Text Changes

This is a sub-page of Paper Mario/Version Differences.

To do:
Add message IDs where necessary.

US-EU Alterations#

Text that was tweaked between the North American and European English scripts.

North America	Europe
I'm going to tell the story of "Star Spirits and Good Wishes."	I'm going to tell the story of "Star Spirits and Good Wishes".

The period was moved outside the quotation marks.

North America	Europe
Hello! I'm the Toad of the trading event. How are you? Did you bring the item? No? You don't have anything? Look, I can't trade with you unless you bring the item I told you to bring.	Hello! I'm the Toad of the trading event. How are you? Did you bring the item? ...No? You don't have anything? Look, I can't trade with you unless you bring the item I told you to bring.

Some ellipses were added before the "no".

North America	Europe
Then I shall cook with [item] and [item].♡	Then I shall cook with [item] and [item].♡

A line break was added.

North America	Europe
I wonder who "Bootler" is. ...	I wonder who "Bootler" is...

A line break (here meant to imply a beat as Fice T. reads the letter) was removed.

North America	Europe
All right, now your [HP/BP/FP] have been upgraded.	All right, now your [HP/BP/FP] has been upgraded.

"Have" was changed to "has" for consistency.

North America	Europe
Coins	Coin
Coins	Coins
Times	Time
Times	Times
Get jumping, Mario! You need to hit [#] more block[s].	Get jumping, Mario! You need to hit [#] more blocks.
Get jumping, Mario! You need to hit [#] more block[s].	Get jumping, Mario! You need to hit [#] more block.
Game cleared! The remaining time is [#].[#]... So, well... You get [#] coins!	Game cleared! The remaining time is [#].[#]... So, well... You get [#] coins!
	Game cleared! The remaining time is [#].[#]... So, well... You get [#] coin!

The European script split these lines into separate messages for singular and plural versions.

That's the "Lucky Star" from
Princess Peach.

Now that it's yours, you can use
the "action command."

May I take a moment to explain
what the action command is?

That's the "Lucky Star" from
Princess Peach.

Now that it's yours, you can use
the "action command".

May I take a moment to explain
what the action command is?

Another period moved outside the quotation marks.

You must listen!

The Koopa Bros. in the fortress
worked us too hard.

It was a long road, but I'm still
glad I ran away.

I'd rest easier if I knew those
Koopa Bros. had been punished.

You must listen!

The Koopa Bros. in the fortress
worked us too hard.

As far as they're concerned,
laborers have no rights.

I will never, ever go back to
work in such a terrible place.

Hör mich an!

Die Koopa-Brüder in der
Festung haben uns zu harter
Arbeit gezwungen.

Die Flucht war gefährlich, aber
ich bin froh, dass ich es ge-
wagt habe.

Ich könnte ruhiger schlafen,
wenn ich wüsste, dass diese
Kerle bestraft worden wären.

Ecoute bien!

Les frères Koopa nous
ont exploités.

J'ai marché pendant bien
longtemps pour m'enfuir.

Je serais soulagé si tu
pouvais les punir.

¡Debes escuchar!

Los Hnos. Koopa de la Fortaleza
nos hacen trabajar muy duro.

Ha sido un camino muy largo,
pero estoy contento de haberme
escapado.

Descansaré mejor cuando los
Hnos. Koopa sean castigados.

The European English version of this message was changed to be identical to the one next to it in the ROM. The other languages kept the old text.

That's right! Darn tootin'!
I'm Jr.Troopa!

This time, you're really gonna
see some fireworks!

That's right! Darn tootin'!
I'm Jr. Troopa!

This time, you're really gonna
see some fireworks!

A missing space was added after "Jr.".

Stop it with those stories!
You're giving me goosebumps!
Don't talk anymore! Let's just
bite the bullet and forge ahead!

We didn't come all the way from
Toad Town to turn back!

Stop it with those stories!
You're giving me goose bumps!
Don't talk anymore! Let's just
bite the bullet and forge ahead!

