Pokemon Gold Japanese To English Fan Translation By PR Translations v2.8 Download

About this fan translation:

This is a fan translation of the Japanese version of Pocket Monsters Kin (Pokemon Gold) to English by PR Translations. What is special about this is the translation was initially released almost a year before Pokemon Gold had an official English release in any region, allowing Pokemon fans with an understanding of English to much easily play though the game.

The translation was never 100% finished with PR Translations estimating about 70% of the game been translated in the final 2.8 release, which we have for download here.

Why re-upload this 22 years later?

I think this is part of Pokemon history for some fans, after completing Pokemon Red in the early in the year 2000 I remember a friend telling me two more Pokemon games existed in Japan, these been Gold and Silver and his friend could play them on a PC with an "Emulator". This was like a wow mind blown moment and we just had to figure out how to do this too. Internet access was slow and limited back then, we had dialup internet, however it was charged by the minute when connected to the internet, so I was only allowed to use the internet for an hour a week on a weekend. Despite this myself and my friend managed to find the DOS / Windows GameBoy emulator NO$GMB and a very roughly translated Pokemon Gold rom, which I'm pretty sure was an early version of this this translation by PR Translations. The No$GMB emulator could emulate two GameBoy's on one PC, complete with link cable functionality. So needless to say myself, my brother and my friend had many fun weekends gradually playing though Pokemon Gold and been amazed by all these new Pokemon. This translation allowed us to experince the game almost a year and a half before it was officially released in our country (needless to say we purchased the game as soon as we could).

Anyway occasionally talk of these early Pokemon Gold / Silver fan translations randomly appears on Reddit, with most traces of these now erased from the internet after two decades. So here is a mirror of the final Pokemon Gold Japanese To English Fan Translation By PR Translations version 2.8 for anyone wanting to see how dedicated fans we're previewing the game, before it was localised for other regions.

How did i find this?

This hasn't lived on my hard drive for the last two decades, although I did still have my save game. I found a mention of the PR Translations website URL: prtranslations.cjb.net - the site was obviously long gone, however the Wayback Machine had archived the site on several occasion.

PR Translations Website April 2000 - The downloads were unfortunately not saved by the Wayback Machine on this crawl
PR Translations Website June 2008 - The website had been updated with the old Pokemon Gold translation re-uploaded
PR Translations Website Downloads June 2008 - The Wayback Machine had saved the IPS file for the final 2.8 translation and let me download it. Something to be said for small downloads, more chance of the Wayback Machine having saved them!

Download:

Pokemon Gold Japanese To English Fan Translation By PR Translations version 2.8 Download (ROM)
Pokemon Gold Japanese To English Fan Translation By PR Translations version 2.8 Download (Original IPS Patch + Read Me)

The 2.8 translation was released on 16th July 2000

Screenshots:




Read Me (The full file is included with the ips patch download):

What's translated

Quite a lot is translated, but if you have never played Pokémon before, I'd suggest you play one of the older games (the Red, Blue or Yellow version) first, because otherwise you will probably not understand it.

Latest Updates

• Most of Saffron City is translated.
• More of what Professor Oak says in Pallet Town is translated (he says a lot!).
• Route 28 (to Platinum Mountain) is translated.
• One of the games at the game corner is translated.
• The screen for erasing your saved game is done (try pressing Up+B+Select on the title screen, it doesn't actually erase your saved game if you're playing it on an emulator).
• Barambaram's fixed some more things, including the Poké Gear clock screen and the new places on the old map!

Fully-done menus

• The names of every Pokémon.
• When it asks you the time (see 'Bugs' section, below).
• When you continue your game and it asks you to confirm the time settings.
• The name selection menu.
• The name entry screen.
• The main game menu (including the descriptions).
• The Bag screen.
• The hero's stats screen (both parts).
• The options screen.
• The main battle menu.
• The TMs and their descriptions.
• The HMs and their descriptions.
• The Poké Gear.
• The items.
• The item descriptions are are all done, although I don't know what everything does (see 'How You Can Help' section, below).
• The attacks.
• All the attack descriptions are are done, although I don't know what everything does and I think I screwed it up a bit (see 'How You Can Help' section, below).
• The menu for withdrawing and depositing money from your mum.
• The Pokédex (apart from the GB Printer screen, which I don't think anyone cares about... also not all of the entries are done, but that's not really part of the menu system).
• The Mystery Gift screen is translated, although that's not necessarily what it's supposed to say (it makes sense though).
• The Pokémon stats screen.
• The screen for erasing your saved game.

