As many Tales fans might already know, Absolute Zero Translations recently released their Tales of Innocence translation patch. We recently asked for questions for the people behind the effort, and we've gotten back the answers. We spoke with the project lead, Matt, otherwise more commonly known as throughhim413, about the the translation, what obstacles they had to overcome, and even what their favourite Tales character is.

This is the third and final part in a multi-part interview. Last time, we spoke to Matt about what key lessons aspiring fan translators should look out for, what the team's future plans are, and what might have happened if the team hadn't received donations during the duration of the project. This time, we relax things a bit with some general "what's your favorite" questions, what the highs and lows of the project were, and the one key lesson aspiring fan translators should look out for.

Tales Union: What is your favourite Tales character?

Matt: Jade has been a favorite ever since I played Tales of the Abyss. I really like the whole calm and collected way that he carries himself. His attitude really lends itself to the kind of humor that I enjoy.

I can't help but mention Hasta from Tales of Innocence. He's a minor villain and he really shouldn't be as awesome as he is. I crack up so bad whenever he's on screen. From the way he talks to the random references that he makes, I'm not sure that there's a character in the series as out-there as Hasta. He was a lot of fun to translate and I hope people enjoy his antics as much as I do.

And I'll give an honorable mention to Kohaku Hearts. She's just a very cool female lead whose character grows by leaps and bounds as a function of the story. I really like the multiple sides of her personality that come out as you get further in the game.

Tales Union: What is you favourite Tales game?

Matt: Tales of Phantasia is kind of an eternal favorite. There's just so much to love about that game. I own at least one copy of each version of it and I plan to buy the newest PSP version when it comes out. I can't really explain my love for the game. For a lot of people, it's nostalgia, but I got into it with the PSX version, so... I don't know. I just like it.

Tales of Destiny for the PS2 is more recent, but I absolutely adore that game. It really tells an amazing story and just gets you so involved. There's so much to do and so much to see. The gameplay is amazing. It wowed me at a time when I was feeling like Tales wasn't offering me anything new. To me, Tales of Destiny for PS2 is the epitome of the Tales package. It brings all the best stuff together in an epic adventure.

Finally, Tales of Hearts is my newest favorite. The battle system is certainly among the best in the series, but that's really not why I love it. I love it because it is so cheesy. If I were to make a checklist of all the cheesy Japanese lines that I could think of, Hearts would have a check in every box (and multiples in some of them). I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. Plus, Xing and Kohaku are just too cute.

Tales Union: Is there anything specific that you eat/drink to keep you going while translating?

Matt: I don't actually drink soda or coffee or anything. I'm rather fond of chocolate milk, though juices and just plain water are fine by me too. Occasionally I like to translate with an alcoholic beverage by my side, but I'm partial to girly drinks, so let's not go there.

Tales Union: What do you think about the recent financial news concerning Namco Tales Studio? Do you think their recent actions (releasing less games over the past few years) will help to fix the problem, or do they need to do something more drastic to resolve their losses?

Matt: When it comes down to it, I translate the Tales games because I really love the Tales series. So hearing about the trouble at the Tales Studio hits me like it hits any other fan. I fear for the future of the series. What makes me especially worried is that they've already been porting all of their titles to try and turn a quick profit, but it still isn't enough. I really think they need to reconsider how they're approaching the series. They can't keep acting like the series can stand up to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest and then not try to sell them internationally. Some of the best titles remain in Japan. That's lost money. If you're not going to localize the game yourselves, sell the license to someone else to do it for you. You give up some of the potential profits, but you also shoulder less of the financial risks. We know that other companies have expressed interest in the series, so I'm not sure what they have to lose by considering those offers.

The Tales series has one of the best fan translation communities out there, so maybe there's the potential of leveraging those groups to work with you rather than, well, not with you. Most people who are willing to do a ton of work on an unofficial translation would probably also do that same work in an official capacity (and probably with fairly low overhead since they're used to working for free). The anime and manga industries have had to change the way that they approach the business, so maybe the localization side of the game industry needs to start doing the same. I don't know exactly what the solution is, but I know that continuing to approach the problem the same way isn't going to solve anything.

Tales Union: What was the most difficult part of the project, whether it was something that was hard to do or something you hated doing? On the other hand, what was the most pleasant/fun part of the project?

Matt: The hardest part of the project for me (and I think Kingcom would agree) was the beta testing. After spending all that time working on the game, we started feeling like we had arrived at perfection. And so with our heads held high, we handed it off to testers who were instructed to tear it into little pieces and point out all the flaws. And they definitely went beyond the call of duty. *Laughs* It was truly a humbling experience, but we also made amazing strides as a result. The project wouldn't have been the same without the beta testing, so I'm forever grateful to our testers, but man... it was brutal.

My favorite part of any project is the beginning. At the beginning, both the hacker and translator are really fired up about the project. The first few weeks almost always start with the menu. In terms of both the translation and the hacking, things are literally changing right before your eyes. You feed off the energy of your partner and seeing the progress that they're making makes you want to work harder. "Here's this translated text file!" "Awesome! Here's a shot of how this menu is coming together!" "That's so cool!" It's just a really exciting time to be a part of the project. As a translator, the first time I get a test patch and can try out the game for myself is when I first feel a personal connection to the project. I can explore the world that my translations are helping to shape. Plus, some of Tales games use really ugly Japanese fonts, so just getting the English font implemented can make even the most hideous of menus look beautiful in no time.

Tales Union: What advice would you give to aspiring translators, whether they are official or fan translators?

Matt: If you want the really detailed answer, I'd defer to the post I made on The State of the Scene (which can be found here). However, I guess what I'd like to leave people with is this: Don't lean on the Japanese. I'm not saying to ignore the Japanese. Without the Japanese text, obviously a translator can't even get started. However, there comes a point in every project where you have to step away from it. A true localization must arrive at the point where the question "What does it say?" changes to "What do I want to say?". At the end of the day, our job is to present a game in natural, entertaining English. If we cling to the Japanese to the bitter end, it's hard to approach the script from the perspective of an English-speaking player. And have fun with the translation. If you don't enjoy your work, it's unlikely that anyone else is going to enjoy it either. We may be dealing with raw text, but never forget what makes games fun.

A big thanks goes out to Absolute Zero Translations for allowing us to hold this interview.