practical need of the industry for the systematic training of translators and local- ... a modern video game and also the structure of the video game industry.
About this book
Aim and structure of the book In response to the growing research interest in game localization within and also outside Translation Studies, this book aims to inform readers about this specialized and dynamic professional area of practice. As well as seeking to stimulate further scholarly interest in this sub-domain, the book attempts to address the practical need of the industry for the systematic training of translators and localizers, informed by contemporary translation theories. The game localization sector will benefit from well-structured resources for the training of new translators who may have competence in areas other than games, and thus need a specific focus on the gaming domain. Game localization is a dynamic field that is driven by technology, led by market demands and influenced by popular discourses on games, and therefore most up-to-date information sources can be found online, as we note in our literature review. However, it is time-consuming to find reliable online resources directly addressing pertinent issues relevant to specific training needs. Similarly, it is still relatively rare to come across the topic analyzed in the context of Translation Studies. In our observation, translation and localization issues have been peripheral in game-related topics addressed in academia, for example in Game Studies, and are often treated casually in an ad hoc rather than a systematic manner. This has led us to conclude that there is a need for a reliable and coherent monograph dedicated to conceptualizing this new sub-domain. To this end, this book is designed to serve as an introduction to the topic of game localization in Translation Studies. We have endeavoured to keep a balance between theoretical and practical dimensions in order to be relevant to target readers both in academia and in the industry. One of our ultimate goals is to use the subject of game localization as a launch pad from which to explore new horizons of Translation Studies by addressing the impact on translation of technological developments. In particular, localization and audiovisual translation (AVT) face a constant erosion of their mutual boundaries due to technological advances, although they are currently treated as separate domains within Translation Studies. Positioned as intermediaries in the globalization of an increasing range of digital media, these two domains are converging, as exemplified by the practice of game localization. Finally, building on the importance of the links between the
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industry and academia already stressed by researchers working in other areas of translation, we hope to promote more traffic from research into practice to allow the development of best game localization practices that are informed by solid research and a theoretical basis. With these objectives in mind, the book is divided into an introduction, seven main chapters and a conclusion. Following the Prologue, the Introduction establishes the rationale behind studying this new sub-domain and describes the current state of the research. It explains the inherent need for translation in the game industry, which is driven by global market demands. As well as providing a broad literature survey of the field, we explain our main approach in developing the arguments presented in this book. Chapter 1, “The Video Game and Translation”, sets the scene by providing a brief history of video game localization, linking it to the technological evolution of games. We then establish key concepts and terms to discuss what constitutes a modern video game and also the structure of the video game industry. Rather than providing a comprehensive analysis, we have presented this from the perspective of our Translation Studies interests in game localization. In highlighting the control and manipulation by large game companies exerting their influence on localization, we apply the concept of “patronage” based on Lefevere (1992) to depict the context within which game localization needs to be understood and the constraints under which it is carried out. Chapter 2, “The Localization Paradigm: Localization versus Translation”, examines the concept of localization in relation to that of translation as viewed in Translation Studies and in the localization industry. This provides a starting point for our attempt to locate game localization in Translation Studies in theoretical terms, drawing chiefly on the conceptualizations of localization presented by Pym (2004, 2010) and Cronin (2003). Chapter 3, “Game Localization: A Practical Dimension”, homes in on the practical aspects of game localization, explaining the process and the tools which facilitate it, with the aim of giving an overview of the different localization models and approaches used today in the industry. Drawing on Chandler (2005) and Chandler and Deming (2012), this chapter describes the current localization practice, highlighting pertinent issues which characterize localization of games as opposed to other productivity software applications. Chapter 4, “Translating Video Games: New Vistas for Transcreation”, focuses on video games as source texts (STs) for translation, proposing a working taxonomy of game texts. Treating games as narrative as well as ludic objects, we analyze game texts according to the different text types present, with different functions assigned to them, in a single game. This in turn is linked to translation priorities
