Have you ever had one of your kids try and explain a video game to you? It is as if they are speaking a completely different language to your own. In fact, many kids seem to speak in a different language anyway even when they aren’t discussing the latest video game!
You can imagine the challenges of translating the words and phrases which are unique to video games as a genre and to each specific video game as it emerges and evolves. Japanese video game creators and manufacturers have tussled with this unique set of language problems for years, but it is by no means confined to the difficulties in translating Japanese words and characters.
The fact is that video game translation really requires a team of specialised translation services personnel who deal exclusively with video game language. That’s the ideal scenario, but it’s not always possible of course. The number of truly specialised video game translators is probably quite small.
The challenges of video game translation for the professional translator are compounded by the fact that new terminology and characters are emerging all the time as video game creators attempt to develop new themes to keep their customers interested and promote sales. A lot of characters in video games are often culturally specific and it takes quite a lot of thinking on the part of the translator to convert these characters into an equivalent that will have the same sort of impact in a different language and cultural setting.
Of course, similar challenges exist when new films have appeared which use language which is obscure or specific to the setting of that film. Think of the Lord of the Rings, for instance. The setting is one taken from a Nordic (Scandinavian) base, with a Tolkienesque twist. Translating the utterances of elves and trolls into Arabic, Vietnamese and Hindi (just to name a few languages) is a major translation feat and yet it has been done because films like that have universal appeal which transcends borders. Video games are in a very similar group, with the added challenge that the language is often even more unique to a particular game.
One thing is for sure and that is that video games are not going to go away any time soon and that means that there is plenty of scope for the translator who is contemplating a shift to professional translation services specialising in video game translation.
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