The video game industry is surely a big industry. There was a time when it wasn’t that huge and there were few games that ruled the industry. A bunch of developers like Atari were famous and arcade games were the custom of that time. Games consisted of immersive narratives, unique storylines, and humorous phrases. With the inculcation of game-changing authorities like a game translation services, video games gained new fame and perspective in the eyes of the audience. However, since the games were made for local audiences, the element of humor wasn’t understandable for foreign audiences. This is where game translation didn’t just work on the game mechanics of the game, but also translated the humor for the diverse audiences.
In this read, we are going to talk about humor in detail, its cultural nature, and how game translation works to make this humor not offensive to the global audiences. Because like businesses, games are also leading towards globalization, so why limit one’s creation with barriers like language, culture, and humor? So let’s get into this read and talk about it in detail.
Humor – A Cultural Factor
Humor has always been a cultural factor. One thing that might sound funny in one culture, can fall flat in the other one. Along with culture, context is also important for humor.
Especially when culture comes into focus, humor perception becomes different. For instance, the jokes of West and East are extremely different from each other. If your joke is about a person being dark-skinned in the East, it is offensive but not to a greater extent. But the same joke in the West is considered racism. So humor is only relevant when it coincides with your cultural values and beliefs and isn’t disrespectful.
Video Games and Humor Translation
Humor has been a part of games as it is a necessary element of storytelling. Even in real life, our stories are incomplete when they aren’t humor-tinted. The same is the case with games. For instance, in the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a character named Wisp is afraid of ghosts while he himself is a ghost. He sees ghosts and goes like “Nooooooooo, Ghosttttttttt”.
When the global aspect of games comes into focus, games and their different elements are translated for the audience. A game and software localization services looks forward to the adaptability of game mechanics and other graphical and technical features of gaming software as per the target audiences. But when it comes to humor, extreme attention becomes vital. Though all of the features are technical ones and require great expertise to translate them, humor has its own importance.
This is why humor is translated by professional game translators who have the know-how of both cultures, source and the target one, as well as are experienced in the fieldwork. This brings not only clarity but also professionalism in the translated game.
Cultural Adaptability
Video game translation makes sure that the game is completely adaptable to the culture of the target audiences so that they can fully indulge in the game. Sometimes, in order to make games relevant for the audience, developers remove the humorous elements from the game but that is not a long-term solution. This is why we exert pressure on the use of game translation that makes a foreign game culturally adaptable for the audience.
Real Life Examples
Grand Theft Auto (GTA)
GTA supports more than 11 languages, and even its humor is adapted for several markets. This is why this game franchise is a huge success which is going to launch its sixth part in 2025. The way this following dialogue is delivered is what makes it hilarious.
Gordon: “So you’re in, big guy? Or are we gonna have to kill ya?”
Niko Bellic: “Well, since you put it that way . . . I’m in.”
Spanish Translation
Gordon: “entonces, ¿te apuntas, muchachote? ¿o tenemos que matarte?”
Niko Bellic: “bueno, si vas a poner así . . . me apunto”
This is a successful example of game humor translation, which further made GTA a successful game in the global market.
Final Words!
To sum up, humor translation is the job of a native translator adept in both cultures and languages to make sure that the game becomes both linguistically and culturally correct. This enhances the demand for games in the global market and also allows gaming companies to generate huge amounts of revenue. When your game becomes culturally acceptable in a new market, it opens more doors of success for your gaming business.