We didn't come all the way from
Toad Town to turn back!

"Goosebumps" was split into two words.

North America	Europe
Ha ha! Yeah, that's right! Let's see how you like the new, improved Jr. Koopa!	Ha ha! Yeah, that's right! Let's see how you like the new, improved Jr. Troopa!

Jr. Troopa doesn't seem like the kind of guy to get his own name wrong.

North America	Europe
We were playing hide-and-seek. I had to be "it," but I couldn't find anyone at all.	We were playing hide-and-seek. I had to be "it", but I couldn't find anyone at all.

The comma after "it" was moved outside the quotation marks.

North America	Europe
Creeping Crazy Dayzees! You're pure class, Mario!	Creeping Crazee Dayzees! You're pure class, Mario!

"Crazee Dayzees" was misspelt in the North American version.

A long time ago, I used to
be like you.........and....

...........................
..............and then.....
...., you know,.........but

can you believe............
........... so I said......
................ and then..

........, you know, .......
completely unfair..........

.................and .....
so very rude..............
......despite my..........

..and finally.............
Hey, are you listening to me?

A long time ago, I used to
be like you......and...
..., you know, but...

can you believe...
so I said..... and then...
......, you know, ...
completely unfair...

and .....so very rude...
......despite my...
..and finally...
Hey, are you listening to me?

Apparently someone didn't like sitting through Koopa Koot's ramblings.

North America	Europe
There's a grim guy called Anti-Guy who guards a special treasure chest...	There's a grim guy called Anti Guy who guards a special treasure chest...

Anti Guy's name isn't hyphenated anywhere else in the game, so this line was corrected.

North America	Europe
This is a steep slope. We have to press on, but I'm getting a little tired going over over such rough road.	This is a steep slope. We have to press on, but I'm getting tired going over such rough road.

The extraneous "over" was removed.

North America	Europe
Lava, lava, lava! There's such a thing as too much lava, that's for sure.	Lava, lava, lava! There's such a thing as too much lava, that's for sure.

Somehow an extra space ended up in the North American script.

North America	Europe
What?I'm still small? Well, yeah, compared to you, I guess I'm still wet behind the ears.	What? I'm still small? Well, yeah, compared to you, I guess I'm still wet behind the ears.

A space was missed after "What?".

North America	Europe
This penguin who likes gossip. He wanders around the city.	This penguin likes gossip. He wanders around the city.

The wonky first sentence was fixed up.

North America	Europe
Double Dip /	Double Dip
Triple Dip /	Triple Dip

The trailing whitespace and slash were removed, probably to make these display properly in all four languages in the European version.

Message ID	Japanese	English (North America)	English (Europe)
32-153 (JP) 29-132 (NA/EU)	ＨＰが　[#]かいふくした！	[#]	[#] HP recovered!
32-154 (JP) 29-133 (NA/EU)	ＨＰが　[#]ずつかいふくした！	[#]	[#] HP recovered by all!

For whatever reason, these status messages (used whenever an enemy heals themselves or their allies) were blanked out in the North American version except for the number variable. This means they don't actually appear in battle (or rather, they do appear, but no text box is visible), making it look like the game randomly inserts a delay in that spot. The European version fixed this by translating the lines properly.

North America	Europe
The enemy's transparent!	The enemy's transparent! Mario's attack had no effect!

Apparently European kids aren't smart enough to figure out you can't hit the see-through guys.

North America	Europe
Press together repeatedly!	Press together repeatedly!

The spacing was slightly altered.

North America	Europe
Venturing deep into the steamimg Mt. Lavalava, Mario and friends plucked the Lava Piranha...	Venturing deep into the steaming Mt. Lavalava, Mario and friends plucked the Lava Piranha...

"Steamimg". Apparently the US translation team didn't have spell check.

