Aeris or Aerith?

[yukina]

Translation problems aside, Aeris because it sounds soooo much better. Though I switch to Aerith in the presence of hardcore geeks who enjoy correcting everyone to establish their greatness. ))

[Skyblade]

If it was a translation error:

First, how was it missed when its the name of a major character?

Second, why did they not fix it in the original PC port, which fixed every other mistranslation and grammar/spelling error in the game?

Third, who argues that "Tina" is Terra's real name? Because that was a translational change as well.

Fourth, does anyone actually like the sound of "Aerith"?

[Jinx]

I heard that originally Aeris was supposed to be a male. They thought a gay love interest was pushing boundaries a little too soon. The name was going to be Aeric.

[Skyblade]

I heard that originally Aeris was supposed to be a male. They thought a gay love interest was pushing boundaries a little too soon. The name was going to be Aeric.

C'mon, like we couldn't all tell that Zack swung that way anyway.

[DownDiagonalLeftA]

I always used Ares.

I thought I was the only one who liked to imagine her as the god of war

[Hollycat]

I heard that originally Aeris was supposed to be a male. They thought a gay love interest was pushing boundaries a little too soon. The name was going to be Aeric.

C'mon, like we couldn't all tell that Zack swung that way anyway.

I will destroy you.

Final call
Aeris sounds nicer
Aerith looks nicer.

[Sephiroth]

If it was a translation error:

First, how was it missed when its the name of a major character?

Second, why did they not fix it in the original PC port, which fixed every other mistranslation and grammar/spelling error in the game?

Third, who argues that "Tina" is Terra's real name? Because that was a translational change as well.

Fourth, does anyone actually like the sound of "Aerith"?

I have already explained in a great post including some other mistranslations like Fourth Bracelet instead of Force Bracelet and Bizarro (Reverse) instead of Rebirth Sephiroth and Sepher instead of Safer Sephiroth, et cetera, and the normal thoughts of a translator about words which seem to make sense are often used and that this is how many mistranslations are made. And about many things which were not changed and no, they did not fix every mistranslation in it. I don't know who told you that but it is not right. I have the Japanese, English and German PS One version and I also have the PC version. And Terra is not a translation error so it is not comparable to that. Like I said, they already said it long before the new millenium began, so also long before the Compilation and Kingdom Hearts. I am totally fine with people writing and saying "Aeris" since I like "Aeris" (like I like "Reina" more than "Lenna" and still "Lenna" is right and was always supposed to be) and I understand that people are confused by that mistranslation and did not know about it even though it was stated early - which is no wonder, why should everyone be informed about that, that is not possible - and used to the name but "that was her official original name" is wrong. A mistranslation does not make something officially original. Nojima, Nomura, Sakaguchi's, et cetera intention does.

And for anyone wondering: No, I'm not actually getting worked up over this, and I know I won't change people's opinion any more than they will change mine. I'm just enjoying the debate.

Opinions are completely useless if they are not equal to the facts. And this topic does not need an opinion, telling you her name was "Aerith" all the time is not an opinion.

I don't know how else to explain how her name is Aeris if you can't get your head around the fact that in the manual and in the game, her name is Aeris. I mean, if they never released another game with her in it, would you still be saying "Oh, no, her name isn't Aeris."? xD Yes, in the other games her name is Aerith, but in the original game, the central game, the most 100% canon of all canon VII-related things, her name is Aeris, and there is nothing that you can say - "mistake" or "mistranslation" or "unintended" - that can change that.

The most canon thing except a direct word of a Square Enix member who really made those things like Nojima is the Ultimania Omega.

The Compilation retconned tons of things, and nearly every change sucked.

You still don't understand that the Compilation did not even exist in the 90's when it was said to be a mistranslation.

You have been proven wrong. Accept that it has nothing to do with an opinion. It is a fact that her true name always was intended to be "Aerith", that it always was her true name and that she has been mistranslated "Aeris" did not make it her officially true western name in 1997. Nobody will laugh at you and you can still call her "Aeris". But it is a fact that it is wrong.

[Jinx]

I heard that originally Aeris was supposed to be a male. They thought a gay love interest was pushing boundaries a little too soon. The name was going to be Aeric.

C'mon, like we couldn't all tell that Zack swung that way anyway.

I will destroy you.Final callAeris sounds nicerAerith looks nicer.

