Many translators like dissecting problematic translation choices and sharing what they would have done differently (admit it, translators!).
Rest assured that I will do the same in future publications. However, I’d like to begin with a brief examination of a translation process that I find to be quite effective. This helpful practice will allow me to assess all of the translation options available to a translator, as well as the real reasons why one option is preferred over another. Doing so, we might learn to stop judging others for their decisions without knowing why they made them.
For those who don’t have the time or desire to read through these lines, a brief summary of the following ideas is prominently provided at the end of the article. For the rest of you—who are subjectively the most courageous—let’s get right to the point.
This first dissection is based on the name of card in the trading card game Flesh and Blood (a TCG in the spirit of Magic for the experts, a card game along the same lines as Pokemon for the less experienced, and a trading card game used for duels for those who are already defeated!).
“Refraction Bolters” might be translated word for word as “Dissidents réfractifs” in French.¹In other words, literally heretics or rebels from a political or religious doctrine who deflect like light rays on the surface of water… If you look at the entire card, you’ll notice that this translation appears unclear and beyond comprehension, regardless of whether you’re familiar with the game Flesh and Blood from which it is taken.
AIs or automatic translators, for their part, offer nothing better than literally “Bolters à réfraction.” As a Frenchwoman and a professional translator who had never heard the word “bolter” used in my own language, I did some research and discovered that the phrase was solely used in Canada, as a verb meaning “to tighten nuts” (“J’ai bolté le régulateur sur le moteur,” in English “I bolted the regulator to the motor”). In other words, an Anglicization of the word “boulon” (“nut and bolt”)²
So I finally faced the facts: these literal translations don’t take into account all of the context-related details that allow an idiomatic translation of this playing card—such as the artwork displayed next to the words, the type of card, the associated explanatory text, its effects, how it’s used in a game, and where it fits in the game’s lore (“lore” is used in gaming to refer to the narrative and world-building of a universe; in this case, it’s the backstory surrounding the playable characters of Flesh and Blood).
On the other hand, these translations would most likely meet the needs of customers who are unconcerned about the image conveyed by their game’s translation, its practicality and playability, its beauty, and cultural adaptability, and who want to spend as little money as possible.
So, assuming that customers have completely different goals, let’s focus on these often missed subtleties. But first, let me explain how the cards in Flesh and Blood are laid out.
They are classified into multiple types: playable heroes, the objects they can use (weapons, equipment, etc.), the actions and reactions they can perform (attacks, defense, etc.), and the “resources” they can use or require to activate other cards (resources and tokens containing skills and allies, etc.)³I hope that this starting point will be enough to understand the elements that follow, as I am unable to go into further detail without substantially increasing the reading time of this post.
In this scenario, the “Refraction Bolters” card type is a warrior’s leg equipment. Its effects include the possibility of a double attack if the first is successful and the player sacrifices his card, as well as the ability to resist against an attack (as laid out by the explanation text that comes with the card). The artwork depicts a running woman dressed in armor wearing heeled boots with bright sparkles.
In terms of lore, these boots are typically worn by a female character known as Dorinthea, who is known for hand-to-hand combat and is endowed with light powers (light she seeks to spread and reflect so that people who lost it can see it again).⁴
With this context in mind, let’s return to our title to examine each word. In English, the verb “to bolt” indicates “to run away suddenly,” or to run quickly (“gee, that’s a woman running, not rebels!”). “Bolter” is just the noun form of the verb “to bolt,” resulting in a whole whose meaning refers to a person who bolts.⁵“Bolters” in the plural thus refers to the two items used to bolt (yep, English is much simpler than French at shifting grammatical categories!).
With this in mind, we could begin with a slew of words for items you may wear on your feet (“chaussures,” “baskets,” “bottes,” “bottines,” “chaussons,” “claquettes,” “cuissardes,” “mocassins”… you name it, we have it). Based on the artwork, it would be tempting to employ highly specific armor terms like “solerets” (“sollerets” in English), which define precisely this type of metal protective equipment… However, the latter is obsolete and unfit for fast-running shoes (see image below).
The term “bottes” (“boots” in English), on the other hand, is timeless, suits the artwork, and has the same sound as the original English word, with B and T consonances and an O assonance. “Bottes” has therefore undeniable appeal due to its simplicity and similarity, both auditory and visual (sorry sollerets).
As for the term “refraction,” it is the same in French (“réfraction”).⁶However, it is a little technical and does not have the exact same meaning as its counterpart “reflection” (“réflexion”) which is sometimes confused with “refraction” in everyday conversation. Indeed, refraction differs from reflection of light in that the former shows a change in direction of a light ray upon contact with a new medium, whereas the latter depicts a light ray’s return to its original medium.⁷
According to our findings on the semantics of each word, we can safely conclude that the name of this equipment relates to a pair of shoes that may be used to bolt and alter the trajectory of a beam of light.
As a result, an early translation option may be “Bottes réfractives” (literally “refractive boots” in English). This choice would precisely fulfill the needs of clients who want to maintain both semantic accuracy and scientific rigor without compromising the type of card (leg equipment) or the character’s lore (who possesses a power of light). This appears to be more in line with the card’s surrounding context than the prior word-for-word proposals.
There are, however, some drawbacks to this scientific accuracy. The first is the general public’s understanding of the term “refractive,” as most people do not associate it with the alteration of a light ray’s trajectory. In such a scenario, it is difficult to make the connection between the card’s name and its intended purpose, which affects players’ understanding of the card and the specific use they should make of it.
One solution to this stumbling block is a translation that is more practical than accurate, such as “Bottes réfléchissantes” (literally “reflective boots”). Despite the fact that this term is scientifically incorrect—refraction and reflection of light are by definition different—it will at least help players understand the card’s effect: to use the character’s magical ability (the reflection of light) to deal the opponent an additional blow.
