History Main / FanTranslation

* ''Literature/HighSpeed2013'': The novels that the ''Anime/{{Free}}'' anime series were based on consist of 2 volumes published in July 2013 and July 2014. They were [[https://janeypeixes.tumblr.com/post/57716612938/high-speed-translation-masterpost fully]] [[https://janeypeixes.tumblr.com/post/106331977874/high-speed-2-translation-masterpost translated]] by [[https://nanowave.wordpress.com/ Nanowave Translations]].

* ''Literature/SacredAndTerribleAir'': The original Estonian book was eventually translated into English by fans in mid-2023.

** The PS1 game ''Medarot R'' got an English fan translation in 2019. This one [[SpiceUpTheSubtitles adds a lot of swearing and off-color jokes]] that were not in the original script.

** ''Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'' had its text translated by Deuce in 2004, though the voiced cutscenes were unchanged. In 2012, a new patch by a different group added English voice acting.

* The Super Famicom ''VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub Part II'' remake, which had many people curious because one of the lead characters, Ayumi Tachibana, was a trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' (which had multiple trophies that were many Westerners' first exposure to various Japan-only characters, possibly even to a greater extent than later ''Super Smash Bros.'' games). This fan translation was an early project by Tomato, one of the translators who handled the ''MOTHER 3'' fan translation in the latter half of the '00s.

[[folder:AnimeAndManga]]

* ''Literature/TheDeerKing'' had an English fan translation on [[https://infinitenoveltranslations.net/shika-no-ou/ Infinite Novel Translations]], but it was later taken down in January 2022 when rumors began circulating the series would get an official English license. These rumors turned out to be true when Yen Press licensed the series in April 2023.

* Anime/SailorMoon, due to its licensing hangups and complicated dubbing history, had numerous instances where the fans decide to just take it upon themselves.
** The fifth and final arc season ''Stars'' originally never saw Stateside shores for many years, and the original English Dub [[UnfinishedDub stopped]] at the season finale of ''[=SuperS=]''. It wouldn't be until ''Creator/VizMedia'' decided to dub the entire series from scratch, when the ''Stars'' finally received an English dub. ''However'', there are a dedicated subsect of fans who went ahead to create their own translation of ''Stars'' anyway, as many of them were left unsatisfied with the ''Stars'' dub [[note]]The Viz Media Dub of ''Sailor Moon'' was a TruerToTheText translation of the anime compared to the [=DiC=]/Cloverway version, and thus [[DitchingTheDubNames got rid of the dub names]] and lingo, stuck closer to the original Japanese script, changed the music back to its original soundtrack, and eliminated all censorship and cuts. While commended by many, the Viz Media version also [[BrokenBase split the fanbase]] for not being quite the same as the version of Sailor Moon that they grew up with. The [=DiC=]/[=CWi=] version was still many's [[AudienceColoringAdaptation first]] [[GatewaySeries experience]] with ''Sailor Moon'', and cannot see the show any other way.[[/note]]. Deciding to creating a whole new translation [[FanEdit that lines up more]] with the original dub, including keeping all of its lingo and style.

*** [=KitaKamiOoi=] completed [[[[https://kitakamiooi.com/series/chuunibyou-demo-koi-ga-shitai/ Volume 3]] and 60% of [[https://kitakamiooi.com/2020/12/31/chuunibyou-demo-koi-ga-shitai-volume-4-chapter-7/ Volume]] [[https://kitakamiooi.com/2021/05/26/chuunibyou-demo-koi-ga-shitai-volume-4-chapter-8/ 4]] from May 2017 to May 2021.

