Alexander O. Smith

Alexander O. Smith

Alexander O. Smith, also known as Alex Smith, is the main localization specialist and translator behind many of the games of the Ivalice Alliance in the Final Fantasy series. Apart from his works in Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, he was involved in the localization of Final Fantasy X and X-2 as well as in many other works in video gaming and manga.

Bio

Born in Vermont, Smith obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Dartmouth College/Keio University in 1995, and a Master of Arts degree in Classical Japanese Literature from Harvard University in 1998. He began working for video game designer Square Co., Ltd. in the late 1990s, working as part of the localization team for several games, including Final Fantasy VIII, Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2, Front Mission 3, and Parasite Eve 2. In 1999, he worked as the main English translator for Vagrant Story. Reviewers noted the high quality of the English script, in which Smith utilized various anachronistic English idioms and slang that distinguished the game from its straightforward Japanese counterpart. In addition to working as a translator for Square Enix, Smith has worked for Bowne Global Solutions, where he was contracted to work on several other video game localizations, including Bloody Roar 3, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Works

Final Fantasy Games

Game	Smith's Credit(s)
Final Fantasy VIII	Localizer
Final Fantasy X	Lead Localizer
Final Fantasy X-2	Voice Producer, Script Editor
Final Fantasy XI	Localization Editor
Final Fantasy XII	Lead Localizer
Final Fantasy Anthology	Translation Support
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance	Lead Localizer

Non-Final Fantasy Games

Game	Smith's Credit(s)
Chocobo's Dungeon 2	Localization Editor
Front Mission 3	Localization Editor
Legend of Mana	Special Thanks
Parasite Eve II	Localization Editor
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time	Translator
Vagrant Story	Lead Localizer