Illusion of Gaia Translation Commentary Part 10: Larai Cliffs

Hanging out where the wind don't blow

Disclaimers:

• I’m an amateur. My advantage over the original translation is that I have no deadline pressure, and I have the modern internet to help me. I’m assuredly wrong about some of my translations.

• Translation is hard. When I point out a mistranslation, it’s not a judgment of the original translator(s). They had a deadline and poor resources.

• Some of my translations are rather liberal. I’ll usually make note if so.

• Please no jokes in the comments about Karen being a Karen. I really hate that trend.

Notation reminder:
JP: Original Japanese
T: My translation
OE: Original English

JP: インカのイセキ入口
T: Incan ruins entrance
OE: Entrance to Ruins

JP: リリィ： ここが　インカのイセキの入口。
インカっていっても　広くってね、 ここは　インカ伝説の　ナゾが かくされているって　いわれる場所。
T: Lily: This is the entrance to the Incan ruins.
Those called Incans lived far and wide, and this spot is where the riddle of Incan legend is supposedly hidden.
OE: Lilly: Here’s the entrance to the ruins.
They say that this is where the puzzle of the Incan legend is hidden.

JP: あたしが　まだ　ちっちゃいころ 長老様から　こんな話を 聞いたことがあるんだけど．．．
かつて　インカが　しゅうげきを 受けたとき　祖国をすてて 新天地を　求めようという 計画があったらしいの。
T: I was still little when I heard this story from the Elder, but…
Once, when the native lands of the Incas had been attacked, they made a decision: that they would seek out a new land.
OE: I heard this story from the Elder when I was a child…
After being invaded, the Incas decided to leave their native land to find a new world.

JP: しんりゃく者の目を　ぬすんで きょだいな船が　建造され、 最も　貴重な　黄金細工とともに インカ人達が　乗りこんだというわ。
でもね その船が出航したという 記録は　残ってないんだって．．．
T: Keeping it a secret from the invaders, they built a huge ship, and the Incans got on board along with extremely valuable works of gold.
But there’s no record that ship ever departed.
OE: They secretly built a huge ship and filled it with priceless gold artifacts.
But there’s no record of the ship leaving…

JP: たぶん　インカにねむる　黄金船 っていうのは　その船のことなんで しょうね。
長老様は　これまで　イトリー族 以外の人に　この言う伝えを 話したことが　ないはず。
T: Maybe that ship is the legendary gold ship that lies with the Incas.
I don’t think the Elder has ever told this legend to an outsider before.
OE: That’s probably the Incan Gold Ship in the story.
I don’t think the Elder has ever told that story to any outsider.

JP: 長老様は　テムに　何をさせようと してるんだろ．．．
T: I wonder what he’s trying to get you to do?
OE: I wonder what he wants you to do…

As we approach the actual entrance to the dungeon, Karen appears:

JP: カレン：　ひどいじゃない？！ あたしを　おいてけぼりにして どこまで　行こうっていうのよっ！
T: Karen: You two are so cruel! How far did you intend to plod ahead while leaving me behind?
OE: Kara: You’re so mean!! Leaving me behind! How could you do that!

JP: リリィ：　なんで　あなたが こんな場所に　いるのっ！ あぶないじゃない！！
カレン：　ローラおばあさまから この場所を　聞きだして 何時間も　待ってたのよっ！
T: Lily: What are you doing here!? This place is dangerous!
Karen: I heard about this place from Grandma Laura. I’ve been waiting here for hours!
OE: Lilly: Why are you in a place like this! It’s dangerous!
Kara: Lola told me about this place. I’ve been waiting!

JP: もう　おいて　いかれたのかと 思ったわ。　せめて　行き先くらい 言ってくれたって　いいじゃない！
それに　テムは　イセキで 何かを　さがしてるんでしょう？
T: I thought you were going to leave me behind. You could at least have told me where you were going!
Anyway, what are you trying to find in these ruins?

JP: テムが　がんばってるのに あたしだけ　村で　のんびり ごはんなんか　食べてられないわ。
あたし　ここで　テムが もどってくるのを　待ってる。
T: I couldn’t just sit around the village blithely chowing down while you’re working so hard.
I’m waiting here until you come back.
OE: I can’t just wait around and eat while Will is working so hard.
I’m waiting here for Will to return.

For most of these sentences, she does indeed say Tim instead of you. But that’s just how JP works. Second person pronouns are considered too direct, and people use names where we would use pronouns very frequently. Translators usually switch these over to sound more natural to English.

