You must have heard about the game Paper Mario: The Origami King (Nintendo 2020). This game is known for its clever wordplay and puns, often centered around the paper theme. As you know, humor is subjective, so the localization team for this game faced a challenge to not only translate the intended meaning but also capture the entertainment value and spirit of the original joke. For this, creative solutions were employed to capture the essence of the original joke in the target language. The result is in front of everyone. The game is extremely popular all over the world.
The success of this game reflects the sheer dedication of the game translators and the localization team to preserve the game’s charm and humor. Making it enjoyable and accessible to players around the world. Video game localization is a specialized form of translation that involves converting game content, dialogues into the target language. It goes beyond the literal translation of just converting the original language into the target language. It requires an understanding of the cultural nuances, context, and overall gaming experience.
In this blog post, we will cover the ins and outs of video game localization, why it is so essential, and the challenges faced during video game localization.
So, get your consoles ready!
What is video game localization?
What is video game localization, you ask? But first, let’s understand what localization is. Localization is the process of adapting content for a new target audience and target market. This localization process includes translation, localizing associated images, and cultural elements that influence how your content will be perceived.
Now back to video game localization. It is the process of localizing video game content for a specific target market and, most importantly, doing it so well that it looks like it was made specifically for that target market. Many game development companies try to tackle game localization by approaching it in the same way as they would for any other industry, like legal, life sciences, or medical. But for video game translation, that is not the case; there is much more to it.
You cannot use the traditional translation process for game translation and localization. Video game translation is a comprehensive approach that involves translating in-game text, audio, and graphics and making necessary adjustments to accommodate cultural references and gameplay mechanics that might differ across various regions. Overall, effective video game localization ensures that players from diverse backgrounds can engage fully with the game, thus enhancing accessibility on a global scale.
Why is video game localization important?
Before indulging ourselves in understanding the importance of video game localization. Let us first look at these video game statistics. Did you know that the global video game localization services market is anticipated to witness a growth CAGR of 14.3% from 2021 to 2027? It is expected to reach a market value of USD 2.1 billion by the end of 2027. It’s fascinating, isn’t it? This exponential growth is attributed to the increasing demand for video games and rising growth in the video game industry. Video game localization is essential for several reasons.
Specifically, this localization process is centered around ensuring accessibility and appeal in a diverse target market. As you know, language barriers can create obstacles for players to fully comprehend the narrative, objectives, and instructions within the game. By translating and localizing game text, dialogue, and subtitles the localization process enables a broader audience to engage and have a seamless gaming experience. And video game localization involves sensitive topics such as cultural references, language, and the entire user experience; therefore, poor localization can be costly.
Let’s give you an example of a video game localization: In the video game Theft Auto San Andreas,’ there is a parody of a fast food restaurant,’ Cluckin Bell’. So, in the German version, it was changed to ‘Geflügel Glocke’ to maintain the humor while making sense in the German context. The online gaming community is very passionate about their gaming experience and cares a lot about their video games. So it becomes even more essential to invest in good video game translation and localization to avoid any mishaps on popular gaming sites. Overall, gaming localization fosters inclusivity and enhances the overall gaming experience for players worldwide.
Common Challenges in Video Game Localization
As you know, localization is a crucial process, and the localization process for video games makes it even more crucial. And when you make games accessible and enjoyable to players worldwide, it comes with its challenges. Here, we have listed some common challenges faced in video game localization.
1. Cultural nuances
Video games often contain different cultural references, humor, or elements that may or may not resonate with players from different regions. Game translators should understand the cultural context to ensure the game is culturally appropriate and engaging for the target audience.
2. Language Differences
When you translate a text from one language to another, it can be pretty complex, especially when dealing with languages that have different sentence structures, writing styles, and grammar. So, maintaining the intended meaning and tone while adapting to linguistic and cultural references is a significant challenge.
3. Character and story adaptation
When adapting your game for a new target market, characters and storylines in games may need adjustments to align with cultural expectations or sensitivities. It includes character names, dialogue, and plot elements that may not be well received or understood in different cultural contexts.
4. Lip-syncing and voice-acting
Many games often feature voice acting that needs to be synchronized with characters’ lip movements. Translating spoken dialogue while maintaining lip sync accuracy can be challenging, particularly when languages have different pacing and phonetic structures.
Addressing these challenges requires seamless collaboration among game developers, translators, and the game localization team to create a seamless gaming experience for players in target markets.
Best Practices in Video Game Localization
Video game localization is a crucial process when you aim to reach a global audience and ensure that players from different backgrounds and regions can fully enjoy the game in their native language. And for this, you need to follow some best practices. Here we have listed a few best practices for video game localization.
1. Taking cultural norms into account
Always try to integrate localization into the game development process. Consider cultural differences and language requirements during the initial design phase of the game. This will help your game find its place amongst international gaming audiences across different regions consisting of diverse languages, belief systems, traditions, and religions.
2. Always get the formatting right
Formatting plays an essential role and needs to be addressed during the early stages of localization. English is the standard language in most cases, but if you localize your game to German, Spanish, or French, you will discover that these languages take up to 30% more space. You also need to consider leaving room for dialogues, time formats, characters, and symbols. These factors can have a huge impact on your game’s interface and gaming experience.
3. Localize for all multimedia channels
As you know, there are so many devices available today. Some people play games on a PC or laptop, some on a tablet or smartphone. And everyone wants a seamless gaming experience on any device. So, it is essential to ensure device compatibility, which should be the primary goal of your video game localization process if you are considering reaching a target audience.
By following these practices, you can create a more inclusive and enjoyable gaming experience for your target audience and gamers around the world.
Still have doubts about video game translation? Look no further!
From Naarg, get the best experience in professional gaming localization services.
Our video game localization services will make your games engaging and enjoyable for various audiences in your targeted languages and markets. Want to learn more about our gaming localization services? Reach out to us at info@naargmedia.com to learn more about our services.
