Talk:Kirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack

The Great Translation Reckoning

Many of the English translations for these tracks were provided courtesy of courtesy (kirbypost-generator) back in 2019. Since then, the wiki's userbase and music coverage have both grown significantly. As a result, it's not unusual to find varying unofficial translations for track names used on the wiki. Some members on the Discord server in recent weeks have also expressed the desire to change the wiki's official unofficial translations for a number of tracks (with Puzzle Milky Way already being changed to Puzzle-Solving Galaxy).

So, at the EiC's request and out of my own interest, I'm putting down this discussion topic. The gist: Standardise unofficial translations of track names for Kirby Star Allies music across the wiki, incorporating any new ideas for translations in the process as makes sense.

This is a discussion that Gigi and Superbound have been thinking about more than I, so I yield the floor. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 13:11, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I'm not sure exactly how to format this, but I do want anyone who wants to voice their suggestions for translations to comment here. I will start a format I am thinking here soon to formally kick this off I suppose. - Gigi (talk • edits) 14:38, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

1-10 - フレンズナゾトキ

フレンズ means "friends" as written in katakana, ナゾトキ is 謎解き which is tricky to translate. "Friend Puzzle" isn't an incorrect translation but I personally feel Friends Puzzle Solving would be a good name for this, mostly considering there is another track with a similar name that can use a similar translation format (will elaborate there). - Gigi (talk • edits) 14:55, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Sounds good. Superbound (talk) 21:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

My translation was "Friends Puzzle Time", but mostly just because I took ナゾトキ nazotoki literally (puzzle + time). For Triple Deluxe we translated it as just "puzzles" for カタムキナゾトキ (Tilting Puzzles), so while I'm good with "Friends Puzzle Solving", "Friend Puzzles" could work as well. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

1-18 - ゆうかんなるものたちへ

I would like opinions on this one. ゆうかん is "brave", なる is... man that is the tricky part for me, isn't it "to become"? ものたち is probably accurate as "those". The particle へ here for me indicates "for" indeed (I rambled about it on Discord a while ago). So "For Those Who Are Brave" is probably right, I just wanted to confirm なる here can indeed be "are" and not "become" I guess. - Gigi (talk • edits) 14:55, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

なる is distinct from 為る or 成る, one of which is what you're probably thinking of with 'become'. Here it is indeed simply 'For Those Who Are Brave' ... or is it 'To The Brave Ones'? Even just 'For the Brave'? Something along those lines at any rate. The issue is a small one and is probably down to whether you think about it as being written 'for' those who are brave or dedicated 'to' the brave ones. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:18, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Since "For Those Who Are Brave" is already used wiki-wise (there was even a text replacement run), and it's not incorrect, then I say we should keep it. Superbound (talk) 21:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Also agree that the current translation is fine enough. I probably would have just said "For/To the Brave" personally. In the case of なる, here it's more like 'is' or 'be'. Other examples of this form in Kirby are 未知なる (Unknown per dictionaries, but means more like 'yet understood' or 'unfamiliar' imo) and 頑強なる (Tough or Sturdy, as per Grand Mam's title 頑強なる大母 "Sturdy Big Mom". SYZekrom (talk) 21:37, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I feel like "(going) to" or "(heading) for" is what's implied here, hence my previous translation of "Heading for the Brave Ones", but I agree that "For Those Who Are Brave" is fine in terms of accuracy. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

1-19 - むさぼりの王

This one is minor, but I think a better word than "greedy" could be used, considering the context of the scene and the fact most people think of greed as "desire for money" first before "devouring food". I'm thinking "The Indulging King" maybe? Superbound (talk) 21:11, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Maybe something more direct would be better, like "The Greedily-Devouring King" or "The King Scarfing Down Food"? SYZekrom (talk) 21:40, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Indulgent King". I'm fine with either. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

