French on Video Game Boxes?

LikuLiku I, am the Somberlain. Join Date: 2003-01-10 Member: 12128Members
in Off-Topic
Alright, so working at Target (In Electronics) I handle a lot of games. Many of our boxes have French on them along side the English titles/sentences. I'd assume that what's in French is the same as what the English text is, and it's mostly on DS/Wii games. Is there some story to this? I'm just wondering why the hell it's there; I'm thinking to save printing costs. I can't find anything about it online.
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Comments

  • RuByRuBy Join Date: 2002-12-12 Member: 10732Members
    Probably for the Canadian market. You know, Canada, your neighbor.
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  • CrispyCrispy Jaded GD Join Date: 2004-08-22 Member: 30793Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1666135:date=Jan 3 2008, 11:15 AM:name=RuBy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RuBy @ Jan 3 2008, 11:15 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666135"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Probably for the Canadian market. You know, Canada, your neighbor.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->5 points for Ruby.
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  • locallyunscenelocallyunscene Feeder of Trolls Join Date: 2002-12-25 Member: 11528Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1666135:date=Jan 3 2008, 06:15 AM:name=RuBy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RuBy @ Jan 3 2008, 06:15 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666135"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Probably for the Canadian market. You know, Canada, your neighbor.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Who? Isn't that just the cold-US?
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    I'm guessing there's more people who only speak Spanish in the US than there are people who only speak French in Canada... why isn't Spanish on the boxes?

    well, I'm sure the marketing wizards know better than I do.
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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    Because he's getting shipments from whatever place is manufacturing the French-English boxes.
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  • ComproxComprox *chortle* Canada Join Date: 2002-01-23 Member: 7Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    <!--quoteo(post=1666156:date=Jan 3 2008, 07:48 AM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Jan 3 2008, 07:48 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666156"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm guessing there's more people who only speak Spanish in the US than there are people who only speak French in Canada... why isn't Spanish on the boxes?

    well, I'm sure the marketing wizards know better than I do.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Because French is an official language of Canada, along with English. Spanish is not an official language so there is no mandatory thing forcing them to put it on boxes (and probably increase costs).
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    the US doesn't even have an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States" target="_blank">official language</a> though =p so I guess both English and French are on the box for the benefit of the Canadians...

    according to wiki, about 30 million people in the US speak Spanish as their primary language, and only 6 million Canadians speak French as their primary language...
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  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1666181:date=Jan 3 2008, 04:44 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Jan 3 2008, 04:44 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666181"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->the US doesn't even have an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States" target="_blank">official language</a> though =p so I guess both English and French are on the box for the benefit of the Canadians...

    according to wiki, about 30 million people in the US speak Spanish as their primary language, and only 6 million Canadians speak French as their primary language...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Very few spanish-only speaking americans probably own a Wii or DS though.
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  • BadKarmaBadKarma The Advanced Literature monsters burned my house and gave me a 7 Join Date: 2002-11-12 Member: 8260Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1666182:date=Jan 3 2008, 04:48 PM:name=Xyth)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Xyth @ Jan 3 2008, 04:48 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666182"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Very few spanish-only speaking americans probably own a Wii or DS though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Ahahaha, <i>what?</i>
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  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1666182:date=Jan 3 2008, 08:48 PM:name=Xyth)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Xyth @ Jan 3 2008, 08:48 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666182"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Very few spanish-only speaking americans probably own a Wii or DS though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    How do you come to that conclusion?

    Comprox wins the thread. And to add English-French text is never exactly the same. The grammar is quite a bit different in french changing the style and wording.
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    edited January 2008
    <!--quoteo(post=1666186:date=Jan 3 2008, 04:10 PM:name=Thaldarin)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thaldarin @ Jan 3 2008, 04:10 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666186"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How do you come to that conclusion?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I think it's a reasonable conclusion, though I didn't want to say it and be accused of being racist =P but a large percent of people in the US who only speak Spanish are poor Mexican immigrants, and buying video game systems probably isn't their top priority... though on the other hand, the Wii and DS are the most affordable current-gen game systems out there right now, and everyone needs entertainment...
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  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    Well, I guess I could have explained myself better.

    You will be hard pressed to find someone who only speaks Spanish and has enough money to afford luxuries such as a new video game system. Yes it's pretty racist, but it's true. Speaking English at-least a <i>little</i> bit is a pre-requisite for any kind of job that pays above minimum wage.

    Then again there are plenty of people who speak fine English and could never afford such a thing but, alas, that is the state of the union.
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  • ChimpZealotChimpZealot The Elite Demo Detective Join Date: 2002-11-30 Member: 10315Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    Yeah, I noticed the French on my Super Mario Galaxy case, and I thought it was odd especially considering there's no language option (that I know of) for the game. Separate game discs but same packaging I guess? Just seems like a really odd cost cutting measure to me.
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  • ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
    edited January 2008
    <!--quoteo(post=1666257:date=Jan 4 2008, 04:14 AM:name=ChimpZealot)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ChimpZealot @ Jan 4 2008, 04:14 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1666257"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Yeah, I noticed the French on my Super Mario Galaxy case, and I thought it was odd especially considering there's no language option (that I know of) for the game. Separate game discs but same packaging I guess? Just seems like a really odd cost cutting measure to me.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    often the language is set by your system language, but don't quote me on that.


    quick check on my SMG case:
    English/French/Spanish.


    I live in NYC, who knows <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
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