JP: リリィ：　やれやれ。 これだもの　おじょうさまは．．．
わかった。　あたしも つきあって　ここで　待ってる。 それでいいんでしょ？
T: Lily: Good grief. This spoiled girl…
Fine. I’ll keep you company and wait here. That’s ok, right?

JP: リリィ： テム。　長老様の言葉を　よく 思い出してね。
T: Lily: Tim, don’t forget the Elder’s words.
OE: Lilly: Will. I remember what the Elder said.

JP: 「遺跡の地下の　ラライのガケにて 神の息のとどかぬところへ インカの神をおさめよ。
谷風が　その者を黄金船のもとへ 導くであろう。」っていう言葉、 ちゃんと　覚えてる？
“At the underground ruins of the Larai Cliff, offer the Incan gods, in the place where the breath of the gods does not reach.
The valley wind will guide you to the location of the gold ship” is what he said. Remember it, ok?
OE: “Put the statue on the Larai Cliff below the ruins, where the spirits’ breath cannot reach.
The valley wind will lead you to the Gold Ship.”

Lily just repeats herself if you talk to her. Karen says this:

JP: カレン：　どう？ さがしてるものは　見つかった？ がんばってね。
T: Karen: What’s up? Did you find what you were looking for? Keep it up!
OE: Kara: Well? Did you find what you were looking for?

Cool. Let’s enter the dungeon!

JP: ラライのガケ
T + OE: Larai Cliff

Tim has some flavor text when you enter.

JP: テム： インカの　ラライのガケには すさまじい風が　ふきあれていた。
それが　長老の言っていた　神の息　 なのだろうか．．．
T: Tim: Here in the Larai Cliffs, a fierce wind blows violently.
I wonder if that’s the “breath of the gods” the Elder mentioned.
OE: Will: There was a tremendous wind at the Larai Cliff.
That’s probably what the old man meant by the breath of the spirits….

JP: このガケのどこかに　風のない場所が ひっそりと　ねむっているのだろう。 ボクは　胸の高なりを　感じた。
T: Maybe there’s a place in the cliffs where the wind sleeps quietly. I felt my heart pounding in my chest.
OE: This is the cliff with no wind. My heart beats fast.

This is most definitely NOT the cliff with no wind. Will just got finished saying that there was a “tremendous wind”. The JP does say this cliff: このガケ (konogake) but that’s immediately followed by a possessive particle + somewhere: のどこか (no dokoka). Together it means somewhere in/on this cliff.

Not long into the dungeon, we find a unique treasure:

JP: ひし型のブロックを　見つけた！
ひしがたブロック
ひしがたをした　あおいブロック。
T: Found a diamond shaped block!
Diamond block
A blue block shaped like a diamond.
OE: You found the diamond-shaped block!
Blue Block
Diamond-shaped block.

While we’re in the menu, let’s look at the description for the idols. They’re both identical except one says A and the other says B:

JP: インカのぞうＡ
インカのカミを　かたどったせきぞう。
T: Inca statue A
Stone statue modeled after an Incan god.
OE: Inca Statue A
Statue shaped like a spirit.

In this dungeon, we’ll finally get more than 100 dark jewels, yielding an extra life. Here’s the message you get if Tim/Will dies. (It’s the same whether you have 100 jewels or not.)

JP: テム： 気がつくと　ぼくは　見覚えのある 場所に　たおれていた。 悪い夢を　見ていたのだろうか．．
T: Tim: When I came to, I was lying in a familiar place. Guess I had a bad dream.
OE: Will: I am sometimes aware of having fallen in a place I know. Must have been a nightmare.

This is actually the sentence that started this whole project. I was watching a streamer play this game and was reminded of this message when he died. It’s obviously a mistranslation, but I wondered how they could possibly have gotten this gibberish. Sometimes aware of having fallen in a place I know? wtf?

気がつく (kigatsuku) is a verb which means to notice/realize/become aware of. But 気がつくと (kigatsukuto) is an expression that means when I came to or next thing I knew or all of a sudden, etc. The translator must not have been familiar, or didn’t notice the と at the end. Given that mistake, it’s no surprise they didn’t know what to do with たおれていた (taoreteita) which means to have fallen down/collapsed. Tim isn’t saying that he’s aware of having collapsed, he’s saying that when he regained consciousness, he was collapsed on the ground.

Here’s the message you get if you die as Freedan:

JP: フリーダン： 気がつくと　そこは　見覚えのある 場所だった．．．
T: Freedan: When I came to, I was in a familiar place.
OE: Freedan: When I think about it, that place seemed familiar…

Same thing. Translator didn’t understand that he’s saying when I woke up or something similar.