Dialogue

• The introduction.
• The healing dialogue in the Pokémon Centres.
• Almost all of the battle dialogue.
• The dialogue for picking up things and finding things in plants.
• The shop dialogue.
• The dialogue for using most of the HMs outside of battle.
• The Elite Four dialogue is done.
• The dialogue for swapping phone numbers with another trainer is done (try talking to them after you've beaten them).
• A lot of the phone call dialogue is now done.
• Almost all of the dialogue in the new world is now done (you will probably find a few small pieces of text which aren't done, but apart from that everything is).
• The SS Anne is translated when you first go on it (you go on it later at least once more).
• Almost all of the dialogue in the old world is done too, although a few routes aren't done yet and you will probably find pieces of text here and there that aren't done (like in the new world).

Pokédex Descriptions
Total: 234 out of 251
Note: The species are done for all of the Pokémon

• Numbers 1-151 from the Red, Blue and Yellow versions
• 152 - Chikorita
• 153 - Bayleef
• 154 - Meganium
• 155 - Cyndaquil
• 156 - Quilava
• 157 - Typhlosion
• 158 - Totodile
• 159 - Croconaw
• 160 - Feraligatr
• 161 - Sentret
• 162 - Furret
• 163 - Hoot-hoot
• 164 - Noctowl
• 165 - Ledybya
• 166 - Ledian
• 167 - Spinarak
• 168 - Ariados
• 170 - Chinchou
• 171 - Lanturn
• 172 - Pichu
• 173 - Cleffa
• 174 - Igglybuff
• 175 - Togepi
• 176 - Togechikku
• 177 - Neiti
• 178 - Neitio
• 179 - Merip
• 180 - Mokoko
• 181 - Denryu
• 183 - Marril
• 184 - Mariruri
• 185 - Sudowoodo
• 186 - Nyorontono
• 187 - Hoppip
• 188 - Popokko
• 189 - Watakko
• 190 - Eipamu
• 191 - Himanatsu
• 192 - Kimawari
• 193 - Yanyanma
• 194 - Upaa
• 195 - Nuoo
• 198 - Murkrow
• 201 - Annon
• 205 - Foretosu
• 206 - Nokotchi
• 207 - Guraigar
• 208 - Haganale
• 209 - Snubbull
• 212 - Hasamu
• 215 - Nyuura
• 220 - Urimu
• 221 - Inomu
• 222 - Seniigo
• 223 - Teppou
• 224 - Okutan
• 225 - Deribado
• 226 - Mantain
• 227 - Eaamudo
• 228 - Derubil
• 229 - Heruga
• 230 - Kingdra
• 231 - Gomazou
• 232 - Donphan
• 233 - Porygon2
• 234 - Odoshishi
• 235 - Dooburu
• 236 - Baruki
• 237 - Kapoeria
• 238 - Muchuru
• 239 - Elekid
• 240 - Bubii
• 241 - Miltank
• 242 - Hapinasu
• 243 - Raikou
• 244 - Entei
• 245 - Suicune
• 246 - Yoogirasu
• 247 - Senagirasu
• 248 - Bangirasu
• 249 - Lugia
• 250 - Ho-oh
• 251 - Selebi

Bugs

Japanese Time System
This is not really a bug, but the time system when you enter the time at the beginning of the game is a bit strange. Either the Japanese use a system quite different to our AM/PM system, or they just made it up for this game. Since I only had space for two letters for each time period, I wrote MG (for times in the morning), DY (for times during the day) and NT (for times at night). For some reason, in the Poké Gear AM and PM are used, so I don't know why this isn't how the time is entered!

Small Font
This is not a bug either, just something I don't know how to search for. Some small writing on the puzzle-solving screen is still in Japanese, because I can't find it. It's written using the same table file as the normal text, which means that if I can find it it is easy to write over, but since it isn't written in the normal Japanese font I can't find it! It is stored with the letters which are next to each other in order, and the whole word is stored together (even if there are characters which repeat in more than one word, which makes it even more annoying).