About this book
and strategies in relation to translation skopos (purpose) from a functionalist perspective. These allow us to make some observations on translation norms, albeit on the basis of limited examples. Game localization is then conceptualized, with a focus on the translator and the translator’s agency, leading to the introduction of the concept of “transcreation”. Chapter 5, “Cultural Contexts of Game Production: Patronage and Rewriting in the Digital Age”, addresses broader cultural contexts specific to the video game phenomenon, forming game cultures. In reference to the cultural turn in Translation Studies, we direct our attention to the role of influential game companies in their provision of a modern form of patronage, both embracing and dictating the rewriting of games in the process of localization. As part of the discussion of rewriting we refer to a perspective of video games as transmedia, bringing games and films closer together with implications for translation. Chapter 6, “Pedagogical Issues in Training Game Localizers”, addresses issues pertinent to training needs in game localization in the context of pedagogical concerns in Translation Studies. We discuss game localizer competence with reference to the needs of the industry and also touch on professional issues of working as game translators and localizers. Chapter 7, “Game Localization Research in Translation Studies”, explores a number of key translation research topics that are emerging from the field of game localization. Focusing on users of localized games, we highlight new research avenues such as game accessibility, fan translation and user co-creation. The chapter further considers the growing impact of game technology in conjunction with developments in Natural Language Processing, with implications for the translation of games. We briefly address the question of research methodologies, focusing on biometrics-based user studies which are beginning to attract the attention of scholars and those in the industry as a new direction for reception research. The “Conclusion” summarizes the key issues which emerged from our conceptualization of game localization and its position in and contribution to the field of Translation Studies.
Target readers Our core target readership is the translation research community, among whom we wish to raise awareness of this new sub-domain and also to test our conceptualization and applications of translation theories, with a view to introducing game localization into the mainstream discourse in the discipline. The motivation behind writing this book comes from the authors’ collective experience over the last ten years in researching and discussing this topic at translation and localization
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seminars and conferences, as well as teaching the subject across Europe, the US, and Asia. Our overwhelming impression has been that even the least game-literate translation students or scholars can find something intriguing about the subject, while practitioners who have actually been involved in localizing games, as well as those who are enthusiastic gamers, are keen to find out more about the theories behind translation and localization that have a special relevance to their work or pastime activities. Furthermore, we have sensed a strong interest in the topic from trainers of translators and localizers, who wish to integrate it into their teaching. More recently, an increasing number of institutions have introduced this topic as part of their translator or localizer training, though such courses are still few and far between and are delivered to varying degrees of coverage and in different formats. We hope to provide a coherent guide for trainers to help determine what their courses could usefully cover, depending on the level or the interest of the learners and the overall objectives and learning outcomes of the programmes in which game localization would be taught. Finally, it is also our hope that the Translation Studies perspectives on video games expressed in this book will reach and benefit readers from the dynamic field of Game Studies, whose insights we have found to be essential to explaining some key dimensions in video game localization. In tackling a video game as a relatively new object of translation, we aim to promote increased cross-fertilization between Translation Studies and Game Studies, while also adding to the growing discussion taking place within the Translation Studies community on non-Western perspectives on translation, with regard to STs in a language other than English, particularly involving Asian languages and their cultural contexts.
Conventions used in this book Introducing this relatively new and specialized subject of game localization in Translation Studies, we have endeavoured to make the content accessible to readers with little knowledge of video games. To this end, terms that are specific to video games and the game industry are marked in bold on their first appearance in each chapter and included in the glossary in the following pages. In addition to a fuller explanation in the glossary, we have made an effort to include a brief explanation in the main text to make specialized concepts more reader-friendly. Regarding the games we mention in the text, we italicize the titles and indicate the year of first release. We also provide a gameography, at the end of the book, listing each game cited in our work with its first year of release and the name of the publisher. Any use of Japanese words is followed by their English translations in square brackets.
