EXAMINING TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN THE CHINESE LOCALIZATION OF ATOMIC HEART

Abstract

The study explores the specific application and motivation of these translation strategies through a comprehensive analysis of the translation practice of the game’s Chinese version. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing presence of Russian-language gaming products in China amidst a scarcity of their systematic academic research. The study aims to identify the key translation strategies applied to the dialogues and interface texts in the localization process of Atomic Heart, a AAA Russian video game. The theoretical framework is based on the classification of translation methods proposed by Huang Zhonglian and Bai Wenchang. The research methodology involves an analysis of a bilingual corpus compiled from gameplay video recordings. The findings reveal that successful localization constitutes a dynamic and multi-layered process of strategic selection, determined by the specific text function: ranging from standardized translation of interface elements to comprehensive cultural and semantic adaptation in the narrative. The study concludes that translation practice in video game localization is a strategically calibrated intercultural reconstruction, necessitating a balance between preserving the original authorial vision and ensuring functional clarity for the target audience.