Culture Specific Items in Chinese to English Video Game Translation

Culture Specific Items in Chinese to English Video Game Translation aims to investigate the Chinese to English translation of culture-specific items (CSIs) in the localisation of a wuxia role-playing game (RPG). This monograph provides groundbreaking insight into authentic practice and analyses a case study with theories from both translation studies and sociology to address questions such as how linguists translate CSIs, why they use certain approaches, and what is revealed when both the translation behaviour and the reasons underpinning their practice are considered in context. This book will be primarily of interest to scholars in the fields of translation studies, localisation, video game translation, and Chinese to English translation. It will also be of interest to a wider range of scholars interested in China, video games, and the application of social theory.

Dariush Robertson, PhD, is a lecturer in Translation Technology at Newcastle University, UK. He previously worked in the localisation industry for a decade, and now, he leads two modules in localisation, one in Chinese to English translation, and covers the Chinese to English component of video game translation and audio-visual translation (AVT).

List of Tables xi List of Figures xiv List of Abbreviations xv Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Video Game Industry and Academic Interest 1.2 Barriers of Industry and Academia 1.3 The Rise of Chinese Video Game Localisation 1.4 Aims of the Monograph 1.5 Structure Chapter 2. Cultural Specificity in Chinese Video Games: Concepts, and Theory 2.1 Bringing Cultural Specificity to TMIES 2.2 CSIs in Chinese Video Games 2.3 The theoretical underpinning of TMIES 2.4 Summary Chapter 3. Parameters of the Case Study: Adhering to Industry Practice 3.1 Overview of the Case Study 3.2 Preliminary Stage: Creation of a Generalisable Wuxia RPG Source Text 3.3 Main Stage: Management of Case Study and Collection of Data Chapter 4. Strategies and Approaches Used to Translate CSIs 4.1 Framework of Strategies and Approaches used in the Translation of CSIs 4.2 Analysis of Translation Behaviour 4.3 Analysis of Approaches Used in Relation to Individual Categories of CSIs 4.4 Summary of Links Between Categories of CSIs and Cultural Approaches Chapter 5. The Socio-cultural reasoning behind the Translation of CSIs 5.1 Socio-Cultural Reasoning Driving the Translation of the CSIs 5.2 Overview of Socio-Cultural Reasoning 5.3 Analysis of Socio-Cultural Reasoning in Relation to the Categories of CSIs 5.4 Summary of Categories of Socio-cultural Reasoning Chapter 6. Socio-Cultural Reasoning: A Tale of Transmediality and Interactivity 6.1 Socio-cultural Reasoning That Leads to Stronger Source Culture Adequate Translation Approaches 6.2 Socio-cultural Reasoning That Leads to Stronger Target Culture Acceptable Translation Approaches 6.3 Socio-cultural Reasoning That Leads to Stronger Source and Target Culture Mixed Translation Approaches 6.4 Theoretical Implications for TMIES: Cultural Opacity and Windows of Interaction Chapter 7. Conclusion s and Beyond 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Contributions 7.3 Future Research 7.4 Culture Specific Items in Chinese to English Video Game Translation: A Summary Appendix A: Localisation Kit and Annotated ST Appendix B: Steps and Procedures Involved in the Localisation Project Appendix C: Sample Translation Appendix D: Full List of Keywords Belonging to the Subcategories References Gameography Playthroughs of Wuxia RPGs Filmography