Censorship is goo-
(media.communities.win)
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Another issue is that "censorship" means different things to different people. If a Japanese game contains a reference to an obscure Japanese comedy troupe from the 50s that literally nobody outside of Japan would understand, is it censorship to localize that reference to the Three Stooges when translating for a western market? Some would argue it is.
Then you get into a death by a thousand cuts thing. If it's okay to localize a reference, then it's okay to localize language. And if it's okay to localize language, it's okay to localize prevailing attitudes. And if it's okay to localize attitudes, it's okay to adjust for cultural differences. And so forth.
There isn't one point along that slow slide toward the memory hole that everyone agrees is the correct stopping point. Nobody can agree even on what it is they're rallying against. Not even here.
I'd prefer to leave the obscure references; that's the risk you take for being topical. Also, translators notes can help here.
Also, I love Japanese puns that don't translate to English and so just come off as bizarre.
It really depends on your target audience. Is the game for children or adults? What are the prevailing cultural attitudes in the market? Is your audience hardcore weebs or just people who want the latest fun game? Do you want to inclusively target the elusive woke person of color girl gamer, or do you want to actually sell your product? All of these factors play into how you localize a product.
"Translators Notes" are not something you want in a commercial product, except maybe in a bonus content section. A translation must effortlessly convey the original idea (or an equivalent approximation) without the listener having to think about it.