* All the light novels published by Creator/KyotoAnimation's in-house label, KA Esuma Bunko, are never licensed for foreign release. As a result, fan translations are the only way to read these stories in English (which all have massive differences from their anime adaptations):

*** [[https://kitakamiooi.com/series/chuunibyou-demo-koi-ga-shitai/ KitaKamiOoi]] completed Volume 3 and 60% of [[https://kitakamiooi.com/2020/12/31/chuunibyou-demo-koi-ga-shitai-volume-4-chapter-7/#more-7120 Volume]] [[https://kitakamiooi.com/2021/05/26/chuunibyou-demo-koi-ga-shitai-volume-4-chapter-8/ 4]] from May 2017 to May 2021.

** ''Literature/SoundEuphonium'': 12 volumes published from December 2013 to June 2019. Only the first volume has an official English release. For all the others, Team Oumae translated [[https://teamoumae.wordpress.com/second-movement-part-1/ Volumes 8, [[https://teamoumae.wordpress.com/second-movement-part-2/ 9]], [[https://teamoumae.wordpress.com/true-stories/ 10]], and part of [[https://teamoumae.wordpress.com/secret-stories/ 4.]] A separate group named Team Kuroe started Volume 11 [[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tydE7PY_CLjSFSRtBIz5MlkbKG5cV2C1 but only got the first 2 chapters done.]]

* ''Literature/TheDeerKing'' has an English fan translation on [[https://infinitenoveltranslations.net/shika-no-ou/ Infinite Novel Translations]].

** Inspired by Tansou Tsukai, [[https://guardianofthespirit.blogspot.com/2021/03/uehashi-nahoko-translation-project.html Ainikki]] began a project to translate the remaining volumes. She has finished translating the remaining main volumes and the first spin-off into English: ''Traveler of the Void'', ''Guardian of the God'', ''Traveler of the Indigo Road'' (as ''Traveler of the Blue Road''), ''Guardian of Heaven and Earth'', and ''Wanderers'' (as ''The Wanderer''). She is currently working on the last two spin-offs: ''Treading the Path of Fire'' (called ''Those Who Walk the Flame Road''), and ''Traveler of the Wind'' (called ''Where the Wind Takes Us''), with estimated completion by the end of 2023.

* A group called Matt's Messy Room has translated a number of games, including a ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo game which predates the anime TV series, {{Licensed Game}}s for the UsefulNotes/PCEngine based on ''Anime/{{Bubblegum Cr|isis}}ash!'' and ''Manga/MaisonIkkoku'', the UsefulNotes/GameGear version of ''VideoGame/MadouMonogatari I'', and the PC-FX version of ''Welcome to Pia Carrot.''
* The translation group M.I.J.E.T. specializes in translations of games for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and UsefulNotes/SharpX68000, including ''VideoGame/{{Langrisser}} II'', the eight ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII'' text adventures, and the original computer version of ''VideoGame/{{Valis}} II''.

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor version of ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble Donkey Kong Land III]]'' received an English translation patch in October 2012, 12 years after the Japanese release. While there already exists an official English version (the game itself is British) it was made for the original Game Boy, not the Game Boy Color.\\

** The [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] CompilationRerelease for ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI & [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII II]]'', which didn't receive an official localization (unlike the compilation for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor), received a fan translation. A different group later made fan translations for the Super Famicom [[VideoGameRemake remake]] of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' (which similarly lacked an official translation on that system but not the Game Boy Color) and the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 remake of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' (which was RemadeForTheExport on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS after the Japanese release of the [=PlayStation=] 2 remake).

* The UsefulNotes/PC98 predecessor to ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', ''46 Okunen Monogatari: The Shinkaron'' (''The Theory of Evolution''), received a fan translation at the end of 2016. The same group went on to translate ''VideoGame/{{Rusty}}''.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' for the NES were fan-translated in 1998 and 1999, with ''III'' receiving an additional translation prior to the DS remake's release. The eventual English versions of the former were in the form of remakes, some of which tweak the StatGrinding system, while the latter initially only had an English release of its heavily "reimagined" VideoGameRemake on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS until the 2D ''Pixel Remaster'' remake released 15 years later gave Westerners a version that updated the graphics while making few other changes. Both games received new translations after they were RemadeForTheExport, in both cases giving the original Famicom versions scripts influenced by their remakes' official translations.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' was the first of many [=RPGs=] for the SNES to be translated by fans. A patch was released in 1998, one year before Square released an [[BlindIdiotTranslation official localization]] for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation. However, Creator/SquareEnix released a far more polished translation for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance several years after the [=PlayStation=] version.\\

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendIII'', the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS [[VideoGameRemake video game remakes]].

** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]'' were both translated by fans. Both also ended up being RemadeForTheExport, the former on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS and the latter on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS.
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Mystery of the Emblem]]'', a Super Famicom game consisting of a remake of the first game (called Book 1) as well as a sequel to the same game (called Book 2), has a translation that's at least more complete than the ones for the Jugdral games. The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS remake of Book 2 from that game (since the first game already had a DS remake), ''Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem -- Heroes of Light and Shadow'', would later receive a complete fan translation.\\

* ''Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru'' (''VideoGame/ForTheFrogTheBellTolls''), the Japan-only UsefulNotes/GameBoy adventure/platforming game which is the [[SpiritualSuccessor spiritual predecessor]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' (which features Prince Richard from the former as an important character) received a fan translation in 2011.

* The '80s-to-'90s ''VideoGame/GloryOfHeracles'' games were not localized when they were current. However, as of 2016 there are fan translation patches for the first four main installments of the series (two Famicom games and two Super Famicom games), as well as a translation for a UsefulNotes/GameBoy spinoff called ''Snap Story''. [=DvD=] Translations, who translated the first game (''The Glory of Heracles: Labors of the Divine Hero''), also produced translations of the NES/Famicom versions of ''VisualNovel/ThePortopiaSerialMurderCase'' and Creator/{{Falcom}}'s ''Romancia''.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube all received a Korean translation by one Creator/{{Nintendo}} fan and collector, as no Nintendo games other than ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were ever released translated into Korean until Nintendo of Korea was established in 2006.

** ''VideoGame/Mother3'', a victim of TroubledProduction in its original UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}DD incarnation from a series that's been continually ScrewedByTheNetwork, released brand new on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in 2006 (when the GBA was pretty much dead, as the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS turned two years old the same year): A perfect storm of [[NoExportForYou commercial infeasibility]]. Faced with this situation, a group of translators spearheaded by [[FandomVIP Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin]] coalesced around Starmen.net, the series' major fansite, including a number of professionals from the game industry itself. The result, released on October 2008, is one of the most widely heralded fan translations ever (it even has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_3_fan_translation its own Wikipedia page]]) and has received praise from members of the game development community.\\

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' for UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} was translated by Takamichi Suzukawa, who was also responsible for the ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' translation mentioned above. Interestingly, he chose to render [[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Vic Viper]]'s name as "Big Viper" because, as the author reasons, its name was always romanized as "biggu baipaa" rather than "bikku baipaa".

** The ''UsefulNotes/PokemonMini'' had half of its entire game library released only in Japan, all of which have been translated since 2019.

* A translation patch for ''VisualNovel/{{Policenauts}}'', an early Creator/HideoKojima adventure game [[NoExportForYou which has managed to elude export for almost 15 years]], [[http://www.policenauts.net was released]] in 2009 (by LetsPlay/{{slowbeef}} of LetsPlay and WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}} fame), and has been dubbed by some gaming news sources as the most important Fan Translation ever produced. An updated translation of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version was released in 2016.

* ''Rhythm Tengoku'', the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance predecessor to ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'', was fully translated in 2013 as ''Rhythm Heaven Silver''. While the audio is not modified in any way, anything text-based (such as menus, title cards, and in-game emails) is now in English, allowing fans to more easily understand and play the game.

** There are now at least two relatively faithful fan translations of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version of the game (a more straight-up translation [[http://a0t.co/phantasia/download/ from Absolute Zero]], and a more {{Woolseyism}}-filled translation from [[http://www.tales-cless.org/?page=tales Phantasian Productions]]), which remedies a large number of problems with the other translations.

