I found a thread on a site called ModDB . It was old, dusty, dating back to 2012. A user named TommyGun_Timmy had posted a fix.
If you manually move language folders (like renaming sds_en to sds_ru to trick the game), you might experience silent crashes during cutscenes. Always ensure your matches your folder names. You can check this by searching regedit for the "Language" string under the 2K Games/Mafia II path and ensuring it is set to English . If you'd like, tell me: Are you playing the Classic or Definitive Edition ? Which store did you buy it from (Steam, GOG, or Epic)? mafia 2 english language pack download
have noted that changing the language in the standard platform settings doesn't always "stick". I found a thread on a site called ModDB