The Bug Catching Game and Box 7 in the PC
When you pause the game in the Bug Catching Game, the Bug Catching Game will stop. Also, Box 7 in the PC is a black hole, and anything you put in there will disappear. These are both bugs in the Japanese version, and they have nothing to do with my translation (they are similar to that bit of land in Red/Blue where you can fight MissingNo).

I have also had to shorten the Pokémon and item names, but I don't think that matters too much since they are still recognisable. This is not my fault and there is no way of fixing it, so please don't ask me about this! The names are only 5 letters long in the Japanese versions of ALL the Pokémon games, and reprogramming the whole game to fit in 10-letter names like Nintendo are doing is WAY beyond my hacking skills!

How you can help

During the game, you will find items which have decriptions saying something like, "I don't know what this does." If you do and you know what it does, please either send me a screenshot of the description or tell me EXACTLY what it says (I made sure that each one was slightly different), then say what the item does. I will then change the description for the next version. Thanks!

Almost the same goes for the attack descriptions, but I gave those Translation Codes instead. This wasn't my idea in the first place, but it works. If you see an attack which has a Translation Code rather than a description (and you know what the attack is or does), please send me a screenshot or write down the code. I also messed the item descriptions up a bit, so if you see any attacks with the wrong name and/or description, please tell me that too.

I will accept patches from people who have translated something, as long as they are worthwhile, they don't re-translate things which are already translated and they are made properly. The table file and full instructions (which you must read VERY carefully) can be found on my site. Please e-mail me before you translate anything to tell me what you're translating and wait for me to reply, otherwise I will probably do it and you will have been wasting your time. This is very important, but people aren't doing it!

As far as hacking the game yourself is concerned, all that needs to be done at the moment are little things. I don't need any help with the attack descriptions, item descriptions, Pokédex entries or dialogue.

 

Thank you for preserving this gem! I too had a similar experience with this awesome version of the game when it was available, so it was great to stumble upon this thread.
I found this while researching a write-up on my experience completing the game recently. I thought you might appreciate it. Here's the story I ended up writing about it. Thanks again for the top-tier posts!

 

Hey thank you so much, InsaneNutter! What a wonderfully exciting journey this version was. I'm super impressed at how you completed your Pokédex with your original Pokémon (cart and ROM) from back in the day! That is way cool. Those dial-up days were so much fun, foundational stuff! I'm sure I racked up a bill or two as well.

That's so cool that you backed up your Gold save in 2009 from your cartridge. If I were dedicated on that level I surely would've mowed more lawns to get the money to buy the necessary tools as well! I can only imagine how good that must have felt continuing to build that roster. Nicely done. It's also remarkable in that it sounds like your process was all done basically legit, with no fast-forwarding. Very impressive and exciting! It must've also felt great to get those saves working on the 3DS too; I had no idea that was a thing. And how cool that you could again legitimately get Mew and Celebi with the re-releases. Very, very cool. I love that we both have had a long-term experience with this adventure. So great!

And I LOVE that you had the translated save file on a floppy disk after all these years. You are truly one of the dedicated gamers I learned about during this journey. I still have some floppies somewhere, I should find them.

Thank you for sharing all of this info and stories! With your support I will check in on my Yellow cartridge here at some point soon. (My sister has it, so I'll have to go get it.) I'll let you know what I come up with if it's still working.

 

So I was able to check my Yellow cart, and sadly the 'CONTINUE' option and thus my Toys'R'Us Mew were not present on the cartridge. I'm assuming either the battery died or a new game was started and not saved or something. No worries though, I can say I was there and have all the memories. Thanks again InsaneNutter for encouraging me to check on it. And although I can't find my badges right now (sister might have those too) I did take some pictures of my Gym Leader shirt I got from the Toys'R'Us tournaments, and added them to my folder. It's a little worse for wear, but that's because I still wear it sometimes:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DpzSdW50f-Tz4jLL06mv_2GAsCDQ_iCE?usp=sharing

Thanks again, everybody!