** Both [[http://www.blade2187.com/ Kajitani-Eizan]]'s ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'' and [[http://www.tales-cless.org/ Phantasian Productions]]'s ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'' have been abandoned, though the former did receive an UpdatedRerelease in English as ''Tales of Hearts R'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, while the latter is getting a fan translation by a [[https://luminatales.net/2021/05/08/announcing-the-lumina-destiny-project/ different group called Lumina Tales]].

** [=DeJap=] was also responsible for English-speaking audiences being able to play the original ''VideoGame/StarOcean1'' (at least, until the 2008 [[VideoGameRemake remake]]), ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI VI]]'' (before they were remade on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS), ''VideoGame/MonsterWorldIV'' (long before Sega released an official translation on seventh-generation systems), and ''VideoGame/BahamutLagoon''.
** While the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 version of ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' was officially released internationally, its UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 was not, but fortunately [[http://www.talesofvesperia.net/ fans have decided to take matters into their own hands]]. Of course, the fan translation was taken down when it was announced that ''Vesperia'' would get remastered for the following generation of consoles and would include the [=PS3=] content.

* A fan translation of the first ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorialGirlsSide'' game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS was completed during December 2010. It was followed by unofficial translations of the second and third Girl's Side games in May 2011 and June 2015. The Super Famicom edition of the original Tokimeki Memorial got a fan translation in March 2022.

* ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'': The second arc of the series, the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Crossbell duology]] games weren't released state-side due to the UsefulNotes/{{PSP}} having phased out before Creator/XSEEDGames could work on it. Two different translations were made, the first which translates both games for the [=PSP=] that comes with a few minor errors. The second regarded as the Geofront translation, translates several aspects the former were not able to do, but requires the PC version of the games to be used. This has become AscendedFanon, with Creator/NipponIchi using the Geofront translation as the basis for the multi-platform English release of the two games.

** Jeff "Deuce" Nussbaum helped translate several ''Ys'' games in the years when the series was not receiving international distribution, as well as ''Cyber Knight II'' and the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' RPG for the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo CD (which was never publicly released). He now works for Creator/XSEEDGames, and their official translations of ''VideoGame/YsTheOathInFelghana'' and ''VideoGame/YsOrigin'' are based on the patches he contributed to.

* The site [=TLWiki.org=] used to host info about many fantranslation projects within the genre; while the domain has since expired (making it unlikely that their unfinished projects will be completed), the site can still be viewed in the Website/InternetArchive. Notably, one of the patches available on the site (for ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'') was eventually used for an official English release. Other games that got fully translated include ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', ''VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString'', ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}'' and ''VisualNovel/SharinNoKuni'' and ''VisualNovel/YuNo''. The ''YU-NO'' patch also goes beyond merely translating the game, adding the voice acting and other content from the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version and the FM soundtrack from the UsefulNotes/PC98 version, and removing the awkward textual and visual censorship that had been inflicted on the Windows version.

* ''Literature/{{Toradora}} Portable'' was made by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable in 2009. The first full English patch was released in 2013. It had bugs, but a follow-up patch in 2014 corrected them.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' for UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} was translated by Takamichi Suzukawa, who was also responsible for the ''VideoGame/MetalGear2'' translation mentioned above. Interestingly, he chose to render [[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Vic Viper]]'s name as "Big Viper" because, as the author reasons, its name was always romanized as "biggu baipaa" rather than "bikku baipaa".

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear2'' was fan-translated many years before an official translation appeared as an EmbeddedPrecursor game in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3''.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheIdolmaster The iDOLM@STER]]'' bringing the series with two translations:

** ''VideoGame/TheIdolmasterShinyColors'' has a fan translation that runs right in your browser and updates automatically. However, much of the dialog is machine translated.