2-09 - ぺんぺん草も生えぬ地へ

Oh boy this name. ぺんぺん草 is specifically shepherd's purse which is a weed that often grows in abandoned places. It's also a reference to the ぺんぺん草が生える idiom (see here I guess). A very direct translation would be "To the Land Where Not Even Shepherd's Purse Grows", but for a simpler name with a clearer meaning I would likely suggest To the Land Where Not Even Weeds Grow. Thoughts? - Gigi (talk • edits) 14:55, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Support this or some very minor variation of this, like "To a Land Where Not Even Weeds Will Grow". —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:12, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I like "To a Land Where Not Even Weeds Will Grow". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

2-11 - まくへきの風

I am only bringing this one because まくへき is used here, which is also used for the Japanese name of Eastern Wall. In English it's just "wall" and not "membrane wall". Do we want to go with localization and translate it as "Wind of the Wall" (which sounds lame to me but hey) or ignore that and keep "Wind of the Membrane Wall"? - Gigi (talk • edits) 14:55, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

It's almost certainly referring to a curtain wall although maybe given the organic appearance of Jambastion there's intentional wordplay going on (the usual term for a wall of a building or fort would be かべ and not へき). For that reason it might be safest to keep it as simply 'Wind of the Wall'. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:06, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I don't see where you get that it's referring to a curtain wall but I'm pretty sure calling something a 'membrane wall' can just mean it acts like a membrane wall in that it filters certain things out. This is done in English too, such as a "waterproofing membrane". Anyway, in regards to whether to go with the 'official translation', I think it'd be better to translate it as Wind of the Membrane Wall and note that the title refers to the name of the level. SYZekrom (talk) 21:53, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

eg here: [1] 「城壁（Enceinte, Defensive wall）とは、市街地や城を包囲して防御機能を果たす幕壁（カーテンウォール）及び城壁塔・堡塁などの一連の構築物のこと。」 (emphasis changed from original). As it refers to a defensive wall spanning across towers outside of the proper fortress, it would seem to correspond to the Eastern Wall (between the road to the gate and the fortress proper). —willidleaway [talk | edits] 22:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Wind of the Outer Wall". Given the in-game terminology and that this track is used in other games, shortening to just "Wind of the Wall" might work better. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

3-02 - フォルアースに吹風

This is more minor, but we don't really use "blowing" as an adjective in English, so "Blowing Wind on Earthfall" sounds weird; it sounds like the action of blowing wind, rather than describing wind that is blowing. I'd prefer something like "The Wind is Blowing on Earthfall". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

3-03 - ナゾトキ銀河

Similar to フレンズナゾトキ, although I am just realizing ナゾトキ is at the beginning of the name here instead... Anyway I still want to keep Puzzle Solving Galaxy. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Sounds good. Superbound (talk) 21:14, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Puzzle Time Galaxy". Considering 銀河 ginga is used in the Japanese name of Milky Way Wishes, we could translate it as "Puzzle Milky Way" as well. "Puzzle Solving Galaxy" is fine with me, though. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

3-05 - ポッカラ大迷宮

We currently have a bunch of different and all valid translations of this around the wiki. Personally I lean towards something like "The Great Maze of Caverna" but honestly I dunno, but we need to reach a consensus. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I'd prefer something that involves 'Great Labyrinth' to match our current translation of 星のカービィ 鏡の大迷宮 as Kirby of the Stars: The Great Labyrinth of the Mirror, as well as the official localisation of 御宝争奪大迷宮 as The Great Labyrinth Battle. My favourite is 'Caverna, Great Labyrinth' but something like 'The Great Labyrinth of Caverna' would work as well of course. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:50, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I agree with Great Labyrinth over Great Maze, either "(The) Great Labyrtinth(,/:) Caverna" or "Caverna(, The) Great Labyrinth". I personally would not prefer having of in the title, because it makes it sound like the Great Labyrinth is only a subarea/part of a larger area called Caverna when the entire planet might be a labyrinth. SYZekrom (talk) 21:57, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Caverna, Great Labyrinth". Either of what WIA suggested is fine with me. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

