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This thesis aims at discovering some discipline in game translation, analyzing some materials excerpted from the game Fallout3: New Vegas and finally summarizing some strategy employed in game translation.
2 The general review on game translation
Though video game is an increasingly important part of mass entertainment, there have been not much research and thesis about game translation so far. One reason may be that games, usually regarded as a mere plaything instead of an object of study, have not drawn enough attention of the researchers. Some scholars noticed that game translation and localization have its own specialties such as the approach of computer-aid translation tools and terminology teamwork (Yan Mingle, 2009). Besides, game translation share some common characteristics with software translation and film translation. For example, some believes the software texts should be translated in “accuracy, plainness and naturalness” (Nie Yanmin, 2009). To some extent, the game translation has the features as well. As for the film translation, since the main task of game translation is to fulfill the need of mass players, these features
3 Features of Game Translation
Video games are designed to entertain people. A good game makes players intoxicated in the world created by the game designers and let them have fun during the process of playing. Therefore the purpose of every measure a translator takes is to connect players with the game, instead of separate them by linguistic and cultural barriers. Game does not just consist of words, the main function of the language in the game are to guide players, to enrich the backgrounds and to narrate plots. The game translation should obey the following features.
3.1 Unity
In a game, the translation of an object must be identical from the beginning to the end, otherwise, players might be confused by the different translated term of the same object thus influence the enjoyment brought by the game. Nowadays, a game, especially a large-scale game, is usually not translated by only one translator. Consequently, team cooperation is more frequently required in translation. It is necessary for translators to communicate well. A database or reference document is needed for the determination of the relevant term used in the translated version.
E.g. the word cave and cavern have similar meaning and can both be translated into Chinese as 山洞、岩洞. However, in the game there may be some places with almost the same names, such as Great Khan Cave and Great Khan Cavern, which are two different sites in the game. If they are all translated as 大汗帮山洞, players may be confused and unable to continue game process if they find the wrong place. Therefore, in order to offer players better game experience, cave and cavern should be translated in 山洞 and 洞穴 respectively in case of confusion.
3.2Conciseness
Words and phrases in game must be as concise as possible, based on the principle that use the clearest way to convey the same content. One reason is that game players are from different social levels and received different educations, so over-literary translation might be not acceptable by some players. And the second, the main focus of player are the game itself. If the translation draws too much attention of the players to read and understand, it is inappropriate.
3.3 Semi-instantaneity
Unlike books, dialogues and scenarios in the game are usually irreversible, that is to say, players cannot chew the sentences over and over again. Instead, the translation had better make players understood once they see it. On the other hand, it is not strictly instantaneous as film subtitle translation, because films are impossible to pause, waiting for the translated subtitles. But in many games, the subtitles or dialogues remain on the screen until the player clicks the mouse. It makes it easier to organize the length and the structure of translated contents.