On the Translational Specialisation of Digital Interactive Entertainment

On the Translational Specialisation of Digital

Interactive Entertainment

Game Translation and Terminology

Silvia PettiniDoctoral Student

Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures

CLAVIER Workshop

LSP research, teaching and translation across languages and cultures

Università degli Studi di Milano, 20-21 November 2014

Outline

Silvia Pettini

CLAVIER Workshop 2014

Background: the Game Localisation Industry

Game Translation Issues

Legal and Commercial Constraints

The Realism-Fantasy Spectrum

Simulation games: Glossaries

Aim: to show the role of terminological

accuracy and consistency in game translation

quality

Multimedia Interactive Entertainment

1970s in USA and Japan

Global Mass Consumption Product

Silvia Pettini


Video games’ success story is fully

dependent, and is inextricably linked to

the success story of the game

localisation profession that had to be

created from scratch in order to cover

the unprecedented demands of

multimedia interactive products.(Bernal Merino 2011:11)

Game Localisation (1)

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Game Localisation (2)

Translation

US English > E-FIGS

Japanese > US English > E-FIGS

Locale: “a specific combination of region, language

and character encoding” (Esselink 2000: 1)

Silvia Pettini


Game Translation (1)

Game Translation / Game Localisation

Translation as linguistic and cultural transfer

Immersion

Entertainment and Fun

Skopos: “to keep the same look and feel of the

original and preserve the gameplay experience”(Mangiron & O’Hagan 2006; Bernal Merino 2009).

Silvia Pettini


Game Translation (2) - IssuesSpace constraints English – Romance languages UI text: player - game world

= Abbreviations

Terminology Platform-specific references In-house glossaries

String ID Comments Screen Name Max Length ST TT

April_abbr3

Month - 3 letter

abbreviation Calendar 3 Apr Apr

CM_Average_abbr3 Average abbreviation Transfers 3 AVG MED

CM_ET Extra Time - 2 char abbrev Half time results 2 ET TS

CM_FT Full time - 2 char abbrev Half time results 2 FT 2T

CM_Losses_label 1 letter abbrev for losses

Group / League

Tables 1 L S


The Realism-Fantasy Spectrum(Dietz 2006)

Genres and sub-genres

Reality Fantasy

Game contents: Verisimile, real Fictional, unreal

Simulation games

Strategy games

Sci-Fi games

Fantasy games

Silvia Pettini


There are only two types of games, based on

the degree of freedom translators are given

from the ST: some games require more

research than creativity, and others require

more creativity than research. (Bernal Merino 2007: 3)


Research Creativity

Technical Translation

Specialised Translation

Terminology

Literary Translation

Transcreation

Terminology

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The Realism Edge of the Spectrum

Sports Simulation Games

Formula 1 Racing

Tennis

Boxing

Golf

Bowling

Basketball

Football

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Case Study

(Electronic Arts, 2013)

FIFA 14 Localisation and Translation

Domestication

Localised, adapted and

tailored to meet the

expectations and the

preferences of the target

market’s players.(Fernández Costales 2012: 396)

FIFA 14 Global Cover

51 countries

16 languages

Game Translation and Terminology

Platform-specific references

PS3 and Xbox360 Terms

The game world’s own vocabulary

FIFA 14 Terminology

In-house Glossaries

English Italian

Category Comments Term Abbreviation Term Abbreviation

system PlayStation®3 Product Group Naming Conventions

system power indicator spia di accensione

system power button / button tasto di accensione / tasto

system eject indicator spia di espulsione

system eject button tasto di espulsione

system disc slot vano disco

Hardware

manuals

instruction

manual

manuale di istruzioni

controllers wireless controllers controller wireless

controllers PlayStation®Move

controllersPS Move

controllers

controller

PlayStation®Move

controller PS

Move

system ALWAYS use

this term to

refer to

PlayStation®3

in software.

system sistema

Platform-specific references (1)

“PlayStation®3 Terms” (Electronic Arts 2013), FIFA14

Platform-specific references (2)“Xbox360 Terms” (Electronic Arts 2013), FIFA 14

English Italian

Term Notes Term

UI Messaging

Saving content. Please don't

turn off your console.N/A

Salvataggio del contenuto. Non spegnere la

console.

Saving…Short form of 'Saving content. Please don't turn off

your console.'Salvataggio…

Hardware

A / A button A The A button. A

B / B button B The B button. Pulsante B B

Ring of LightThe circle of four lights located on the console and

controller used to indicate game and system information.

cerchio di luce

Xbox 360

console

"Console" is

appropriate for

in-game text.

The Xbox 360 console. 'Console' is appropriate for in-

game text.console Xbox 360

"console" è

appropriato per testo

in-game

START / START

buttonSTART The Start button. Pulsante START START

Xbox 360

Controller

"Controller" is

appropriate for

in-game text.

