For decades, video games have been a global and cultural phenomenon. Intrinsically-linked to technological advancements, they have come a long way in less than 50 years. Just in a short amount of time, from the nostalgic era of the 8-bit video game to new releases with almost cinematic quality graphics, the industry has made immense progress. However, despite requests from players for video game localization, game developers do not always give it sufficient priority.
The most famous example of a translation and localization disaster is that of a video game (Toaplan’s Zero Wing, created for the Sega Megadrive console in 1991) translated from Japanese to English.
Here is the English transcript of the opening dialogue from Zero Wing between a soldier (Captain) and the leader of the enemy forces (CATS):
In A.D. 2101 War was beginning Captain: What happen? Operator: Someone set us up the bomb Operator: We get signal Captain: What! Operator: Main screen turn on Captain: It’s You!! Cats: How are you gentlemen!! Cats: All your base are belong to us Cats: You are on the way to destruction Captain: What you say! Cats: You have no chance to survive make your time Cats: Ha ha ha ha Captain: Take off every “zig” Captain: You know what you doing Captain: Move “zig” Captain: For great justice
I will let readers fluent in English to judge the quality of the dialogue. The worst mistakes are, ”All your base are belong to us”, ”Somebody set up us the bomb” and ”For great justice”. These dialogues have nothing to do with the original dialogues from the Japanese version.
The Japanese translation was so absurd, that it became an Internet phenomenon in 2000. “All your base are belong to us” is the subject of a famous ”meme” as well as an article on Wikipedia.
It is quite easy to give a corrected translation of the dialogue, which could have been:
AD 2101″• War has begun. Captain: What was that? Engineer: Someone has planted a bomb on the ship! Communication operator: Captain! Receiving transmission! Captain: What?! Communication operator: Incoming visual on the main screen. Captain: Y…You! CATS: You look busy, gentlemen. CATS: With the help of the Federation Government forces, CATS has taken all of your bases. CATS: Your ship is about to meet its doom as well. Captain: This…this is ridiculous! CATS: We are grateful for your cooperation. CATS: Cherish these few remaining moments of your lives. CATS: Ha ha ha ha ha… Communication operator: Captain…. Captain: I order you to launch all ZIG units! Captain: We have no choice but to entrust to them…. Captain: Our hopes for our future… Captain: We’re counting on you, ZIG!
This is a 20-year-old example of a major blunder which would never happen now but it adequately illustrates the neglect and nonchalance that the translation and localization of video games can be treated with.
Now more than ever, gaming is at the core of the entertainment industry. The way consumers engage with video games is constantly evolving. Not only does this lead to overall greater engagement, but it also leads to entirely new segments of video game enthusiasts. There are now more than 2.5 billion players in the world. All in all, they will have spent $152.1 billions in 2019, 9.6% more than the previous year.
The console will be the device that experiences the highest growth in sales, with 13.4% more year-over-year at $47.9 billion in 2019. It’s the second consecutive year that the rise of console-based games will exceed that of mobile games.
Meanwhile, mobile gaming (smartphone and tablet) remains the largest market in 2019, with a rise of +10.2% year-on-year at $68.5 billion – 45% of the global gaming market. $54.9 billion of that is generated from smartphone games.
The most significant point is that 50% of video game sales come from localized versions. Hollywood may have the glamour, but video games bring in the moolah.
The main countries that have embarked on this unstoppable field of entertainment are Japan and the United States, making Japanese and English the most common source languages in localization.
However, Japan only exports 10-20% of its products. Titles chosen for export are meticulously researched and developers are usually aware of pre-existing fan bases in the target countries.
This incredibly rapid growth means that the amount of content to localize has increased considerably, as well as the need to accurately adapt video games to new target countries.
Adapting content to resonate with a specific locale or culture
This step begins in the studio with developers looking into what will sell best in each country from a marketing perspective. These variables can influence features ranging from character design to inclusion to the removal of certain scenes to better meet the needs of the target audience.
