Multimodality and dubbing in video games: A research approach

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v17i0.463

Keywords:

multimodality, video games, localization, l10n, dubbing, audiovisual translation, AVT, semiotics, synchrony

Abstract

This article discusses a new taxonomy of dubbing synchronies in the Spanish localized version of the video game Batman: Arkham Knight. To do so, the concept of the video game is first reviewed as the most sophisticated example of audiovisual text in terms of its multimodal nature. The article also describes how the message is conveyed through the different communication channels that form a part of its semiotic structure. Next, the research approach proposal is presented, based on the multimodal configuration of video games: game situations will be the unit of analysis used in this approach, since they are a basic unit with which to organize the content of a game and they distinguish video games as a unique type of audiovisual text. These game situations are used to analyse the specific features of dubbing and types of synchrony. Finally, some results are offered to confirm that the taxonomy of dubbing in video games discussed here applies to this particular case.

Author Biography

Laura Mejías-Climent, Universitat Jaume I

Departament de Traducció i Comunicació

References

AEVI. (2017). Anuario de la industria del videojuego. Retrieved from http://www.aevi.org.es/web/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ANUARIO_AEVI_2016.pdf.

Belinchón, G. (2017, January). El cine en España tuvo más de 100 millones de espectadores en 2016. El País. Retrieved from https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/01/02/actualidad/1483350472_132303.html.

Bernal Merino, M. Á. (2015). Translation and localisation in video games: making entertainment software global. New York, NY: Routledge.

Chaume, F. (2003). Doblatge i subtitulació per a la TV. Vic, Spain: Eumo.

Chaume, F. (2004). Cine y traducción. Madrid, Spain: Cátedra.

Chaume, F. (2005). Los estándares de calidad y la recepción de la traducción audiovisual. Puentes, 6, 5–12.

Chaume, F. (2012). Audiovisual translation: Dubbing. Manchester, UK: St. Jerome.

Granell, X., Mangiron, C. & Vidal, N. (2015). La traducción de videojuegos. Seville, Spain: Bienza.

ICEX (2017, September). La industria musical Española sale de gira. El Exportador. Retrieved from https://www.icex.es/icex/es/Navegacion-zona-contacto/revista-el-xportador/observatorio2/REP2017726165.html#.

Jewitt, C. (2014). The Routledge handbook of multimodal analysis (2nd ed.). Oxon, UK: Routledge.

Juul, J. (2005). Half-real: videogames between real rules and fictional worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Kaindl, K. (2013). Multimodality and translation. In C. Millán & F. Bartrina. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of translation studies (pp. 257–269). London, UK: Routledge.

Kokkola, S., & Ketola, A. (2015). Thinking outside the “Methods Box”: New avenues for research in multimodal translation. Vakki publications, 4, 219–228.

Kress, G. & Van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal discourse. The modes and media of contemporary communication. London, UK/New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

LaPS4 (2016, October 6). Entrevista a Guiomar Alburquerque, la VOZ de LARA CROFT en España [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbk3GXgHPC8.

Levis, D. (1997). Los videojuegos, un fenómeno de masas. Barcelona, Spain: Paidós.

Le Dour, C. (2007, February). Surviving audio localization. Gamasutra. Retrieved from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1713/surviving_audio_localization.php#5

López Redondo, I. (2014). ¿Qué es un videojuego? Seville, Spain: Héroes de Papel.

Maietti, M. (2004). Semiotica dei videogiochi. Milan, Italy: Unicopli.

Mangiron, C. (2017). Research in game localization: An overview. In X. Zhang & S. Strong. (Eds.), The Journal of Internationalization and Localisation 4(2), 74–99.

Mangiron, C., O’Hagan, M. & Orero, P. (Eds.). (2014). Fun for all: translation and accessibility practices in video games. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang.

Mangiron, C., & O’Hagan, M. (2013). Game localization. Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.

Maxwell-Chandler, H. (2012). The Game localization handbook (2nd ed.). Sudbury, ON: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Méndez González, R., & Calvo-Ferrer, J. R. (2017). Videojuegos y [para]traducción: aproximación a la práctica localizadora. Granada, Spain: Comares.

Méndez González, R. (2015). Localización de videojuegos: Fundamentos traductológicos innovadores para nuevas prácticas profesionales. Vigo, Spain: Servizo de Publicacións UV.

Muñoz Sánchez, P. (2017). Localización de videojuegos. Madrid, Spain: Síntesis.

O’Hagan, M. (2007). Video games as a new domain for translation research: From translating text to translating experience. Revista Tradumàtica, 5. Retrieved from http://www.fti.uab.es/tradumatica/revista/num5/articles/09/09.pdf.

O’Hagan, M., & Chandler, H. (2016). Game localisation research and translation studies: Loss and gain under an interdisciplinary lens. In v. Y. Gambier (Ed.), Border crossings: Translation studies and other disciplines (pp. 309–330). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.

Pérez Latorre, Ó. (2012). El significado en juego: Sobre la dimensión lúdica del discurso del videojuego. Proceedings of the 10th World Congress of the IASS/AIS, 1901–1910. University of A Coruña, Spain.

Pérez Latorre, Ó. (2010). Análisis de la significación del videojuego: Fundamentos teóricos del juego, el mundo narrativo y la enunciación interactiva como perspectivas de estudio del discurso. (Doctoral dissertation). Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.

Poyatos, F. (2002). Nonverbal communication across disciplines, 2. Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.

Pujol Tubau, M. (2015). La representació de personatges a través del doblatge en narratives transmèdia (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain.

Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2005). Game design and meaningful play. In J. Raessens & J. Goldstein. (Eds.), Handbook of computer game studies (pp. 59–79). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Sioli, F., Minazzi, F. & Ballista, A. (2007, October–November). Audio localization for language service providers. Multilingual Localization: Getting Started Guide, 18–23.

Siwek, S. E. (2017). Video games in the 21st century: The 2017 Report. ESA. Retrieved from http://www.theesa.com/category/around-the-industry/business-economy/.

Scholand, M. (2002). Localización de videojuegos. Revista Tradumàtica, 1. Retrieved from http://www.fti.uab.es/tradumatica/revista/articles/mscholand/art.htm.

Vázquez Rodríguez, A. (2018). El error de traducción en la localización de videojuegos: Estudio descriptivo y comparativo entre videojuegos indie y no indie (Doctoral dissertation). University of Valencia, Spain.

Wijman, T. (2017, November 28). New gaming book: Newzoo ups its 2017 global games market estimate to $116.0Bn growing to $143.5Bn in 2010. Newzoo. Retrieved from https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/new-gaming-boom-newzoo-ups-its-2017-global-games-market-estimate-to-116-0bn-growing-to-143-5bn-in-2020/.

Xbox España (2015, November 5). FanFestXbox – Tertulia Doblaje en Videojuegos con David García y Guiomar Alburquerque [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzyrqin7nwc.

Downloads

Published

21-02-2019

How to Cite

Mejías-Climent, L. (2019). Multimodality and dubbing in video games: A research approach. Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series – Themes in Translation Studies, 17. https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v17i0.463