Author Topic: Canadian manuals (Read 449 times)

vestcoat · « **on:** October 17, 2006, 04:54:14 PM »

OK, I have now ended up with Canadian manuals for 3 Turbografx games: Bonk 3, King of Casino and Ys 1-2. They're all in French. KoC and Ys look exactly like their English counterparts on the front but all of the interior text and the recommended list of games on the back is in French. The seller I got them from purchased them in Edmonton Canada and wasn't even aware that they weren't in English until he sold them to me.

The Bonk 3 hucard manual I got from a different seller and is pretty weird. It's all black and white on glossy paper slightly smaller than a CD insert. Rather than consisting of a booklet like most manuals, it is actually a folded, one-page leaflet that unfolds into eight "pages." The cover picture shows a smiling Bonk aboard on one of those prehistoric, horned elevators in the game. It's completely different than both the US and CD and hucard covers.

Text in all three of the actual games is in English and the games are indistinguishable from the US versions except from the manuals. I don't have boxes for any of them. The one lonely paragraph on the Ys map is in English. (sorry I don't have a scanner anymore.)

So, my question is, are these manuals rare? Have people seen them before? I find it kind of funny that French manuals were sold in western provinces.

Keranu · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2006, 08:39:11 PM »

The French manuals are pretty common since they were packaged with TG16 games in Canada, I believe. I have one for Monster Lair and maybe another game. That Bonk 3 one sounds pretty interesting, I wonder if it's one of those little translated manuals they made in France for importing PCE games?

Odonadon · « **Reply #2 on:** October 18, 2006, 01:52:56 AM »

All TG16 games sold in Canada came with both English and French manuals (in fact any game sold, even today, has both English and French manuals). It's funny but I was born and raised in Edmonton, and still live there

I wouldn't consider these rare by any stretch, because every single game I bought back in the day came with both English and French manuals.

OD

td741 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2006, 02:00:07 AM »

It has been a while, but I believe that either the games with the French manuals had a sticker on the box stating that it had french manuals, or it included both sets of manuals. Granted, I only remember getting a french copy of the manual with Bonk 3. (I did get an english manual as well.)

I don't think that the french manuals were printed in France. Canada does have loads of translation services available seeing as translating documents from french to english (and vice-versa) is done quite often. The federal and some provincial governements are required to have official documents in both French and English, require essential services to be available in both languages, etc.

Kaminari · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2006, 05:56:31 AM »

I suppose "Canadian" games were TurboChips, right? In which case those manuals were without doubt translated in Canada. Games distributed in France were Japanese HuCards, sometimes bundled with a quick translation of the main controls on a single BW toilet paper sheet.

td741 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2006, 06:13:45 AM »

Quote from: "Kaminari"

I suppose "Canadian" games were TurboChips, right? In which case those manuals were without doubt translated in Canada. Games distributed in France were Japanese HuCards, sometimes bundled with a quick translation of the main controls on a single BW toilet paper sheet.

Yes, the canadian versions were essentially the US versions of the games. (Turbochips and CDs).

Black Tiger · « **Reply #6 on:** October 18, 2006, 10:55:26 AM »

Quote from: "td741"

It has been a while, but I believe that either the games with the French manuals had a sticker on the box stating that it had french manuals, or it included both sets of manuals. Granted, I only remember getting a french copy of the manual with Bonk 3. (I did get an english manual as well.)

I don't think that the french manuals were printed in France. Canada does have loads of translation services available seeing as translating documents from french to english (and vice-versa) is done quite often. The federal and some provincial governements are required to have official documents in both French and English, require essential services to be available in both languages, etc.

Every Turbo game I ever bought had both French and English manuals. I bought games brand new back in the day from the 1st generation of HuCards right through to the last batch of CDs & Hu's.

The fold out Bonk 3 manual comment has altered my memory to believe that other no-case HuCards came with one too.

Ever since I got my first TG-16, I've put the French manuals in each case first, as a cover, then the English manual behind it for easy access.

If these things are rare and (by retard gaming collector law) therefore uber valuable, then I must be a rich bastard, cuz I have like 100 of them.

You know, the format for my still non-public Turbo game pages, is to include scans of every page of each game's manual. Now I think that I'll make sure to include the French ones as well, both as a curiousity for crazy non-French speaking Turbo fans and as a legitimate resource for anyone capable of deciphering Quebecer francais.

Odonadon · « **Reply #7 on:** October 18, 2006, 04:59:57 PM »

Quote

I don't think that the french manuals were printed in France. Canada does have loads of translation services available seeing as translating documents from french to english (and vice-versa) is done quite often. The federal and some provincial governements are required to have official documents in both French and English, require essential services to be available in both languages, etc.

Like Black Tiger stated in his last sentence, France French and Quebec French are different (I suppose like Scottish English and Australian English). They were definetely made in Canada. And like Black Tiger says, if they are valuable we're rich - every game I have ever bought period came with a french manaul. It's required by law.

OD

td741 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 19, 2006, 02:05:58 AM »

Quote from: "Odonadon"

Like Black Tiger stated in his last sentence, France French and Quebec French are different (I suppose like Scottish English and Australian English). They were definetely made in Canada. And like Black Tiger says, if they are valuable we're rich - every game I have ever bought period came with a french manaul. It's required by law.