What approach should you take when you notice that one of the characters has a specific regional accent in the original video game? Should you localize this dialect with one from the target country? What parameters must be taken into account to do so? These are some of the questions that come up during the localization and adaptation of a video game.
For certain projects, translators have more liberty to offer cultural adaptations, but these decisions are generally taken by marketing departments based on extensive data and research.
In addition, most countries have organizations that regulate the content and adaptation of video games, such as the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) in Germany, which follows its own rules, among those established by the European PEGI.
Therefore, in this first step, the video game must be analysed to be technically, linguistically and culturally adapted to be marketed in other countries.
What kind of content needs to be localized?
In general, the content to be localized will vary from multimedia text to interactive and non-linear content. For example, it could be related to the character dialogue, but without any real context or chronology as to when these lines will be displayed in the story.
In addition, you must internationalize your code. The architecture and the user interface of the game should be able to handle every target language. For example, does the game correctly display accents in French and in Spanish?
There will also be a certain number of functionality messages related to the system that the client uses. These compliance messages are extremely important for gaming studios and should be tested carefully.
There will also be a certain number of functionality messages related to the system that the client uses. These compliance messages are extremely important for gaming studios and should be tested carefully.
Carry out quality control
Most of the time, game translators do not have the full context of what they translate, for the sake of the confidentiality of the project as the content could change as the game develops.
Therefore, testing the integration of translated text into the game is one of the most important parts of the production process.
For example, the most common thing to go wrong when a proper control is not performed is translated texts exceeding the space available in the game for the name of an object or its prompts.
What are the challenges for localization?
For a long time fan of a franchise, there is nothing more upsetting than discovering that a favorite weapon or preferred attack style had its name changed from the previous opus. Consistency and precision prove that your franchise respects and takes its legacy as well as its fan base seriously.
Nowadays, some video games are ever-changing and expansive with content that evolves based on player feedback.
However, for most video games, the following elements will need to be localized during an international launch:
The text displayed on the screen in the game
For example, descriptions and menus that must be displayed “clearly” and be fully understood by the user.
Audio and Films
Subtitling and proper synchronization of all the dialogues in the game.
Manuals and boxes
While manuals are rarely printed these days, the majority are available in digital versions which need to be correctly localized. The same is true of the game cover, which will make players want to buy it. So if the cover is poorly translated, the buyer will think the game is, as well.
Other Contents
In general, this can range from legal documents to marketing-related documents.
Localize languages of the players
Perfect localization is all the more vital for the success of a game as each new game has the potential to become an overnight global and cultural phenomenon.
The most ambitious gaming companies aim to achieve this goal of creating high-stakes games that transcend the creative and technological limits of previous generations of games. The level of novelty and engagement required to find players and get them to spend money has become extraordinarily high. As a result, games must offer extraordinary new experiences, otherwise they will not be competitive.
In a globalized and instantly responsive community of players/critics via social media, it has never been more important to get quality localization right from the launch of a game into each target language. Industry insiders will recognize that the pressure of global exit times caused by the sim-ship model [1] makes this level of quality control a challenging task.
It is therefore up to the game publishers to call on the best localization and translation agencies possible to work on their localization projects and to make localization an absolute priority from the outset.Neglecting or deprioritizing localization can have serious consequences. A game with a great concept and great commercial potential can easily be become a a viral and ridiculous meme. Much like an elephant, the Internet never forgets. The stigma of bad localization and mediocre translation can be avoided if, and only if, we make it a priority.
Context is all that matters. Without a dedicated localization team working in close collaboration with the developpers, the narrative content of the product, gameplay and the general quality of gamers’ experiences. Commercial success depends on these factors and it is preferable to plan localization and to invest in it from the beginning.
Would you like to know more about how we can help you localize your games for international markets? Take a look at our Multimedia Translation page for more information about our services, or contact us today for a quote.
[1] The sim-ship (abbreviation of simultaneous-shipment) model allows to launch a game in several regions at the same time. Publishers are forced to release games simultaneously around the world as games have a short lifespan and are prone to being hacked. Most western games follow the sim-ship production method.
