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Alexander O. Smith
Encyclopedia
Alexander O. Smith is a professional English
/Japanese
translator and author. While his output covers many areas such as adaptation of Japanese novel
s, manga
, song lyrics
, anime
scripts and various academic works, he is best known for his software localizations of Japanese video games. He currently resides in Mitaka, Tokyo
, where he operates his own contract localization business, Kajiya Productions.
, Smith obtained a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Asian Studies from Dartmouth College
/Keio University
in 1995, and a Master of Arts
degree in Classical Japanese Literature from Harvard University
in 1998. He began working for video game designer Square Co.
in the late 1990s, working as part of the localization team for several games, including Final Fantasy VIII
, Chocobo's Dungeon 2, Front Mission 3
, and Parasite Eve 2. In 1999, he worked as the main English translator for Vagrant Story
. Reviewers noted the high quality of the English script, in which Smith utilized various archaic
English idioms and slang
that distinguished the game from its straightforward Japanese counterpart. In addition to working as a translator for Square Enix
, Smith has worked for Bowne Global Solutions (later acquired by Lionbridge
), where he was contracted to work on several other video game localizations, including Bloody Roar 3
, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
.
In addition to his work as a translator, Smith has also occasionally worked as a video game voice actor, usually in minor roles. In addition to providing English lyrics for the two songs "The Skies Above" and "Otherworld" on The Skies Above, the second album of the band The Black Mages
, he performed the spoken intro to the song "Maybe I'm a Lion" on that album. He has served as the assistant voice director for Final Fantasy X
and Final Fantasy X-2
. He has also translated "Eternity" on the Blue Dragon Original Soundtrack, composed by Nobuo Uematsu
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
/Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
translator and author. While his output covers many areas such as adaptation of Japanese novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, song lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
scripts and various academic works, he is best known for his software localizations of Japanese video games. He currently resides in Mitaka, Tokyo
Mitaka, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 November 2010, the city has an estimated population of 176,737. The total area is 16.50 km² and is about 50 – 55 meters above sea level...
, where he operates his own contract localization business, Kajiya Productions.
Biography
Born in VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, Smith obtained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Asian Studies from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
/Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
in 1995, and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in Classical Japanese Literature from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1998. He began working for video game designer Square Co.
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
in the late 1990s, working as part of the localization team for several games, including Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
, Chocobo's Dungeon 2, Front Mission 3
Front Mission 3
is a tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on September 2, 1999, and later in North America on March 22, 2000, and in Europe on August 11, 2000. Front Mission 3 is the third main entry and the fifth entry overall in...
, and Parasite Eve 2. In 1999, he worked as the main English translator for Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story
is a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles eleven years later...
. Reviewers noted the high quality of the English script, in which Smith utilized various archaic
Archaism
In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
English idioms and slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
that distinguished the game from its straightforward Japanese counterpart. In addition to working as a translator for Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
, Smith has worked for Bowne Global Solutions (later acquired by Lionbridge
Lionbridge
Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. commonly known as Lionbridge, is a company based in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA that provides translation, localization, internationalization, interpretation, content development, software development, and software testing services...
), where he was contracted to work on several other video game localizations, including Bloody Roar 3
Bloody Roar
is a series of fighting games created by Hudson Soft, and developed together with Eighting. The series has been published by multiple companies, including, Virgin Interactive, Activision and Konami.Hudson Soft later became a subsidiary of Konami.-Information:...
, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 game originally released on November 14, 2002. It is the fifth role-playing game in the Breath of Fire series.-Gameplay:...
and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as , is an adventure video game published and developed by Capcom in Japan, North America, and Europe, and published by Nintendo in Australia...
.
In addition to his work as a translator, Smith has also occasionally worked as a video game voice actor, usually in minor roles. In addition to providing English lyrics for the two songs "The Skies Above" and "Otherworld" on The Skies Above, the second album of the band The Black Mages
The Black Mages
The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito - three composers for Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's Final Fantasy video game series-based compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved...
, he performed the spoken intro to the song "Maybe I'm a Lion" on that album. He has served as the assistant voice director for Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...
and Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2
is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
. He has also translated "Eternity" on the Blue Dragon Original Soundtrack, composed by Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
.
