{"id":22581,"date":"2023-04-06T11:41:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T16:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?p=22581"},"modified":"2023-12-05T10:27:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T16:27:36","slug":"global-company-local-expert-alum-translates-nintendo-games-for-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2023\/global-company-local-expert-alum-translates-nintendo-games-for-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Global company, local expert: Alum translates Nintendo games for America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Timothy MacKenzie and his siblings had to compete with their dad for time on their old Nintendo console as they were growing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was the one who brought home \u2018Super Mario Brothers\u2019 and \u2018Zelda,\u2019 and he insisted that he had to be the first to complete them, to make sure they were \u2018okay\u2019 to play,\u201d MacKenzie recalled. \u201cHe eventually had to change his rule because he realized we were a lot better than he was. I think he died 200 times in Zelda.\u201d<\/p>\n

As much as he loved Nintendo, MacKenzie never realized that his gaming system came from so far away. He grew up in Minnesota in a town of just 600 people. Then, one day, an exchange teacher visited his elementary school and taught his class about Japan and its culture. MacKenzie still remembers how she showed the class the Miyazaki film \u201cMy Neighbor Totoro.\u201d<\/p>\n

To this day, it is one of his favorite movies.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe also told me that I a lot of things I already liked were from Japan. I liked Nintendo games,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen she told me that, it blew my child mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis came from Japan, and someone had to put it into English. That expanded the world for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, MacKenzie is one of the people who puts Nintendo games into English. As a localization specialist, he is responsible for translating Japanese text from video and mobile games \u2013 either narrative text or user interface text \u2013 and polishing it so that it reads smoothly to American audiences. That means replacing Japanese idioms with American sayings, for example, or even just ensuring correct time zones.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut also, it could be more narrative-focused, looking at characterization or the story. We have the narrative text and dialogue for a role-playing game, or things like that. We look at, what\u2019s the right kind of voice and characterization for our market?\u201d MacKenzie said.<\/p>\n

For example, he did work on the mobile game \u201cAnimal Crossing: Pocket Camp.\u201d One of the characters in the game, Shino<\/a>, has a Shinto shrine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a push from some people \u2013 should we just write this out and not include it, because some people might not understand it here?\u201d MacKenzie said. \u201cI thought, even if they don\u2019t, it\u2019s best to include it. It\u2019s still in the game visually, and I think people would appreciate learning about other cultures. I think that\u2019s something that really valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a different approach than other localization specialists have taken in the past. In the 1980s and 90s, MacKenzie said translators tended to \u201csand off\u201d any aspect of foreign culture by substituting American foods in place of Japanese cuisine, for example, or changing foreign character names to American monikers.<\/p>\n

But that method robs audiences of the full impact of the movies, games, and music they\u2019re consuming, he argues. The internet has opened up the world and allowed people a glimpse into different cultures, from Japanese anime and video games to Korean cinema and music to Indian dance and philosophies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just makes sense to me to be as respectful as possible with these sorts of things,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should just be celebrating the things that they have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacKenzie has a deep appreciation of Japanese culture. He attended 51ÁÔÆæ specifically because it had a strong Japanese program. After earning his Master\u2019s degree, he began working at Right Stuf Anime doing subtitles for Japanese movies. Later, he took a marketing job at UWParkside before landing at Nintendo.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s it like to work at the company that had such an impact on his childhood?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very surreal. It still hasn\u2019t really settled in. There are times when it doesn\u2019t feel like work. It\u2019s surprising that I\u2019m getting paid to do this,\u201d MacKenzie said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful experience and I have a very strong appreciation for my coworkers and my work environment. I feel heard and cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wants everyone to enjoy their experience with Nintendo, just like he has \u2013 no matter where in the world they are.<\/p>\n

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timothy MacKenzie and his siblings had to compete with their dad for time on their old Nintendo console as they were growing up. \u201cMy dad was the one who brought home \u2018Super Mario Brothers\u2019 and \u2018Zelda,\u2019 and he insisted that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32664,"featured_media":22591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[1848,1756],"tags":[1854],"class_list":["post-22581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-student-news","category-in-focus-2023","tag-april"],"yoast_head":"\nLetters & Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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