Exclusive news: Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be localized in Québec French 🇲🇶

[Boccages]

Exclusive news: Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be localized in Québec French

We've known since last autumn that Nintendo of America would be - for the first time ever - localize an Animal Crossing game (AC:NH) for the latino-american market. Let's back track. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (a text heavy game) was localized in both French and Spanish. But both translations were criticized by French-speaking and Spanish-speaking Americans (in the sense of people inhabiting the Americas, and not in the restricted sense of United-Statians) because those translations were heavily rooted in France French, and Castillan Spanish regionalism.

So knowing that, I've contacted a few days ago Nintendo of Canada to know if they were also localizing the French version for the Qu?bec, and the French-speaking North Americans market. I got an answer back yesterday :

"Pour la traduction de Animal Crossing: New Horizons, il s’agit d’une combinaison de traduction de fran?ais d’Europe et Canadien, et nous pensons que les joueurs appr?cieront la diversit? de caract?risation que cela pourra apporter au jeu."

Let's translate that : "For the [North-American French] translation of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it will be a mixture of France French and Canadian French. We think that the players will enjoy the ''characterization diversity'' that this will bring to the game.

So that is very good news for Quebec, Canada, and overall French-speaking Animal Crossing fans of the Americas.

*I've offered the admins of this board to verify with me my sources before I post this news here. They did not contact me back, most probably because they were busy with the server changes of the last 24 hours.

 

[Feraligator]

I wonder if this means there'll be a more UK English version of the game then since we get the American localisations...

 

[DJStarstryker]

I wonder if this means there'll be a more UK English version of the game then since we get the American localisations...

If they're bothering to do Quebec French and Latin America Spanish, I would actually be surprised if they didn't do this.

Though, from my perspective as an American, I kinda like it when games use UK English translations instead of American English translations (yes, it happens). I actually have learned terms that we don't use here in the US thanks to that. One example of what I am referring to is "chuffed".

 

[Sweetley]

I wonder if this means there'll be a more UK English version of the game then since we get the American localisations...

I would actually consider playing the game in UK English if they would offer it.

 

[Feraligator]

I hope they localised it for the UK including holidays, and would be surprised as well if they didn't if they're doing Latin-American and French-Canadian localisations, but I guess I wouldn't be too bothered if they just kept the American version for us since we've had the American English versions of the game since the original.
I guess they never bothered with it since the spelling and vocab differences are usually minor and the fact that the UK doesn't have many unique holidays apart from Bonfire Night.

 

[Boccages]

It always depends on the choices made during the localization process. Would you say the New Leaf English localization was international and neutral enough? The French localization of New Leaf was not neutral and international and it was painful at times. For example, peppy villagers dialogue was written in "kikoo French". Yup... That was painful. Here is an exagerated example of what it looks like in French when peppy villagers talk :
e-mail from kikoolol to all staff: Kikoo!!!! my name is Camille, this is my first day at work, for those who haven't met me yet , I love Los Angeleeees!!! lol but I hate New York :-( lol lol

 

[EpicGamer12]

This is really interesting to me. I live in New Brunswick which is the only bilingual province in Canada. In Southern NB, people that are taught French are typically taught France French. Meanwhile, Northern NB has a lot more Quebec French. My brother in-law is from France and he mentioned that Quebec and France French are very different.

This is a little more off topic, but there is a dialect of NB French called Chiac which is a very sloppy combination of English and Quebec French. An example of a Chiac sentence could be: "C'? pretty right on man, mon truck handle dans les trails." (It's really fun, my truck handles well off-road.)

 

[d3_3p]

The game will be getting more translations overall. Like the Russian language is a big new addition, although I will play in English since I like the wordplay.