TA Helper plugin Guide

OK ! You already have the TAHplugin installed in your PC, now is time to understand how to use it. Fyi, this article is bypass from Sprucefir Netsphere ~ don't worry it's our weblog too. Thus, I made this tutorial to introduce how to use TA Helper that can help you to define name in untranslated visual novel. Somehow translated engine also translate some name which made us confused with the sentences that we want to read. I hope by using the TA Helper it could help reader to get better understanding about the translation.

Do you remember your install folder of TA ?

OPEN PLUGIN FOLDER:

If not exist a folder named “Replacements”, create it.

OPEN PLUGIN FOLDER:

If not exist a folder named “Replacements”, create it.

OPEN REPLACEMENTS

Inside of “Replacements” folder need to have a file named “names.txt”; here’s the link for name.txt file (dl here)

Open “Names” with using notepad ( WARNING: use notepad, not wordpad, since each string is separated by ctrl+tab, and when I use other text editor besides notepad, this not work correctly.

You can understand ? In few words, names.txt is a list of names that are AUTOMATICALLY replaced by another word.

For instance “タネコ先輩” the translation is  “Taneko-senpai”, then “names.txt” make thesubstitution.

The GOOD about names.txt is the fact that this send to the translation machine the wordALREADY translated, then, in ALL TA windows always show exactly the same translation.

is very much important to add all characters names of the game in the TAHplugin substitution list to improve the translation.

Just a example:

“空” that mean “sky” or “empty” is also VERY MUCH used in the name of people, but, is translated like “Sora” or “Aki” or “Aoi” or even “Hiroshi” (!) I am not kidding, all these names use EXACTLY the same kanji.

Then, of course, If you not add these names in TAHplugin substitution list you will get terrible translation mistakes.

If you not add the name “空” like “Sora” in a game that have a character named “Sora”, the translation m,achine will translate  “空” always like “sky” or “empty” , then, this will create translation mistakes like “I will go to the house of Sky now” . NO! NO!  The correctly translation is “I will go to the house of Sora now”.

However, pay attention. In some texts that not have any mention of the name of “Sora” this maybe make translations like “this box is Sora”, but the correct translation is “this box is empty” Since the same kanji means “sky” or “empty” and also can made translation mistakes like “The Sora is blue today”, but, the correct translation is “The sky is blue today”.

YOU NEED TO USE YOUR GOOD SENSE !

You are a smart guy, then, you can understand when a translation machine make such translation mistake.

The kanji “空” is just a example, the same trouble can happens with any other kanji. I just give this example for you to pay attention in it when in the future you play a game with same kanjis means others names or words.

Some people say that translation softwares are bullshit, but, is not like this: the translation software cannot be blamed If in Japanese the same kanji have a LOT of different meanings.

Like 彼女 (kanojo) this is a troublesome word. This is the pronoun “she” , but, is as well used like the noun “girlfriend”. YOU CANNOT ADD IN THE TRANSLATION LIST OF A TRANSLATION MACHINE 彼女  LIKE “GILFRIEND” BECAUSE THIS WILL MAKE TERRIBLE TRANSLATION MISTAKES, SINCE THIS IS A PRONOUM !

You need to use you good sense. You need to use your brain. When a lonely protagonist of a game begin to say “I want so much a she”  The correct translation is “I want so much a girlfriend” or others texts like when the protagonist enter in a shop together with his sister and the shop manager ask “This cute girl is your she ?” And the protagonist say “No. She is my sister.” I think, you can understand it, alright ? The shop manager is asking “This cute girl is your girlfriend ?”

Then, use your brain. When some text not make sense, try to understand what is going on in the game plotline.

Other bug in all translation machinmes is to misunderstood “my” whith “her” or “him”. Some texts are like when the sister of the protagoinist go to HER room to sleep, however the text of the game show like this “she is going to sleep in MY room” . This is a translation mistake. No one can fix it. You need just to use you good sense, since in the next scene you see the protagonist alone in his room, then, you can understand that the sister is now sleeping in HER room.

Other troublesome kanji is “分” This exactly same kanji have 2 different translations: MINUTE ( time, 60 minutes is one hour ) and PART (fragment or piece) Then, in some games a girl have a cake, she take a piece of cake and show it to protagonist and say “this is your minute” , however, the correct translation is “this is your part”

Then, not blame TA or ATLAS translator or any other translation machine. This is the japanese language that is like this, however, when you begin to play games, you begin to learn these things. I learned it because I play japanese games using translation machines long 5 years. You will get used to it. Not gave up. Japanese games are the most wonderful thing of the whole world, and, since you get used to it, you will notice that is very easy to understand 100% of ALL texts of the game.

Then, is exactly becasue all these things that I explained, is very much important to use the name.txt list of TAHplugin. This wonderful tool, If you use it correctly, can fix almost 100% of ALL translation mistakes.

However, you need to pay attention when you begin to play others games that have characters names that use the same kanji of others games, but, have a different meaning. Never forget about it.

But, NEVER try to add in TAHplugin substitution list  VERBS, PRONOUNS or ADJECTIVES or any other grammatical words.

Add in TAHplugin substitution list only NAME OF PEOPLE. ONLY NOUNS !