Moving on with the dungeon, we have to use the Diamond Block to progress:

JP: タイルに　ひし型のブロックを はめこんだ！
T: Placed the diamond shaped block into the tile.
OE: He fit the block into the tile!

In the dungeon, we come across a few different skeletons, almost all with different notes or journals on them. Here’s the first:

JP: インカの　黄金船を　求めた 探検家だろうか．．．？
白骨化した　その手には　お守りの ようなものが　にぎられている。 中には　紙きれが入っており こんなことが　書かれていた。
T: Is this an explorer who was searching for the Incan gold ship?
A hand that was reduced to bone was clutching something like an amulet. Inside, something was written on a scrap of paper.
OE: An explorer who sought the Incan Gold Ship…?
In the skeleton’s hand is some kind of charm.
Inside it is a scrap of paper with this written on it.

JP: お父さん　死なないでね。　　ナナ  

黄金船を見つけたら、 クルックを買おうね。　　サーバス
T: Don’t die, father. -Nana

When you find the gold ship, let’s buy a kruk. -Servas
OE: Father, please come back alive. Nana

When you find the Gold Ship, buy a Kruk. Sabas

Oof. Unsurprisingly, we’ll meet Nana and Servas later in the game. They’re still waiting for their father to come home, and Tim doesn’t have the decency to tell them that he found this corpse.

The next skeleton:

JP: 遺体の　近くの　他面に 何か　かかれているようだ．．．
あの　黄金像さえ　　動かせれば 先へ　進むことができたのに．．．
T: Something seems to be written on the other side of the corpse.
If only I were able to move that gold statue, I could keep going.
OE: There’s something on the ground there…
If I can move that gold statue, I can pass…

We come across a room with 4 tiles. When you step on a tile, it tells you how to solve the puzzle.

JP: この　黄金のユカを　ふむと 何か　音がするようだ．．．
黄金のユカは　４つ．．．． 何か　重りにできるものは ないだろうか．．．
T: A sound can be heard if the gold tile is stepped on.
There are 4 gold tiles. Maybe there’s something that can be used as weight.
OE: Stepping on a gold tile emits a sound.
There are four gold tiles.
Stand on each of the four tiles at the same time.

Save points offer free healing from Gaia:

JP: きずついて　いるようだね。　さあ　目を閉じて　じっとして．．．
T: I see that you’re injured. Here, close your eyes and stand still.
OE: It looks like you’re hurt. Close your eyes.

Dark Spaces also allow you to change between Freedan and Tim in most dungeons.

JP: ヤミの戦士　フリーダンに 変身しますか？
>はい
>いいえ
T: Transform into the Dark Knight, Freedan?
OE: Change into the Dark Knight, Freedan?

JP: 少年テムに　もどりますか？
>はい
>いいえ
T + OE: Return to young Tim/Will?

We have to change to Friedan to complete the dungeon, to hit an enemy that’s out of reach of Tim’s flute. On the way there’s another skeleton:

JP: インカの　黄金船を　求めた 探検家だろうか．．．？
トラップに　かかって 命を　落としたんだ．．．．
T: Is this an explorer who was searching for the Incan gold ship?
He lost his life in a trap.
OE: An explorer who sought the Incan Gold Ship…?
He lost his life in a trap…

At one point we exit onto one of the head statues dotting the cliffside.

JP: 谷風が　何かの　メロディーを かなでている。 まるで　インカの石像が 歌っているようだ．．．
風のメロディーを　覚えた！
T: The valley wind is playing some kind of melody. It’s almost like the stone statues are singing.
Learned melody of the wind!
OE: The wind in the valley plays a melody. The statue seems to be singing…
You’ve learned the Melody of the Wind!

Here’s the inventory description for Melody of the Wind:

JP: かぜのメロディ
インカのかぜが　かなでるメロディ。
T + OE: Wind Melody
Melody played by the Incan Wind.

There’s one more skelly lying around for us to investigate:

JP: 遺体は　何か　手帳のようなものを もっているようだ．．．
インカについてわかったこと
T: The corpse seems to be holding some kind of diary.
I learned something about the Incas.
OE: There’s some kind of journal…
Note about the Incas

JP: インカ地方には　文字が　存在 しなかった。 そのため　人々は　音で　言い伝えを 後世に　残したようである。
私は　インカの谷風が　メロディを かなでていることに　気がつき その解読に　成功した。
T: In the Incan land, there was no written language. The only records they left for later generations are in the form of music.
I managed to successfully decode the melody of the valley wind.
OE: They have no written language. They’ve left their legends in sound.
I have succeeded in deciphering the Incan Melody of the Wind.

