Language Masking - The Quest for Hyper-realism

Preface

Just a thought I had last night when I noticed that none of the signings I'd made in july had learnt a word of English in the six months between the start and end of the demo. I then took a job with Betis which reminded me of the problems Juande Ramos had over here, and to a lesser extent Capello.

Main idea for some way in the future version

We all know that FM comes with 12 languages or something similar.

We all know that there are three levels to someones language fluency (Not at all, basic, fluent).

How about taking advantage of that by translating the text dependant upon which league you are in and your level of fluency? Specifically media, but perhaps tactics too.

An example. I'm only English and have managed in England for a few years and now been offered a job in Serie A. My first press conference might be along the lines of ; "Questo ci ha permesso di lasciare Vucinic più fresco e vicino a Totti per far male agli avversari?" ; then the answers would either all be in Italian, or in English but the journalists wouldn't understand, because I don't speak any of the language.

Then once I'd grasped some basic Italian it could be translated into something like "This has allowed us to leave Vucinic cooler and near for Totti to hurt opponents.", before finally, once I'd become fluent, whatever a more sensible translation of that is (I don't actually speak Italian and thusly can't actually translate it properly).

Or maybe the tactics screen could have some of the more complex options locked off. After all it wouldn't take that long to learn the words (or gestures) for "push up" or "stay back", but "could you please go and mark the tallest guy from this corner unless their tallest guy is staying back in which case go on the back post" wouldn't be available until I was fluent.

I thought it might be a little insane, but if there is one thing FM is missing it's the actual feeling that languages matter. I can join any club anywhere without worrying about if I speak the language or not because I fully understand all the in-game media, and my players somehow fully understand everything I want tactically.

Yet we know language matters because my Assman reports that some of the players are struggling to settle because of the language barrier so it matters between players, but not for a manager. Even if I have a player who speaks fluent Croatian and English and a bunch of players who just speak Croatian, the Croat/English guy wont translate for them.

So it could be like attribute masking. The easy-going big club people could just untick language masking, and those of us who would like that feeling of being isolated in another country unable to understand a damn thing, or wished that languages were more than just cosmetic, or wanted to take LLM across the globe, could leave it ticked and spend six months completely baffled before we finally grasped a little of what was being said.

As I say, it's definitely going to be a marmite idea. But as it wouldn't need swathes of translation (it's already done for the major languages FM ships to) and could be turned off, it would add a lot to the realism. We really could become our own Ramos' managing a bunch of Beckhams.

Yes I realise much more important things need to be fixed, and some work would be needed on a fuzzy logic thing that would translate common words first as we gradually picked up the language. It's not an idea for FM10. But who wouldn't smile at the thought of joining a Brazilian club and suddenly finding the whole game in Portugese?

VB

I made that suggestion some years ago and the answer was, that FM is not a language learning tool. I still think it's a good idea and quite realistic.

If a manager can't speak the language someone translates for them in press conferences. Giving press conferences in a language other than the one set by the user in the preferences is rather silly.

I don't want to actually learn the language, just for the game to use solely a particular language file, then switch to a half and half thing, then back to our normal language. So we wouldn't actually be learning the language, just have the experience of it.

I would assume that with most clubs you would have help with this. If the press didnt ask questions in english to you then you would have someone there to translate to you before you answer. I never paid attention to how that works in real life.

yeshh, but we shhhould er, yessh, have the option of, how do you shay? talking, like Shhteve Mclaren.

I don't really like this idea - though I see the point that it should feel like language matters more. Perhaps one or two additions to the assistant manager notes might work - just to let you know what the game already knows about the effect of language.

I think it'd be fun signing a foreigner at a small club and not being able to communicate fully with him until he learns english or I learn his language. You'd start to prefer players from a certain nation more, think benitez and his spanish contingent.

As long as there was someone at the club who spoke the language and your language it shouldn't matter as there is a translator. So if your assistant manager/coach/player is spanish but speaks english, then you can sign spaniards with some confidence that they will settle. Signing an italian who does't speak english would be a bit of a gamble though....

Good idea!

terrible idea but it reminds of harry redknapps team talk to pavlyuchenko on saturday who didnt understand his instructions, so harry told him 'just run around a lot'

If you were at a big club - someone would translate for you. Also if you didn't have someone translate - would you really be doing a press conference if you didn't know the language?