foreign language titles

[herkamur]

Ok, there is some conflicting information on foreign language titles.  When submitting a new record it says the title should be the English translation yet the style guide here says the original language.  Which is it?

[herkamur]

On a similar note, this arose from an edit to the SMS version of The Smurfs Travel the World which had its titles switched.  I've submitted an edit to that using proper French capitalisation, thusly:

Les Schtroumpfs autour du monde

French rules aren't the same as English.

[doctorlaudanum]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the rule is that we use the original (foreign) name that's written on the cart, case, or box unless it is written in something other than the Classical Latin alphabet (A, B, C, etc.) In the case of a title written with foreign characters (i.e. Japanese), we transliterate it. So if the title on the case, cart, or box is "Les Schtroumpfs autour du mode," capitalization and all, that's the title it's submitted under. But if the title on the case, cart, or box is "The Smurfs Travel the World," you submit it under that with "Les Schtroumpfs autour du mode" as a possible alt title. If it's written on the game, that's the title you submit it under.

Now that you've got me thinking, I do think we should have a dedicated section on transliterating titles in the style guide. A lot of users have different ways of romanizing, myself included.

[herkamur]

OK, so all my edits to correct the French titles have been denied.  Do we want correct titles or no?

[tripredacus]

See this topic:
http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,7316.0.html

Summary: the rules of not starting a name with an (in)definate article is not limited to English titles.

Les Schtroumpfs Autour du Monde
should be
Schtroumpfs, Les: Autour du Monde

Like this: http://vgcollect.com/item/8599

[herkamur]

I know that.  Hence:

Smurfs Travel the World, The
Schtroumpfs autour du monde, Les

"autour du monde" is not a subtitle.  It is part of the main title.

The definite article does not get lobbed into the middle of the title.  It goes at the end.

[tripredacus]

The Smurfs / Les Schtroumpfs is the series title. If it were just Smurfs, I would agree.

[herkamur]

That's not how one references titles.  The actual title of the game is "The Smurfs Travel the World", not "The Smurfs: Travel the World".  Or, "Les Schtroumpfs autour du monde", not "Les Schtroumpfs: Autour du monde".

It's a single, complete title and you don't chop it up when referring to it.

The same goes for "Wonder Boy in Monster World".  It's not "Wonder Boy: In Monster World".  The latter is just wrong.

[tripredacus]

"Schtroumpfs, Les: Autour du Monde" is not an unknown and seems to be commonly rendered this way even on French websites. A search of google shows this.

As you say, it is Wonder Boy in Monster World... or Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, The (this is a closer example) http://vgcollect.com/item/103244

If we were to do it this way, it would be like this
Schtroumpfs Autour du Monde, Les
and then put this in the alt title
Schtroumpfs, Les: Autour du Monde [FR], The Smurfs Travel the World

But let's leave this open for discussion for now until more people can weigh in on the subject.

[metshael]

Ah that infamous game, before i talk about the title i just want to inform that i will edit the release type to "Unreleased (but official)", it was officially developed, edited and published but got cancelled before the release and all the copies have been "destroyed" but apparently someone got a pallet full of them and put them on ebay little by little, making that game the rarest game on Master System (at least for the pal region, i never checked the others region).

So about that title, if i was the one who added that game i would have added it like this "Schtroumpfs, Les: Autour du Monde" for two reasons, first, like tripredacus said it, most of the french sites use a colon in that title as you can see on Jeuxvideo.com (the biggest French website based on video games) and the second reason is because of the cover, when you look at it the title is separated in two different colors, first the color blue for "Les Schtroumpfs" the title (or at least the series title) then in yellow "Autour du monde" the subtitle (or at least that's how i see it).

And as a French speaker that title sound weird as a phrase, it's not wrong, the phrase is correct but it sound weird to my ears (maybe it's just me  ), if i translate it in English it would be "The Smurfs around the world", does it sound weird for anyone or is my brain still in vacation mode ?

[herkamur]

I speak French and have always read it as a single title.  On reflection I can see it read as a subtitle but I've spent years considering it a single phrase.

At the very least could we correctly capitalise it as:

Schtroumpfs, Les: Autour du monde

(no capital on "du monde")

[herkamur]

My original question was about the language of the main title.  It's confusing because when prompted to enter a new database entry it says to use the English name yet the style guide indicates one should use the printed language.

Some clarity on that would be appreciated.

[tripredacus]

At the very least could we correctly capitalise it as:

Schtroumpfs, Les: Autour du monde

(no capital on "du monde")

If we are to adopt a title standard for French items, we need to then properly identify the standard in the case non-speakers want to edit the entries. The best summary I can find is here, but it notes there are various systems:
http://french.about.com/library/writing/bl-capitalizationoftitles.htm

New database entry should not say "English" name. Because we do not want a translation. It may have been something leftover from when the site was first made... But now we are much more international. It would not make sense to put a translation name on something where the physical object does not match. The exception to this is languages that use symbols (Japanese, Chinese, Russia, etc). Languages that use Latin characters are easier to identify among people whose language use those characters. So French, Spanish, Italian, German, etc titled games are to use the titles as they appear on the game's cover. And then if there is another name to aid in the search, that is put into the Alt title field.