Human errors are not uncommon. Even on good days, people can make mistakes. Sometimes it’s leaving lights on, sometimes it’s forgetting to shut the garage door, sometimes it’s starting wars with each other.

In this article, we will be looking at translation mistakes showcasing some of the humorous errors made by human video game translators.

“I AM ERROR.” – Zelda II

This would appear to be some sort of coding issue in an attempt to make computers look bad. However, this is a classic and gross error made by a human translator.

“Welcome to Die!” – X-Men: The Arcade Game

No, this is not written by ChatGPT or even done as an AI video. Someone wrote this line down for another person to read out loud. And because of that, we have one of the most comical one liners comic book villain Magneto has ever uttered.

“Ass Medicine” – Corpse Party

Anti-bacterial cream for a dirty bathroom is a far less funny translation. AI would have used it to avoid being so crass and teenage try-hard. Instead, we received this gem from Corpse Party about ass medicine and a pooper.

“All Your Base Are Belong to Us.” – Zero Wing

Who is CATS? Certainly not AI, because only a human could be so mistaken in sentence structure. But because of it, we have this meme that has graduated past video games into culture as a whole.

“Conglaturation!…” – Ghostbusters

Spellcheck must not have been available when the original Ghostbusters game released. An easy fix that a computer or AI could have fixed, but instead went to the final product after a failed (but funny) translation.

“This guy are sick.” – Final Fantasy VII

Although it did get fixed (surely thanks to AI), the original release had this mistranslation. The man in the tunnel must not have been the only one sick as the translator probably stepped away from sickness at this moment.

“I feel asleep!!” – Metal Gear

Sleep is important to humans, and that is the case for those in this game too. Too bad that not even AI can determine if this NPC “fell asleep” or was “feeling sleepy”.

“Penetration” – Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment

Penetration is a favorite action for people, but this is a mistranslation. In Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, the game intends it to be viewed as “capture” or “conquer”. Instead, it comes off as weirdly sexual , especially given the age of the characters.

“What a polite young man she was!” – Mega Man: Battle Network 4

As video games progressed, so have humans and terminology. Gender and sex are a highly discussed issue the last few years, but not so much the case back in 2003 when Mega Man: Battle Network 4 released. So this comes off humorous given the current social climate between the right and the left.

“Your Fists of Evil Are About Meet My Steel Wall of Niceness!” – Fatal Fury Special

Only an AI written dialogue would be oblivious to how descriptors work in trash talking. Not in this case. Many fighting games have odd dialogue, and this bit from Fatal Fury Special is one case.

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Hahaha, what foolish translators. If only AI provided this kind of humor with the writing, gamers may hold it in higher regard. Too bad AI writing is 100% accurate and perfect in tone.

What mistranslations do you find humorous from human translators?