENTES, because of its context, but given the limitations it would be best to use the term PRÓX. alluding to PRÓXIMAS/OS.

The EU 3DS Virtual Console manual does use PRÓXIMO for the translation. While PRÓXIMO/PRÓXIMAS is a good translation, I think accented Ó in the thicker font style would look strange. It's best to use an alternative that doesn't use the accented letters.

Tetris DS does use SIGUIENTE, and this is what I suggested to Max. He mentioned to use SIGUE instead, which I didn't feel was the right translation. I guess he felt SIGUIENTE would not have fitted.

The main issue is not the length, but if the word is odd or even. Otherwise it would not be centered. To get SIGUE in, I had to use extra tiles to fix this. Using SIGUIENTES would just fit in, and does not mean I have to use extra tiles! So I will go with that.

Also, "Traducción en español" would be correct if the game included several translations, if not, it would be "Traducción al español", although the language distortions make both forms acceptable anyway

Fair enough. An easy fix.

Another point, although this is again somewhat subjective, the accent of the word PRÁCTICA differs from the style used in the designs of the other accented vowels, something that had already happened in the Ñ, although the latter was justified by being a title.

You will have to explain in more detail, because I don't understand the issue. PRÁCTICA appears on the MAIN MENU and HIGH SCORES sections. I think you are talking about the fact the / on the A is not above, but inline with the rest of the letters? Without modifying the way the game works, there's not much I can do.

I could just put PRACTICA, but I don't know if that is acceptable? In French (Europe), if the word is all in caps, you don't have to use the accent letters. Don't think that applies in Spanish.

The alternative is use a different word. Maybe something like MODO ENTRENAR?

Edit:

[sics]

Although I would like to give a more complete answer, at the moment I do not have time, but I would like to clarify the most important thing.

About the text you mention, now I understand it should be; "Cuidado con los beans polizones, no sirven para formar grupos.

Forcing the meaning of refugee to adapt it to the concept that the game handles, it could be understood as someone who escapes to another place in an illegitimate way, this concept fits better with the word "POLIZONES", although they could also be named as "DESCARTADOS".

Since "Refugee" can be translated as "ISOLATED" and this in turn is synonymous with "EXCLUDED" which is also synonymous with "DISCARDED". I know it is quite far-fetched, but if you think about it, the best translation is one that can be understood by anyone.

On the other hand, as far as I can understand at a glance, these pieces can form groups, what is not possible is to eliminate them when doing it, that's why I changed their text a little.

Regarding saying "A + START" or "A y START", in Spanish it is instinct, so when you express it that way you are saying that you must press both buttons together to exit.

When I spoke of the word PRÁCTICA I was referring to its design, based on the general style that you have used in the rest of the fonts, the accented "A" should be a character that gives the feeling of being squashed to give rise to its accent.

Indeed, I would never have suggested placing the accent of "A" in an obviously complicated place, in any case given limitations so as not to deform this letter, I would have proposed to take advantage of the space on the sides, but I suppose it would clash with the rest of the design in general


(Sorry for this sloppy translation and designs, but a busy day ahead of me tomorrow)

[Jate]

How is the translation going?
cisc and jackic know a lot about it and are advising you well with the translation.

Do you need to edit some graphic? I could try to help you with that.

[RadioTails]

@Sics
I see what you mean by the Á in PRÁCTICA. That should be an easy fix.

EDIT:

That better?

I will use POLIZONES (STOWAWAY) for the translation of refugee beans.

The reason I went with A + START was because you can only use capital letters in the OPTIONS MODE (but that is a very easy fix to allow them), and I was worried PULSA A Y START would confuse people using 6 button controllers to press A + Y + START. I can easily modify the game to allow lower case letters to have PULSA A y START instead.

@Jate! Most of the graphics have been edited, with the difficult ones done by Reld (who is updating the High Scores one today): https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=31226.0
The fun part is dividing them into tiles and changing the map layout.

What you can do is possible check the translations, mainly the dialog! Let me try and take the screenshots and put the, side-by-side to make checking them easier. Some of the robots use some interesting slang, like:
- Spiker says "Stick it to ya"
- Dragon Breath says "The Doc's sending the boys 'round"
- Fuzzy-Logik talks in old English since he's a medieval knight "But thou art destined to proceed no further."
- Grounder makes a pun about lunch "and I'm gonna have you for launch"

It wouldn't hurt for another Spanish user to check the translation.

