O’Hagan Minako, Mangiron Carmen. Game Localization: Translating for the global digital entertainment industry

John Benjamins, 2013. — 374 pages. — ISBN: 978-90-272-7186-0.In response to the growing research interest in game localization within and also outside Translation Studies, this book aims to inform readers about this specialized and dynamic professional area of practice. As well as seeking to stimulate further scholarly interest in this sub-domain, the book attempts to address the practical need of the industry for the systematic training of translators and localizers, informed by contemporary translation theories. The game localization sector will benefi from well-structured resources for the training of new translators who may have competence in areas other than games, and thus need a specific focus on the gaming domain. Game localization is a dynamic fild that is driven by technology, led by market demands and inflenced by popular discourses on games, and therefore most up-to-date information sources can be found online, as we note in our literature review. However, it is time-consuming to find reliable online resources directly addressing pertinent issues relevant to specifi training needs. Similarly, it is still relatively rare to come across the topic analyzed in the context of Translation Studies. In our observation, translation and localization issues have been peripheral in game-related topics addressed in academia, for example in Game Studies, and are often treated casually in an ad hoc rather than a systematic manner. This has led the authors to conclude that there is a need for a reliable and coherent monograph dedicated to conceptualizing this new sub-domain.To this end, this book is designed to serve as an introduction to the topic of game localization in Translation Studies. The authors have endeavoured to keep a balance between theoretical and practical dimensions in order to be relevant to target readers both in academia and in the industry. One of the ultimate goals is to use the subject of game localization as a launch pad from which to explore new horizons of Translation Studies by addressing the impact on translation of technological developments. In particular, localization and audiovisual translation (AVT) face a constant erosion of their mutual boundaries due to technological advances, although they are currently treated as separate domains within Translation Studies. Positioned as intermediaries in the globalization of an increasing range of digital media, these two domains are converging, as exemplifid by the practice of game localization. Finally, building on the importance of the links between the industry and academia already stressed by researchers working in other areas of translation is done to promote more traffic from research into practice to allow the development of best game localization practices that are informed by solid research and a theoretical basis.The video game and translation
The localization paradigm: Localization versus translation
Game localization: A practical dimension
Translating video games: New vistas for transcreation
Cultural contexts of game production: Patronage and rewriting in the digital age
Pedagogical issues in training game localizers
Game localization research in Translation Studies