Though the omission of information due to spacing issues isn’t as drastic as the loss that occurred in the retranslation of Adventure of Link, a retranslation of The Legend of Zelda reveals mistranslations and a number of dialogue boxes that were translated differently, their hints replaced or outright erased. No wonder the game was so hard!
Resources:
• The Legend of Zelda Script Dump (J)
• The Legend of Zelda Script Dump (U)
The text in this document is organized like so:
| Original English Script | Japanese Script | GlitterBerri’s Translation |
| THE LEGEND OF ZELDA MANY YEARS AGO PRINCE DARKNESS “GANNON” STOLE ONE OF THE TRIFORCE WITH POWER. PRINCESS ZELDA HAD ONE OF THE TRIFORCE WITH WISDOM. SHE DIVIDED IT INTO ” 8 “UNITS TO HIDE IT FROM ” GANNON ” BEFORE SHE WAS CAPTURED. GO FIND THE ” 8 “UNITS ” LINK ” TO SAVE HER. |
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA MANY YEARS AGO PRINCE DARKNESS “GANNON” STOLE ONE OF THE TRIFORCE WITH POWER. PRINCESS ZELDA HAD ONE OF THE TRIFORCE WITH WISDOM. SHE DIVIDED IT INTO ” 8 “UNITS TO HIDE IT FROM ” GANNON ” BEFORE SHE WAS CAPTURED. GO FIND THE ” 8 “UNITS ” LINK ” TO SAVE HER. |
N/A |
A quick translation of the item list that scrolls in the intro. Again, listen for the difference in the quality of the music in comparison to the NES version.
| HEART | ハート | Heart |
| CONTAINER HEART | イノチ ノ ウツワ | Life Container |
| FAIRY | ヨウセイ | Fairy |
| CLOCK | トケイ | Clock |
| RUPY | ルピー | Rupee |
| 5 RUPIES | ５ ルピー | 5 Rupees |
| LIFE POTION | イノチノミズ アオ | Water of Life – Blue |
| 2ND POTION | イノチノミズ アカ | Water of Life – Red |
| LETTER | テガミ | Letter |
| FOOD | エサ | Food |
| SWORD | ソード | Sword |
| WHITE SWORD | ホワイト ソード | White Sword |
| MAGICAL SWORD | マジカル ソード | Magical Sword |
| MAGICAL SHIELD | マジカル シールド | Magical Shield |
| BOOMERANG | ブーメラン | Boomerang |
| MAGICAL BOOMERANG | マジカル ブーメラン | Magical Boomerang |
| BOMB | バクダン | Bomb |
| BOW | ユミ | Bow |
| ARROW | ヤ | Arrow |
| SILVER ARROW | ギン ノ ヤ | Silver Arrow |
| BLUE CANDLE | ロウソク アオ | Candle – Blue |
| RED CANDLE | ロウソク アカ | Candle – Red |
| BLUE RING | ユビワ アオ | Ring – Blue |
| RED RING | ユビワ アカ | Ring – Red |
| POWER BRACELET | パワーブレスレット | Power Bracelet |
| RECORDER | フエ | Whistle |
| RAFT | イカダ | Raft |
| STEPLADDER | ハシゴ | Ladder |
| MAGICAL ROD | マジカル ロッド | Magical Rod |
| BIBLE | バイブル | Bible |
| KEY | キー | Key |
| MAGICAL KEY | マジカル キー | Magical Key |
| MAP | チズ | Map |
| COMPASS | コンパス | Compass |
| TRIFORCE | カクサレタ チエノ ”トライフォース “ | Hidden “Triforce” of Wisdom |
| PLEASE LOOK UP THE MANUAL FOR DETAILS. |
くわしい ことは 本をみて 下さい。 |
Please look at the manual for more details. |
| IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE! TAKE THIS | ヒトリデハキケンジャ コレヲ サズケヨウ |
It’s dangerous to go alone. I shall grant you this. |
| MASTER USING IT AND YOU CAN HAVE THIS | ツカイコナセルナラ コレヲ サズケヨウ |
If you can master it I shall grant you this. |
| TAKE ANY ROAD YOU WANT | スキナミチヲユケ | Take the path you like. |
| SECRET IS IN THE TREE AT THE DEAD-END. | ユキドマリノキニハ ヒミツガアル |
There is a secret in the tree at the dead end. |
| LET’S PLAY MONEY MAKING GAME | オカネヲフヤス ゲームヲスルカイ |
Will you play the money-making game? |
| PAY ME FOR THE DOOR REPAIR CHARGE | ドアノシュウリダイヲ モラウゾ |
I’ll take the cost of the door repairs. |
| SHOW THIS TO THE OLD WOMAN | コレヲ オバアサンニ ミセテゴラン |
