I'm translating some text for my sci-fi game
If you speak french, could you check these for me?
French translations are in blue.
Training: Formation
- appears on a sign for the tutorial room.
Medi-lab: Méde-lab
- appears on a sign where you buy items such as "heal stims"
Armory: Armurerie
- appears on a sign where you buy guns and armor
Ship Hangar: Hangar Navire
- appears on a sign where the space ships are docked in the space station.
Mission Control: Contrôle de Mission
- appears on a sign where you receive missions, in the helm of the station
Drop Hangar: Hangar de Débarquement
- appears on a sign where there are drop ships which take you to a planet surface
Salvation Prophecy: Prophétie Du Salut
- the name of the game, which involves a prophecy for the salvation of mankind.
- "Salut" feels wrong here, since it also means "Hi" in french.
The Salvation: Le Salut
- "The Salvation" is the name of a cult-like faction that believes in and pursues the prophecy.
- again, "Salut" feels wrong here.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Help with a couple french translations
-
Jabberwocky
- OGRE Moderator

- Posts: 2819
- Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:17 pm
- Location: Canada
- x 220
-
Klaim
- Old One
- Posts: 2565
- Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:04 am
- Location: Paris, France
- x 56
Re: Help with a couple french translations
I would prefer "Entrainement" if it's about trainning someone to some practice.Training: Formation
- appears on a sign for the tutorial room.
"Formation" is ok if it's more like an official job.
So it depends on context but Entrainement seems closer to Trainning.
The problem is that the same English word is used in both cases French will use two French words.
Médi-lab would be better (like "Laboratoire Médical").Medi-lab: Méde-lab
- appears on a sign where you buy items such as "heal stims"
Yes that's the right word.Armory: Armurerie
- appears on a sign where you buy guns and armor
It would be "Hangar Naval" but I've seen it used only for "boats".Ship Hangar: Hangar Navire
- appears on a sign where the space ships are docked in the space station.
The other word for ships is "vaisseau" but it's a word that means "something that contain you and you can go with", it's a very generic word.
In sci-fi, "vaisseau" is used for space ships, so "vaisseau spatial" is very often used.
So here I would have used "Hangar Spatial" because "Hangar des Vaisseaux Spatiaux" is really not good.
"Hangar Spatial" means "Space Hangar" which suggest that it contains spaceships.
I'm not sure what mission control means here, even in english... maybe it's very military.Mission Control: Contrôle de Mission
- appears on a sign where you receive missions, in the helm of the station
Looks fine.Drop Hangar: Hangar de Débarquement
- appears on a sign where there are drop ships which take you to a planet surface
"salut" not use as a "hi" really means "salvation".Salvation Prophecy: Prophétie Du Salut
- the name of the game, which involves a prophecy for the salvation of mankind.
- "Salut" feels wrong here, since it also means "Hi" in french.
In english it's cool but in french "prophétie du salut" is kind of not really sexy...
Maybe "Prophétie Salutaire" that is more like "Salvatory Prophecy" but it's not sexy either.
So I would be you I would keep the game name in english, it makes it sexy for French anyway.
If you really want to have a french name, find another name, maybe "Prophétie " + some cool epic word or something.
As said, it's the correct translation, but it's just not "sexy".The Salvation: Le Salut
- "The Salvation" is the name of a cult-like faction that believes in and pursues the prophecy.
- again, "Salut" feels wrong here.
Maybe you need another word for it in French.
As it is a cult, I would suggest "le culte du salut" that means "the Salvation cult".
That way it's really reallly more sexy because it's obvious that it's the name of a cult about the salvation, and as a "religion" which means it's "mystic" and that makes it sexy.
Also, it allows you to use it in the title: "La Prophétie du Culte du Salut". It's just too long, so "Culte du Salut" would be better but don't mean the same than the original title.
Choices to be made
-
Jabberwocky
- OGRE Moderator

- Posts: 2819
- Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:17 pm
- Location: Canada
- x 220
Re: Help with a couple french translations
Thanks Klaim,
Much appreciated!
The last troublesome translation is the title. Including the word "cult" in the name doesn't quite fit. I could leave the title in english, but if a good french translation can be found, I would prefer it.
What about "redemption" instead of "salvation"? So: La Prophétie de Rachat.
Does that work any better?
And so the faction named "the Salvation" would then be "le Rachat" en français.
Much appreciated!
The last troublesome translation is the title. Including the word "cult" in the name doesn't quite fit. I could leave the title in english, but if a good french translation can be found, I would prefer it.
What about "redemption" instead of "salvation"? So: La Prophétie de Rachat.
Does that work any better?
And so the faction named "the Salvation" would then be "le Rachat" en français.

