{"id":1510,"date":"2022-03-12T17:31:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T17:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wabbit-translations.com\/?p=1510"},"modified":"2022-03-12T17:31:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T17:31:44","slug":"videogame-localization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wabbit-translations.com\/en\/videogame-localization\/","title":{"rendered":"Videogame localization: what is it and what does it consist of?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

No kidding around \u2013 who doesn’t like videogames<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how long you spend exploring open-world sandboxes, racing sports cars or matching coloured fruit, it is always nice to switch off and get away from the real world by diving into a virtual one. And in the era where technology reigns supreme, it is practically impossible not to find a videogame<\/strong> to suit your taste, and which has been translated into your language<\/strong> \u2013 although obviously this is less of an issue for us English speakers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here at Wabbit we have made it our mission, dedicating ourselves to the translation and localization of computer and video games from English and the other major European languages into Italian. Over the last few years, we have managed all product types<\/strong>, from AAA <\/strong>games to mobile games<\/strong>, taking in RPGs <\/strong>and racing games<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what precisely does videogame translation \u2013 or better, localization<\/strong> \u2013 mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translation<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Translation<\/strong> is a process through which a language product is transposed from a destination language to a target language, with the goal of trying to best preserve the meaning in order to create an equivalent text<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not mean creating an identical product by using the same words in other languages, but rather relating it in another language and providing the users of the translated product with the same message<\/strong> which the users of the original product received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, it is more appropriate to translate the English expression break a leg<\/em> with its Italian equivalent in bocca al lupo<\/em> \u2013 literally, in the mouth of the wolf \u2013 rather than translate the English literally, which would sound equally strange to Italians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a good translation<\/strong>, it is important to read a lot to be thoroughly familiar both with the linguistics and the culture<\/strong> of the destination language \u2013 the latter being particularly important for localization<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is localization?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As the name implies, localization<\/strong> (or l10n<\/em>, where 10 represents the number of characters between the two letters) is the process of translating a product for a specific locale, thus adapting the product to the conventions of the target language and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main difference between translation and localization<\/strong>, therefore, is that in localization the meaning you are trying to convey through translation is reworked and adapted to a specific cultural and linguistic environment \u2013 the destination one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scope of localization<\/strong> is therefore commercial<\/strong> in nature, as the product in question must be adapted to the requirements of the destination market in order to also be sold in places other than those for which it was created. Above all in today’s globalised world, this implies a large variety of<\/strong> products to be localized<\/strong>: web sites and pages, software, instruction manuals, online guides, mobile applications, marketing copy, videogames, films, TV series and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given this variety, different tricks and strategies are used for each localization process, always keeping in mind not only the client\u2019s guidelines<\/strong>, but also the requirements of the product\u2019s end users<\/strong>. There are some recurring<\/strong> elements requiring localization<\/strong>, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n