Video games as a new domain for translation research : from translating text to translating experience

Els videojocs han crescut fins a convertir-se en una indústria d'entreteniment global. Aquesta globalitat no s'hauria aconseguit sense els esforços de transferència lingüística que fan que els jocs, independentment de l'origen que tinguin, arribin als jugadors en la seva llengua i contextos culturals. Malgrat la importància crucial que té la traducció, el seu valor no es té en compte en els estudis sobre videojocs, ni tampoc en els estudis de la traducció. Posant un èmfasi especial en la multidimensionalitat i en la multimodalitat dels videojocs, aquest treball defensa que la recerca sobre videojocs des de la perspectiva dels estudis de la traducció no sols serà profitosa per a la indústria dels jocs sinó també per als mateixos estudis de traducció, atès que obre noves vies de recerca.Los videojuegos han crecido hasta convertirse en una industria de entretenimiento global. Esta globalidad no se hubiera conseguido sin los esfuerzos de transferencia lingüística que hacen que los juegos, independientemente del origen que tengan, lleguen a los jugadores en su lengua y contextos culturales. A pesar de la importancia crucial que tiene la traducción, su valor no se tiene en cuenta en los estudios sobre videojuegos, ni tampoco en los estudios de la traducción. Haciendo hincapié en la multidimensionalidad y en la multimodalidad de los videojuegos, este trabajo defiende que la investigación sobre videojuegos desde la perspectiva de los estudios de la traducción no solo será provechosa para la industria de los juegos sino también para los propios estudios de la traducción, puesto que abre nuevas vías de investigación.Video games have grown to form a global entertainment industry today. Their global status could not have been achieved without language transfer efforts that make games, irrespective of their origin, accessible to players in their own language and cultural contexts. Despite translation playing such a vital role, its significance is largely ignored in games studies, while video games remain underexplored in translation studies (TS). Focusing on the multidimensionality and multimodality of video games, this paper argues that the domain of video games as a target for research in TS can serve not only the games industry but also the TS discipline by opening up a number of new research avenues

Keeping an eye on the UI design of Translation Memory: How do translators use the 'concordance' feature?

Motivation – To investigate the usefulness of sub- segment matching (Concordance feature) in a Translation Memory interface and translators' attitudes to new UI developments around such matching. Research approach – An explorative work-in- progress using eye tracking for translation conducted by professional translators, followed by an opinion survey. Findings/Design – The results suggest that the Concordance window is useful for checking terminology and context, but there is some evidence that the translators do not wish to have this feature turned on constantly. Research limitations/Implications – This is an initial work-in-progress study with a limited number of participants. Quantitative and qualitative results are presented. Originality/Value – This is the first empirical research of its kind. Translators are rarely, if ever, consulted about the UI of the tools they have to use. Take away message - The potential productivity and quality gain from sub-segment matches in Translation Memory is not fully realised and may be enhanced with improved UI design derived from focused research on user experience. Keywords Translation technology, Translation Memory (TM), user interface, sub-segment matching, concordance, eye tracking, user experienc

Crazy Japanese subtitle? Shedding light on the impact of impact captions

This paper addresses intralingual captions called “impact captions” (Park 2009) that have become an integral part of entertainment TV programmes in parts of Asia. These captions are different from the mainstream intralingual captions designed for accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Aimed at enhancing the entertainment value of a programme for hearing viewers, impact captions are designed to draw the viewer’s attention to particular elements according to the TV producer’s perspective. Despite the prevalent and increasing use of such captions, however, they are created without formal guidelines at the discretion of TV producers. Focusing on these novel captions which fall outside the norms of TV captions elsewhere, this paper discusses their impact on viewers while exploring methodological issues in eye-tracking research. The initial experiment results show few fixations in the caption area; despite the participants declaring that they read the captions, viewers fixate far more on the middle region of the screen where faces are shown. The paper discusses the limitations and advantages of reception studies based on eye-tracking while contributing towards further refinement of empirically-oriented reception studies in audiovisual translation (AVT) research

Rethinking world language teacher education TPACK for integration of digital literacies in the classroom

Studies indicate that many language teachers have a tendency to view language as an abstract linguistic system and are, therefore, hesitant to acknowledge new dimensions of literacy and that learning a language in the digital age involves new communicative competencies including the ability to construct knowledge collaboratively and create and interpret texts that combine various resources made available by digital technologies. The main purpose of this thesis was to investigate the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of language teachers engaged in the digital literacy practice of producing a multimodal ensemble with machinima with a view to proposing an updated TPACK model for integration of digital literacies into language teacher education. To this end, language teachers participated in a course specifically designed to train them to make machinima videos as well as prompt them to reflect on the affordances of the tool and their transformative effect on the concepts of language and literacy. Findings show that while participating teachers express traditional views of literacy, they demonstrate profound knowledge of multimodal composition by collaboratively constructing complex mode relationships during the machinima production process. Findings also suggest that if digital literacies are seen as encompassing the ability to adapt affordances and constraints of digital technologies to particular circumstances, then, teachers possess digital literacies as they enact the affordances and overcome the constraints of digital technologies through synaesthesia, spontaneous improvising and coaction. This thesis proposes a reconceptualisation of the Content Knowledge domain to include ecological perspectives on language and language learning and teaching and a metalanguage that would enable teachers to discuss and explain the creation of various mode relationships enabled by digital tools. The TPACK model proposed in this thesis allows for the consideration of concepts such as multimodal meaning-making, synaesthesia and coaction which are deemed to be relevant to a discussion of digital literacies within language teacher education programmes

