As some of you may or may not know, NIS America is currently working on a patch that aims to improve the translation quality of Ys VIII, which was bad enough that the president of the company issued a formal apology to fans in October. The re-translation is so extensive that all of the game's voiced dialogue, besides attack grunts and the like, are being completely re-recorded and NIS has recently been sharing some clips from the new dub on their blog. You can listen to them here and here.

I found the clip for Catherine, now being called Kathleen, especially surprising since her personality is almost completely different in the new dub. She acted sort of calm and direct in the original translation but is now a lot harsher in tone. Here is the scene from the clip in the current game for comparison. I thought she sounded so different at first because NIS was trying to punch up her dialogue but I looked up a translation of when Falcom initially announced her character on Gematsu and it mentions that Kathleen has a "frigid and sharp" personality and even has a quote where she calls Adol a "redheaded punk". This was a part of her personality that didn't come across at all in the current translation and really highlights just how much was lost in the original English script. It kind of makes me want to play through the whole game again when this patch is released just to see how different it will be.

What do you guys think of what NIS has shared of the new dub?

Played through the game too, and I'm in the same boat as you. Really interested to play through the game again and see the differences. I enjoyed the dub for what it was, but even an apathetic guy like me knew the voice acting and translation in general needed some work. Hell, one scene has a line voiced in Japanese when the rest of the game is in full English. And who can forget BIG HOLE?

As for the new voice work, most of it seems basically identical, with slight but noticeable improvements in quality of script and delivery. The one stand out is of course Kathleen. I'm curious how else the cast's personalities may have changed. What I'm anticipating most, however, is if the plotline has changed at all. The final act of the game in particular confused me a little in the details and left me wanting for a more satisfactory conclusion. At the same time, if the translation really as shoddy as people make it out to be, it's amazing how much emotional impact the story still manages to convey, especially in the scenes with Dana.

Hm, writing all this made me realize how good that game was.

I'm still waiting for the PC port which has now been delayed until early next year because of this re-translation. I don't know how NISA could have messed this up so badly.
New dub sounds fine to me, but I haven't heard the old one.

I only saw the images some posted and it was hilariously bad.

I'm in the middle of playing the game in Japanese. The new dub might go over better for people using English audio, but based on the Kathleen sample (and maybe Laxia), not sure I'm really looking forward to the updated text. In the Japanese version, Kathleen is straightforward and a bit harsh, whereas that English clip makes her sound rather coarse--I don't think it fits her character. The old dub/text lacks a certain amount of personality, but the tone, at least, seems closer to the original vision.

NISA is probably the closest thing to a company I essentially boycott, as I've grown to hate how they handle localizations (both games and anime). Not that I think there's any company doing perfect localizations, but if possible, I hope Falcom will avoid partnering with NISA for future titles.

New Dub sounds fine to me if they bettered the dialogue because that was a MESS. Still debating if I get this on PS4 or Vita tho.

I'm not sure if not noticing a wonky localization says more about my lack of a critical eye, or more about how really good the rest of this game is.

Falcom needs to stick with Xseed. They did a fantastic job on the T.I.T.S/Cold Steel games.

@sungahymn: Totally agree with a lot of your points. I liked all of the voice actors/actresses in Ys VIII, I think they were well casted, but the script and direction made the audio sound awkward most of the time. And yeah, it is surprising just how much I ended up enjoying the game's story despite the clunky translation, although I was also a bit lost on what exactly was happened during the end of the game.

@madman356647: I would get the PS4 or PC version myself just because there is a good amount of extra content in those versions that is not in the Vita version, plus improved framerate. The sections where you play as Dana would be a little boring I think if they didn't have the new dungeon that was added for the console release.

@junkerwoland: I can see where you are coming from but, in the case of Kathleen, she is suppose to be a bit coarse even in the Japanese (at least from what I can gather).

@lentfilms: Playing the game in Japanese and having a bit of a handle on the language, what I was trying to convey is NISA's new take on the character potentially seems over exaggerated. Yes, she calls Adol a brat/kid and speaks to the point on things, but not in the rude, patronizing manner presented in that voice clip. The new dub may well go over better for people playing with English audio, but I won't be surprised if it also results in more character personality drift between it and the Japanese text/audio.

@junkerwoland: Okay, I see what you are saying, sorry if I sounded condescending in any way. Here's hoping that the translation update doesn't course correct too much and end up changing characters' personalities in an attempt to make the dialogue sound less stiff.

NISA posted a clip of a scene from the new translation and someone on Reddit posted the same clip with the original translation for comparison.

Personally I think the scene is a lot better in the re-translation, although I kind of miss Laxia saying "criminy".