3-06 - ヒャッコル寒冷地

Related to the above as it's formatted similarly and I've also seen different translations on the wiki. This one also appears to reference Rainbow Resort's original name, 夢と寒冷地の面, by using 寒冷地, so also something to keep in mind. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Even the current translation ('Frostak's Cold Area') seems fine, although it will have to match the structure of whatever translation gets standardised for 3-05. The Kirby's Adventure (soundtrack) page's translation of the Rainbow Resort track is currently 'Dream and Cold Area Stages' so anything using 'Cold Area' would be fine from that point of view. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 16:11, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Mine was "Frostak, Cold Region". If we're going for consistency with the Adventure soundtrack, "Frostak, Cold Area" could work. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

3-15 - 大スイッチぜんぶおし！

"All Big Switches Pressed!" would be more natural grammar in English. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

3-21 - 遥か、冒険の旅の果てに

I think SacredZekrom brought this one up; 冒険の旅 bouken no tabi ("an adventuresome journey") is used in the JP text, and doesn't really contain the word "travelers". Something like "Far-Flung End of an Adventuresome Journey" or just "Far-Flung End of the Adventure" would work better. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-01 - 彼方、光さえ届かぬ場所へ

Perhaps suggesting out of turn. The current translation is 'To There, Where Not Even Light Shines'. However, it seems like the phrasing should be parallel with 2-10. So something like 'To a Faraway Place Where Not Even Light May Shine/Reach/Touch' could be better suited here. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 16:06, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Personally, I think 彼方 should not be 'there'. Kirby uses 彼方 almost exclusively as かなた (kanata) and not あちら (achira). Achira would be 'there', but kanata should be given a bit more importance than a word like 'there'. I would go with something like "To the Distance, a Place Touched not Even by Light'. A few liberties in the way I worded it but I would like to see 'a place where' instead of just 'where' too. Most importantly still is that I don't think 彼方 should just be 'there' because it's probably kanata and not achira. SYZekrom (talk) 22:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Even Further, Where Light Doesn't Reach". I think it's good to emphasize that it's "even further" than "far-flung". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-02 - 夢と新緑の残痕地

I mostly bring this here because I've seen this translated as all sorts of names; this one has so many possible translations. My personal one is The Scarred Land of Fresh Greens and Dreams because I personally feel 残痕 here is modifying 地 but I want to hear opinions. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

This is tough. I can see that working. I can also see the rationale behind the original translation. I'm almost inclined to outright ignore 地 and simply translate it as 'Vestiges of Tender Greens and Dreams'. Neutral on this one. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 16:06, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Remnants of Dreams and Fresh Greens". I'm kind of torn on which of the translations I prefer, but something about "Scarred" evokes a strong image to me that makes me prefer that. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-03 - 拝道

Is "Holy Road" for this accurate? 拝 means worship so shouldn't it be "Worship Road" or something like that? - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I like 'Road of Supplication'. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:21, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Mine was "Road of Worship". "Supplication" might be better to parallel "Song of Supplication". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-04 - 拝殿

Similarly, 拝殿 translates as "Hall of Worship", so I feel that would be more accurate that "Holy Shrine" unless I'm missing something. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

'Hall of Supplication'. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:26, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

"Hall of Worship". Like I said, "supplication" might be better. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-05 - 拝白の神司

Another 拝 whee. "White Worship Priest"? - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:17, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Priest of ... actually there's a very specific meaning to 拝白 that Kumazaki is probably playing off of that isn't just 'white worship' (which also sounds a bit unfortunate). Let me think on how best to translate it and follow up. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:26, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

So basically 拝白 is a (fairly formal) valediction, so a way to end off a letter, like 'sincerely' or 'yours faithfully' or even 'I have the honour to be your obedient servant'. If I were feeling particularly quirky I would suggest something like 'I Have the Honour to Be Your Obedient Priest', but 'Priest of Faithful Supplication' might suffice. Genuinely not as sure about this one. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:43, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

For the three 拝 tracks I would go with "Road of Worship", "Hall of Worship", and "White Priest of Worship". SYZekrom (talk) 22:13, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "White Officiant of God". I don't remember how I got there, but I think "officiant" is used to describe Hyness in the English text. I like "Priest of Faithful Supplication". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-08 - 拝伏の神司

At this point I don't even know anymore but yeah this one has 拝 too. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:17, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