JP: 「黄金の　しきつめられた部屋にて われを　となえよ．．．」 谷風がかなでるメロディを　そこで 吹けということだろうか．．．
T: “Chant me in the room covered in gold.” I guess it’s saying to play the melody there?
OE: “Chant in the Golden Room.” Does that mean to play the Melody of the Wind…?

Yes, it does say chant me, using the first person pronoun われ (ware). The OE does fine in telling you what to do, but it’s unfortunate to have lost this weird detail.

I need to clear some inventory space, so I’m going to use some Red Jewels. Here’s the Red Jewel message when you use one as an item.

JP: 赤い宝石を　かかげた！
赤い宝石は　宝石商ジェムのところへ ーすじの光となって　飛んでいった！
T: Raised the Red Jewel!
The Red Jewel turned into a streak of light and flew to Gem the Jeweler!
OE: He raised the Red Jewel!
Red Jewels fly to Jeweler Gem’s in a single ray of light!

We finally get to that room covered in gold, where we’re asked to play the Melody of the Wind.

JP: 風のメロディーを 静かに　ふきはじめた。
笛の音が　あたりに　こだまし 黄金のブロックが　光りはじめた！
T: Began to quietly play the Melody of Wind.
The flute’s sound echoed through the area, and a gold block began to shine.
OE: He softly played the Wind Melody.
When touched by the echo of the Flute, the Gold Block began to glow!

After this, we exit onto the cliff face where we’re supposed to use the two Incan idols. You do actually need to put statue A in the rightmost altar and statue B in the left altar. If you don’t, it tells you the shape is wrong. Unfortunately I forgot to grab a screenshot of this, but I have the Japanese text from a previous playthrough.

JP: さいだんの形と　像の形が 合わないようだ
T: The altar’s shape and the statue’s shape don’t quite match.

Some day I’ll nab these screenshots and come back to edit this post, but for now I’d like to keep some forward momentum. When you use the right statue:

JP: さいだんに　インカの像Aを ささげた。
T: Offered Incan Statue A to the altar.
OE: He set the Inca Statue A on the mantel.

Gaia’s got more to say.

JP: 私は　生命のみなもと　ガイア。 そなたに　ひとつ　助言を あたえようと思う。
このあと　そなたは　とてつもなく きょだいな敵と　戦うことになろう。
T: I am the origin of life, Gaia. I will give you a piece of advice.
Soon you will have to fight an unbelievably large enemy.
OE: I am Gaia, the source of all life. I’ll give you some advice.
Then you will fight a huge enemy.

JP says このあと (konoato) which means after this or henceforth. OE translates it as Then, leaving a quite puzzling sentence.

JP: この敵は　ダメージを受けると 頭から　何本もの　光のすじを 放ってくる。
ダメージをあたえたら　すぐさま 敵の後方に　ひなんすることだ。
T: When this enemy takes damage, many beams of light will come out of its head.
After dealing damage, immediately take refuge behind the enemy.
OE: When he suffers damage, rays of light will shoot from his head.
If you suffer damage hide behind him.

The upcoming boss has a basic pattern. Let out some attacks → Become vulnerable → Shoot a bunch of head lasers → Repeat. Gaia is trying to explain this, and saying that the head lasers won’t hit you if you run behind the enemy. (They also won’t hit you if just go to the bottom left or right corner, which is much easier than running behind.) OE mistranslated ダメージをあたえたら (dameeji o ataetara ). It means after dealing damage, but was taken to mean something like after taking damage or after damage is dealt (to you).

I had a lot of trouble with this boss as a kid, but once you know the trick about standing in the corner, it’s simple. It’s even easier in the JP version. In the US version, the boss has two hands which must be defeated each cycle before you can damage its head. In the JP version, the hands are there, but you can ignore them. There’s no requirement to defeat them before the boss becomes vulnerable. Hilariously easy.

Once the fight is done, if you’re fighting as Freedan:

JP: まものの気配が消え テムの変身が　解けてゆく．．．
T: With no more sign of monsters, Tim’s transformation reverts.
OE: After the demon disappears, Will returns to his original shape…

Beyond the boss is a hole. Tim jumps down and finds himself on the legendary gold ship.

JP: テム： これが　インカの　黄金船か？！
おやっ？ 人の気配がする．．．
T: Tim: Is this the Incan gold ship?
Oh? I think someone’s here.
OE: Will: This is the Incan Gold Ship?!
What?! I feel like someone’s there…

Next time: Karen steals from a corpse, and there is a RIVERSON ATTACK.