Video game localization

Video game localization is the preparation of video game software and hardware for sale in a new region or country. Although translating the text is a large part of localization, the process includes any changes made to a game, including altering art assets, creating new packaging and manuals, recording new audio, transforming hardware, cutting out whole portions of the game due to differing cultural sensitivities, and even adding sections to replace cut content.

The decision to localize a game relies heavily on economic factors, such as the potential profits that could be made in a new country. As such, the process is usually undertaken either by the game developers themselves or by a third-party translating company, though unauthorized fan localizations can occur if a translation is poor quality or if a game is not going to be released in a specific language. As an industrial field, localization is still in development and lacks consistency in terms of implementation and importance. Gathering information about industrial localization practices can often be difficult because of the lack of consistency between companies, as well as non-disclosure agreements many translators have to sign.

The goal of localization is to create an enjoyable, non-confusing play experience for the end user by paying heed to their specific cultural context while being faithful to the source material. The suspension of disbelief is of utmost importance to the process; if a player feels as though the product was not meant for them, or if the localization creates confusion or difficulty in comprehension, this may break immersion and disrupt the player’s ability to continue the game.

The founding concepts of game localization can be seen early in videogame history, as in the case of the localization of Pac-Man. The original transliteration of the Japanese title would be “Puck-Man,” but the decision was made to change the name when the game was imported to the United States out of fear that the word ‘Puck’ would be vandalized into an obscenity. In addition, the names of the ghosts were originally based on colors - roughly translating to “Reddie,” “Pinky,” “Bluey,” and “Slowly.” Rather than translate these names exactly, they were renamed to Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. This choice maintained the odd-man-out style of the original names without adhering to their exact meaning. The change in cultural context between the two countries provoked a change in the game text that was not a precise translation.

An important concern for early localization was the limited amount of processing space available to house text strings that were longer than the originals, as was often the case with the NES and SNES. Ted Woolsey, translator of Final Fantasy VI, recounts having to continually cut down the English text due to limited capacity.

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