On the topic of translations, Max1323 mentioned it would be best to leave the GAME OVER text as it is. For reference, this is where GAME OVER appears:


The question is, should GAME OVER be translated? I sort of feel that it is such a iconic video game term that is widely used in Video Games, that it might look strange to translate it. Some Spanish translation however do localize GAME OVER into something Spanish users can understand. Wiki has some examples: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_over

Now the problem is, due to the number of sprites allowed/VRAM space, we are limited to 8 letters. This does make things trickier, but there are translations that can be used (although they not be good choices):
- EL FIN
- TERMINAR
- PERDER (this is a verb, so maybe not the best choice)
- OH NO (although this is already used in VS Mode)

I can see why Max1323 mentioned about leaving it as it is. The translation choices are limited and good translations. Maybe there is a translation I'm not thinking of?

[jackic]

"Fin del juego" is what usually is used to replace "Game Over", but it does not suit your needs, I will give you a couple suggestions, "Se acabó" that means "That's it" as in "Done" or "Finished" or you could also use "Pierdes/Perdiste"-"You lose/You lost".

Leaving "Game Over" as is, is also a great option as I do not think anyone will not understand the meaning. 

[sics]

It looks much better, I think its design is more consistent, although if I have to respond as a graphic designer, I think that we would have to find a way to make the accent look rounded, but that I do not think is a real need for translation

It would actually be "Pulsa A o Start para salir", the other ways of saying it are incorrect, since they do not have the same meaning

Regarding the choice of term for Refugee Beans, I recommend that you do a survey, since the opinion of a single person should not determine your choice.

GAME OVER is a term that we mean by association, and mainly we link it with negative situations, so I only see priority to translate it when by context it has a more favorable connotation.

That's why given the situation I agree and I think it's best to leave it as it

[Jate]

...
@Jate! Most of the graphics have been edited, with the difficult ones done by Reld (who is updating the High Scores one today): https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=31226.0
The fun part is dividing them into tiles and changing the map layout.

What you can do is possible check the translations, mainly the dialog! Let me try and take the screenshots and put the, side-by-side to make checking them easier. Some of the robots use some interesting slang, like:
- Spiker says "Stick it to ya"
- Dragon Breath says "The Doc's sending the boys 'round"
- Fuzzy-Logik talks in old English since he's a medieval knight "But thou art destined to proceed no further."
- Grounder makes a pun about lunch "and I'm gonna have you for launch"

It wouldn't hurt for another Spanish user to check the translation.

Of course.
If I can help with my opinion, great!

[RadioTails]

I will leave GAME OVER as it is. For this game, translating it will just look strange with the limited options that could be used.

@Jate
To make things easier, I have taken screenshots of the dialog and put them side by side (Spanish on left | English on right) that Max1323 has translated. https://www.mediafire.com/file/3dx7qb5sapmpy0w/MBM_Spanish.7z/file

Just beware that I think Max1323 speaks in Latin Spanish, so the translations might be strange to a European Spanish speaker. I could also provide a Latin and European Spanish translations (release as two separate patches) if needed.

I'm thinking about using "beans polizones" instead of "beans refugiados" as suggested by sics, but I'm still thinking about it. Curious to hear what you think.

@sics
Correct me if I'm wrong, but "Pulsa A o Start para salir" would be telling the user to press A or Start. You have to press A AND START to exit the input test, which is why I put "PULSA A y START PARA SALIR".

[sics]

I did not know, it is a rather unusual mechanic, in that case it is correct to use "Pulsa A + Start para Salir", thanks for the clarification

On the other hand I have seen their captures and now I understand better the context of the Refugee Beans, they are not bad, but victims of Dr. Robotnik. so its translation is completely justified and anyone who sees the complete tutorial will be able to understand what it refers to, so I think it would be a mistake to change it

Now I leave a list of my notes:
Libera a tantos grupos de beans para incrementar más puntos. (The phrase is badly armed)
Liberar varios grupos de beans incrementará más tus puntos.

pero puedes escapar si hay grupos cerca.
Pero pueden escapar junto a otros grupos. (Refers to the Beans, not the player)

Usa ABAJO para acelerar su caída.
Y ABAJO para acelerar su caída. (This avoids redundancy between phrases)

Beans, beans dejame darte una mano o dos.
Beans, beans déjame darte una mano o dos.

Vengan a Arms mis hermosas. (No one currently uses the term "hermosura")
Vengan a Arms mis bellezas. (¿?)

