Localization and translation of video games

Video Game Localization: Why is it Important?

Localizing a video game means tailoring it to the user, making it close to their gaming habits. The player’s emotional involvement in a video game’s mechanics is, in fact, a fundamental factor in a title’s success. Naturally, player engagement will be much greater if the product features dialogue and text written in the native language of the person using it. For this reason, rather than translating video games, localization is more appropriate. Localization is a complex translation strategy that aims not only to transfer the message of a text (written or spoken) from one language to another but also to make the entire context in which the communication takes place credible and familiar.

To give a classic example, if a video game dialogue contains a humorous joke, but the joke simply isn’t funny when translated, it will be necessary to move beyond a literal translation and embark on a reinterpretation or complete replacement of the text to ensure the dialogue works and achieves its purpose (entertaining the audience). Another pertinent example is linguistic register: in some languages, there are profound differences between the formal register of a language and its everyday counterpart. Using the wrong register will leave the player feeling completely alienated, leaving them with the impression of having invested their time and money in a substandard product.

How to Translate a Video Game: The Importance of Terminological Accuracy

When dealing with video game localization, another factor to pay close attention to is the terminological accuracy of the translation. It’s important to use translation memories and glossaries to offer the player a consistent experience throughout the game. Translating a video game is far from child’s play; in fact, it’s one of the most complex localization tasks, with multiple elements that translators must pay attention to. For example, if a sword is called a “Fire Sword” in the inventory and characters refer to it as a “Flaming Sword” in dialogue, this small difference could cause confusion and lower player satisfaction with the game as a whole.

Furthermore, if the video game is a historic title, played for many years by an army of fans, it will be necessary to scrupulously adhere to the work of previous video game translators, literally copying the translation of key elements of the game: the Leap of Faith performed by Assassin’s Creed assassins, for example, could never be translated as “dive of faith,” as it is an expression borrowed from the history of philosophy itself, and, moreover, has now entered the collective imagination of generations of players with this terminology.

Another factor to consider is the commercial partners who have requested Translation: Translating a video game means strictly following the instructions of the manufacturers or distributors. This is why, to translate and localize your video games, it’s best to rely on translation agencies, like Eurotrad, which specialize in the video game sector.