Video games
Title | Year | Platform(s) | Smith's role |
---|---|---|---|
Winter Heat | 1997 1997 in video gaming -Events:*October 4 — Gunpei Yokoi dies after a double car accident.*November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association launched.*3rd annual E3... |
Sega Saturn Sega Saturn The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe... |
Cast & narration (with others) |
Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically... |
1999 | PlayStation | Localization specialist (with Yutaka Sano, Ryosuke Taketomi and Maki Yamane) |
Final Fantasy Anthology | 2000 | PlayStation | Translation support (with Sho Endo) |
Chocobo's Dungeon 2 | 1999 1999 in video gaming -Events:*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards*March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”... |
PlayStation PlayStation The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000... |
Localization specialist (with Brian Bell, Yoshinobu Matsuo and Shigeto Matsushima) |
Front Mission 3 Front Mission 3 is a tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on September 2, 1999, and later in North America on March 22, 2000, and in Europe on August 11, 2000. Front Mission 3 is the third main entry and the fifth entry overall in... |
2000 2000 in video gaming -Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association... |
PlayStation | Localization specialist (with Sho Endo) |
Vagrant Story Vagrant Story is a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles eleven years later... |
2000 | PlayStation | Translator (with Amanda J. Katsurada) |
Parasite Eve II Parasite Eve II is a horror action role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by SquareSoft and published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000... |
2000 | PlayStation | Localization specialist (with Sho Endo) |
Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs... |
2000 | PlayStation | "Melodies of Life" English translation (with Kako Someya) |
Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012... |
2001 2001 in video gaming -Events:* Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame... |
PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... |
Localization specialist (with Aziz Hinoshita), "Otherworld" lyrics |
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 game originally released on November 14, 2002. It is the fifth role-playing game in the Breath of Fire series.-Gameplay:... |
2003 2003 in video gaming -Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame.... |
PlayStation 2 | Translator (with Neil Ayerg) |
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and... |
2003 | Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
English translation |
Fire Emblem | 2003 | Game Boy Advance | Localization (with Richard Amtower IV, Tim O'Leary and Scot Ritchey) |
Final Fantasy X-2 Final Fantasy X-2 is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X... |
2003 | PlayStation 2 | US recording producer |
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is the third main game in the Star Ocean series. The game was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 console. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The original Japanese release date was in February of 2003 by Enix, its penultimate... |
2004 2004 in video gaming -Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game... |
PlayStation 2 | Translator (with Jason Franzman and Joel Sassone) |
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as , is an adventure video game published and developed by Capcom in Japan, North America, and Europe, and published by Nintendo in Australia... |
2005 2005 in video gaming -Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship.... |
Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
Translator (with others) |
Final Fantasy XII Final Fantasy XII is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform... |
2006 2006 in video gaming -Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp... |
PlayStation 2 | US recording producer, translator (with Joseph Reeder) |
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney | 2008 | Nintendo DS | Translation (with Nanica K. K.) |
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.Grimoire of the Rift is the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as an iteration in the Ivalice Alliance.- Gameplay :... |
2008 | Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
English Translator (with Joseph Reeder) |
Valkyria Chronicles Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in 2008.The game is set in Europa, loosely based on Europe in 1935... |
2008 2008 in video gaming Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.-Events:... |
PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
English ADR writer |
MadWorld MadWorld is a video game developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega. It was released for the Wii on March 10, 2009 in North America, on March 20 in Europe, March 26 in Australia, and February 10 in Japan... |
2009 2009 in video gaming The year 2009 saw the release of many video games, including several sequels.-Events:-Scheduled releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2009 in North America.... |
Wii Wii The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others... |
Scenario translator |
Gyromancer Gyromancer Gyromancer is a puzzle and role-playing video game developed by PopCap Games in collaboration with Square Enix. In the game, the player moves through a map of an enchanted forest, battling monsters using their own summoned monsters through a puzzle-game battle based on PopCap's Bejeweled Twist... |
2009 | Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
Editor |
Vanquish Vanquish (video game) is a third-person shooter video game developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. The game was released in October 2010, after having been in development since 2007.... |
2010 2010 in video gaming The year 2010 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, including several new titles.-Events:-Game releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2010 in North America.... |
PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
English adaptation editing |
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together | 2011 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
English translator (with Joseph Reeder) |
Manga and novels
- Dr. SlumpDr. Slumpis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984 which were collected into 18 tankōbon volumes...
(mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
) - Cowa!Cowa!is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It began in late 1997 despite the artist suffering from a hurting arm. The manga was first serialized in Japan by Weekly Shōnen Jump and then made into a tankōbon by Jump Comics...
(mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
) - Guin SagaGuin Sagais the title of a best-selling heroic fantasy novel series by the Japanese author Kaoru Kurimoto, in continuous publication since 1979. A record 100 volumes were originally planned, but the final total stands at 130 volumes, the last four published posthumously, with 21 side-story novels...
(novelNovelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
) - Twelve Kingdoms (novel)
- Fullmetal AlchemistFullmetal Alchemist, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
(novel) ongoing series of six, April 2007 (Japan) - Brave StoryBrave Storyis a Japanese fantasy novel written by Miyuki Miyabe. It was serialized in various regional newspapers between the November 11, 1999 and February 13, 2001 before being published in two hardcover volumes by Kadokawa Shoten in March 2003...
(novel) - The Book of Heroes (novel)
- The Devotion of Suspect XYōgisha X no Kenshinis a 2006 novel by Keigo Higashino, the third in his Tantei Galileo series and is his most acclaimed work thus far. The book won him numerous awards, including 134th Naoki Prize which is a highly regarded award in Japan and the 6th Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize....
(novel) - ICO: Castle in the Mist (novel)
- Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation (mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
)