(I do not know if it is a person, a place or it is a provocation, so surely it could be putting together a wrong sentence)

Pero por favor, huevóname si te bato tus posibilidades de ver al Dr. R.
Pero por favor, eggscuseme si es que bato tus posibilidades de ver al Dr. R.

Huevóname seems like a play on words between "Huevo" and "Name", the term "Excusar" and "Egg" are common terms for Latinos, especially for those who play Sonic games, even so it is not a change that is really necessary to do.

With the following sentences, I feel that they do not adapt well to the idioms mostly accepted by Latin Americans.

Tengo más chisporroteos que una loncha de tocino.
Tengo hambre, y no son comidas sobre ruedas, estoy detrás de ti. (This sentence is not correct)

Tengo más chisporroteos que una lonja de tocino.
Estoy hambriento, pero no de comida rápida, sino de aplastarte. (It is only a possible adaptation)

Meals on wheels = Comida a domicilio (This is your most accepted translation but the meta-reference is lost)

¡Haces que meenc iendas!
¡Haces que "me" "en- cienda"! (Are 2 different terms so these are separated and when dividing a word this is done in syllables)
¡Me haces explotar! (¿?)  (He's a detonator, not a stick of dynamite)
(It is a very complex translation for me)

Como si el Dr. R no hubiera tenido suficientes palo. (If it is "Suficientes" it is "Palos")
Como si el Dr. R no hubiera tenido suficientes palos. (¿?)
(I don't understand what you mean by "stick", I suppose you are talking about difficulties)

pero puedes llamarme MAS, porque soy como un misil Aire-Superficie,
pero puedes llamarme MAT, porque soy como un Misil de Aire Terrestre,
(In Spanish it is not "Superficial" it is "Terrestre")

Milord está inquieto por tu éxito, Sire.  (The use of "Tu" is known as "Tuteo", it does not seem something typical of someone like him)
Pero no estás destinado para seguir adelante. (I think it is not "Para" but "A")

Milord está preocupado por su éxito, Señor.
Pero usted no está destinado a seguir adelante. (¿?)

Milord se encuentra preocupado por su éxito, Sr.
Pero vos estáis destinado a no proseguir esta carrera. (I may be exaggerating)

[Jate]

Just beware that I think Max1323 speaks in Latin Spanish, so the translations might be strange to a European Spanish speaker. I could also provide a Latin and European Spanish translations (release as two separate patches) if needed.

Yes, from what I have been able to see in some images I think he speaks Latin Spanish.
Maybe it is a problem because we use a lot of words and in each site they have a meaning or they are not used.
I will give my opinion on the European version.

@Jate
To make things easier, I have taken screenshots of the dialog and put them side by side (Spanish on left | English on right) that Max1323 has translated. https://www.mediafire.com/file/3dx7qb5sapmpy0w/MBM_Spanish.7z/file

I will review all the images and comment on what is wrong. Do you mind if I put the image here with my comments so that others can also comment?

At the moment I have looked a bit and I have seen some dialogue that is not well constructed because the entire dialogue of the character has not been read. For example:

The robot monkey says:

"I´m Coconuts and I´m Dr. Robotnik´s favorite robot" (next screen) "because I´m going to finish you in a flash."

Currently says:

"Soy Coconuts, y soy el robot favorito del Dr. Robotnik." (next screen) "Porque te derrotaré en un parpadeo."

They are two sentences but they are not coherent

And the correct thing I think is:

"Soy Coconuts y voy a ser el robot favorito del Dr. Robotnik" (next screen but same phrase) "porque te derrotaré en un instante."

"Flash" could be interpreted as "visto y no visto" or "en un abrir y cerrar de ojos" but "instante" is shortened if necessary

[RadioTails]

I did not know, it is a rather unusual mechanic, in that case it is correct to use "Pulsa A + Start para Salir", thanks for the clarification

On the other hand I have seen their captures and now I understand better the context of the Refugee Beans, they are not bad, but victims of Dr. Robotnik. so its translation is completely justified and anyone who sees the complete tutorial will be able to understand what it refers to, so I think it would be a mistake to change it

No problem. I will keep it as "beans refugiados". I will also use "A + START" as that stands out better.

Yes, from what I have been able to see in some images I think he speaks Latin Spanish.
Maybe it is a problem because we use a lot of words and in each site they have a meaning or they are not used.
I will give my opinion on the European version.

I will review all the images and comment on what is wrong. Do you mind if I put the image here with my comments so that others can also comment?

I have made a separate topic where the dialog translation can be discussed. Just to make things easier. Best to put the image/comments here: https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=31944.msg405481#msg405481

[Jate]

I have finished proposing my changes, I hope someone else decides to give their opinion and we can improve the translation together.

