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For many a year, little boys didn’t dream of being football players. They wanted to be Tsubasa or Wakabayashi. These two manga characters from one of the most popular animes of all time became everyone’s favorite role models.
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Thirty years after they first graced the scene and dozens of video game adaptations later, Konami decided to bring them back. Thanks to a story that remained true to the original and the freedom to be creative, I brought out my inner otaku.
Screen size affects translation
Challenges
Space is the name of the game when you’re working on texts for a portable console screen.
Working with a provisional text in pigeon English was an additional challenge. Although I first thought it would restrict my work, it actually ended up working to my advantage: as long as I stayed true to the spirit of the manga, I had the creative freedom to adapt the texts and grant them the literary nuances the plot required.
Thanks to a story that remained true to the original and the freedom to be creative, I brought out my inner otaku
Solutions
I had a blast researching this project, but that doesn’t mean it was a piece of cake! My childhood memories were flooded with images of impossible shots, characters epically running across mile-long football pitches and flashbacks that popped up when they were least expected. The original manga was packed with references and nuances that we had to get across in the translation.
Joining the team of translators working on Captain Tsubasa was extremely rewarding. I learnt how groups need to work closely together to guarantee consistency throughout the whole game. We finally found a common tone that hit the mark.
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