Gaming translation | Translating for esports commentary

The need for translating games has been accelerating for the past few years because gaming is a promising and billion-dollar industry now. The experts suggest that it might achieve the milestone of US$282.30bn in the running year. The annual rate is expected to grow up to 8.76% between the years 2024 and 2027. Moreover, the number of users and players is expected to reach around 1472m. Not only this but the experts are hoping for the penetration rate to reach 18.5% by 2027 which is currently 16.9%. All these statistics are sufficient to throw light on the importance of gaming translation. The developers and companies who overlook the need for translation often miss out on the huge potential audiences.

The video gaming industry has gone beyond the typical and traditional games. There is esports now with a world full of competitive video games demanding gaming translation services more than ever. Video games have become more engaging than any social media with users getting engaged for around 51 minutes at least every day. It was not long ago when the esports market stood at over 1.38 billion USD in 2022, now it is expected to reach 1.87 billion by 2025. Interestingly, Asia and North America top the list as the largest esports markets in terms of revenue where one-fifth of the market is coming from China only.

It is important to evolve with the gamers for good and translate the content as per the demand. Esports commentary is also significant. However, it is fast-paced. It has exploded in popularity lately. Millions of people tune in to watch the competition of professional gamers. It becomes extremely crucial to present engaging commentary.

The process of esports commentary translation revolves around the following basics. 

The Challenge: Speed and Accuracy

Esports commentary is always fast-paced to maintain a decorum that keeps everyone hooked and energized. Also, it is important to intensify the game to keep it active and high for everyone involved. All these situations demand the following practices from the translators.

Proficiency in both languages 

Translators need to be highly proficient in the source and target language. This proficiency helps them to translate content that needs to be fluent and engaging without any words that can make commentators stumble.

Availability round the clock 

The esports commentary translation can depend on multiple factors. Many times, they can ask for it in real-time to facilitate their masses. Hence, the translator should be quick on their feet working right away to understand the action and translate commentary in real-time. Gaming translation can be challenging and hence translators need to be experienced enough to understand the process and translate it accordingly.

Accuracy in translation 

Gaming translation can be technical and challenging. Therefore, it is imperative to be mindful of certain facts that help keep the bar up for the audiences and players. They should be conveying the excitement in the translated content as alive as in the real document. It should not sound robotic or bland. The strategies and technical aspects should be addressed accordingly in the translations so that the whole content is understandable for the persons involved and the commentator particularly should be able to understand the content and its context.

Beyond Literal Translation: Capturing the Nuance

Esports commentary goes far beyond literal translation. It focuses more on capturing the nuances for which you require help from a professional gaming translation agency. Capturing the energy and excitement is inevitable in this text. 

The translators can perform the following practices for a more energetic and relevant translation. 

Slang and jargon

As esports has its exclusive vocabulary and jargon. The translators need to be aware of these terms and their standard explanations to make it easy for their listeners and audiences. This vocabulary often orbits around acronyms, memes, and game-specific terms. The translators have to understand the meaning and also find culturally appropriate equivalents in their target language. 

Puns and wordplay

A commentary can not be fun and engaging without puns and wordplay. Commentators have to use phrases and puns to integrate their comments with humor and excitement. The translators need to understand this strategy with the relevant alternatives that they can fit into the translated text creatively. This is also important to maintain the essence of the humor while translating.

Emotional impact

The esports commentators also have to make it thrilling by lauding the victory and addressing the agony of the defeat. This is important to communicate to the audience in a relevant tone and pitch. Translators hence, need to start beyond the words and capture the emotional highs and lows. They can write the expressions that commentators need to imitate or can make the conversation accordingly for the targeted audiences to make them enjoy the esports the most.

Conclusion 

The gaming industry is on the rise. And its popularity highlights the need for a game and software translation agency for better reach. Also, esports is part of the gaming industry and gamers enjoy their games in a competitive environment. This also demands a commentator full of fire, thrill, and vibrance. The game developers often have to translate the esports commentary for diverse audiences. Translators must understand the basics of commentary translation and take care of certain factors such as proficiency in both languages, availability around the clock, and accurate translation.