'Priest of Prostrating Supplication'. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:26, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Oh right this one too. (Bowing/Prostrating) Priest of Worship. SYZekrom (talk) 22:15, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

"Cowering Officiant of God". I like the imagery of "cowering", since it covers both cowering in supplication and cowering in fear, as Hyness begins to throughout the fight. I'm not sure if that's the implication, though, so I'm fine with WIA's suggestion. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-09 - 拝納祭

Another one with 拝. I also don't personally know how to translate but I want some ideas/opinions. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:28, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Ritual of Tribute in Supplication. Certainly 'ritual' or 'ceremony' would be more appropriate than 'festival' in this context. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:35, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

"Offering Ritual of Worship". I'm fine with WIA's suggestion. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-10 - 序奏：星の絶海へ

序奏 josou specifically refers to the prelude or introduction to a piece of music. It's meant match with "Suite: The Star Conquering Traveler", so it might be better to use "Introduction" than "Prelude". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-16 - ずっと、君を見ていると。

While the translations of this are similar, it's the formatting that is inconsistent: "Always, I'll Be Watching You.", "I'll Always Watch Over You." or even "I'll Always Be Watching You.". Personally, I'm in favor of the second variant I provided. I think we could disregard the "comma", since Japanese has different punctuation rules, so we don't need to stick them so literally, and it also sounds rather natural. Superbound (talk) 21:27, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I prefer "I'll Always Watch Over You.", since "I'll Always Be Watching You." makes it sound a bit creepier than the intention. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

4-17 - おためしスター

Saw discussion related to this in the Discord earlier today. Basically おためし is used for Copy Ability testing areas so a more accurate translation would likely be something like "Testing Star", fitting as this song plays in Ability Planet. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:32, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Support 'Testing Star' or 'Trial Star' (having been in that discussion). —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:35, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Trial Star". That's my preference. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

5-01 - お好み究極チョイス味

I've seen different translations of this one before, and personally just looking at it I don't know if "Choosing the Ultimate Choice's Flavor" is super accurate. Also this one is tricky because the name of this mode in Japanese has "The アルティメット" written like that with "ultimate" in Katakana, and this title has 究極 which translates as "ultimate"... Anyway, I think starpunch once had a different translation for this so if she wants to weight in with that or if I can find it I will post here. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:40, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Have a few alternates bouncing around in my head like 'How Spicy Would You Like Your Ultimate Choice?' but while the original isn't literal, it gets the spirit of it across so I don't mind it terribly. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 15:53, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Deciding the Ultimate Choice Flavor", which is admittedly pretty similar to the original. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

"Preferred Flavor of Ultimate Choice"? SYZekrom (talk) 22:26, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

5-24 to 5-35 plus 5-39 (Dream Friend jingles)

General question if we want to change these further to indicate these are likely in first person, but trickier because of how Japanese works so differently from English in that sense. Also if anyone wants to propose changes to other translations. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:51, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

Setting aside the first-person issue, two translations that I'm not sure about:

• 5-26: メタナイト見参！ 'Spotted' is an odd way to translate 見参, which is more about meeting someone in a very formal context (like going to meet a monarch holding audience at court). 'Meta Knight Approaches!' might be better. Just not sure at all though.
• 5-27: リック＆カイン＆クー大集合っ！ A much more minor tweak I would suggest here. It's got the feeling of a bunch of superheroes teaming up so I would suggest something like 'Rick, Kine, Coo: Assemble!' While 'gather' gets the meaning across it seems ... oddly pedestrian?

