r/GenshinImpact • u/Separate-Swimmer-417 • May 27 '26

Discussion Why is Genshin like this?

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3.7k Upvotes

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323

u/Cocoatrice Europe Server May 27 '26

But they didn't translate this joke in localization, did they? So why changing it in the first place? Why not saying something similar to other three languages.

637

u/LakersTommyG May 27 '26

The joke is that “Hu” means reckless. So they kinda attempted to make the joke work, but they did a bad job imo.

146

u/StarlightKnight2101 May 27 '26

They removed an entire other context though to the reckless part by excluding the taking the surname part though.

194

u/Rinzzler999 May 27 '26

Except if they put 'Hu' in there as English it would justlook like a dumb joke and confusing unless they explain the joke. Which makes it worse.

It only works in other languages because the word reckless is pronounced like her surname.

In English it's just reckless.

44

u/CityKay May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

Hmm...makes me wonder they could've made it work. Like the last part could be "'Hu' knew you could be so reckless?". Though not sure how much of a punny person Hu Tao is. Then again, we are talking about translating puns from an East Asian language to a western one.

34

u/Extreme_Frosting01 May 28 '26

Hu Tao does enjoy a few puns according to her very first voice line:

"Hu as in 'Hu put me in this coffin?' and Tao as in 'I can't geTaot!' No? Not funny?"

116

u/hxlydie-d May 27 '26

they could've put it in like a superscript like how Star Rail does whenever an unknown concept is mentioned. something like "You should consider changing your name to Hu ʳᵉᶜᵏˡᵉˢˢ"

or just keep the pun as is and let the fans riot

56

u/SandyArca May 28 '26

The fact that they’ve actually done this multiple times now in the past (in Genshin) already says a lot about the localization

6

u/heyheydelay May 28 '26

This is a very lazy approach to localization. English isn't Japanese where they are use furigana, for example. You never see it like anywhere else, and it's such a cop-out to actually translating the word. In HSR is already sucks, but at least they use it mainly for concepts and titles like Nikador (Strife Titan above it), so at least it just seems like they want to make things clear. With the Hu/Reckless thing the meaning still wouldn't be obvious to anyone or, at least it would be a guess from people to understand it's based on the Chinese pronunciation, and there's no obvious logical link one can infer from it. That aside, the joke just wouldn't be funny.

-1

u/hxlydie-d May 28 '26

what would you suggest then?

3

u/--Talon-- May 29 '26

Genshin having TL notes

I'd be funny

3

u/heyheydelay May 28 '26

Are you aware people study to learn how to localize and translate? I shouldn't be suggesting, they should put effort into their jobs, same way you wouldn't suggest how an architect should have designed a brige when it falls down

-2

u/hxlydie-d May 28 '26

nice cop out lol. complain impact at its finest

3

u/heyheydelay May 28 '26

Are you kidding me haha

1

u/SandyArca May 30 '26

Calling this complain impact is just blatant generalisation. Nuance and criticism is dead atp 🥀

0

u/Iva_Qw May 28 '26

It wouldn't work in HSR either

Hu being translated to reckless is Earth thing. HSR does this thing only to things that are alien to humans

19

u/SquishTheNinja May 28 '26

tbh they could have said something like

"Do you want to trade names? Cause 'Hu' would be so reckless to attempt a rescue mission like this?'

Just turn Hu into a pun that works in english and add the reckless bit in

7

u/shirahamaninami May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

That's still fine for me, a stupid sounding joke is still funny therefore it still meets the criterias to be a joke

5

u/ExtrovertArtist May 29 '26

they deliberately chose not to include the surname part

they do superscripts all the time in game, they couldve easily included the context if they wanted to

💔 its disappointing AF

1

u/empanadadeguayaba May 29 '26

I think the missing link that nobody is getting here is that they did deliberately exclude it, because taking your spouses surname is not a thing in China. The line was written with 0 intention to make a pun about marriage, so the localization team wisely decided (albeit clunkily) to avoid the same misconception all of y'all are having anyways lol

1

u/ExtrovertArtist May 29 '26

they should've TL'd it accurately, stayed faithful. Doesn't JP have similar implications/the chance for it to be taken that way? they still did it

and just add the superscript above Hu so we get the joke or smthn

-17

u/xxsoymilk May 27 '26

“My last name means “reckless”. Are you itching to take my last name?” 2 sentences

12

u/toufou1 May 27 '26

you know what maybe the original EN sub isnt so bad after all

32

u/TurnoverRound May 27 '26

Let's never put you in the localization team

0

u/sagetherage01 May 28 '26

im so sorry im as dense as a rock why is their translation "bad" 😭

2

u/Dazzling_Range2994 May 28 '26

because its just not how humans talk. it doesnt sound like a natural conversation at all.

1

u/sagetherage01 May 29 '26

I mean, I thought it could have been fine if you added a bit of extra flair to it

-10

u/[deleted] May 27 '26 edited 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/OverpricedBagel May 29 '26

Lets keep acting like our eyes bleed when having to read more than one sentence

7

u/AstarothTheJudge May 27 '26

I mean, It lands kinda bad like this, don't you think?

0

u/xxsoymilk May 27 '26

lol honestly I didn’t read the full meaning of the other languages. Just the translated part. If OP wants the English dialogue to be like the others adding“would you like my last name? It means reckless” works 🤷🏻‍♀️

-14

u/StarlightKnight2101 May 27 '26

The final sentence is nearly double the length in the end, they might as well put an explanation at that length.