D&D 5E WotC will not allow translation of D&D NEXT.

[Blackwarder]

Perhaps they're working on localizing (re: translating) the Neverwinter MMO beforehand, and building a translation glossary out of that, so the terms are the same when the time comes to translate 5e.

That's grasping at straws, I don't believe that this might be the case.

Warder

 

[GameOgre]

Imagain that D&D was a German game and that even though you know German and can speak read and write it fluently, your friends, young cousins and kids don't, now think about how would you feel if you were to find out that there will be no translation to English for the forseeable future...

I can, and have, been playing with English books for more than a decade, but a lot of the kids and young adults who play here don't, not letting us translate the books into our language in a timely maner will essential realy hurt out community, it will fracture it into this who play with English books and those who remain with other game systems that are translated.

We have here a small D&D convention a week before Gen-Con and I've been translating VotDL for our launch event for 5e, but when players will ask when they can buy the new translated books we won't be able to tell them anything.

I don't mind if the translation will come out 6 months after the books, but give us something to go on. The fact that several local distributors, including the one here, say that they go a massage that WotC won't be giving translation rights to them is very concerning to me, the player who go a non-English speaking gaming community that he wants to see grow.

Warder

I don't need to imagine. There are plenty of rpg's that look really fun that are in German and other languages that I can't play. I speak English only and am WAY to lazy to learn another language for my hobby. So I don't get to play those games.

If a rpg company that already has a small target audience doesn't do translations they will lose money. Frankly,it's just bad business. I just refuse to think WOTC has lost all business sense and has some English only agenda. Far more likely they just are not ready to move forward yet in this area. I have no doubt this is disappointing for many people but hardly a signal that they will deny other language options for their product for this edition.

 

[Morrus]

This doesn't seem likely. D&D always gets translated.

The last I heard was that they hadn't yet finalized their translation plans and weren't in a position to discuss them yet. Maybe some website took that and misinterpreted what they meant?

 

[Umbran]

Maybe some website took that and misinterpreted what they meant?

In other words, a bit of the detail may have gotten lost in translation?

I would not be at all surprised if they'll worry about translation only when they get their other licensing questions ironed out. If, as has been suggested, they're working a longer plan this time around, they may not feel a rush.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

At least in Brazil, Hasbro seems to be moving away from licensing its games in favor of producing (and profiting) itself. For a long time, for instance, we had a local version of monopoly produced and sold by a Brazilian company, and now Hasbro makes and sells the game. We also know that it sells MtG in foreign language directly. Maybe we'll see a similar move in D&D.

 

[landovers]

D&D lost a lot of presence in the brazilian market (after 3.5's success) mainly because of the paucity of 4th edition translated books (the local publisher is to blame). Because of this, most younger kids have never even heard of RPGs. D&D is a very powerful brand, and not translating Next would sadly be a big blow to the development of the hobby itself over here. Besides, I don't see what they can possibly gain from this decision.

Maybe they'll wait until they launch the inevitable D&D 5.5, or D&D Next Essentials.

 

[Iosue]

This doesn't seem likely. D&D always gets translated.

The last I heard was that they hadn't yet finalized their translation plans and weren't in a position to discuss them yet. Maybe some website took that and misinterpreted what they meant?

Again, this isn't just "some website". This is an official announcement by Hobby Japan, WotC's exclusive Japanese licensee for Dungeons & Dragon since 2003, and former licensee of Magic: The Gathering from 1995 to 2004. And they aren't saying they don't know, or they haven't heard, or there's a rumor that, or anything like that. They are officially announcing that WotC decided not to release a translation license and to only sell English-language books.

Now, maybe Wizards has fancy plans and pants to match. Looking around, it appears that WotC took over Japanese production of M:tG in 2012. Maybe they are intending to do the same for D&D. And hopefully, WotC will expand on any plans soon. But to be clear, the announcement that they are not doing any foreign translations is coming from an official licensee, in direct contact with WotC, not some fan site misinterpreting previous WotC announcements.

 

[Morrus]

Again, this isn't just "some website". This is an official announcement by Hobby Japan, WotC's exclusive Japanese licensee for Dungeons & Dragon since 2003, and former licensee of Magic: The Gathering from 1995 to 2004. And they aren't saying they don't know, or they haven't heard, or there's a rumor that, or anything like that. They are officially announcing that WotC decided not to release a translation license and to only sell English-language books.

Now, maybe Wizards has fancy plans and pants to match. Looking around, it appears that WotC took over Japanese production of M:tG in 2012. Maybe they are intending to do the same for D&D. And hopefully, WotC will expand on any plans soon. But to be clear, the announcement that they are not doing any foreign translations is coming from an official licensee, in direct contact with WotC, not some fan site misinterpreting previous WotC announcements.

I understand that, Iosue. That doesn't change my post in any way.

 

[Iosue]

I understand that, Iosue. That doesn't change my post in any way.

You believe that Hobby Japan is some website that misinterpreted Mike Mearls' tweets?

 

[Morrus]

You believe that Hobby Japan is some website that misinterpreted Mike Mearls' tweets?

That's not what I said. WotC may have responded to their enquiries as to the status of translations with something currently non-commital. I can't read the kanji, so I don't know the exact translation of what it says and can do no more than guess based on this thread, but my understanding is that WotC has not as yet finalized any translation plans and that that information is still forthcoming - not just for Japan, but for other countries also - and that the thread title of "WotC will not allow translation of D&D NEXT" seems pretty unlikely.

I get that you're in Japan, and that it's possible you think I'm somehow trying to slight a Japanese company you like and of which you feel the need to defend. I'm not, I promise.