1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. The Journal of Internationalization and Localization
  4. Volume 4, Issue 2
  5. Article
Volume 4, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2032-6904
  • E-ISSN: 2032-6912
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Using the Twitter hashtag #TorrentialDownpour, a vocal group of disgruntled, English-speaking gamers launched an attack in early 2016 protesting the localization changes made to the game . While dismissible as the latest “toxic technoculture” ( Massanari 2015 ), the #TorrentialDownpour campaign’s claims are not unfounded; there are links between localization and censorship, in that both practices adapt texts moving between markets and cultures. This article draws from translation theory and observations of localization practice to problematize #TorrentialDownpour’s claims, and in the process address some of the most prevalent fallacies involving game localization: localization is not censorship; there is no better version; and one person is not ruining gamers’ fun.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/jial.00002.man
2018-01-26
2023-12-10

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/jial.00002.man
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
    American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). AccessedJanuary 17. https://www.aclu.org/other/what-censorship
  2. Apter, Emily S.
    2006  The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature , Translation/Transnation. Princeton: Princeton University Press. doi: 10.1515/9781400841219
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400841219 [Google Scholar]
  3. Bermann, Sandra , and Michael Wood
    2005  Nation, language, and the ethics of translation , Translation/transnation. Princeton: Princeton University Press. doi: 10.1515/9781400826681
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400826681 [Google Scholar]
  4. Bernal-Merino, Miguel Á.
    2015 Translation and Localisation in Video Games: Making Entertainment Software Global. Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bonds, Curtis
    2016 “Fire Emblem: Fates Changes Controversial Support Conversation in Western Regions.” NintendoWorldReport. January20. AccessedJanuary 17, 2017. www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/41814/fire-emblem-fates-changes-controversial-support-conversation-in-western-regions
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Bray, Josh
    2016 “Fire Emblem Fates Poor Localization Points To Growing Issues.” Super Nerdland.com. February22. AccessedDecember 29, 2016. https://supernerdland.com/fire-emblem-fates-poor-localization-systemic-of-growing-issues/
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Chandler, Heather Maxwell
    2009 The Game Production Handbook. 2nd ed.Hingham: Infinity Science Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Chandler, Heather Maxwell , and Stephanie O’Malley Deming
    2011 The Game Localization Handbook. 2nd ed.Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Chess, Shira and Adrienne Shaw
    2015 “A Conspiracy of Fishes, or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying About #GamerGate and Embrace Hegemonic Masculinity.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59:1: pp.208–220. doi: 10.1080/08838151.2014.999917
     https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2014.999917 [Google Scholar]
  10. Consalvo, Mia
    2016 Atari to Zelda: Japan’s Videogames in Global Contexts. Cambridge: MIT Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Dryden, John
    2004 [1680] “From the Preface to Ovid’s Epistles.” InThe Translation Studies Reader, edited by L. Venuti . New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Esselink, Bert
    2000 A Practical Guide to Localization. Rev ed.Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Pub. Co. doi: 10.1075/liwd.4
     https://doi.org/10.1075/liwd.4 [Google Scholar]
  13. Fox, Michael-Christopher Koji
    2013 Personal Interview. Tokyo, January10.
  14. Gagne, Ken
    2013 “Operation Rainfall: How a Fan Campaign Brought Nintendo to its Knees.” PCWorld.com. March4. AccessedApril 30, 2017. www.pcworld.com/article/2028905/operation-rainfall-how-a-fan-campaign-brought-nintendo-to-its-knees.html
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Gigabit
    Gigabit 2016 “#ChallengeourFates.” Thunderclap. https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/37778-challengeourfates?locale=en
     [Google Scholar]
  16. GIGABIT5000
    GIGABIT5000 2016 “#ChallengeourFates.” Pastebin. February15. pastebin.com/QCCcGJZ5
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Grayson, Nathan
    2016 “Nintendo Removes Controversial Scene from English Version of Fire Emblem Fates.” Kotaku.com. January21. AccessedApril 19, 2017. kotaku.com/nintendo-removes-controversial-scene-from-english-versi-1754349779
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Hasegawa, Ryoichi
    2009 “Geemu Rokaraizu no Rekishi to Kore Kara [Game Localization’s History and Future].” InThe Study Report on Advanced Technology Applications for Developing Digital Content. Tokyo, Japan: pp: 121–132.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Huntemann, Nina
    2013 “Introduction: Feminist Discourses in Games/Game Studies.” Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology, No.2.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. immahnoob
    immahnoob 2016a “Reminder that Nich Maragos has 3 conflicts of interest.” Twitter. February24. AccessedJanuary 16, 2017. https://twitter.com/immahnoob/status/702705974143021056.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. immahnoob
    immahnoob 2016b “ Fire Emblem Fates – Treehouse ‘lolcalization.’” Imgur.com. June21. AccessedJanuary 1, 2017. imgur.com/gallery/X2w49
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Jenkins, Henry
    1992 Textual Poachers: Television Fans & Participatory Culture. New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. 2006 Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Judd, Ben
    2013 Personal Interview. Osaka, April26.
  25. Kain, Erik
    2014 “GamerGate: A Closer Look At The Controversy Sweeping Video Games.” Forbes, September4. AccessedJanuary 13, 2015. www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/09/04/gamergate-a-closer-look-at-the-controversy-sweeping-video-games/
     [Google Scholar]
  26. 2016 “’Fire Emblem Fates’ And the Curious Case Of Localization Gone Terribly Wrong.” Forbes, February29. AccessedJanuary 13, 2015. www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2016/02/29/fire-emblem-fates-and-the-curious-case-of-localization-gone-terribly-wrong/
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Kennedy, Chris M.
