NamechangeNo
English names will be changed because a language team has problems with translation of any kind or for whatever reason.
The fault lies not in the english language or the words chosen for the names, but in lingual matters of translation and what is lost in translation or what can't be properly translated in an easy way.
The solution lies not with us finding words and names that sound equally good and cool and also mean the very same thing in 120 languages. That would be nearly impossible, and is already so when trying to create names that would equate in french, spanish, german, english and chinese to mention just a few of the greater languages. Thus, leave the french to the french translators etc when they come along in due time - you'll have enough to do with your own language
The solution is, sometime and if all avenues have been travelled upon, to simply not translate 1:1. The important thing when translating is not to clone the names or words into the other language. Most often that will result in a very bad text. The goal with translation must be to capture the spirit of the info and in such a way that a native speaker of that language would feel it. As written, that means that a 1:1 translation is often something that isn't even wanted in the first place.
In less words: If factions have to be slightly renamed etc to be "translatable" and to let them keep their spirit, then they should be renamed. Not in the english language (cause it's all good sounding in english and there is no problem since english doesn't have to be translated into english here) but in whatever language you
translate to.
Examples: Rothe Armee, Rothe Fraktion
As for House of Nobles: Again, importance is not to include the word "house". It's to tell the player that it's
some kind of pact, guild or organization of noble people and/or the higher strata. The thought is that the name should sound "noble" and aristocratic, while at the same time signalling that the nobles are a class/kind of their own and have own interests. Google says
http://translate.google.se/translate_t? ... BoQrgYwAA# when I translate noble. Don't know which ones that are usable though.
In the end the names hold merit not based on how much it clones the english names, but how well it works for the native speakers of language x. If !"banner" is a geeky or otherwise bad word to include in the German name, then don't include it or try to find a synonym (e.g. "sign" or "insignia" etc). Same goes for everything else. The most successful translation is what sounds best in german and what, in german, at the same time captures the original spirit that is suggested by the english text.