Actually, because of my synesthesia Aerith is very aesthetically displeasing.

[Skyblade]

I heard that originally Aeris was supposed to be a male. They thought a gay love interest was pushing boundaries a little too soon. The name was going to be Aeric.

C'mon, like we couldn't all tell that Zack swung that way anyway.

I will destroy you.

Final call
Aeris sounds nicer
Aerith looks nicer.

It was meant to be meaner to Aeris than Zack. I was just pointing out that Aeris was not Cloud's love interest (Tifa is), she's Zack's.

The fact that it was mean to Zack was more a happy coincidence.

I don't really have anything against FFVII's Zack (or Zack as he appears for about the first half of Crisis Core). He's a fun character.

[maybee]

It was meant to be meaner to Aeris than Zack. I was just pointing out that Aeris was not Cloud's love interest (Tifa is), she's Zack's.
.

Actually in FF VII Aeris no longer has strong feelings for Zack and now loves Cloud.

Aerith "Didn't I tell you? He was my first love."
Cloud "............"
Aerith "Zack.... SOLDIER First Class. Same as Cloud."
Cloud "Strange, there aren't that many who make First Class, but I've never heard of him."
(She turns back to the rock)
Aerith "That's all right. It's all in the past now. I was just worried because I heard he's been missing."
Cloud "Missing?"
Aerith "I think it was 5 years ago. He went out on a job, and never came back."
"He loved women, a real lady's man. He probably found someone else..."
(She walks to Cloud)
Aerith "Hey? What's wrong?"

"Cloud : You were... serious ?
Aerith : No. But I liked him for a while."


Agree to you about Cloud and Tifa though.

[Chris]

It is Aerith.



Also, about Zack... if the shoe fits. This one looks a little "snug".

Is it me, or is it getting steamy in here?

[Jiro]

If it was a translation error:

First, how was it missed when its the name of a major character?

Second, why did they not fix it in the original PC port, which fixed every other mistranslation and grammar/spelling error in the game?

Third, who argues that "Tina" is Terra's real name? Because that was a translational change as well.

Fourth, does anyone actually like the sound of "Aerith"?

Do you know why they have translators? It's because the original Devs don't know enough English. They didn't pick up the fault because they didn't know. It's only in recent history that it was actually done.

The PC port wasn't that long after the original, as I recall, so they probably hadn't noticed yet. Spelling errors are obvious because they are real words. When you're trying to imply a connection to the elements of air and earth in a fictional name, it's not as obvious.

This is a case where you have to approach it with the right mindset. Tina was chosen because the name is exotic. That was the point. She had to have this otherwordly feel. Tina, to the West, is a pretty ordinary sounding name. So they altered it. Her official name in Japan is Tina. In the West, it is Terra. Because that's how the character is meant to be perceived.

I like the sound of Aerith. I don't sound like I have a lisp when I say it. In fact, I must be saying Aeris different to all you lot 'cause I feel like a spastic when I say it.

It's also a far more accurate translation than Aerith, unless perhaps someone genuinely had a lisp when they talked about her at some point. How is it spelt in Japanese again? Earisu or something? Definitely said with an 's' and not a 'th'.

Her name is spelt エアリス. Not Earisu. That's english letters and is therefore romaji and her name is written in katakana. It's エアリス. Now. Do you want me to explain how the fact that Vincent's name is actually Binsent because they don't have the letter or sound equivalent to V or a soft C? Or how about the fact that the last character in his name is ト (to) which makes his official name Vincento, or, I should say, Binsento. Just because the last character is ス (su) does not mean that it is necessarily romanised as such.

Aerith is meant to convey allusions to air and earth. That is Word of God. That was the intent. The Japanese can understand that; they just adopt some English sounds and voila. I'm not going to go into detail about how they use a bunch of loan words and sounds and are familiar with other words notably from Spanish and English because it's a waste of time and I'd get it wrong because I'm not a friggin' scholar but the point is they got it but the original translators had NO SMURFING IDEA. I'd bet they thought it was meant to be an allusion to Aries and that's why they translated it as such.

Why, in this day and age where the translation errors are so few and far between, would they suddenly decide to change a major character's name from one of the most notable franchises for no reason? That boggles the mind, and saying "oh those crazy Japanese" is not an answer, it's a cop out. There was a problem and they fixed it. Her name is Aerith.

