Studia Translatorica

Even though creativity is undoubtedly the most crucial skill of video game localizers, game-specific texts display a remarkable variety and can be arranged on a continuum from the most standard to the most creative. With this in mind, three in-game text categories which undergo localization are postulated: the game world, the game mechanics and the game interface. The external game-related texts which accompany a given game, in turn, are divided into: marketing texts, informational texts and legal texts. These textual categories call for different translation approaches as part of the game localization process: creative, standard or mixed. Moreover, a distinction is made between creative and standard style as well as creative and standard terminology. Creative style is varied and original, whereas standard style is conventional and based on industry standards. Creative terminology contains unique game-specific terms, while standard terminology covers general gaming, platform and genre-related terms. The creative approach incorporates creative style and mostly creative terminology. The standard approach, understandably, encompasses standard style and mostly standard terminology. Last but not least, the mixed approach covers all possible combinations of creative and standard elements. The postulated classification of texts and corresponding approaches are directly linked to prospective game localizers’ competencies and provide abasis for the proposed academic curriculum.