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- Volume 7, Issue 1-2, 2020
The Journal of Internationalization and Localization - Volume 7, Issue 1-2, 2020
Volume 7, Issue 1-2, 2020
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French-language COVID-19 terminology
Author(s): Lynne Bowkerpp.: 1–27 (27)More LessAbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic situation developed very quickly, driving an urgent and global need to communicate public health information that left relatively little time for traditional and formal language planning activities. This article investigates and compares French-language COVID-19-related terms appearing in linguistic resources developed in Canada and Europe to determine whether this terminology appears to be international or localized. Findings reveal that regional variation exists and that one contributing factor is that de-terminologization is being accelerated by the popular media. Another key factor leading to linguistic differences is the language situation (i.e., majority vs minority situation). Overall, while there is considerable overlap in the terminology used in the two resources, there are enough differences to warrant underlining the importance of localizing terminological content in a situation such as a pandemic in order to ensure that communication of critical information is as effective as possible.
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Localization and culturalization for a history-based game
Author(s): Hao Hsupp.: 28–48 (21)More LessAbstractReleased in 2017, the game Detention by the Taiwanese indie developer Red Candle Games gained great domestic success and made a name for itself among gamer communities worldwide. Providing an English-language localization upon its release, the 2D point-and-click horror game is set in the 1960s during Taiwan’s “White Terror” era. The story follows a ghost girl bound to the school she attended and unravels her tragic story. With such a specific temporal and spatial background, the game has a wide range of cultural references, potentially preventing non-Taiwanese players from being immersed in the game. This paper aims to examine industry practices within the theoretical framework of translation studies and understand, with the case of Detention, how culturalization operates at different levels. Through the lens of loss and gain, this paper also discusses how certain cultural connotations are lost in localization to retain the immersive game experience as an overall gain.
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Localizing Chinese games for Southeast Asian markets
Author(s): Zhiwei Wu and Zhuojia Chenpp.: 49–68 (20)More LessAbstractThis article explores how Chinese games are localized for Southeast Asia (SEA) markets. Based on the synthesized insights from practitioners and gamers, we identify gaps between localization in theory and in practice. The post-gold model is popular with Chinese game companies that usually do not consider localizing a game until it has attained domestic success. They tend to opt for full localization rather than “deep localization” (Bernal-Merino 2011) because adapting visuals and game mechanics is considered “icing on the cake”. Additionally, in our data, gamers seem to prefer foreignization over domestication, while practitioners combine both strategies to create a defamiliarizing gaming experience. Finally, the language diversity in SEA and the lingua franca status of English call for a nuanced understanding of locale. Hence, we suggest to differentiate three types of locales (presumed, practiced, and preferred) as a possible analytical framework to further theorize game localization from multiple perspectives of stakeholders.
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Decoding transcreation in corporate website localization into Arabic
Author(s): Madiha Kassawatpp.: 69–94 (26)More LessAbstractAs adaptation is often associated with localization, and with the promotion of transcreation as an extra service in the industry, there is a need to analyze how and to what extent transcreation is used in localization as a type of target-culture-focused translation. This paper looks into adaptation and analyzes transcreation as a translation strategy. It investigates online promotional texts localized into Arabic (for Saudi Arabia) as an under-researched language in website localization. The analysis follows a functionalist approach and examines 15 international corporate websites. The results illustrate components of transcreated texts and shed light on the use of different procedures to achieve the creative persuasive purpose.
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Neural machine translation and the evolution of the localisation sector
Author(s): Sharon O’Brien and Alessandra Rossettipp.: 95–121 (27)More LessAbstractThe localisation sector is highly technologized and evolves rapidly. Though significant consideration has been given to third-level training in localisation for Translation Studies students, the nature of the industry is such that this topic demands regular attention. Our objective was to survey employees and executive managers to understand what impact recent technological developments, including but not limited to neural machine translation (NMT), might have on future skills and training requirements for localisation linguists. Our findings are that linguists in localisation take up a variety of roles, including transcreation, data mining, and project and vendor management. NMT is considered an important advancement, and its introduction has emphasised the need for a critical use of technology, while opening new career pathways, such as data curation and annotation. Domain specialisation is recommended for those who translate, and transferable soft skills are more essential than ever. Increased industry and interdisciplinary collaborations in training are also considered valuable.
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Localization in the time of COVID-19
Author(s): Nicole Anichini and Deanna Nemethpp.: 122–129 (8)More Less
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Review of Drewer, Pulitano, Schmitz & Karsch (2020): Terminology Work: Best Practices 2.0
Author(s): Sue Ellen Wrightpp.: 130–137 (8)More LessThis article reviews Terminology Work: Best Practices 2.0
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