What's The Deal With D&D Translations?

Over the last year or so, the question of translations of D&D 5E into foreign languages has arisen from time to time. Sites like Hobby Japan have stated that WotC indicated that no D&D translations would be permitted, although very recently that site was apparently given permission to do translate the Basic Rules (more on that below), and today a petition was created by a German fan asking for translated books.

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This was Hobby Japan's announcement back in July 2014.

AN IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT "D&D NEXT"
Thank you very much for your continued patronage of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

Since January of 2013, we have been engaging in promotional activities, primarily through "Table Game Channel", on the assumption of making the transtion from D&D 4th Edition to D&D Next. However, Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of D&D, has decided to sell only English versions of D&D Next, and not put out a license for translations. This applies not only to Japan, but all non-English language regions.
As a result, we cannot release a Japanese version of D&D Next.
We deeply apologize that we can meet the expectations of everyone who was looking forward to a Japanese version of D&D Next.

As a company, we will wait for an opportunity to do the translation, taking in account the possiblity that Wizards of the Coast may change their policy, but we must announce here that for the time being, there is no plan to publish Japanese versions of D&D Next merchandise.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone who has supported the Japanese versions of D&D over the 10 years since the Japanese release of D&D 3rd Edition.

Eiji Nakabayashi
Game Development Department
Hobby Japan, Inc.
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WotC's Chris Perkins shortly thereafter clarified this, by saying "We want to adopt a plan that makes it possible for us to deliver new releases in multiple languages at the same time. That requires a lot of work on our end, and also likely ties into digital publishing."

Last week, Masaki Yanagida in Japan dropped me a note with the latest translation news from Japan.

As we know, Wizards of the Coast has not granted a translation license of the D&D 5th for other than English, yet. But Japanese D&D gamers obtained permission to publish the Basic Rules for D&D (Japanese version) on the Hobby Japan's D&D Suport page.

This translation made by volunteer who played D&D at D&D Adventure League (JapanRegion). Our regional coordinator and HJ's Staffs requested this permission to the WotC, and they gave it.

Player's rules comes first (PDF), and Dungeon Masters rules are in preparation now.

Some geek news sites picked up this news. And announced that, there is no plan to release a Japanese version of D&D 5th, but volunteer has translated free rules which is published at WotC site. So you can get this translation for free at HJ's D&D Site. Comments on this news shows that, not only active gamers but also retired gamers are
interested in this New D&D.

http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/newsclip/20150930_723372.html

http://www.4gamer.net/games/319/G031949/20151001001/

If D&D5th translated and sell legally, more Japanese gamers will return gameshop,play the D&D, and purchase the D&D. We hope the WotC to grant translation license of D&D for local publisher.

I think, this accomplishment will encourage all other non-English gamers demanding for translated D&D.
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And just today, Info Kiem from Germany started a petition on Change.org, asking WotC to translate D&D into other languages.

With 5th Edition, Wizards of the Coast has dropped all partnerships with local publishers and stopped all foreign-language editions of the game. It may not be reflected by the sales numbers, but D&D needs a proper localization. Most dedicated players may still buy the English rulebooks, but there are always players at the table, especially younger ones, that need a translation. Other RPGs are translated, all previous editions of D&D were, why not this one? If we rally up support here, maybe we can change somebody's mind at Wizards of the Coast.

Translate the 5th Edition rulebooks!
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[Hand of Evil]

never understood WotC reasons for not translating, just seemed strange.

 

[dracomilan]

We already have a working translation in Italian. An official translation of the Basic Rules would be amazing. Sadly, the Italian publisher of D&D just went out of business.

 

[dd.stevenson]

I'm afraid I have nothing but contempt for WotC's handling of translation licences thus far.

 

[Ti-bob]

I want French books to gift my young nephews and initiate them to D&D!

 

[Desh-Rae-Halra]

I'm with dd.stevenson on this

On a lighter note, we also need to get these translated for the Canadians too, eh?

 

[Mirtek]

Money. That's the reason. Up to 4e D&D was available in a lot of different languages. They all stoped during 4e after the first few books.

At least for the German edition it is known that it was nothing but money that killer the license.

The german publisher did the first few books and was happy enough with the bottomline after paying his cost and WotC's fee and had already announced the next books they had scheduled.

The upcomming license renewal was Seen as a standard proceedure. Then WotC shocked them with suddenly demanding an unreasonable fee for the german market. After their response that it is not possible to dell that many D&D books in "DSA-country" WotC informed via another mail that the license would not be renewed.

WotC actually approached the few other german publishers that could handle D&D and they all just laughed at the figures WotC demanded.

And that was the end of roughly 30 years of german D&D.

Since a lot of other language translation disappeared at the same time (check the local amazon.xxx for at least 4e PHB 1 in spanisch, French vor italiano) i guess it was the same story in these countries

 

[EthanSental]

I wonder what's involved in translating a book properly? Hopefully people don't rush to think you can copy paste into google or babel fish and think what it gives you is grammically correct.

Anyone know? I would hope they would get it out there in more languages but what does that entail? If they give a lisence to translate, then once done, who at WoTC is sufficiently proficient in the language to say it's a good translation?

 

[Mirtek]

Now who among the hip young crowd needs anything but english? Everybody and bis dog is tunneling through VPN into US-netflix to watch the newest episodes in english, aren't they?

At least for germany i was shocked how wrong the perception above is even in this day and age. The end of the german translation all but killed recruitment oft New layers, especially with DSA as the unequalled big fish in the german pond but also with the german translation of Pathfinder still going strong with >300 german products available

 

[Mr. Flibble]

If, as WotC has stated, the objective of the Basic Rules is to make D&D accessible to the greatest possible number of potential players, it really makes no sense at all to marginalize non-native-English speakers. Do we know that the buck (literally) stops with WotC, or is the problem here coming from further up in the Fereng...er, Hasbro organization?