The Xbox 360 gamepad. 'Controller' is appropriate for in-

game text.Controller per Xbox 360 controller

Xbox 360 VGA

HD AV CableThe Xbox 360 VGA high definition AV cable.

Cavo AV ad alta

definizione VGA per Xbox

360

Xbox 360 Hard

Drive Transfer

Cable

Cable that transfers data from one Xbox 360 Hard Drive

to another.

Cavo di trasferimento

disco rigido per Xbox 360

FIFA 14 Glossary (1)

Semantic fields: Actions; Footballers and other roles;

Teams; Matches, and Penalties.

Football Language: subject domain-

specific vocabulary

380 entries: 562 EN SL words and 581 IT TL

words

Literal translation: one-to-one or many-to-

one equivalence

English Italian

Assists Assist

Attack Attacco

Ball Control Controllo palla

Ball Possession Possesso palla

Chip Shot Pallonetto

Corner Kick Calcio d'angolo

Counter Attack Contropiede

Cross / Crossing Cross

Curled Shot Tiro a effetto

Dive / Diving Tuffo

Dribble / Dribbler / Dribbling / Dribbles Dribbling

Drop Kick Rinvio

Dummy Finta

Foul Fallo

Free Kick Calcio di punizione

Goalscoring Segnare

Handball Fallo di mano

Heading Colpo di testa

Lob Pallonetto

FIFA 14 Glossary (2): ActionsEnglish Italian

Long Ball Palla lunga

Long Pass Lancio lungo

Low Cross Cross basso

Man marking Marcatura a uomo

Momentum Slancio

Offence Attacco

Offside Fuorigioco

Own Goal Autogol

Pass / Passing Passaggio

Penalty (Kick) (10) Rigore

Penalty Shoot-out Calci di rigore

Save Parata

Shoot Tiro

Shooting Tiri

Short Pass Passaggio corto

Sliding Tackle Scivolata

Sprint Scatto

Throw Passaggio

FIFA 14 Glossary (3)Footballers and other roles

English Italian

Amateur Esordiente

Attacker Attaccante

Bench Panchina

Captain Capitano

Centre Centrale

Centre Back Difensore centrale

Club Manager Allenatore di club

Defender Difensore

Defender Line Linea difensiva

Forward Attaccante

Full Back Terzino

Goalkeeper Portiere

International Management CT della nazionale

Manager Allenatore

English Italian

Midfielder Centrocampista

Pro (15) Calciatore

Referee Arbitro

Semi Pro Dilettante

Speedster Velocista

Star Player Campione

Starting 11 Titolari

Stopper Stopper

Stricker Attaccante

Substitute Sostituto

Top Scorers Marcatori

Wide Man Ala

Wide Midfielder Esterno di centrocampo

Winger Ala

FIFA 14 Glossary (4)

Teams, Matches, Penalties

Teams

English Italian

Away Team Squadra ospite

Club Club

Home Team Squadra in casa

Line-up Formazione

Squad Rosa

Team Play Gioco a squadre

Youth Academy Vivaio

Youth Squad Squadra Primavera

Matches

English Italian

Final Finale

Friendly Match Amichevole

Half Time (9) Intervallo

Home In casa

League Match Partita di campionato

Quarter Finals Quarti di finale

Rematch Rivincita

Semi Finals Semifinali

Tournament Torneo

Penalties

Max Length

Comment English Italian

Match Ban Squalifica

Red Card Cartellino rosso

red card given Sent Off Cartellino

Suspended Squalificato

Yellow Card Cartellino giallo

Space limitations

2 Goals Scored GS GF

2 Red Card RC CR

Abbreviation

for "Team of

the Week"

TOTW SdS

2 Yellow Card YC CG

**

*

*

*

Concluding remarks

Silvia Pettini


Linguistic and Cultural Game

Localisation as Specialised Translation

Unique challenges to translators, i.e. space

constraints, platform-specific references;

Subject domain-specific expertise;

Terminological accuracy and consistency

Silvia Pettini

PhD Student

Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures

[email protected]

ReferencesBernal Merino, M. 2007. “Challenges in the translation of video games”. Revista

Tradumática, 5, 1-7.

Bernal Merino, M. 2009. “Video games and children’s books in translation”. The

Journal of Specialised Translation, 11, 234-247.

Bernal Merino, M. 2011. “A Brief History of Game Localisation”. TRANS. Revista de

Traductología, 15, 11-17.

Dietz, F. 2006. “Issues in localizing computer games”. In Dunne K. (ed.),

Perspectives on Localization. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing

Company, 121-134.

Esselink, B. 2000. A Practical Guide to Localization (Rev. ed.).

Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamis.

Fernández Costales, A. 2012. “Exploring Translation Strategies in Video Game

Localization”. Monographs in Translation and Interpreting (MONTI), 4, 385-408.

Mangiron, C. and M. O’Hagan M. 2006. “Game localisation: unleashing

imagination with ‘restricted’ translation”. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 6,

10-21.

On the Translational Specialisation of Digital Interactive Entertainment

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