Contemporary global media circulation based on fan translation: a particular case of Thai fansubbing

This article argues that fan translation serves as a contemporary, alternative mechanism for the circulation of global media texts. By focusing on the fan subtitling practice in the case of Thai fansubbing of a Korean TV programme, we observe unique ways in which fans exploit semiotic resources to produce fansubs in relation to professional subtitling norms. For example, novel features of fansubs include the treatment of “impact captions” prevalent on Korean TV which are typically untranslated in official Thai translations as these captions are not common in Thailand. Using Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a framework, we analyse survey and interview data collected from Thai fansubbing communities of the Korean TV show Running Man ([Author] 2018). The data indicate the close interrelationship which seems to develop between fansubbers and “nontranslating” members of fan communities. The previously less recognised importance of such an inter-dependency points to the building of trust, especially epistemic trust, which underlies fansubbing practices. We thus argue that this modern alternative circulation mechanism for global media texts can be characterised by the particular way fans exploit semiotic resources and the way in which it is supported by epistemic trust within the fan community

Game localisation : unleashing imagination with 'restricted' translation

From its humble beginning in the 1970s, the video games industry has flourished and become a world-wide phenomenon. Although most games are developed in Japanese and English, the globalisation of popular culture and the desire to expand to new markets have led most producers to localise their games into many target language versions. This has brought about the emergence of a new field in translation, game localisation, which combines elements of audiovisual translation and software localisation. This paper looks at the specific features of game localisation which give it its unique nature. It examines the priorities and constraints associated with translation of this particular genre, which relies heavily on imagination and creativity to deliver a satisfactory game experience. Using as a case study the best-selling PlayStation series, Final Fantasy, examples are presented to illustrate the challenges game localisers face, focusing particularly on linguistic and cultural issues

The ‘hookability’ of multimodal impact captions A mixed-methods exploratory study

The use of captions has grown in recent years in both traditional and new media, particularly in terms of the diversity of style, content, and function. Impact captions have emerged as a popular form of captions for hearing viewers and contain rich multimodal information which is employed to capture viewer attention and enhance engagement, particularly in situations where there is competition for viewer attention. Drawing upon relevance theory, we argue how impact captions could effectively attract and hold visual attention owing to their balance between processing effort and contextual effects. This exploratory study employs a dual-task paradigm and uses authentic materials and viewing situations to further examine the ability of multimodal impact captions to attract and retain overt visual attention amongst a small sample of TV viewers. Our results provide novel insight into the apparent highly individualised efficacy of impact captions, where we identify several variables of interest in participants’ viewing behaviours. We conclude with a discussion of the study’s contributions, limitations, and an outline for future work

Video games as a new domain for translation research : from translating text to translating experience

Els videojocs han crescut fins a convertir-se en una indústria d'entreteniment global. Aquesta globalitat no s'hauria aconseguit sense els esforços de transferència lingüística que fan que els jocs, independentment de l'origen que tinguin, arribin als jugadors en la seva llengua i contextos culturals. Malgrat la importància crucial que té la traducció, el seu valor no es té en compte en els estudis sobre videojocs, ni tampoc en els estudis de la traducció. Posant un èmfasi especial en la multidimensionalitat i en la multimodalitat dels videojocs, aquest treball defensa que la recerca sobre videojocs des de la perspectiva dels estudis de la traducció no sols serà profitosa per a la indústria dels jocs sinó també per als mateixos estudis de traducció, atès que obre noves vies de recerca.Los videojuegos han crecido hasta convertirse en una industria de entretenimiento global. Esta globalidad no se hubiera conseguido sin los esfuerzos de transferencia lingüística que hacen que los juegos, independientemente del origen que tengan, lleguen a los jugadores en su lengua y contextos culturales. A pesar de la importancia crucial que tiene la traducción, su valor no se tiene en cuenta en los estudios sobre videojuegos, ni tampoco en los estudios de la traducción. Haciendo hincapié en la multidimensionalidad y en la multimodalidad de los videojuegos, este trabajo defiende que la investigación sobre videojuegos desde la perspectiva de los estudios de la traducción no solo será provechosa para la industria de los juegos sino también para los propios estudios de la traducción, puesto que abre nuevas vías de investigación.Video games have grown to form a global entertainment industry today. Their global status could not have been achieved without language transfer efforts that make games, irrespective of their origin, accessible to players in their own language and cultural contexts. Despite translation playing such a vital role, its significance is largely ignored in games studies, while video games remain underexplored in translation studies (TS). Focusing on the multidimensionality and multimodality of video games, this paper argues that the domain of video games as a target for research in TS can serve not only the games industry but also the TS discipline by opening up a number of new research avenues