English	German	French	Spanish
Flour	das Mehl	la Farine	la Harina
Sugar	den Zucker	le Sucre	el Azúcar
Salt	das Salz	le Sel	la Sal
Egg	die Eier	l'Oeuf	los Huevos
Milk	die Milch	le Lait	la Leche
Strawberry	die Erdbeeren	les Fraises	las Fresas
Cream	die Sahne	la Crème	la Nata
Butter	die Butter	le Beurre	la Mantequilla
Cleanser	den Reiniger	le Nettoyant	el Detergente
Water	das Wasser	l'Eau	el Agua

Articles were added to the European translations to make the grammar nice.

If you press the RESET Button,
all saved data will be lost.
          Press (A)

This message is never referenced in the game's code, so there is no way to trigger it. ¹

This needs some investigation.
Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page.
Specifically: This message is very similar to the LodgeNet reset message. Do they share an ID?

North America	Europe
Make with one Choose the second Stop	Cook now Add ingredient Don't cook anything
Take Don't take	Accept Don't accept
Go on Give up Forgotten	Keep trying Give up Forgotten
Go back Fight	Retreat Fight

These menus were rewritten to sound better.

Don't Cook
Cook

An extra menu for Tayce T. was added to the English version. In Japan, this is just a generic yes/no choice.

English (North America)	English (Europe)	German
An egg Bomb made by Tayce T. Throw it to damage 1 enemy.	An egg bomb made by Tayce T. Throw it to damage 1 enemy.	Explosives Ei von Omle T. Wirf es nach einem Gegner.
An egg Bomb made by Tayce T. Throw it to damage 1 enemy.	An egg bomb made by Tayce T. Throw it to damage 1 enemy.	Explosives Ei von Omle T. Wirf es nach einem Feind.

Why was "bomb" capitalized? The world may never know. The German translation also inexplicably uses "opponent" in one message and "enemy" in another.

P-Up & D-Down

P-Down & D-Up

Battle menu entries for P-Up, D-Down and P-Down, D-Up. What would they be doing there? There is no equivalent text in the Japanese version.

Message ID	North America	Europe
46-001	STAFF	STAFF CREDITS
46-012	SCRIPT WRITERS	SCRIPT
46-019	MUSIC COMPOSER	MUSIC
46-024	ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSER	THEME MUSIC
46-036	TRANSLATION MANAGER	ENGLISH TRANSLATION MANAGER
46-159		ALL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE
46-160		COPYRIGHTS OF GAME, SCENARIO,
46-161		MUSIC AND PROGRAM, RESERVED BY
46-162		NINTENDO CO.,LTD

Aside from the usual addition of the European localization team, the European version made a few other changes to the end credits:

Some staff titles were rendered in more professional English.
NoJ translator Hiro Yamada's title was made more specific.
A copyright message was added to the end of the sequence.

Translation Errors#

Cacti may speak Japanese, but do they speak it well?

'...But does it make sense?'
The translations on this page need to be proofread. If you are fluent enough in this language, please make any corrections necessary!

To do:
There are probably several more. They may not all be worth covering, though.

Japanese	Translation	English
トゲを　ふむと　ダメージを　うけたりこうどうできなくなったり　するからふまないように　ちゅういしてね	If you step on their spikes, you might take damage or become unable to make a move, so be careful not to.	Whatever you do, don't jump on their spikes or you'll get hurt or even paralyzed!

The English Tattle says that stepping on a Spiked Goomba may paralyze Mario, which is a bit confusing as it isn't actually referring to the status effect. The Japanese version simply says he won't be able to take any action, which still isn't entirely accurate (though given the ambiguous context, Goombario may actually be referring to the partner being incapacitated).

Japanese	Translation	English (North America)	English (Europe)
バクハツする力が　アップしてるからＨＰに　ちゅういしてね	Because [their] explosion power is boosted, take heed of the HP value.	Pay attention to their HP, because their explosions get bigger as their HP drops.	They're more powerful than Bullet Bills are, so watch your HP.

