Linguistic aspects of video game localization

The paper deals with the linguistic aspects of video game localization. The practical material for the study is the original and localized versions of the games Dishonored 2, Control, and Monster Hunter: Rise. The paper provides a brief overview of scientific research on localization. The analysis of existing studies gives grounds to speak about the relevance of investigating the linguistic aspect of video game localization, its specific features, and interrelation with other aspects of this process. Video game discourse as a multi-genre product, which includes all types of communicative influence, is considered in the paper as a kind of computer discourse based on a number of common features, previously distinguished in the literature. This discourse is creolized text consisting of visual and auditory components. The linguistic component of this discourse is presented in written and audio form. The paper indicates the main types of modern video games depending on the plot and the role of the gamer. A brief overview of the history of the term ‘localization’, which is currently interpreted as the process of adapting a product or content for a particular region or market, is presented. The authors examine the relationship between the concepts of ‘localization’ and ‘translation’ in the context of modern translation studies and translation practice. The paper provides a typology of video game localization levels and a description of its main models. The analysis of video game localization is carried out considering the three ‘blocks’ of localization that require work with linguistic aspects, namely translation: interface, in-game text, subtitles and dubbing. Linguistic and extralinguistic, primarily technical, factors were found to be the main factors complicating the translation process.