Show this to the old woman. |
| MEET THE OLD MAN AT THE GRAVE | ハカバノジイサンニアエ | Meet the old man at the graveyard. |
| BUY MEDICINE BEFORE YOU GO | クスリヲカッテユキナサイ | You must buy medicine before you go. |
| PAY ME AND I’LL TALK. | タダデハ ハナセナイヨ |
I can’t talk for free. |
| THIS AIN’T ENOUGH TO TALK | コレデハ イエナイネ | I can’t say anything with this. |
| GO UP,UP, THE MOUNTAIN AHEAD | コノサキノ ヤマヲ ウエヘ ウエヘ ト ユケ |
Go up and up the mountain ahead. |
| GO NORTH,WEST,SOUTH, WEST TO THE FOREST OF MAZE | マヨイノモリヲ キタ ニシ ミナミ ニシ ヘ |
Go north, west, south, and west in the Lost Woods. |
| BOY, YOU’RE RICH | アンタオカネモチダネ | You’re rich, aren’t you. |
| BUY SOMETHIN’ WILL YA | ナンカコウテクレヤ | Buy somethin’, please. |
| BOY, THIS IS REALLY EXPENSIVE! | コレハネウチモノデッセ | This is expensive stuff. |
| TAKE ANY ONE YOU WANT | スキナ ホウヲ サズケヨウ |
I shall grant you whichever you prefer. |
| IT’S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY | ミンナニ ナイショダヨ | It’s a secret to everyone. |
| GRUMBLE,GRUMBLE.. | ブツ ブツ ．．． | Grumble, grumble… |
The sound of a rumbling stomach. This supposedly confused players. I’d probably replace it with “My stomach’s grumbling” or something a little less likely to be mixed up with noises of frustration were I the one doing the localization.
| EASTMOST PENNINSULA IS THE SECRET | オカネガナクナレバ ヤ ハ ツカエナイ |
Once your money disappears you won’t be able to use arrows. |
Perhaps the person responsible for localization decided the player would soon figure out the information the original message conveyed on their own without having it spelled out for them.
| DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE | ドドンゴ ハ ケムリ ヲ キラウ |
Dodongos hate smoke. |
| DID YOU GET THE SWORD FROM THE OLD MAN ? TOP OF THE WATERFALL |
タキノウエノジイサンニ ケンヲ モラッタカイ |
Did you get the sword from the old man at the top of the waterfall? |
| WALK INTO THE WATERFALL | タキ ノ ナカ ニ ハイレ |
Enter the waterfall. |
| SECRET POWER IS SAID TO BE IN THE ARROW | オトニヨワイ イキモノ ガイル |
There is a creature that is weak against sound. |
The original hint was replaced due to the Pols Voice enemy in the NES version no longer being susceptible to a noise from the microphone included with the Famicom Disk System, the console that saw the game’s first release.
| DIGDOGGER HATES CERTAIN KIND OF SOUND | デグドガニハ キライ ナ オトガ アル |
There’s a sound that Digdogger hates. |
| I BET YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE MORE BOMBS | バクダンヲ モット モチタイジャロウ |
You want to carry more bombs, right? |
| IF YOU GO IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROW | ヤジルシノ サキノ ミチヘ ユケバ．．． |
If you take the path beyond the arrow… |
| LEAVE YOUR LIFE OR MONEY | オカネカ イノチヲ オイテユケ |
Leave your money or your life. |
| THERE ARE SECRETS WHERE FAIRIES DON’T LIVE | ヨウセイノスマヌイズミ ニハ ヒミツガアル |
There’s a secret in the spring where no fairies live. |
| AIM AT THE EYES OF GOHMA | ゴーマ ノ メヲネラエ | Aim for Gohma’s eye. |
| SOUTH OF ARROW MARK HIDES A SECRET | ミズウミノ キタ ニハ ヒミツガ アル |
There is a secret north of the lake. |
Completely different. Not sure why.
| THERE’S A SECRET IN THE TIP OF THE NOSE | メガネイワ ハ シヘノ イリグチ |
Spectacle Rock is the entrance to death. |
There is a correctly translated English equivalent for this message, but it doesn’t line up with this one. The Japanese version of the game has no message equivalent to the official English translation here.