The North American script erroneously says that Bombshell Bills get more powerful when their HP is low, likely due to the Japanese line being worded quite ambiguously. However, this was caught and fixed in time for the European release.

Japanese	English (North America)	English (Europe)
ヤミパタクリだよ地下道に　すんでる　はねつきクリボーだ	This is a Paragloomba. Paragloombas are nasty winged Gloombas who make their home in the Toad Town Tunnels.	This is a Paragloomba. Paragloombas are nasty winged Goombas who make their home in the Toad Town Tunnels.

"Gloombas" was changed to "Goombas" to be more in line with the Japanese script, although it still makes sense either way.

Japanese	English (North America)	English (Europe)
マリオの　こうげき力を　アップするワザ『はつでんパワー』が　できるようになる	He'll master Turbo Charge to increase Mario's attack power.	She'll master Turbo Charge to increase Mario's attack power.
てき全体を　マヒさせるワザ『シビレはどう』が　できるようになる	He'll master Mega Shock to paralyze all enemies.	She'll master Mega Shock to paralyze all enemies.

Watt was mistakenly referred to as male here (something which caused a lot of confusion among American players). The Japanese lines didn't require a pronoun in that spot, which is likely what led to the error. Ironically, Super Paper Mario's localization would make the same mistake again in Watt's Catch Card description.

Japanese	Translation	English (North America)	English (Europe)
きょうれつな　コウラの　体当たりでてき１体を　こうげきする	Attack an enemy by strongly ramming into it with his shell.	Attack an enemy in the air by bumping into it.	Shoots his shell at any enemy.

The North American description for Shell Shot is wildly inaccurate and makes it sound more like Sky Dive. The European one does a better job, though it also leaves out some minor details from the other two.

クリパパ

Goompapa

Gooma

クリパパから　クリオへの手紙

Letter to Goombario from Goompapa

Letter to Goombario
from Gooma

ぜんりゃく
クリオ　元気か？
パパたちは　元気で　やってるよ

おまえのとくいな　『ものしり』は
きっと　マリオさんの　やくに
たっていることだろう

おまえも　たまには　かおを　見せなさい
元気で　がんばれ　おうえんしてるぞ
　　　　　　　　　　　　　パパ　より

I'll be brief-- How are you, Goombario?
We're all doing fine here.

I'm sure your special Tattle ability
is proving a lot of help to Mario.

You should stop by every now and again.
I'm excitedly cheering you on!

　your Dad

Dear Goombario, How are you, my cute Goombario?
We're all doing fine here.

I hope your Tattle ability has
finally become useful.

Stop by whenever you get the
chance. We all miss you.

Good luck, my little Goomnut!
I'll be thinking of you.

　Gooma

Gooma's letter to Goombario is actually from Goompapa. Whoops. They probably misread his Japanese name クリパパ (Kuripapa) as クリババ (Kuribaba), which would mean "Goomba grandmother" or "old woman Goomba". However, Gooma's Japanese name is クリばあ (Kuribā).

Japanese	Translation	English
いろいろと　話をする　キノピオだよオイラが　ママたちといるときにあうとペットじまんばっかり　きかされるんだうわさ話を　ひろめるのもけっこう　すきみたいだよ本当かどうかは　たしかめないとね	He's a Toad who talks about various things. Whenever I run into him with my family, he does nothing but brag about his pet. Apparently he's also pretty fond of spreading rumors. He doesn't bother to check how accurate they are, though.	This Toad is constantly running his mouth. When I'm with Gooma, he boasts about his pet a lot. He's a huge gossip. You can't believe everything he says.

Similarly to above, the Japanese version of this Tattle mentions Goomama in the plural (implying at least one other relative is present as well, such as Goombaria), but her name was mistranslated as Gooma and the plural left out.