    2013 Personal Interview. Tokyo, March7.
  28. Klepek, Patrick
    2015 “From Japan, With Changes: The Endless Debate over Video Game ‘Censorship’.” Kotaku.com. December14. AccessedNovember 19, 2016. kotaku.com/from-japan-with-changes-the-endless-debate-over-video-1747960323
     [Google Scholar]
  29. 2016a “The Fight Over The Best Way to Translate Fire Emblem Fates.” Kotaku.com. February24. AccessedJanuary 18, 2017. kotaku.com/the-fight-over-the-best-way-to-translate-fire-emblem-fa-1761106038
     [Google Scholar]
  30. 2016b “The Ugly New Front in the Neverending Video Game Culture War.” Kotaku.com. March4. AccessedJanuary 10, 2017. kotaku.com/the-ugly-new-front-in-the-neverending-video-game-cultur-1762942381
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Mandiberg, Stephen
    2014 “Games, Localization, and Diaspora.” InFun for All: Translation and Accessibility Practices in Video Games, edited by C. Mangiron , P. Orero and M. O’Hagan . Bern: Peter Lang: pp.217–241.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. 2015 “Responsible Localization: Game Translation Between Japan and the United States.” PhD Dissertation, University of California, San Diego.
  33. Mandiberg
    Mandiberg. Forthcoming. “Video Games Have Never Been Global: Histories of Video Game Localization.” Game History and the Local: An Anthology edited by M. Swalwell .
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Mangiron, Carmen , and Minako O’Hagan
    2006 “Game Localization: Unleashing Imagination with ‘Restricted’ Translation.” Journal of Specialized Translation (6):10–21.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Massanari, Adrienne
    2015 “#Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s Algorithm, Governance, and Culture Support Toxic Technocultures.” New Media & Society, first published online onOctober9.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Mattar, Yasser
    2008 “Perceptions and (re)presentations of familiarity and foreignness: The cultural politics of translation in the subtitling of Japanese animation by fans.” LeisureVol.32, Issue2. doi: 10.1080/14927713.2008.9651414
     https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2008.9651414 [Google Scholar]
  37. Mukherjee, Roopali , and Sarah Banet-Weiser
    (eds) 2012 Commodity Activism: Cultural Resistance in Neoliberal Times. New York: New York University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Nietzsche, Friedrich
    2004 [1882] “Translations.” InThe Translation Studies Reader, edited by L. Venuti . New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Nornes, Abé Mark
    2007 Cinema Babel: Translating Global Cinema. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. O’Donnell, Casey
    2014 Developer’s Dilemma: The Secret World of Videogame Creators. Cambridge: MIT Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. O’Hagan, Minako , and Carmen Mangiron
    2013 Game Localization: Translating for the Global Digital Entertainment Industry. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Pub. Co. doi: 10.1075/btl.106
     https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.106 [Google Scholar]
  42. Ricciardi, John
    2013 Personal Interview. Tokyo, January9.
  43. Ritsu, Andrea
    2015 “A New Degree of Homophobia Found in Fire Emblem Fates.” Tumblr.com. July2. AccessedJanuary 16througharchive.is/UTRyI.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Sarkeesian, Anita
    2015 “8 Things Devs Can Do To Make Games Less Shitty For Women” NYU Game Center Lecture Series, February5.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Schleiermacher, Friedrich
    2004 [1813] “On the Different Methods of Translating.” InThe Translation Studies Reader, edited by L. Venuti . New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. SilentNoMore
    SilentNoMore 2016 “Why I Participated in Torrential Downpour and My Concerns About Fire Emblem Fates, Localisations and Censorship.” Medium.com. February25. AccessedJanuary 18. https://medium.com/@Sirixu/why-i-participated-in-torrential-downpour-and-my-concerns-about-fire-emblem-fates-localisations-4e2b28647e7e#.j5y73nrby
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Smith, Alexander O.
    2012 Personal Interview. Tokyo, November8.
  48. Suolahti, Jaakko
    1963 The Roman Censors: A Study on Social Structure. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Steiner, George
    1998 After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. 3rd ed.Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Torikai, Kumiko
    2009 Voices of the invisible presence: diplomatic interpreters in post-World War II Japan. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Pub doi: 10.1075/btl.83
     https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.83 [Google Scholar]
  51. Venuti, Lawrence
    1998 The Scandals of Translation: Towards an Ethics of Difference. London; New York: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203269701
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203269701 [Google Scholar]
  52. 2008 The Translator’s Invisibility: A history of translation. 2nd ed.New York: Routledge
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1075/jial.00002.man
Loading
Fallacies of game localization
The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 4, 162 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1075/jial.00002.man
/content/journals/10.1075/jial.00002.man
/content/journals/10.1075/jial.00002.man
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): censorship; Fire Emblem Fates; localization; Twitter; video games

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error