游戏软件本地化中的文本翻译研究

Text Translation Study in Game Software Localization

By Liu Zhaoping

In partial fulfillment of the requirement

for the BA degree

Department of English

School of Languages and Cultures

Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

May 2013

Acknowledgements

I am glad to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Li Ping. His helpful advice and warm encouragements have helped me develop and refine my thoughts during the development of my study. His profound knowledge, broad sight and acute thoughts deeply enlightened me a lot. I feel great honor to be his student.

And then, I would like to thank all my teachers during my college era who broadened my horizon and let me have advanced study of English and translation. Without their enlightenment and guidance, this article could never be completed. My college mates and friends, they also do me a lot of favor during writing this essay.

Finally, I am especially grateful to my family. Their love has always been a constant source of encouragement that supports me during my bachelor study.

Text Translation Study in Game Software Localization

Liu Zhaoping

Department of English

School of Languages and Cultures

Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

Abstract: With the constant influx of oversea software into domestic market at the era of information and economic globalization, online games from abroad, as one type of oversea software, also have the necessity to be translated into local language, Mandarin. This article is based on software localization and text translation theories to discuss how online games, which were produced in English, were translated, and whether the game manufacturers which are beyond the translation field have the capacity to transfer the game into proper language version, on the purpose of entertaining players better. We start from text translation theories to discuss about the strategies and phenomena and other linguistic issues during the process of some computer software and applications (such as video game, the emerging type of literature) localization.

Key words: Video game translation; software localization; translation theories; translation strategies

摘要

处于信息时代与经济全球化的当下，不断有从国外涌入到国内市场的计算机软件的大背景中，以网络游戏为例的产品在“进出口”之前所必经的软件本地化是如何进行的，处于翻译领域之外的游戏开发者是否真的能将本土游戏中的文本和语音准确地转换成玩家所使用的语言，让玩家拥有更好的游戏体验。本文从文本翻译理论角度入手，针对游戏这种新兴文学形式的表达方式，以游戏翻译中的文本翻译策略和现象为研究对象，探讨现如今市场上游戏及其他的一些计算机软件、应用程序在本地化翻译过程中所涉及的语言类问题。

关键词：电子游戏翻译；软件本地化；翻译理论；翻译策略

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Research Background and Significance of Video Games Translation 1

1.2 Prospect of Video Games Translation 2

2. Studies on Video Games Software Localization and Translation 2

2.1 Definition of Software Localization 2

2.2 Features of Video Games Localization and Translation 3

2.2.1 Game Name Translation Study 4

2.2.2 Game Contents Translation 6

3. Current Video Games Translation (E-C) 7

4. Translation Cases and Appreciation amp; Analysis of Hearthstone 8

4.1 Mage Character 8

4.2 Rogue Character 8

4.3 Druid Character 9

4.4 Warrior Character 10

4.5 Shaman Character 10

4.6 Paladin Character 11

4.7 Hunter Character 11

5. Application of Translation Strategies in Video Games Localization 12

6. Conclusion 13

6.1 Major Findings 13

6.2 Limitations of the Essay 14

References 14

1. Introduction

Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. It’s the propagation of culture among different languages. From the perspective of culture, the transfer of two languages equals the one of different cultural image. Cultural image contains concrete objects and symbols. (Hou, 1998:137) While we try to transfer one kind of cultural image into another in other culture, it’s almost impossible to make the target language an absolute counterpart of the source language. (Sun, 2011:136) Therefore, it’s necessary to take a series of measure to deal with different cultural image while translate to avoid the misunderstanding of text information.

As an emerging type of literature, video games contain large amount of cultural image. Limited by that they are real-time and entertaining, game manufacturers can’t put explanatory note while they translate them. Supplementary instruction can hardly show the complex cultural meaning also because of the limitation by time and space. To suit the linguistic feature in game culture, we should take a new, brief and direct measure instead of one of traditional literature translation when we translate the cultural image from video games.

1.1 Research Background and Significance of Video Games Translation

Due to most of domestic literature translation research aim at conventional literature, research about video games translation from abroad, which have already begun to take shape, have more reference value. Research has been conducted on video games from the point of view of ludology and studies have been published focusing on the localization process and work-flows. If translation studies are concerned, video games have been studied by several scholars and this can be regarded as an emerging field now based on the number of workshops and international congresses where this topic is being addressed.

The study of video game translation provides necessary humanistic concern for game manufacturers in the process of game software localization. The evaluation and appreciation of the translated version of current video game products benefit not only the manufacturers but also the users (gamer). There must be principles and skills that can be followed in video game translation. The discussing about them will help manufacturers produce better translated version of their production. Our research is dedicated to new ideas and thoughts for the future video games translation and enrich the contents of game software localization. By permeating cultural image translation strategies into video games translation, we hope to solve the loss and distortion of cultural information and then improve the quality of game software localization.

1.2 Prospect of Video Games Translation

The video game plays an important role in inter-cultural communication studies. There will be more and more video games need to be translated in the future. In China, video games market is enlarging. Oversea games are getting the overwhelming trend. The translation of video games is a key element to allow more players to enjoy a game in their mother tongue. As it happens in software localization, game developers are investing more and more human and economic resources aiming to localize games into different locales and the simultaneous-shipment of a title into several target markets is a must to succeed in achieving a global echo with a video game. On the purpose of keeping the game experience and the “look and feel” of a title into the target locale, translators must face different challenges.

2. Studies on Video Games Software Localization and Translation

2.1 Definition of Software Localization

Software localization is the process of transferring a product’s UI (user interface) and supporting materials (including files data and online help menu) from its origin language to another. Its purpose is to make the software suit a certain foreign language and culture. It consists of localization translation, localization exploitation and localization testing. The process means to transfer and custom-build the software as the terminal user’s manner required, language and requirement, including text translation, MBCS (multi-byte character set) support, UI rebuilding and adjustment, localization function’s enhancement and adjustment, DTP (Desktop Publishing), compiling, test and so on. The reason why software needs to be localized is the language obstacle while website, software and files data are propagated to other countries. A website needs to be translated into different languages so that people from different countries or regions can freely read the website. This is what we call website localization. Software needs to be localized as well. It’s certainly unpractical to localize the website or software into all languages from all over the world. As usual, software developers only localize them into some languages (especially English). For example, many domestic websites now have two versions, English and Mandarin, while some else have Japanese and Korean version. Localization is not the simple text translation and transfer. It also includes locale feature exploitation and interface modification, after the source language country’s market feature, cultural habits, law and some other special situation are considered.

2.2 Features of Video Games Localization and Translation

“At first glance, game translation might simply seem as a subset of software localization, which already is well known and well described in the field of translations studies. But this perception could not be farther from truth – while video games are indeed software, in the sense that they do require a computer or a console or a smart-phone to run, this is where the similarity ends. There are many differences that will be described in detail later, but for now let it simply be said that comparing translations of games to translations of general software is like comparing translations of Vladimir Nabokov’s novels to translations of wash-machine manuals.” (Jiří, 2011:3)

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