The gaming industry has witnessed rapid growth in the past decades. For a well-accepted game, it is important to be sure of the quality translation that can have an effective global reach. Translating games can be a tricky practice. Accuracy is the backbone of a translation and translated content can only work in the game when it has the relevant factors. The process is complex. It revolves around animations, transcripts, and subtitles of the game text. This further includes the translation of the game manuals and other side gaming content. Preparing a game for a different audience and region demands a lot more than plain translation.
Though English is a predominant language, the importance and popularity of other languages cannot be ignored or overlooked. Many game developers and companies fail to realize the need to translate their games timely to have a competitive edge. Opting for gaming translation services in the multilingual pattern makes the companies stand out among the rest of their rivals. Gaming translation goes beyond text and is a full-fledged multimedia experience. Hence seeking guidance from a competent translation agency is inevitable to work on quality and flawless translation that is comprehensible for one and all.
Moreover, the process includes certain challenges and pitfalls. So, the game developers should be aware of the factors in advance to work on it and to have a backup rather than panicking at the last minute.
Here are a few important challenges that companies should be mindful of before translation to navigate through effectively.
Audio and video integration
Most of the composition of the game revolves around audio and video integration of the content. The games include spoken dialogues. Also, there are subtitles and sound effects as well. This all needs to be translated accurately for positive outcomes with relevant context. It should be synchronized with the gameplay so that it makes sense for the viewer and player. A game cannot function without audio files and visuals. These make the content catchy and interesting and hence relevant translation is important for that. Translators despite their past experience have to struggle a lot.
User interface constraints
The user interface has to be good and engaging and likewise, it should also tempt the audiences in the best possible way in its translated form. The character limits for the menus and subtitles can be a real challenge at times. Moreover, there is on-screen text that requires translators to work with great dedication. They are expected to create concise content that is creative enough while preserving the meaning too.Thus, translation of the user interface gets challenging. Many times experienced translators also lack on how to make the content fit in the given language.
Cultural nuances in audiovisual elements
The cultural nuances are also crucial to consider. The humor, references, and cultural jokes are part of the games. Integrating the game with these references helps the users and players to relate to it and they get to enjoy it more. Therefore, all these cultural and humorous references demand the right and accurate interpretation for the understanding of the people. However, translators who are not native speakers often fail to interpret these jokes and references accordingly and hence the literal translation ruins the whole effort. It is important that the translation team is aware of the cultural facts of the targeted region and adapts the content according to that culture so that the people can get the jokes and enjoy while playing their games.
Fragmented text & late delivery
As mentioned above, game development is an iterative and gradual process. It demands improvements and continuous support. Game developers often provide translators of the content in bits and pieces which makes it challenging for them to translate without getting the required context. This also makes them lack at working on a narrative flow that engages potential players.
Localization kits and tools
Localizing a game is the most demanding part. A quality and precise translation helps greatly in better localization. Moreover, opting same agency for translation and localization can make the process more swift. The localization experts often have to suffer and rush for petty things when the translation is carried out by a different translation company. The game developers should ensure they consider this factor while outsourcing their projects to avoid such pitfalls. Moreover, providing them with localization kits and tools can add an added benefit. An effective game translation mostly relies on well-designed and developed localization kits that have a proper context, a glossary list for the concerned people as well and style guides for the translators to navigate through the relevant challenges smoothly.
Technical expertise
The game translation is a technical process so technical expertise is a must for the translators to deal with the content according to the requirements. However, many translators also fail to cope with these challenges because they do not have the technical insight needed for the process. However, the technical translators on the contract can translate the content and utilize their technical knowledge to make the translation process more worthwhile. Moreover, it helps with the game engines and UI elements as well.
Conclusion
Gaming translation is important to widen the reach and maximize access. It is quite challenging and the parts that make it challenging are audio and video integration, user interface constraints, cultural nuances in terms of audiovisual content, to deal with fragmented text and help with localization kits and tools along with technical expertise make the process challenging.