しっていますか？
キノピオタウンには　もう１けん
お店が　あるんですよ

ここのお店とは　うっている物が
ちょっと　ちがうんですよ
いちど　のぞいてみては　どうでしょうか

Hey... I bet you didn't know
that there's another shop
here in Toad Town.

The merchandise they carry
is slightly different.
You might want to check it out
sometime.

ヘイホーたちが　いなくなって
へいわな　キノピオタウンが
もどってきました

マリオさんの　おかげです！

まったく・・・
あの　イタズラずきのヘイホーにも
こまったものですね！

The town has grown peaceful
once more. The Shy Guy menace
is at last halted.

We owe you a debt.

Those Shy Guys...
I'm not usually this emotional.
I must calm down.

An example of a translation fix-- Kinoko Town (Mushroom Town) was accidentally referred to as Kinopio Town (Toad Town) in these Japanese messages. Not that it mattered, as Kinoko Town became Toad Town in English anyway.

☆　ヒミツのこくはくコーナー　☆
ボク　じつは　レサレサおじょうさまが
だいすきなんですぅ～
あの　たかびしゃなところが
たまらなく　いいんですぅ～
あ～あ　かいちゃった・・・
このらくがき　レサレサおじょうさまに
見られたら　どうしよう・・・
かんがえただけで　ゾクゾクするぅ～♡
　　　　　　　テレサハウスのあぶないテレサ

☆ Secret Confession Corner ☆
To tell you the truth, I'm crazy
about Miss Bow.
She's so arrogant...so very
headstrong... I love it!
I can't believe I'm writing this...
If Miss Bow sees this, what'll
I do?
Just thinking about her gives me
chills...♡
　　　　　　　A scary Boo
　　　　　　　　　from Boo's Mansion

Another fix-- Boo's Mansion is referred to here by its earlier name of "Boo House", which appears in the game's internal map list.

Localization Oddities#

Japanese	Translation	English
ブロックを　９コ　たたいてくださいねしかし　９ブロックコースを　えらぶとはマリオさん　チャレンジャーですねそれじゃあ　いきますよぉ・・・パネルで～～～ゴーッ！	Try to hit nine blocks. But, picking the 9-Blocks Option... You like a challenge, don't you, Mario? Get ready to... JUMP... ATTACK!!!	Try to hit nine blocks. Get ready to... JUMP... ATTACK!!!

The Toad running the Jump Attack minigame says something extra for the 9-block option in the Japanese version, which was removed from all other languages.

Japanese	Translation	English
でも　なんだか　その本おんなの人・・・じゃなくてメスのカメの絵ばかり　のってたわよ	But for some reason, that book only has pictures of women... Koopa women, I mean.	It's strange... That book... it has all these pictures of shells ...and exercises... "Firmer shells in 30 days"?

The nature of "Koopa Legends" (カメのしんぴ/"Koopa Mysteries" in Japanese) is also slightly different... it's not an exercise book, for one.

Japanese	Translation	English
オイラ　としうえの　おねえさんにちょっぴり　よわいんだマリオは　どうおもう？	I get a bit weak-kneed around older girls... What do you think, Mario?	I think I'm in love... She's incredible! Pinch me, will you, Mario?
メロメロ～♡ オイラ　やっぱりとしうえのおねえさんに　よわいんだ	♡ ♡ ♡ I'm such a sucker for older girls!	♡ ♡ ♡ Boy, she makes me see stars!

Tattling certain female characters will have Goombario express a romantic interest in them; the fact that they're all grown women (and not girls his own age) implies he has a preference. This is much more obvious in the Japanese version, where he states said preference outright. The localization leaving this out may have been an act of (minor) censorship, or it could have just been a way of getting the idea across in a more subtle manner.

