Video Games as the new area in Translation Studies within the field of audiovisual translation

Abstract

In the area of translation new sub-disciplines emerge that need the attention of translators, experts and scholars. One of these areas is translation of video games that combines certain properties of audiovisual, literary and specialist types of translation. In order to have an insight into this recent and still developing branch of translation, it is of high importance to become acquainted with the history and evolution of video games, to analyse their specificity as well as requirements imposed by the discipline as well as determine the features and skills that the video games’ translator should possess, indicate translation strategies which are effective in the context of specific genres, and establish common terminology. The variety of methods and techniques applied in translating video games as well as a plethora of themes, issues and topics that can potentially pose difficulties in translation are best reflected in examples provided in the article. These examples embrace such video games as Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and Heavy Rain.