Chris Higgins
All Your Base are Belong To Us: The Correct Translation
by Chris Higgins - May 18, 2009 - 2:14 PM

All Your Base - Animated GIF versionIf you’ve been using the web in the last decade, you’re likely aware of All your base are belong to us, a strange meme in which poorly translated video game dialogue led to a comedy wildfire that clogged email inboxes throughout 2001 and 2002. If you haven’t seen the original, a somewhat abridged version is displayed at left. But now let’s get nerdy: Wikipedia contains a correctly translated version of the game’s dialogue. I’ve posted both the original text and the improved translation below. Now you can finally understand the intent of the author! Unfortunately, it now reads like a regular video game — pretty much destroying the awesomeness it had. So it goes.

Original Game Dialogue (Mistranslated)

In A.D. 2101
War was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the bomb.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Operator: Main screen turn on.
Captain: It’s you !!
CATS: How are you gentlemen !!
CATS: All your base are belong to us.
CATS: You are on the way to destruction.
Captain: What you say !!
CATS: You have no chance to survive make your time.
CATS: Ha ha ha ha….
Operator: Captain !! *
Captain: Take off every ‘ZIG’!!
Captain: You know what you doing.
Captain: Move ‘ZIG’.
Captain: For great justice.

* This line and those following it are not in some animated GIF/Flash versions seen on the Internet. They may also be included within the song lyrics of the animated Flash movie.

Correct Translation

AD 2101―
War has begun.
Captain: What was that?
Engineer: Someone has planted a bomb on the ship!
Communication operator: Captain! Receiving transmission!
Captain: What?!
Communication operator: Incoming visual on the main screen.
Captain: Y…You!
CATS: You look busy, gentlemen.
CATS: With the help of the Federation Government forces, CATS has taken all of your bases.
CATS: Your ship is about to meet its doom as well.
Captain: This…this is ridiculous!
CATS: We are grateful for your cooperation.
CATS: Cherish these few remaining moments of your lives.
CATS: Ha ha ha ha ha…
Communication operator: Captain….
Captain: I order you to launch all ZIG units!
Captain: We have no choice but to entrust to them….
Captain: Our hopes for our future…
Captain: We’re counting on you, ZIG!

(Via Waxy.org.)

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Comments (6)

  1. …not as fun. :(

    posted by CourtC777 on 5-18-2009 at 2:30 pm

  2. Now, what game was this from?

    posted by Steve In San Diego on 5-18-2009 at 3:07 pm

  3. I believe the game was called Zero Wing. Yeah, here’s the Wikipedia page on it:

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Wing

    posted by Chris Higgins on 5-18-2009 at 3:09 pm

  4. I love the “all you base” video. I still find myself randomly saying “someone set up us a bomb” or “you have no chance to survive, make your time” That’s some funny stuff.

    posted by andy on 5-19-2009 at 11:52 am

  5. Fine the sound of the first was to me.

    posted by Joe Maz on 5-19-2009 at 2:31 pm

  6. I think my favorite part is that they missed a HA in the improper translation. . .

    posted by Patrick J. on 5-19-2009 at 11:52 pm

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