Along with being a medium of entertainment, video games are also a way to communicate with players living in other parts of the world. The old days of multiplayer consoles, where players needed to be available at the same place, are long gone. Now is the time for online connectivity, which allows gamers to connect and communicate with their partners from the rest of their houses. To make this experience smooth and enticing, gaming companies highly rely on video game translation services.
Though gamers speak diverse languages and follow different cultural practices, connectivity is almost impossible without a medium. The translation here plays an important role, ensuring that regardless of their language background, players get immense pleasure from playing the game and interacting with online friends or new players at the same time.
So, if you are a developer or a gaming company working on a new model, what you must consider is translation. It works like a bridge and ensures effective communication between players. In this blog, we will dig deeper into the role of translation in multiplayer gaming, the challenges associated with translation, and the game translation best practices.
The Role of Translation in Multiplayer Gaming
Understanding the role of translation in gaming requires knowing what it actually is. The translation itself is a simple thing, but when it connects to gaming, the whole meaning changes. Video game translation adapts the game’s story and features so that players from different backgrounds can enjoy them. It’s all about providing an exceptional gaming experience and leaving an impression in the players’ minds. You can call it a technique or tool that helps gaming companies expand their reach to the global market without taking care of the linguistic and cultural barriers.
Coming to the role of translation in connecting players, translation plays a significant role in allowing multilingual players to connect and interact with other online players. It allows:
- Bridging Language Gaps
- Promoting Collaboration
- Ensuring Understanding
- Respecting Cultural Differences
- Avoiding Misinterpretation
- Enhanced Immersion
- Accessibility
- Global Reach
- Community Building
We can take PUBG as the best example of game translation benefits. The game allows players to team up and connect with multiple players at the same time. These are random players, connecting from different parts of the world, speaking different languages, and following different cultures. After all of these distinctive features, they still easily collaborate and smoothly play the game. All because of translation, as the game is available in 17 languages and connects players from 165 countries at the same platform.
Challenges for Video Game Translation
Let’s discuss the challenges translators face while translating a video game.
● Technical Terms
Technical terminology, or jargon, is what makes a game unique and different from others. Most gaming companies secure the legal rights for these terms by registering them as IP. These intellectual properties require translation for security in different countries. Translating technical terms is daunting, especially while targeting different regions.
● Cultural References
Cultural references are used in games to boost player connectivity and enhance experience. However, due to cultural diversity, translating games in different languages becomes challenging. Like humor used in one language, it may sound offensive in another. Finding the accurate local version with the same meaning and context makes the translation process difficult.
● Regional Variations
Languages are not only associated at the national level. They can be different variations of the same language. For example, there are 30 dialects of English alone in the US. If your game is based on more textual content, regional variations become a roadblock in the translation process.
● Contextual Understanding
Usually, content creators add details into games with local context, which is irrelevant for global players. Conversion of the content into different languages without losing its context is quite challenging. Finding the relevant contextual information and translating it into the target audience’s languages is time-consuming and involves complexities.
Best Practices for Video Game Translation
To get past the problems listed above, follow these tips:
● Hire Qualified Translators
Choose a translation agency that has a team of certified and professional translators. Their expertise in the gaming field and hands-on experience will help you to accurately translate the technical jargon in multiple languages.
● Ensure Cultural Sensitivity
Professional companies hire native linguists who have a deep understanding of linguistic and cultural nuances. With their proficiency, they provide culturally appropriate translations of your game.
● Focus on Contextualization
Put extra effort into contextualization, as it keeps the players engaged and enhances their experience. Connect with certified translators. With their expertise in the target languages, they develop a better understanding of the intended context and translate the content that delivers the meaning accurately.
● Quality Assurance
Professional companies follow a rigorous translation process, which includes proofreading and editing to ensure the high quality of the translated content.
● Prefer Playtesting
It is a beneficial method to make sure that the translated content is a good fit for all types of devices and screen sizes.
● Ensure Continuous Improvement
Stay in touch with the translators during the translation process. Keep sharing your thoughts on the current version, and do not hesitate to interrupt if you find something off track. It is crucial to get the perfect version of your game.
Let the players from diverse backgrounds connect and communicate through your game. All you need to do is create a platform with multiple language settings with the help of translators. Launch the game and see the magic.