-
Mikachu
- Gnoll
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 4:11 pm
- Location: Nice, France
- x 35
Re: Help with a couple french translations
No, actually, I think it sounds worse... maybe too old-fashioned word.Jabberwocky wrote:What about "redemption" instead of "salvation"? So: La Prophétie de Rachat.
Does that work any better?
For the title, I would just keep it as it is, in english, there are quite a few game titles released here without even being translated (at least that's for France itself, I know that people in Quebec are much more pedantic about translating everything
OgreProcedural - Procedural Geometry for Ogre3D
-
Klaim
- Old One
- Posts: 2565
- Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:04 am
- Location: Paris, France
- x 56
Re: Help with a couple french translations
Yes redemption should be translated "redemption" in french, it's the same word with same meaning. Rachat is more for when you buy a company... even if we use it when we owe some to someone.
-
madmarx
- OGRE Expert User

- Posts: 1671
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:26 pm
- x 50
Re: Help with a couple french translations
One big problem is that most french are atheist, so many religious words like that are not so commonly used.
"La prophétie de la rédemption" feels very pompous. Maybe in two words : "Prophétie : Rédemption" ?
"La prophétie du salut" can feel akward too because many will wonder which 'salut' it is (from both meaning).
"l'oracle de la rédemption"
"La Prophétie Salvatrice" => means the profecy 'brings/is' salvation in itself (which is not the original meaning). What is cool is that sounds great in french, and reminds easily the english counterpart. (salvateur/salvatrice is the adjective for the 'salut' with religious meaning).
Game names are made to sell, and then you can update the story correctly in the loading screen or the story telling.
Also I don't feel like a game should have "le/la" in the name. Examples are : "Intrigue à Versailles", "Retour en enfer", ... many other.
The 2 best are "Prophétie : Rédemption" and "Prophétie Salvatrice" in my french opinion.
For the "Hangar Spatial", personnaly I would go for "Astroport", but both are ok.
"La prophétie de la rédemption" feels very pompous. Maybe in two words : "Prophétie : Rédemption" ?
"La prophétie du salut" can feel akward too because many will wonder which 'salut' it is (from both meaning).
"l'oracle de la rédemption"
"La Prophétie Salvatrice" => means the profecy 'brings/is' salvation in itself (which is not the original meaning). What is cool is that sounds great in french, and reminds easily the english counterpart. (salvateur/salvatrice is the adjective for the 'salut' with religious meaning).
Game names are made to sell, and then you can update the story correctly in the loading screen or the story telling.
Also I don't feel like a game should have "le/la" in the name. Examples are : "Intrigue à Versailles", "Retour en enfer", ... many other.
The 2 best are "Prophétie : Rédemption" and "Prophétie Salvatrice" in my french opinion.
For the "Hangar Spatial", personnaly I would go for "Astroport", but both are ok.
Tutorials + Ogre searchable API + more for Ogre1.7 : http://sourceforge.net/projects/so3dtools/
Corresponding thread : http://www.ogre3d.org/forums/viewtopic. ... 93&start=0
Corresponding thread : http://www.ogre3d.org/forums/viewtopic. ... 93&start=0
-
Nodrev
- Gremlin
- Posts: 193
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:55 pm
- Location: Nantes / France
- x 17
Re: Help with a couple french translations
"Entrainement" sounds goodTraining: Formation
- appears on a sign for the tutorial room.
I would use "Pharmacie" or "Infirmerie" (first is for a civilian context, second is better in a military context) instead of "Médi-Lab", but it's ok too.Medi-lab: Méde-lab
- appears on a sign where you buy items such as "heal stims"
"Astroport" is definitively betterShip Hangar: Hangar Navire
- appears on a sign where the space ships are docked in the space station."
"Centre de commandement" is the correct translation. You could also use "Salle de briefing", but it sound less military.Mission Control: Contrôle de Mission
- appears on a sign where you receive missions, in the helm of the station"
I would rather use "Porte d'embarquement", as in airport, which mean "departure gate"Drop Hangar: Hangar de Débarquement
- appears on a sign where there are drop ships which take you to a planet surface"
For the name of the game itself, I prefer the original english game, "Salvation Prophecy". The best translation is the one proposed by Madmarx: "Prophétie : Rédemption"
For the name of the faction, "Le culte du Salut" sounds good.
-
Klaim
- Old One
- Posts: 2565
- Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:04 am
- Location: Paris, France
- x 56
Re: Help with a couple french translations
Nodrev wrote:"Astroport" is definitively betterShip Hangar: Hangar Navire
- appears on a sign where the space ships are docked in the space station."
I don't agree: Astroport means "airport but for space ships", while here it's the docking par of an "port", not the port itself.
That said, it's a better alternative than my suggestion. "Spatioport" (<=> spacial port -> port spatial in french) means the same but might be clearer.
-
Nodrev
- Gremlin
- Posts: 193
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:55 pm
- Location: Nantes / France
- x 17
Re: Help with a couple french translations
Indeed, you are right. I read the description provided by Jabberwocky again, and the word that game to me is "Garage", but simply "Hangar" (without anything behind) is even better.I don't agree: Astroport means "airport but for space ships", while here it's the docking par of an "port", not the port itself.
That said, it's a better alternative than my suggestion. "Spatioport" (<=> spacial port -> port spatial in french) means the same but might be clearer.
-
Jabberwocky
- OGRE Moderator

- Posts: 2819
- Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:17 pm
- Location: Canada
- x 220
Re: Help with a couple french translations
Klaim, madmarx, Mikachu, Nodrev -
Thanks all for the help.
For the title, it looks like "Prophétie : Rédemption" is the winner.
Thanks all for the help.
For the title, it looks like "Prophétie : Rédemption" is the winner.