As a result, this translation meets the needs of clients who want to maintain a clear connection between the card’s design, type, effect, concrete application, and character lore. It thus checks even more boxes than its predecessor.
But that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice! Remember that in order to get to this conclusion, we had to compromise the original version’s purely scientific meaning, just as the prior translation had to compromise the card’s ease of use. Put another way, a translation choice will always concede one element for another; therefore, the key is to identify the ones that are most important to you or your clients.
For instance, the translation selected for the current official French version of this card should satisfy customers who wants their translation to be more artistic or conceptual, highlighting a specific musicality and visual harmony that complements the universe of his original words: “Jambières de Lumière” (literally “Greaves of Light” in English). From an artistic perspective, I believe this is a highly appealing option because the ending rhyme and both words’ equal number of syllables are attractive to the ear (which allows for very harmonic pronunciation when played live in tournaments).
Additionally, it covers the character’s power of light, fits perfectly into the type of card in question, if not more precisely (greaves are actually leg gear, while we might be critical of the fact that boots are worn on feet), and does in fact induce the card’s second effect, which is protection (greaves are designed to protect one’s shins).
However, even this translation comes with a price, as demonstrated above! In terms of gaming and comprehending how the card is used in the game, the two original words’ underlying meanings are lost. Whether these boots are reflecting or refractive, “de lumière” (“of light”) just means that light emanates from these greaves and fails to induce that a second strike is possible. The initial aim of sprinting rapidly in “bolters” fades with “greaves” as they merely cover the shins from attack rather than enabling for an instant run to deliver a second strike on the opponent.
That said, in the case of a playing card, all of these drawbacks related to the practical translation of the effects seem to be less problematic because the accompanying text explains the card’s use in detail, thereby lowering the impact and sacrifices of a more creative translation choice. Similarly, the later, more artistic translation choice outweighs the more utilitarian and scientific ones, which become superfluous in this context.
The upshot is that there is no such thing as THE perfect translation, but rather as many translations as there are translators, based on each customer’s expectations, needs, and desires, as well as the media in which the original works appear.
Which would you have chosen? Which would best fit your needs and objectives? What do you believe is the most important thing to highlight in a translation?
The sources I used to write this post are listed below:
¹ “Bolters.” WordReference [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.wordreference.com/enfr/bolters (01/2425).
² llf. Définitions de « bolter ». La langue française [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.lalanguefrancaise.com/dictionnaire/definition/bolter (01/2425).
³ Liste des Cartes. FaBCards [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.fabcards.fr/cards (01/2425).
⁴ Price Nicola. Dorinthea Ironsong Story. Flesh and Blood TCG [online]. Retrieved from: https://fabtcg.com/en/heroes/dorinthea-ironsong/?stories=True (01/2425).
⁵ “Bolter.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolter (01/2425).
⁶ “Refraction.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refraction (01/2425).
⁷ MOREAU & SOMMERIA. Diffusion, réflexion, réfraction et diffraction de la lumière. Encyclopédie de l'environnement [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.encyclopedie-environnement.org/zoom/diffusion-reflexion-refraction-diffraction-lumiere/ (01/2425).
“Bolter.” Cambridge Dictionary [online]. Retrieved from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/thesaurus/bolter (01/2425).
“Why Flesh and Blood Is A Must-Play Trading Card Game” [picture]. Den of Geek [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/why-flesh-and-blood-is-a-must-play-trading-card-game/ (01/29/25).
Summary
For those who don’t have time or desire to read the preceding post:
Four findings emerged from this examination of the “Refraction Bolters” card title translation:
- The choice of a literal (or word-for-word) translation by AI or machine translators without regard for the meaning and definitions of the original words. This would lead to “Bolters à réfraction” (“refractive bolters”). Choosing such a translation would satisfy clients’ goals of minimizing costs, staying true only to the original text’s visual format, and not worrying about how their content would be perceived by the target audience in terms of its usefulness, playability, beauty, and cultural adaptability.
- The choice of a translation that rigorously conforms to the semantic and scientific rigor of the terms following thorough and detailed examination of the original terminology. This would lead to “Bottes réfractives” (“refractive boots”). Choosing such a translation would satisfy clients’ goals of faithfully reproducing the underlying implications and nuances of the original wording, as well as accurately portraying the type of card in question (leg equipment) and the character’s lore (who possesses light power).
- The choice of a slightly more utilitarian translation with an intended simplification of the semantic and scientific accuracy of the original words’ definitions. This would lead to “Bottes réfléchissantes” (“reflective boots”). Choosing such a translation would satisfy clients’ goals of focusing on the card’s concrete use during a game, and so ensuring that the majority of players understand its effects and type, while still keeping an immediate connection between the card’s design and the character’s lore.
- The choice of a more artistic, conceptual translation that departs from the semantics and rigor of the two original words. This would lead to “Jambières de Lumière” (“Greaves of Light”). Choosing such a translation would satisfy clients’ goals of recreating a musical and visual harmony that is consistent with the lore, designs, and public image of the Flesh and Blood universe, while only preserving half of the card’s effects (however, that is not as much of an issue in this case because the accompanying text clarifies how to utilize the card, which lessens the impact of a more creative translation choice).
- The choice of translation also depends on the medium in which the work is released. Because the card's effect is well defined in the accompanying text, pitfalls of figuring it out from its title are less problematic in this case (this reduces the impact and trade-offs associated with a more creative translation choice).
The upshot is that there is no such thing as THE perfect translation, but rather as many translations as there are translators, based on each customer’s expectations, needs, and desires, as well as the media in which the original works appear.
Which would you have chosen? Which would best fit your needs and objectives? What do you believe is the most important thing to highlight in a translation?