[RadioTails]

I have finished updating my DX Edition, so my next focus is finishing off the Spanish translation of Mean Bean Machine.

So the ALL RIGHT and OH NO graphics have finally been added! I had to figure out where the X and Y values were for the Beans, Steam, and Sparkle animations. Plus had to dedicate some VRAM space as well. Here is a screenshot:


To see it in action, check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCPIc_UEQUU

The next focus is updating the HIGH SCORES background. Hopefully start adding that tomorrow.

As for the dialog, I plan to put the translations in word or excel, and update the changes in that format. Once I am happy with the script, I will put it in the game.

[RadioTails]

I wasn't happy with the accent characters for the 8x8 font. The diacritics were touching the letters, making it difficult to read. So I have improved the font to make the diacritics stand out, along with adding a upper case variant for each one (for Options and Staff Roll).


Here's an example of them being used in Options (where upper case letters are used):


The Main Menu text has been updated. I made the N smaller by 1 pixel, which meant I could use the unmodified R from the original game. The Á on PRÁCTICA looks so much better now.


I have also modified the Á and Í for the 16x16 font (used during the PASSWORD and HIGH SCORES). There is now a pixel gap between the letter to make it stand out.


I'm in the process of modifying the HIGH SCORES background. So that is what I'm focusing on.

[RadioTails]

Well, things have been crazy so far. I started a new job back in January, and the position has been made permanent! Yay! So I have been keen to get back on track with this progress.

The aim is to release the translation during the Sonic Hacking Contest 2021 in October, which gives me a date to work to.

I should mention that there will be a Latin Spanish translation (by CMDreamer) and an European Spanish translation (by Jate). There is a reason official games have two Spanish translations, so it would make sense to do the same for this translation (this Spanish website goes into more details: https://blog.esl-idiomas.com/blog/aprender-idiomas/las-diferencias-entre-el-espanol-de-america-latina-y-el-espanol-de-espana/). The good news, the script has been finalized and has been inserted into the game. I need to proof check the text in the game, but that part is pretty much done. Samples of the Euro Spanish text:


I have been making a few other improvements as well. The TRY AGAIN! text has been updated so it is easier to read, but also is something a human being (or creature in this case) would say:


Now CMDreamer and Jate mentioned that ETAPA (STAGE) didn't sound right in Spanish. I have seen this translation used in official games (Puyo Pop Fever and Shadow the Hedgehog), but I do see the issue that is an odd word to use in this case. One idea was to use NIVEL (LEVEL), but I don't think that is correct in this case. I have seen FASE (PHASE) be used in modern translations, but is a really odd translation choice. I personally don't like it, and CMDreamer and Jate agree with me.

Jate mentioned RIVAL may work. I was a bit unsure at first, but it's a perfect way to describe an opponent you are having a game with (in this case a Mean Bean match). So I have gone with that, also improving the letter I so it doesn't look like a l.


Now Jate and I have been discussing a translation to use for GAME OVER. The issue is, it has to be 8 letters or less due to the sprite limitations. Jate came up with SE ACABÓ (IT'S OVER), which makes as this appears when you lose the match. The code part is working, but I need to update the graphics.

There is also the GAME OVER text that appears on the continue, but I need to do some digging on how the letters move.

Some of the OPTIONS text has also been updated.
Now INPUT TEST and SOUND TEST in English makes sense, the literal translations were a bit odd. Input Tests are very rave in console games, so finding a translation was tricky. In the end , we went with checking CHECKING CONTROLLERS. Sound Tests are a bit more common, but they are usually stored as MUSIC & EFFECTS in options. Sometimes they are named something like SOUND ROOM in Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Sonic Pinball Party, and Game & Watch Gallery 2. For the Spanish translation, I went with AUDIO ROOM.
The CONTROL text in SOUND ROOM were changed to make more sense.


I have also modified the code so I can choose which Colorblind palettes to apply when creating the rom (improved upon what I added in the DX version: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4858/). The aim is change all of the palettes, but that will be a future project. For now, here's a sample:


I have also modified the code so I can apply the English text into the game. So all the minor improvements that have been to the Spanish translation will be included in an English version. It's been setup, but I have to make the required changes.

That's all for now. I should really tackle the HIGH SCORE background.

EDIT:
So I know how to control how many letters are displayed, and where they land.


I'm going to see if FALLASTE (YOU FAILED) will fit. It should be possible.