Space limitations is a real actual issue in the translation market, and not one localizers made up.
Because the Japanese will make UIs with space for, let's say, 190 characters per screen. Because of Kanji they can easily shove an entire paragraph into that space, but in any other language they will have to find some way to make it still fit and get all the relevant information in despite needing like 500 characters to properly translate that bit. Its the same with background signs and such.
This requires an extreme level of skill and creativity to work around while still getting all the necessary information in, and is the reason why it used to be such a high skill job.
Now localizers know this, and completely use it as an excuse every chance they get because its an actual thing they know can kinda cover for them even when its completely unrelated to why they did what they did. Which is why its such an insidious position they have.
Space limitations is a real actual issue in the translation market, and not one localizers made up.
Because the Japanese will make UIs with space for, let's say, 190 characters per screen. Because of Kanji they can easily shove an entire paragraph into that space, but in any other language they will have to find some way to make it still fit and get all the relevant information in despite needing like 500 characters to properly translate that bit. Its the same with background signs and such.
This requires an extreme level of skill and creativity to work around while still getting all the necessary information in, and is the reason why it used to be such a high skill job.
Now localizers know this, and completely use it as an excuse every chance they get because its an actual thing they know can kinda cover for them even when its completely unrelated to why they did what they did. Which is why its such an insidious position they have.
My understanding is that this sort of space constraint is why Secret of Mana's narrative is so simplified in western releases.