Strategy games like Civilization VI, StarCraft II, and Total War are known for their intricate gameplay that requires players to think critically, plan moves, and in certain instances, manage vast resources. With complex mechanics, historical references, and often elaborate narratives in the mix, the task of localizing strategy games is uniquely challenging. Translators must ensure that every term, instruction, and story element maintains their clarity, accuracy, and relevance. This article explores the hurdles faced in localizing strategy games and how translators ensure these games remain engaging and accessible for a global audience.
Terminology and Clarity: The Building Blocks of Strategy Games
Strategy games often involve a wealth of terminology that players rely on to make informed decisions. This vocabulary includes specific words for units, buildings, upgrades, and resources. Precision in translating these terms is essential, as even slight inaccuracies can lead to player confusion and disrupted gameplay.
Civilization VI offers an excellent example of terminology-reliant decision-making, as it requires players to engage in economic, military, and culturally-based strategy based on specific words that have a distinct purpose and meaning. Translators must ensure these terms are accurate, culturally relevant, and unambiguous in the target language, because a poorly translated resource or unit name might lead to misunderstandings that could compromise a player’s strategy.
Similarly, Total War games demand accuracy in translating military terminology, as players manage complex battles with various unit types. Localization teams often work with subject-matter experts to ensure that terms are contextually accurate and align with historical or cultural expectations.
Complex User Interface (UI): Balancing Information Density
Strategy games typically have a detailed UI, displaying vast amounts of information that players need to monitor and interpret simultaneously. Translating these UIs can be challenging, as text length and layout adjustments may affect readability and usability.
In StarCraft II, for example, players are presented with complex in-game stats, build orders, and unit information, all within a limited visual space. Translators must balance brevity with clarity in their work, to ensure that terms fit within the UI while still conveying essential information. Adaptations may therefore include abbreviations, rewording, or other creative solutions to fit text within UI constraints without compromising comprehension.
For games with expansive interfaces, it’s also critical to consider reading flow and visual hierarchies. Localizers often collaborate with UI designers to ensure that translated text aligns with the overall layout and doesn’t overwhelm players with information overload.
Cultural Nuance and Historical Accuracy
Many strategy games draw heavily from historical events, cultures, or mythologies, which present a unique challenge for localization teams. Translators must balance cultural sensitivity with historical accuracy as they work to ensure that content is relatable for global players, and doesn’t distort historical references.
For example, in Civilization VI, players can lead civilizations from various points in history that each come with their own unique units, characters, and abilities. Ensuring respectful and accurate representations of these societies involves careful cultural assessments on the part of the localization team. Translators must consider historical context and the target audience as they adapt the game’s historical references to fit cultural sensitivities, while making sure they align with the game’s portrayal of global history.
In games like Total War, in which historical battles are re-enacted, localizers must also maintain a respectful approach to culturally significant events. As we’ve noted in other articles, this can mean adapting dialogue, visuals, or references to avoid unintended offense while preserving the game’s authenticity.
Narrative and Immersion: Maintaining Storytelling Integrity
While strategy games tend to focus on gameplay mechanics, many of them also feature narratives that enhance player immersion. In these cases, translators must also ensure that any story elements are as compelling in translation as they are in the original language. Success, then, requires both creativity and narrative expertise on the part of the localizers.
Civilization VI offers an interesting example in that it displays unique quotes to accompany scientific or cultural advancements. These quotes add a storytelling layer to the gameplay, and translators must consider both historical context and tone when localizing these quotes so that they can resonate with players globally. As with errors in terminology translation, missteps in narrative localization can detract from the player experience and make the game feel disjointed or out of sync with its original intent.
Similarly, StarCraft II includes a strong storyline with character dialogues that develop throughout the game. Translating character interactions and cutscenes requires striking a balance between character personality and plot continuity, so that characters’ voices remain consistent and immersive, no matter what language they speak.
The Importance of a Dynamic Glossary and Style Guide
Given the complexity of strategy games, a comprehensive glossary and style guide are invaluable tools in the localization process. These documents ensure consistency in terminology and stylistic choices across the game, even as updates or expansions are released.
For a title like Total War, which spans multiple eras and military units, a dynamic glossary is especially helpful in keeping terms consistent, even as new historical elements are added. Style guides also allow translators to maintain a cohesive tone, particularly when working with culturally diverse or sensitive material.
As game expansions or updates introduce new content, a glossary, and style guide can also evolve, which ensures that translators always have a current framework to reference, even across large, multiphase projects.
The Takeaway
The localization of strategy games demands precision, cultural insight, and adaptability on the part of the localization team. These language experts must manage complex terminology, intricate UI, historical context, and cultural sensitivities to create an immersive and accessible experience for players worldwide. Through collaboration with designers and subject-matter experts when needed, localization teams ensure that strategy games maintain both their depth and appeal, so that players across the globe can dive into strategic battles and histories, no matter what language they speak.