Is smitkit taking the Towns name? Because that's not her original form. I don't care if it's been "fixed", she's not being called Danielle Towns because that's obviously just a translation error.

[Skyblade]

Jiro, give me your pronunciation of "Aerith", please.

[Jiro]

Air-ith, as I presume it is meant to be. Short th, not long and drawn out like you're just trying so hard to find fault with the word. I don't get where the lisp nonsense comes from, honestly, it's akin to saying the word "with"; do you laugh at people and say "no you idiot it's meant to be 'wis'"?

[Loony BoB]

Her name is spelt エアリス. Not Earisu. That's english letters and is therefore romaji and her name is written in katakana. It's エアリス.

This is what I call being argumentative for the sake of it. You know exactly what I meant.

Now. Do you want me to explain how the fact that Vincent's name is actually Binsent because they don't have the letter or sound equivalent to V or a soft C? Or how about the fact that the last character in his name is ト (to) which makes his official name Vincento, or, I should say, Binsento. Just because the last character is ス (su) does not mean that it is necessarily romanised as such.

Which is great and all, but doesn't take anything away from the fact that Aeris is her name in Final Fantasy VII, and... well... I don't really know what to say. It's her name in the game. Mistranslation or not, it was a decision someone in the translation team made, and for me that makes it her name because, well, in the game - the key part of everything that is FFVII - her name is Aeris.

Aerith is meant to convey allusions to air and earth. That is Word of God. That was the intent. The Japanese can understand that; they just adopt some English sounds and voila. I'm not going to go into detail about how they use a bunch of loan words and sounds and are familiar with other words notably from Spanish and English because it's a waste of time and I'd get it wrong because I'm not a friggin' scholar but the point is they got it but the original translators had NO SMURFING IDEA. I'd bet they thought it was meant to be an allusion to Aries and that's why they translated it as such.

Doesn't change the fact that it's how they translated it and it's how it was published. I'm sure Russia would love for Moscow to be called Moskva the world over, but it's not. Sometimes a decision is made for you. Aeris seemed pretty happy with her name because she was happily using it.

Why, in this day and age where the translation errors are so few and far between, would they suddenly decide to change a major character's name from one of the most notable franchises for no reason? That boggles the mind, and saying "oh those crazy Japanese" is not an answer, it's a cop out. There was a problem and they fixed it. Her name is Aerith.

They changed it because they wanted it to be something else, I get that. They had different intentions. So be it. But that doesn't suddenly change the fact that her name is Aeris in the original game. People can say "but Granddad said his granddaughter was AERITH" all they like - the person who SE appointed to name the character named them Aeris. They didn't do it as a mistake, they did it with intention. "This guy are sick" is a mistake. Aeris is everywhere in the game. They wouldn't have typo'd it 5,000 times accidentally. It was intended to be Aeris by the person who shouldered that responsibility. Someone decided later on - after FFVII (and FF Tactics, if you count that) - that they would change her name. Her name was Aeris and that was not a mistake. They just happened to want to change it later on to another idea they had. Perhaps they had the idea originally, but it didn't happen? So be it. But that doesn't suddenly mean that Aeris is not her name in FFVII, and that is the PRIMARY game in this series. Aeris, for me, is her name.

Is smitkit taking the Towns name? Because that's not her original form. I don't care if it's been "fixed", she's not being called Danielle Towns because that's obviously just a translation error.

You'd have to ask her that. As for "translation error" - no, in both cases the original name was intended by the person responsible for choosing it and then someone else would have caused it to be changed later on. While it doesn't make Aerith wrong in relation to FFVII:AC/CC/etc, it is still wrong in the case of Final Fantasy VII, much like calling Danielle "Danielle Towns" now would be wrong because she has not yet taken my name. Even if she changes her name, it doesn't suddenly mean that she wasn't born with her original name.

Regarding your way of saying Aerith with a hard 'th' - doesn't that not go along with the point of having her named after "Air-Earth"? Or do Australians say 'Earth' with a hard 'th' too (I'm not taking the piss, I'm genuinely curious)? o_o Also, not every person with a lisp makes it long, drawn out and noticeable. In my experience, most people who have a genuine lisp (ie, aren't just drunk off their face and slurring their words) have a very short 'th' sound going on.