Game Localization

摘要

It was about time we saw an academic monograph on game localization. Admittedly, the Game Localization Handbook (Chandler, 2005) has been around for a few years, but from a translation studies (TS) point of view this monograph by O'Hagan and Mangiron is sorely needed and is an invaluable contribution to the field. What these two experts have done is to look at the emergent discipline of game localization from a TS perspective, which is very proper, even if the relationship between translation and localization is an ambivalent one. This is in fact discussed at length in the book: is translation to be seen as a part of the localization process or is localization an aspect of translation? The point is not definitely settled, and seems to be a question of perspective: the former could be said to be the case from an industry point of view and the latter from a TS point of view. Anyway, game localization has not previously been treated seriously enough in academic circles, even less so than other forms of localization, and the reasons for this may stem from early efforts in the field, which grew out of the experiential factor, with practitioners describing their work; similar to the humble origins of audiovisual translation. Also, the paucity of serious scholarly interest may be due to a rather patronizing attitude towards video games as being merely a form of entertainment and not as proper cultural products, an attitude that scholars in audiovisual translation have faced for many years. In view of this attitude one might remind oneself, as the writers do, that video games rival both the movie and the music industries in gross revenues, and that games are played in the vast majority of First World households.