| SPECTACLE ROCK IS AN ENTRANCE TO DEATH | デスマウンテンデ ヤヲ サガセ |
Search for an arrow on Death Mountain. |
There is no English equivalent for this Japanese message, and the official English translation belongs with the message above.
| 10TH ENEMY HAS THE BOMB | ライオンノカギヲサガセ | Search for the lion key. |
The Lion Key signifies the Magical Key, which has a head resembling a lion.
| ONES WHO DOES NOT HAVE TRIFORCE CAN’T GO IN | トライフォースヲ モタ ヌモノハ トオセナイ |
Those without the Triforce cannot pass. |
| PATRA HAS THE MAP | イチバンウエ ノ サカ イメヲ コワセ |
Break the topmost barrier. |
Which barrier does this refer to?
| GO TO THE NEXT ROOM | トナリノヘヤヘ ユケ | Go to the next room. |
| EYES OF SKULL HAS A SECRET | アカイユビワヲ ミツケ タカイ |
Did you find the red ring? |
Another message translated differently.
| THANKS LINK, YOU’RE THE HERO OF HYRULE | アリガトウ リンク アナタハ ハイラル ノ エイユウデス |
Thank you, Link. You are the hero of Hyrule. |
| FINALLY, PEACE RETURNS TO HYRULE. | コウシテ ハイラル ニ ヘイワガ モドッタ | Thus, peace has returned to Hyrule. |
| THIS ENDS THE STORY. | コレデ コノ モノガタリ ハ オワリデス | This ends the story. |
| YOU ARE GREAT. | YOU ARE GREAT. | N/A |
| YOU HAVE AN AMAZING WISDOM AND POWER. |
YOU HAVE AN AMAZING WISDOM AND POWER. |
N/A |
| END OF “THE LEGEND OF ZELDA 1” | ゼルダノデンセツ 1 ” オワリ “ | The Legend of Zelda 1 – “End” |
Pingback: GoNintendo - The Legend of Zelda - Japanese vs. English translation
Pingback: GoNintendo - The Legend of Zelda - Japanese vs. English translation
Thanks for this. 🙂
Did you make a mistake for the items at the begining ?
The “bible” was translated to “magic book” I guess in the US version and European version as well.
Thanks for this. 🙂
Did you make a mistake for the items at the begining ?
The “bible” was translated to “magic book” I guess in the US version and European version as well.
I think that a better translation for “エサ” would be “Bait” since that’s what it’s used for.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
I think that a better translation for “エサ” would be “Bait” since that’s what it’s used for.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
Yes, it was “Book of Magic” in the NES version.
Yes, it was “Book of Magic” in the NES version.
Pingback: Differences between Legend of Zelda Japanese & English versions « GamerJunk.net
Pingback: Differences between Legend of Zelda Japanese & English versions « GamerJunk.net
Pingback: Fan Translation Offers A Clearer Picture Of Classic Zelda | MensaDad News
Pingback: Fan Translation Offers A Clearer Picture Of Classic Zelda | MensaDad News
“Rupees” should be translated as “Rubies”, they’re gems not indian coins
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
“Rupees” should be translated as “Rubies”, they’re gems not indian coins
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
You are wrong about ブツブツ. It is grumbling, as in complaining, as well as rumbling stomach.
You are wrong about ブツブツ. It is grumbling, as in complaining, as well as rumbling stomach.
Pingback: ‘It’s Dangerous To Go Alone… I Shall Grant You This?’ | Kotaku Australia
Pingback: ‘It’s Dangerous To Go Alone… I Shall Grant You This?’ | Kotaku Australia
Very Cool!!!! This was a fun read. Funny how the translator used American slang ,’ya,’ ‘boy’ and so on, but still wrote pidgin english. Perhaps it was due to pixel space constraints.
Very Cool!!!! This was a fun read. Funny how the translator used American slang ,’ya,’ ‘boy’ and so on, but still wrote pidgin english. Perhaps it was due to pixel space constraints.
Pingback: Ik vraag me nog steeds af wat een penninsula is | Games
Pingback: Ik vraag me nog steeds af wat een penninsula is | Games
Pingback: CurrentGen – Audio Coverage and Podcasts of Video Games – Friday Newscast – 20th May 2011
Pingback: CurrentGen – Audio Coverage and Podcasts of Video Games – Friday Newscast – 20th May 2011
Where are download links for Zelda I/II translations?
Where are download links for Zelda I/II translations?