Japanese

Translation

English

☆　キノコタウンウラニュース　☆ 
ピーチ姫さま　ばんざい！ 
マリオさん　ばんざい！！
やっぱり　マリオさんって　つよいんだ！
いっしょに　たたかった　なかまには
クリボーとか　ノコノコとか
パタパタ　ボムへい　テレサのほか
ケセランのあかちゃんや
ジュゲムや　プクプクまで　いたんだ
パーティに　よばれてるんだって
みんなで　見に行こう！！

Mario was as strong as ever! He fought beside Goombas, Koopas, Paratroopas, Bob-ombs, and Boos, not to mention baby Li'l Sparkies, Lakitus, and even Cheep-Cheeps! They're all being treated to a party, so let's go and visit

The last underground news posting, only accessible during the ending, refers to the partners by their species and not their actual names. This may explain why Lady Bow was erroneously referred to as "Lady Boo" here.

Koopa Koot Responses to Favors#

Japanese	Translation	English (examples)
おおっ！さすがは　マリオさんじゃたいしたもんじゃぞい	Amazing! Just as I thought, Mario, you're the cat's meow!	Great galloping Goombas! You're a lifesaver, Mario!
おおっ！さすがは　マリオさんじゃのぅすばらしいぞい！	Amazing! Just as I thought, Mario, you've done splendidly!	Thundering Tuff Puffs! You are truly tops, Mario! Cool! Isn't that what kids say?

In the international releases, Koopa Koot has several different responses to favors that Mario has completed for him, usually using interesting phrases that reference various in-game enemies. However, in the Japanese version he only has two different phrases that he'll say, both being very similar to each other.

Chuck Quizmo Questions#

Though Chuck Quizmo's questions stayed pretty much the same for all versions, several of the wrong answer choices were changed for the English version:

1) What is the name of Goombario's younger sister?

クリスチーヌ

クリヨ

クリコ

Kurisuchīnu

Kuriyo

Kuriko

Goombette

Goombalina

Goombaria

19) What's the name of the elderly Koopa Troopa who always asks for errands to be run?

ノコタロウ

ノコジロウ

ノコサブロウ

Nokotarō

Nokojirō

Nokosaburō

Koopa Krab

Koopa Koot

Old Koop

32) Who among the following lives in Forever Forest?

ドガボン

モーリー

シンエモン

Dogabon

Mōrī

Shin'emon

Jr. Troopa

Oaklie

Cleft

60) What best describes the relationship between Mario and Luigi?

こいびと

ともだち

兄弟

Lovers

Friends

Brothers

Neighbors

Friends

Brothers

Question #1: "Kurisuchīnu", one of the wrong answer choices, was later used for Goombella's Japanese name in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Ironically, its English replacement would also end up being used in the Mario franchise, with Goombette being the English name of a reoccurring female Goomba in Super Mario Odyssey.
Question #19: The wrong answer choice "Nokotarō" was later used for Koops' Japanese name in The Thousand-Year Door.
Question #32: The names match up except for "Dogabon" (the Japanese name for Tubba Blubba).
Question #60: No explanation needed.

Location Names#

The Japanese names of a few areas were meant to harken back to previous Mario locales, a detail that got lost when the English localization team decided to give them different ones:

Shooting Star Summit has the same name as Star Hill from Super Mario RPG (ほしのふるおか, "Falling Star Hill"), implying they're the same location.
Dry Dry Desert has the same name as Kalimari Desert from Mario Kart 64 (カラカラさばく, "Dried-Up Desert"). The reference becomes even more obvious when taking into account the K64's resemblance to the train from that course, as well as the fact that the music that plays when riding it is a remix of the Kalimari Desert theme.
Shiver Mountain (and by extension the Shiver Region) has nearly the same name as Cool Cool Mountain from Super Mario 64 (サムイサムイ山 vs. さむいさむいマウンテン, "Cold Cold Mountain"). The only differences lie in the kana and the use of the Japanese word for "mountain" instead of the English one. This would explain why all the Bumpties in that area are called Penguins instead.
Star Way is named Star Road, an obvious reference to Super Mario RPG (and Super Mario World in turn).

References#

Code search results - Paper Mario Decompilation, 2022↩︎