Legends of Localization Book 1: The Legend of Zelda Details Zelda’s Translation History

Although the original Legend of Zelda was a hit with gamers in the west, its localization left something to be desired. From its indecipherable clues (“10th Enemy has the bomb”) to the misspelling of Ganon’s name in the intro, it’s clear that something was lost in the translation process.

Thanks to the efforts of Clyde Mandelin, Zelda fans will finally get a peek into that process.

See, Mandelin keeps tabs on video game localization (as a translation/localization expert himself with an impressive resume) and shares the details on his website Legends of Localization. (Mandelin also worked on the Mother 3 fan translation, which we here at Retrovolve are huge fans of.) The website is about to become a book series, with Legends of Localization Book 1: The Legend of Zelda out in December. (You can pre-order the book on Fangamer.)

This thing looks beautiful, with 208 pages of info and sweet, sweet 8-bit graphics.

The second book in this series will focus on EarthBound, so let’s hope Book 1 is a smashing success.

In the meantime, here’s a trailer with some of the details: