1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Translation Spaces
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Linguistic issues in the localization of English video games into Arabic
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

The global growth of the video game market demands high-quality Arabic localization, yet the process faces major linguistic, cultural, and technical challenges. This study examines the difficulties encountered when localizing popular English-language video games into Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and, occasionally, Arabic dialects. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the study analyzes a corpus from diverse commercial games, focusing on user interfaces, subtitles, and in-game texts. Drawing on translation studies, localization theory, and contrastive linguistics, the paper identifies issues such as terminological inconsistency, structural differences (e.g., word order), orthographic problems (e.g., disconnected letters), lexical-semantic challenges (e.g., collocation accuracy), and cultural adaptation. Arabic examples with transliteration illustrate how these obstacles affect naturalness and clarity. The findings emphasize how linguistic typology, cultural factors, technical constraints (e.g., limited UI space), and workflows (e.g., blind localization) intersect. The study calls for greater linguistic expertise, cultural awareness, and improved industry practices to enhance Arabic game localization quality.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ts.25045.she
2025-11-24
2025-12-04

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/ts.25045.she
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Al-Batineh, Mohammed
    2021 “Issues in Arabic Video Game Localization: A Descriptive Study.” Translation and Interpreting: The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research (): –. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.023546408106683
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Al-Batineh, Mohammed, and Razan Alawneh
    2021 “Current Trends in Localizing Video Games into Arabic: Localization Levels and Gamers’ Preferences.” Perspectives (): –. 10.1080/0907676X.2021.1926520
     https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1926520 [Google Scholar]
  3. Al-Batineh, Mohammed, Khadija Alzaabi, Amna Alnaqbi, Maitha Aldhaheri, and Shamma Alhassani
    2025 “Evolution of Arabic Video Game Localization: A Case Study of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Series.” Digital Translation (): –. 10.1075/dt.24013.alb
     https://doi.org/10.1075/dt.24013.alb [Google Scholar]
  4. Baker, Mona
    2018 Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account. Routledge. 10.4324/9780429438240
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429438240 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bernal-Merino, Miguel Á.
    2006 “On the Translation of Video Games.” The Journal of Specialised Translation: –. 10.26034/cm.jostrans.2006.736
     https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.jostrans.2006.736 [Google Scholar]
  6. 2011 “A Brief History of Game Localization.” Trans: Revista de Traductología: –. 10.24310/TRANS.2011.v0i15.3191
     https://doi.org/10.24310/TRANS.2011.v0i15.3191 [Google Scholar]
  7. 2014 Translation and Localisation in Video Games: Making Entertainment Software Global. Routledge. 10.4324/9781315752334
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315752334 [Google Scholar]
  8. Call of Duty Wiki
    Call of Duty Wiki 2019 Simon “Ghost” Riley (Reboot). Fandom. AccessedFebruary 26, 2025. https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Simon_%22Ghost%22_Riley_(Reboot)
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Chandler, Heather Maxwell, and Stephanie O’Malley Deming
    2011 The Game Localization Handbook. Jones and Bartlett Learning.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Chaume, Frederic
    2018 “An Overview of Audiovisual Translation: Four Methodological Turns in a Mature Discipline.” Journal of Audiovisual Translation (): –. 10.47476/jat.v1i1.43
     https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v1i1.43 [Google Scholar]
  11. Chiaro, Delia, and Gabriella De Bonis
    2020 “Multilingualism and Translation on Screen.” InThe Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility, edited byŁukasz Bogucki and Mikołaj Deckert, Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1007/978‑3‑030‑42105‑2_33
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42105-2_33 [Google Scholar]
  12. Chuang, Jiayuan
    2025 “A Study on Translation Strategies for Localization of Chinese Elements in Black Myth: Wukong Based on Cultural Adaptation Theory.” International Linguistics Research (): –. 10.30560/ilr.v8n2p10
     https://doi.org/10.30560/ilr.v8n2p10 [Google Scholar]
  13. Dickins, James, Sandor Hervey, and Ian Higgins
    2016 Thinking Arabic Translation: A Course in Translation Method: Arabic to English, 2nd ed.Routledge. 10.4324/9781315471570
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315471570 [Google Scholar]
  14. Dietz, Frank
    2006 “Issues in Localizing Computer Games.” InPerspectives on Localization, edited byKeiran J. Dunne, –. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/ata.xiii.10die
     https://doi.org/10.1075/ata.xiii.10die [Google Scholar]
  15. Esselink, Bert, and Arjen-Sjoerd Vries
    2000 A Practical Guide to Localization. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/liwd.4
     https://doi.org/10.1075/liwd.4 [Google Scholar]
  16. Farghal, Mohammed, and Abdullah, Shunnaq
    1999 Translation with Reference to English and Arabic: A Practical Guide. Dar Al-Hilal for Translation.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Fouladi, Parisa, and Mohammad Reza Hashemi
    2025 “Cultural Adaptation in Dubbing of Video Games: The Case of Taboo Items in Persian.” Media and Intercultural Communication: A Multidisciplinary Journal (): –. 10.22034/mic.2024.487286.1027
     https://doi.org/10.22034/mic.2024.487286.1027 [Google Scholar]
  18. Fry, Deborah
    2003 The Localization Industry Primer. Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA).
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Hasegawa, Tatsuya, Takeru Ito, Ryu Kawano, Koichi Kibata, and Ken Nonomura
    2012 “The Japanese Gaming Cluster.” Harvard Business School, Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. [Student Project Paper].
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Hatim, Basil
    2014 Teaching and Researching Translation. Routledge. 10.4324/9781315832906
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315832906 [Google Scholar]
  21. Hatim, Basil, and Jeremy Munday
    2004 Translation: An Advanced Resource Book. Routledge. 10.4324/9780203501887
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203501887 [Google Scholar]
  22. Holes, Clive
    2004 Modern Arabic: Structures, Functions, and Varieties. Georgetown University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Jarrah, Shatha, Ahmad S. Haider, and Saleh Al-Salman
    2023 “Strategies of Localizing Video Games into Arabic: A Case Study of PUBG and Free Fire.” Open Cultural Studies (): . 10.1515/culture‑2022‑0179
     https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2022-0179 [Google Scholar]
  24. Jin, Ye
    2025 “Localization in Translation. Miguel A. Jiménez-Crespo.” Digital Scholarship in the Humanities (): –. 10.1093/llc/fqae086
     https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqae086 [Google Scholar]
  25. Jooyaeian, Ehsan, and Masood Khoshsaligheh
    2022 “Translation Solutions in Professional Video Game Localization in Iran.” Games and Culture (): –. 10.1177/15554120221077726
     https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120221077726 [Google Scholar]
  26. Khuddro, Ahmad
    2019 Linguistic Issues and Quality Assessment of English-Arabic Audiovisual Translation. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Khoshsaligheh, Masood, Amir Arsalan Zoraqi, and Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh
    2025 “Localization in Translation.” Translation and Interpreting (). 10.12807/ti.117201.2025.r01
     https://doi.org/10.12807/ti.117201.2025.r01 [Google Scholar]
  28. Kohler, Chris
    2016 Power-up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life. Courier Dover Publications.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Mangiron, Carme, and Minako O’Hagan
    2006 “Video Game Localisation: Unleashing Imagination with Restricted Translation.” The Journal of Specialised Translation: –.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Mangiron, Carme
    2020 “Game Localization: Models and Process.” ATA 61 Annual Conference. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. AccessedMarch 14, 2025. https://www.ata-divisions.org/AVD/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Mangiron_Carme_072_GLOC-models.pdf
     [Google Scholar]
  31. 2021 “Found in Translation: Evolving Approaches for the Localization of Japanese Video Games.” Arts (): . 10.3390/arts10010009
     https://doi.org/10.3390/arts10010009 [Google Scholar]
  32. Mangiron, Carmen, Minako O’Hagan, and Pilar Orero
    2014 Fun for All: Translation and Accessibility Practices in Video Games. Peter Lang. 10.3726/978‑3‑0351‑0667‑1
     https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-0351-0667-1 [Google Scholar]
  33. Montón, D. Diana
    2024 “Video Game Localizers.” InHandbook of the Language Industry: Contexts, Resources and Profiles, edited byGarry Massy, Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow, and Erik Angelone, –. Walter De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110716047‑011
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110716047-011 [Google Scholar]
  34. Moya, Ricardo Alejandro Salinas, and Aurora Guadalupe Martínez Cantú
    2024 “Towards The Development of Video Game Localization Skills in Translation Teaching.” InLiteracidad, discurso y traducción, edited byManuel Santiago Herrera Martínez, and María Eugenia Flores Treviño, –. Editorial Fontamara S. A. de C. V.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Newmark, P.
    1981 Approaches to translation. Pergamon Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Nida, E. A.
    1964 Toward a Science of Translating. Brill. 10.1163/9789004495746
     https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004495746 [Google Scholar]
  37. O’Hagan, Minako, and Carmen, Mangiron
    2013 Game Localization: Translating for the Global Digital Entertainment Industry. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/btl.106
     https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.106 [Google Scholar]
  38. Oktaviana, Bunga Sully, and Mazroatul Ishlahiyah
    2024 “Translation Solutions of Game Localization: Exclamative Utterances in The Genshin Impact Video Game.” Journal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Undiksha (): –. 10.23887/jpbi.v12i2.80245
     https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v12i2.80245 [Google Scholar]
  39. Onar, Begüm Ceren, and Güven Çatak
    2022 “Translation and Localization of Video Games: An Analysis of Uncharted 4 in Turkish.” Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences: –. 10.26650/CONNECTIST2022‑997543
     https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2022-997543 [Google Scholar]
  40. Pirrone, Marco
    2025 Video Game and Application Software Localization: Case Study Analysis of Socio-Technical and Linguistic Aspects Towards New Professional Profiles and Educational Pathways. AccessedMarch 27, 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14242/196305
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Pirrone, Marco, and Arianna D’Ulizia
    2024 “The Localization of Software and Video Games: Current State and Future Perspectives.” Information (): . 10.3390/info15100648
     https://doi.org/10.3390/info15100648 [Google Scholar]
  42. Ryding, Karin. C.
    2005 A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511486975
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486975 [Google Scholar]
  43. Al-Jarf, Rima S.
    2007 “SVO Word Order Errors in English-Arabic Translation.” Meta (): –. 10.7202/016072ar
     https://doi.org/10.7202/016072ar [Google Scholar]
  44. Thawabteh, Mohammad
    2013 “The Intricacies of Translation Memory Tools: With Particular Reference to Arabic-English Translation.” The International Journal of Localisation (): –.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Toftedahl, Marcus
    2025 “Towards a Deeper Understanding of Localization as a Game Development Process: Game Studio Studies in Sweden and China.” Entertainment Computing: . 10.1016/j.entcom.2025.100944
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2025.100944 [Google Scholar]
  46. Touiserkani, Farkhondeh
    2024 “Adaptation Strategies in Video Game Localization: A Case Study of Civilization.” Translation and Interpreting Research (): –. 10.22054/tir.2024.77419.1017
     https://doi.org/10.22054/tir.2024.77419.1017 [Google Scholar]
  47. Van Ettinger, S.
    2015 Translating Video Games: The Localization of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Masters thesis, Utrecht University. https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/19419
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Wang, Ye
    2025 “A Study on Game Localization Translation from the Perspective of Communicative Translation Theory: A Case Study of Black Myth: Wukong.” Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies (): –. 10.56397/JLCS.2025.04.07
     https://doi.org/10.56397/JLCS.2025.04.07 [Google Scholar]
  49. Yin, Robert
    2018 Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, 6th ed.SAGE Publications.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Zanchetta, Nicolo
    2023 The Increasing Importance of Localisation in the Videogame Industry: A Translation of “The Game Localization Handbook”. Masters thesis. Ca’Foscari University of Venice. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14247/5242
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Zghoul, M. R.
    (2001) Translating technical terminology from English into Arabic: A contrastive study. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Zoraqi, Amir Arsalan, and Movahede Sadat Mousavi
    2024 “The Cultural Localization of Video Games in Iran.” Translation Spaces (): –. 10.1075/ts.23011.zor
     https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.23011.zor [Google Scholar]
  53. CyberConnect2
    CyberConnect2. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Bandai Namco Entertainment 2016 https://store.steampowered.com/app/349040/NARUTO_SHIPPUDEN_Ultimate_Ninja_STORM_4/
     [Google Scholar]
  54. DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment)
    DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment). Battlefield. Electronic Arts 2016 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1238840/Battlefield_1/
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Eidos-Montréal
    Eidos-Montréal. Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix 2018 https://store.steampowered.com/app/750920/Shadow_of_the_Tomb_Raider/
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Infinity Ward
    Infinity Ward. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Activision 2019 https://www.callofduty.com/br/pt/modernwarfare
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Naughty Dog
    Naughty Dog. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Sony Computer Entertainment 2011 https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/uncharted-3-drakes-deception/
     [Google Scholar]
  58. PUBG Studios
    PUBG Studios. PUBG: Battlegrounds. Krafton 2017 https://www.pubg.com/
     [Google Scholar]
  59. Quantic Dream
    Quantic Dream. Detroit: Become Human. Sony Interactive Entertainment 2018 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222140/Detroit_Become_Human/
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Santa Monica Studio
    Santa Monica Studio. God of War Ragnarök. Sony Interactive Entertainment 2022 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2322010/God_of_War_Ragnark/
     [Google Scholar]
  61. Techland
    Techland. Dying Light 2: Stay Human. Techland 2022 https://store.steampowered.com/app/534380/Dying_Light_2_Stay_Human_Reloaded_Edition/
     [Google Scholar]
  62. Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment
    Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO). Valve 2012 https://www.counter-strike.net/
     [Google Scholar]
  63. Telltale Games
    Telltale Games. Batman: The Enemy Within. Telltale Games 2017 https://store.steampowered.com/app/675260/Batman_The_Enemy_Within__The_Telltale_Series/
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/ts.25045.she
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: localization quality ; video game localization ; Arabic translation

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