Retronauts Micro Interviews the Duo Behind Legends of Localization
This week, we talk to Clyde and Heidi Mandelin about their new book exploring the many changes between The Legend of Zelda's Japanese and English versions.
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
If you've been paying attention to the bylines on USgamer, you may notice my name attached to more than a few articles concerning the English localization of Japanese games. I've always been fascinated with the process, which may explain why I worked as a localization editor for a year before entering the games press full time. I could be the only person who's ever gone from Making Games to Covering Games, rather than the other way around.
So it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm extremely excited about Fangamer's Legends of Localization book about The Legend of Zelda. Not only is the premise behind this work interesting—exploring just how The Legend of Zelda changed from its Japanese to English releases—the author behind it is someone I've been following in the fan (and professional) translation scene for well over a decade: Clyde Mandelin. If you listened to our video game fan translation episode of Retronauts from a few years back, you might have noticed Mandelin's name on quite a few of the notable projects we discussed. (Like an obscure little game called Mother 3.)
When it comes to localization, the Mandelins really know their stuff, so it's a treat to see the duo's work finally enter the physical realm with this new Legends of Localization book—which is likely to be the first of many. And on this episode of Retronauts Micro, Mandelin and his wife, Heidi—who plays an instrumental role in the Legends of Localization project—graciously agreed to sit down with me to talk about their new project, and why it might appeal to your average Retronauts listener. And now that I've provided the appropriate amount of context for this longer-than-normal Micro episode, enjoy—and be sure to check out Fangamer's product page if Clyde and Heidi's book strikes your fancy. Something tells me this thing is tailor-made for the Retronauts audience.
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