Emerald Dreams

A trilogy of topics today. Don't miss out on the other two.

I have taken up a project aimed to increase my japanese knowledge, vocabulary, reading comprehension and speed, as well as my handwriting, patience and more. The brilliance of this project is that it combines both my passion for video games, and my passion for the Japanese language. Even more brilliant is that I can do it with tired limbs.

This started, to some small degree, with the purchase of my Nintendo DS and the quirky, untranslated titles of Jump Superstars and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! I did some translation in those, but storyless they presented little which needed to be translated.

My life as a translator is now in full force, as I bought a couple note pads from the hundred yen store, a pair of fresh pens, and a copy of Pokemon Emerald.

The basic theory is, the game is meant for children, I have Japanese language skill of a very young child, and so the game should be the best thing for me to translate. Last night, I spent several hours doing just that. The drive that pushes me onward is that in order to actually play the game and have any idea whatsoever of what I'm doing, I have to translate it. Pikachu isn't using Thunderwhatsit if I can't read it.

So far I've translated the introduction of the introduction, and some menu screens. It's a slow process, but extremely enjoyable. I may actually get to play the game sometime this week, but I still have untranslated text from a lecture my in game mom gave me, as well as a horde of townspeople to talk to and all the droning on and battle instruction that will be given when I actually go to get my start in the world, plus the likelyhood that all the villager text will have changed after I get my first Pokemon. Give that it took me three hours to get as far as I have, I may not even be halfway through the game when I get home.

Other Japanese news is that I got a notebook for practicing Kanji, which we will shortly be doing in class. I aced my exams I had Thursday and Friday, easily. I'm speaking more and more Japanese every day, and enjoying it all. Watching my favorite anime in Japanese minus subtitles is an experience as well.

In short, Japan rocks.