Thank goodness for fan translations. Due to the hard work of this vibrant and dedicated community, it's now possible to play (and understand) countless import-only titles that were denied release outside Japan back in the day.
For most people, emulation is the best way to experience these unofficial localisations, but if you're keen on using original hardware, flash carts or ODEs are another solid option.
However, if you want to make things as authentic as possible and use an original cartridge, then Delta Island's Delta PCB SNES Translator is one of the most impressive solutions yet.
This 100% reversible translation option "fully respects the original Nintendo PCB" and lets you patch in alternate language options on your original cartridges.
The example given here is Chrono Trigger, which might seem a little odd given that it has an official English translation. However, Delta Island is located in France, and the team has established an official partnership with Kogami, the French translator of Chrono Trigger – so this isn't a case of a company simply taking a fan translation without permission and selling these modification boards for a tidy profit.
The translator is even credited on the PCB itself, as shown in the image below. A little soldering is required, but all things considered, this is a pretty elegant way of adding a new translation to your existing collection.
Even better news is that it's possible to update the translation on the PCB using a Sanni Open Source Cart Reader. Kogami is working on Version 2 of the translation, so you'll be able to update the board once it's available.
While it's already possible to add translations to original cartridges, the process is more complex, and that's arguably what makes this option more appealing, especially to modding novices.
The Delta PCB SNES Translator costs €24.90. Chrono Trigger is the only game available at the moment, but we'd expect to see more of this kind of thing in the future – it really is a great idea.