quote:
Originally posted by Dark_Shiki:
Text hooker and a decent translation program work quite well, actually. Without knowing any Japanese beyond what I picked up from watching anime, I was able to sort of understand games that weren't too complex. My current knowledge of Japanese (almost 3 non-intensive courses) is a great complement to what the translator can provide: I can translate the colloquial spoken dialogue that the translator has trouble with, and the translator does well with the grammatically complex descriptions that give me trouble. Of course I'm not going to get much out of games with complex stories, but I do well with the basic stuff, and I'm learning some kanji as I go.
I'm not saying they do not work, I'm just saying they're not very reliable as a permantent solution. Especially not if you're not planning to learn Japanese. Besides, when translating, the translations can sometimes come out quite wrong too, giving you the wrong impression of what's going on. Furthermore, as you say, a translation tool's not very helpful with more complex stuff - but for simpler stuff, sure...
And again: If you do not plan to learn japanese, you're in something of a difficult spot, because what the translation tool cannot help you with, your own knowledge in japanese may. They can complette each other and make it easier that way...