Considering I'm franco-ontarian, I know the differences between these particular French dialects. I was just trying to point it out from the logistics point of view. Also, when dealing with instruction manuals, the differences in Canadian french and European french shouldn't come too much into play. Yes they are differences, but we are talking about instructions manuals for games: "Press button "a" to jump" isn't shakespear.

That said, the law in question only applies to Quebec... Trying to find a link.

A-ha! http://www.olf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/ti/charte.html

Essentially, since Jan 1st 1998 any software sold, rented, distributed in Quebec must have a French version available (only if a french version exists).

On top of that, any other elements such as packaging, waranty information, instructions have to be in french or billingual (in Quebec). This second element appears to be related to an older law that was in brought up in 1977.

I do remember seeing a report on the news when a member of the Quebec parliament decided it was time to raise a stink about software houses not complying to this law. However, I thought this was closer to the previous law (Jan 1998)? Then again, that doesn't mean that the older law didn't apply.

That said, it's usually much easier to make sure that the Canadian version of a product includes billingual instructions then to have to live with making a french version for quebec and praying that the company sends the right version to the different areas.

I just find it funny that beeing a franco-ontarian living in Ottawa (right on the Ontario-Quebec border) didn't get many french instructions while people out west constantly get them? I'll have to go look into the games that I had bought locally and see what I find.

Kaminari · « **Reply #9 on:** October 19, 2006, 03:06:13 AM »

Some months ago, I've heard about Quebec nationalists willing to establish Canadian French as a language of its own. It wasn't clear to me whether they were specifically talking about Joual or not.

While Joual has definitely "evolved" beyond the mere dialect, standard French spoken in Quebec can hardly be described as a different language. It's no more different than French spoken in Belgium or in Switzerland. There are certainly local particularisms (and strong accent variations), but that's also the case in some French provinces where many dialects are undecipherable to city dwellers.

Are those manuals written in Joual or in French? :p

td741 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 19, 2006, 04:20:53 AM »

[QUOTE author="Kaminari"While Joual has definitely "evolved" beyond the mere dialect, standard French spoken in Quebec can hardly be described as a different language. It's no more different than French spoken in Belgium or in Switzerland. There are certainly local particularisms (and strong accent variations), but that's also the case in some French provinces where many dialects are undecipherable to city dwellers.[/quote]

I think pronounciation and speed used in regular speech are of the stronger differenciations. But there are also idioms, false-friends, terminology (technical and legal) that are different.

Some examples (I apoligize for the lack of accents, I'm not sure how to get them to work on solaris with a sun keyboard):
A woman saying here: "Je suis plein" is a direct translation of "I'm stuffed/full" i.e. no longer hungry and doesn't mean that she person is pregnant.

The adoption of "parking", "weekend", "cederom" in the French dictionary didn't make it's way here: "stationnement", "fin de semaine", "disque compacte" are still in use.

Even in some cases the use of "J'ai" and "Je suis" can find itself used differently.
"Je suis demenage" vs "J'ai demenage".

Quote from: "Kaminari'

Are those manuals written in Joual or in French? :p

Standard Canadian French...

Although joual versions of manuals would be hilarious, I doubt that the people "defending the French language in Canada/Quebec" would like it.

[/QUOTE]

vestcoat · « **Reply #11 on:** October 19, 2006, 06:42:23 AM »

Sooo...does anyone want to trade me an English Ys manual for my French one?

Black Tiger · « **Reply #12 on:** October 19, 2006, 02:43:39 PM »

Quote from: "vestcoat"

Sooo...does anyone want to trade me an English Ys manual for my French one?

Désolé, mais moi vouloir garder le mien.

td741 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 19, 2006, 03:21:20 PM »

Umm... I'd rather keep my English instructions.

Interestingly enough, it appears that many of the older HuCard titles and earlier CD Roms like Valis II came with billingual instructions. The newer titles I have do not have any French instructions?

A quick sampling showed a lack of French instructions for Valis III, Buster Brothers, Lords of Thunder.

All of those games were purchased from Radio Shack here in Ottawa (very few stores had the more recent titles). Anyone had French instructions for those three?

Black Tiger · « **Reply #14 on:** October 19, 2006, 03:32:08 PM »

Quote from: "td741"

Umm... I'd rather keep my English instructions.

Interestingly enough, it appears that many of the older HuCard titles and earlier CD Roms like Valis II came with billingual instructions. The newer titles I have do not have any French instructions?

A quick sampling showed a lack of French instructions for Valis III, Buster Brothers, Lords of Thunder.

All of those games were purchased from Radio Shack here in Ottawa (very few stores had the more recent titles). Anyone had French instructions for those three?

The Radio Shack in the next city over from mine was independant from the rest and stocked all kinds of games that the regular ones didn't. But I think that they got their games from a U.S. supplier and thats the store my friend and I bought Lords from. I still don't have Buster Bros and I can't find my Valis III, but my foggy memory tells me that it did come with a french manual.