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ORCID
N/A
Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
thesis
Degree Program
Japanese
Degree Type
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Year Degree Awarded
2015
Month Degree Awarded
May
Abstract
This paper looks at the practice and history of video game translation, with the goal of expanding the definition of translation. Video game translation is a complex process that incorporates a number of aspects from other types of translation, such as literary, audiovisual, and software translation, to form a dynamic whole. As a new medium, video games also present their own challenges to translation in the form of interactivity, technology, non-textual and extra-textual elements, audience involvement, and new business practices. Even though video games are a relatively new medium, the practice of translating them has undergone drastic transformations over the years. A case study of the various official translations of Final Fantasy IV provides a brief overview of this development to help the reader get a complete understanding of the video game translation process. The paper concludes by arguing that the different sign systems present in video games are integral to the player’s understanding of the game, and should be considered as aspects that can be translated. Parallels are also drawn between the translation process and the medium of the video game, to show that different approaches to translation can provide the audience with a more holistic view of a work.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/6952280
First Advisor
Bruce P Baird
Second Advisor
Amanda C Seaman
Recommended Citation
Bushouse, Elizabeth, "The Practice and Evolution of Video Game Translation: Expanding the Definition of Translation" (2015). Masters Theses. 187.
https://doi.org/10.7275/6952280
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/187