ZeroWiki:FFIV Terms

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Since Fatal Frame IV was never officially translated, this is supposed to be a helpful guide between the English used in the Wiki, and the English translation.

Terms

Japanese	零Wiki	Fan Patch	Notes
朧月神楽 or 神楽	Rougetsu Kagura or Kagura	Rougetsu Kagura Dance or Kagura Dance	It is common real-world convention to translate Place + Kagura names directly into Romaji (adding the word "Dance" if the intended consumer is unlikely to know that kagura is a dance). We have elected to simply use the word "kagura" to reduce redundancy, as it feels a bit like saying "doing a waltz dance" or "going to see the ballet dance". (Not wrong, but awkward.)
月幽病	Getsuyuu Syndrome	Luna Sedata Syndrome	The name of this disease is a bit of a play on words. It evokes interpretations such as, faint moon disease, secluded moon disease, or moon-dimming disease. The disease is thought of as a memory disorder somehow influenced by the phases of the moon, so that's one way to think about it. However, on the island "moon" is also a poetic way to refer to the soul, which - if one equates the soul with memory and personality - is also being eroded away (as the moon is during an eclipse). However, the use of the character 幽 is meant to be a hint about the truth: It is one of the symbols in 幽霊 (yurei; ghost). The name is a coy way to communicate, moon-ghost disease, as Rougetsu Island sees the moon as a symbol of the underworld. The Fan Patch chose to translate the characters literally in Latin for something vaguely official sounding. While we believe that Koei Tecmo would probably give this an English name, we have elected not to for the time being. Not only is it difficult to guess what name might be chosen, any translation would almost certainly lose most of the intended connotations in translation. As the disease exists only in Japan and there is no adequate way to translate it, there seems to be little harm in people just learning what it means.
器	Utsuwa	Utsuwa	While neither the wiki nor the fan patch uses an English word for this term, the best option would perhaps be "Vessel." As far as we know, there is no ambiguity or wordplay lost here, as "utsuwa" carries connotations of emptiness and a purpose of receiving or being filled by an external object or force.
奏	Kanade	Kanade	Pronouncing this character kanade suggests that we are using the verb form (to play music) as a noun. While neither the wiki nor the fan patch uses an English word for this term, the best option would perhaps be "Instrument", which carries both connotations of being an object which produces music or an object to be used in conjunction with another to perform a specific purpose.
帰来迎	Kiraigou	Ceremony of Passage	While we believe that Koei Tecmo would probably give this an English name, we have elected not to for the time being. The name refers to a concept from Pure Land Buddhism called the Raigou (which is not typically translated in English). The Raigou is a vision of Amida Butsu (Amitabha Buddha) welcoming one into the afterlife upon their death, easing their suffering. This ritual is the reverse of this, whereby the shrine maiden welcomes the returning dead back to the world of the living, easing their suffering in turn. As "Raigou" is usually called "Raigou", we have continued to refer to "Kiraigo" as "Kiraigo". Like Getsuyuu Syndrome, it might be best to only translate the character 帰 (ki; return) if an attempt was made. However, we have yet to find a good way to render it. Like "Kusabi" (Wedge Man) in Fatal Frame II, it might be better to just leave it alone.
月の音	Lunar Melody	Lunar Melody	Game content specifies that this is pronounced 'tsuki-no-ne', the "moon's sound(s)" or "moon's tone(s)". This is similar to terms like 鐘の音 (kasunone; chime, or bell's sound). Because other connotations or wordplay have not been identified, we have adopted the Fan Patch's use of the poetic-sounding "lunar melody". It's possible that using "ne" over "oto" synergizes with connotations such as 根 (ne; root or origin) and/or 寝 (ne; rest or sleep), as the lunar melodies reach to the core or true nature of something and bring it peace, allowing it to rest, such as a lullaby. However, "melody" captures these just as well.
無苦の日	The Day Without Suffering	The Day Without Suffering	Many concepts related to the rituals of Rougetsu Island are rooted in Pure Land Buddhism. The character 苦(ku; suffering) refers to the Buddhist concept of dukkha. While "suffering" is as poor of a translation of "dukkha" as "god" is for "kami", its use in Westernized Buddhism is ubiquitous and this we will keep this consistent.
零域	???	The Afterlife	In classic Fatal Frame style, the developers simply swapped 霊 (rei; ghost or spirit) for 零 (rei; zero). 霊域 (reiiki; sacred ground) is a real term. However, here, the sacred ground of the afterlife is thought of as the place where souls come from and return to when all of their memories (thus their identity and their soul) have been lost. It is also literally the Zero Ground.

Locations

Kanji	English (零Wiki)	English (Patch)	Français	Deutsch	Español	Italiano
胎生ノ間	Birth Chamber	Birth Chamber	Chambre des Naissances	Raum der Lebendgeburten	?	?
大臓宮	Daizou Shrine	Daizou Shrine	Sanctuaire Daizou	?	?	?
月奏ノ社	Gesshou Shrine	Shrine of the Full Moon	Sanctuaire de la Pleine Lune	?	?	?
祓ヒノ道	Purification Path	Road of Purification	Chemin de la Purification	?	?	?
朧月島	Rougetsu Island	Rougetsu Island	Île de Rougetsu	Rougetsu Island	?	?
朧月胎道	Rougetsu Tunnels	Birth Path	?	Rougetsu Taidou	?	?
朧月台	Rougetsu Stage	Rougetsu Dais	Scène de Rougetsu	Touristenbühne	?	?
首現堂	Hall of the Conscious Mind	Inconsistent	?	?	?	?
首現ノ祠	?	Shrine of the Conscious Mind	Sanctuaire de la Conscience	?	?	?
忌の宮‎	Shrine of Mourning	Shrine of Mourning	Sanctuaire du Deuil	Imi no Miya	?
葬頭川	Souzu River	Soutougawa River	Rivière Soutougawa	Souzu Fluß	?	?
胎生ノ階段	?	??? Staircase	Escalier de la Chambre des Naissances	?	?	?
月黄泉堂	Lunar Underworld Hall	Underground Lunar Hall	Sanctuaire Souterrain Lunaire	Mond-Jenseits Halle	?	?
診察室	Doctor's Office	Doctor's Office	Bureau du Docteur	Sprechzimmer	?	?
月映ノ洞	Moon-Reflection Cave	Moon-Reflection Cave	?	Mond-Spiegel Höhle	?	?
中庭	Courtyard	Courtyard	?	Innengarten	?	?
瞑想ノ洞	Meditation Cave	Meditation Cave	?	Meditationshöhle	?	?

Items

Kanji	English (零Wiki)	English (Patch)	Français	Deutsch	Español	Italiano
青い霊力の欠片	Blue Crystal	Blue Crystal	Cristal Bleu	?	?	?
赤い霊力の欠片	Red Crystal	Red Crystal	Cristal Rouge	?	?	?
霊石灯	Spirit Stone Flashlight	Spirit Stone Flashlight	Lampe Spectrale	?	?	?