Strategies For Translating Culture-Specific Items In Video Game Localization

The thriving game market has resulted in a significant surge in the demand for multilingual internationalization of video games.Numerous European and American game companies are developing games centered around Greek mythology.Cultural omissions during game translation can lead to a loss of cultural significance,diminishing vital elements of the game and dampening players’ gaming experience.Consequently,identifying suitable translation strategies for these culturally exclusive elements has emerged as a major challenge for game localization on a global scale.Game localization encompasses multiple facets,involving game developers,translators,players,and diverse cultural contexts.The notions of translation as adaptation and selection,the translational eco-environment,and the three-dimensional transformations in eco-translatology provide a novel standpoint for scholarly investigation in the field of game localization.Therefore,this paper aims to address three research questions from the perspective of eco-translatology,using the culture-specific items from both the English and Simplified Chinese versions of the American role-playing game,HADES,as an example.The research questions are as follows:(1)What are the factors in the translational eco-environment that translators should consider?(2)What translation strategies are used in this game to translate culture-specific items of Greek mythology?(3)Why do translators adopt these strategies under the theoretical framework of ecotranslatology?This study reveals that translators must be cognizant of several factors when undertaking game translation,including the game’s background,player characteristics,the game company’s style,the source language’s attributes,and the target language’s characteristics.Considering these factors allows translators to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the translational eco-environment.which is pivotal in making decisions regarding adaptation and selection.The translation of culture-specific items in HADES generally adheres to the following principles:(1)Except for character names,translators prioritize substitution strategies over conservation strategies when translating culture-specific items,while at the same time giving precedence to globalization over naturalization in substitution strategies.(2)Due to limited display space within the game,the inclusion of annotations is not feasible.Hence,the strategy of orthographic adaptation for character names is preferred,particularly for elements frequently referenced in other parts of the game.It is observed that both naturalization and globalization strategies are only applicable once the Greek mythological narrative behind the text is comprehended.Therefore,in order to deliver a more immersive gaming experience to players,translators should acquaint themselves with the translational eco-environment of the original text in advance,adhere to the cultural connotations of the original text,appropriately utilize the globalization strategy,and strive to preserve the mythological components and their associated cultural meanings to the greatest extent possible while ensuring reader comprehension.