If you want to add grammatical words, is better to add it in ATLAS DICTIONARY because ATLAS can recognize the gramatical function of the words, but, TAHplugin substitution list cannot do it. TAHplugin substitution list just substitute characters by others characters.

I like to use the substitution of  “「」” to “【】” becasue “「」” is not sufficient to separate the character name from the text speech sometimes. “【】” is the BEST character for this kind of usage. My “names.txt” is already configurated to make these susbstitutions.

Maybe you ask “how I can get the character names” I already explained how to get the characters names in my “1- AGTH GUIDE.rar” you just need to use the same method to add names in ATLAS DICTIONARY, but, instead of to add it in ATLAS DICTIONARY, is better to add it in TAHplugin substitution list because the names that have in ATLAS DICTIONARY is used only in ATLAS WINDOW of TA, however, all names added in TAHplugin substitution list is used in ALL TA windows.

You are understanding me ?

OK ! Lets learn how to add or remove words in TAHplugin substitution list:

I make a shortcut of Names.txt in my “Quick Launch bar” to get easy and fast access to this file while I am playing a game.

Using notepad, is really easy to add or remove names:

Add names: put a name in japanese and separate by CTRL+TAB to the substitutive word.

See:

Any character after “*” is ignored. This is useful to be used in games with “terrible” names.

What is “terrible” name ?  Go to see Sugar＋Spice2 (link) character names

Sana (さな) and  Suguru (優) are terrible names, since these are characters used in different words with different meaning, specially さな.

When you get a text that have a bad translation related to the words “Sana” or “Suguru”, just add “*” in the front of these names to make a better translation.

See:

Of course, during the game, when you are speaking with Sana or Suguru, is better to remove “*” again.

See this example with * added in Sana:

竜馬の「婚約者」千葉さな文書発見 直筆の署名入り？

Google translation:

Now see same text with “*” removed:

竜馬の「婚約者」千葉さな文書発見 直筆の署名入り？

Google translation:

However, when you are playing the game that the name of the character “Sana” is mentioned, is very much important to have her name added properly in TAHplugin substitution list. Just a example using this text:

入り口の門、とも言える鉄の戸をあけて　容赦なくあがりこんでくるさな。

The game with さな added correctly without “*”

Now the same text with “*” added in the front of  さな word:

See ? If you remove “Sana” from the TAHplugin list adding “*” “Sana” is translated in a different way ( and sometimes the word is even ignored, If the translation software not find any meaning for it ) then, in the google text, is just mentioned that someone opened the iron door (gate) of the pool area, but, is not mentionede exactly who opened the gate (but, you know that who opened it is Sana, thanks to the first translation with “Sana” added properly in names.txt ). If you play “detective games”, such kind of translation mistake can change the whole comprehension of the plotline of the game ! Then, NEVER forget to add the character names in the name.txt list of TAHplugin! This is very much important !

The game “Sugar＋Spice2″ is for sure troublesome, since さな is a word used in several grammar settings ( I cannot explain exactly the function of  さな in the japanese grammar since I admit that even myself cannot understand exactly this function ( fhs NOT understand japanese language, of course ) , but, in fact, さな is used in uncontable texts like a “grammar function word” instead of just “the name of a character” and 優 (Suguru) means “kind” or “gently”, 歌 (Uta) means “song” and 祭 (matsuri) means “Festival” If you not add these names on TAHplugin, the translation become like this ( see text )

「祭ちゃんは、歌さんとまわってるんだっけ？」

“turn with” is in the meaning of “to go in here together”Since all characters are now in a Summer Festival and the protagonist noticed the absence of Matsuri, he asked If Matsuri will go to the Festival together with Uta or not. Like I said before, you need to understand the development of the plotline to understand correctly the meaning of the texts.

Now see the same texts with 歌 (song) added like “Uta” and 祭 (Festival)  added like “matsuri” in the list of TAHplugin:

Since Matsuri and Uta are sisters, not have anything more common that both girls going to the Festival together…

ATLAS have the “bad behaviour” of misunderstood ”you” with “her”, but, for sure you already noticed it, alright ?

The correctly translation for this text is  “The Matsuri-chan will come together with Uta-san ?

However, you need to pay attention, since the protagonist and all girls are now in a SUMMER FESTIVAL, If you add 祭 like “Matsuri” , the protagonist and all girls are now in a SUMMER MATSURI.

You can understand now what I want to explain for you ?
Then, no one have any doubt anymore that the meaning of a text can be changed when a name is added in TAHplugin substitution list or when the same name not exist, since to add “*” in the front of a word in TAHplugin substitution list is the same thing that to remove this word from TAHplugin substitution list.

These are just short examples of a game that I am currently playing Just to prove how important is to add ( or to remove) a word from TAHplugin substitution list. In others games with a more complex text and plotline the translation mistake can be more wrong or even incompressible.

When you run TA, the TAHplugin is loaded in your system tray:

If you cannot see this icon, something is wrong. You did the install wrong. Go to fix it !

Well, If you can see the icon, just click on it:

The “green” words are the words ignored by TAHpluing, becasue of “*”

To add “*” is the same thing of to remove this word from TAHpluing list.

You can add also add or remove words in this screen, but, I prefer to use the notepad.

Well, this Guide is over.