Which 'foreign' languages have seen D&D?

[Oldtimer]

The only deliberate German edition was AD&D 2e: handled by a major boardgame company, widely distributed, and with a rather careful selection of products (Amigo even did their own conversions of 1e material).

Surely, the translation of Basic D&D by FSV was pretty deliberate? Deliberate enough to make TSR force us to print our swedish Basic Sets at FSV.

As seen in Javier Murillos outstanding collection, both Basic Set and Expert Set was published in swedish. AD&D 2e Player's Handbook was also translated, but never published due to an acute shortage of capital in our company (i.e we were dead broke).

I did also produce a partial translation of the 3e SRD into swedish.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Surely, the translation of Basic D&D by FSV was pretty deliberate? Deliberate enough to make TSR force us to print our swedish Basic Sets at FSV.

The quality of FSV's translation was dubious. Quality control was pretty much non-existent, so German adventurers could buy torch lights for the dungeon. Regarding the naming of monsters there were some curious translations as well, but one has to consider that theirs was the first try at such a project.

FSV didn't do any printing itself; it was a small studio founded as subsidiary of a then big boardgame publisher (ASS). I don't think that ASS had its own printing plant, especially not designed for books. I'd rather assume that they were able to strike a deal for a big contract, bundling several internatianal editions, but this is pure guesswork.

 

[Oldtimer]

The quality of FSV's translation was dubious. Quality control was pretty much non-existent, so German adventurers could buy torch lights for the dungeon. Regarding the naming of monsters there were some curious translations as well, but one has to consider that theirs was the first try at such a project.

I didn't say it was a good translation, only that I was pretty deliberate.

FSV didn't do any printing itself; it was a small studio founded as subsidiary of a then big boardgame publisher (ASS). I don't think that ASS had its own printing plant, especially not designed for books. I'd rather assume that they were able to strike a deal for a big contract, bundling several internatianal editions, but this is pure guesswork.

I know. We were actually down in Stuttgart for three weeks in the summer of '86 and spent almost every day at their offices there. The printing of D&D products (at least at that time) was done at a printing company just across the street from them.

I would think your guess about the big contract for printing is correct, since TSR forced a lot of the foreign translations to be printed there.
And FSV managed to screw up everything that they possibly could.

But other than that, Stuttgart was nice.

 

[David (StiltzkinKupo84)]

@Dungeonosophy I have found your list most useful in identifying startingpoints for translating D&D into each of these languages! I have built a Discord server called International Gaming and Languages, where we are working on translations of D&D 5ed into as many world languages as we can find translation staff for!

Feel free to join up if you are interested in lending your help to our translation effort:

Join the International Gaming & Languages! Discord Server!

Check out the International Gaming & Languages! community on Discord - hang out with 47 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

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