Games are growing bigger with each passing day. Just like movies they are now released to the masses with much fanfare, accompanied by trailers, launch parties, game expos and then you have the various awards given to notable games every year.
The popularity of various video games is not restricted by the borders of any country or language. They are marketed across all such differences. So finding American video games in Japan and vice versa is more of a rule than an exception.
What follows naturally is the requirement for video game translation. In fact the requirements go beyond plain translation. Video games need to be localized according to the preferences of the market they are intended to be sold in.
One aspect of localization includes changing the packaging of video games to reflect the visual preferences of the local market. So if you check out the packaging of a particular video game sold in America, and the same as it is sold in Japan, you will find them noticeably different. Where Americans prefer packaging which is to the point, the Japanese like it to be artistic and moody.
And as I mentioned above, packaging is just one aspect of video game translation. There are many other requirements, hence it’s very important to get video games translated from professional translation providers.
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One Comment
Localization goes so much further than simple translation… packaging is only a part of it. Sounds effect, graphical elements and cultural references to adapt, re-writing of texts to match the target culture…