—willidleaway [talk | edits] 16:43, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

For 5-27, I went with "Rick, Kine, and Coo, the Complete Set!" I'm not sure if that's proper, though, since I think I was a bit confused on the meaning. I like "Rick, Kine, and Coo: Assemble!" StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

5-37 - だいだんえんの、おもいでたち。

Like Superbound brought up with the other one, the comma doesn't make sense in English here; it would make more sense as just "Memories of the Grand Finale". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

6-02 - ナイトメアーズバトル

We had a discussion a while ago to see if this should be "Nightmare's Battle" or "Nightmares Battle". Personally I think it should be "Nightmare's Battle", because even though they don't usually have stuff like "'s" written in katakana, in the same CD we have ダークマター イン ザ ハイパーゾーン which has "in the" written in katakana (イン ザ). - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:47, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I also think "Nightmare's Battle" is fine. Superbound (talk) 21:16, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Nightmares Battle" because my thought was that it isn't literally referring to Nightmare, but rather the figurative concept of "nightmares". I figured that if they intended it to be "Nightmare's Battle", it would be ナイトメアのバトル. I think I'm coming around on the idea that it's "Nightmare's Battle", though, so I'm fine with that. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

6-06 - おとめたちのやみとのたたかい

This one I guess is about how to translate おとめ: I've seen it translated as "maiden". I personally like "The Girls' Battle With the Darkness" but since I know the word used here for "girl" is not that common I would understand if we want to translate it differently. - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:54, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

'Damsel'? Personally I don't think it's absolutely necessary to adjust this one, but floating another alternative in case people take to it. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 16:26, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "maiden", but I'm basically fine with "The Girls' Battle with the Darkness". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

6-11 - 幼き日に視たデウス・エクス・マキナ

I personally prefer for this one something like "The Deus Ex Machina Seen in Childhood" but I'm unsure if it's more or less accurate than "The Deus Ex Machina the Child Saw". - Gigi (talk • edits) 15:57, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

'A Childhood Encounter with the Deus Ex Machina' might be a less literal translation. みる can be 'experience' as well as 'look/peek' and it seems the former might make sense. —willidleaway [talk | edits] 16:19, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I went with "Deus Ex Machina at a Young Age", assuming that miru was "experience" rather than "look". That's my preference. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

6-12 to 6-19 - Void Termina themes

Since there are two sets of translations for both of these, I figure it'd be good to iron out exactly what we want to use. Right now we're using my translations for half of them and kirbypostgenerator's for the other half, but if anyone has any preferences, it'd be good to bring them up. My main input is that I think 破の咆哮 should be "Roar of Destruction" rather than "Destroyer's Roar", and 繭の響応 should be "The Cocoon's Echoing Response" rather than "Cocoon's Echoing Answer". StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

6-26 - 淵源を巡る回廊

The great translation challenge: translate 淵源を巡る回廊. starpunch has commented before on how hard this one is to translate so I will leave her to comment if she wishes. Also I think 淵源を巡る is used for something related to Aeon Hero or further complicate things. - Gigi (talk • edits) 16:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I have opinions but will hold off until StarPunch has a chance to comment. In the meantime, I simply want to compile every instance of 巡る (めぐる) that needs to be translated on the wiki:

• Galacta Knight's KPR theme remix, 時巡る銀河最強の戦士 (localised as The Greatest Warrior in the Galaxy Ever, unofficially translated as The Strongest Time-Crossing Warrior in the Galaxy)
• A lyric in The Noble Haltmann, 「時を巡る歯車」 (unofficially translated as 'the gears that travel through time')
• Galacta Knight's KSA boss caption, 時巡る戦士 (localised as Temporal Warrior, unofficially translated as Time-crossing Warrior)
• Aeon Hero's Japanese name, 淵源を巡る英雄 (unofficially translated as Hero Crossing the Origin)
• this track, 淵源を巡る回廊 (unofficially translated as Hallway Back to the Origin)

—willidleaway [talk | edits] 17:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

The parts that are generally agreed upon are 淵源 engen (origin, source) and 回廊 kairou (hallway, corridor). 巡る meguru is the tricky part: depending on context, it can be "crossing", "returning", "surrounding", "going around", basically any number of variants on that concept. It's only really translatable if you're given reasonable context, which we don't really have here. My original translation was "Corridor Surrounding the Origin", but I changed it to "Corridor Crossing the Origin" after outside input. I honestly have no clue what the "correct" answer would be here, LOL. "Hallway Back to the Origin" seems like the generally accepted translation, though, and I'm fine keeping it as that. StarPunch (talk) 22:20, 15 April 2023 (UTC)