ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПЕРЕВОДА РЕПЛИК ГЕРОЕВ КОМПЬЮТЕРНОЙ ИГРЫ DOTA 2

ABSTRACT

Dota 2 is a strategy game with a wide selection of characters. Each character is unique in their own way, with their own personality and story, as well as a variety of phrases that they utter throughout the course of the game. The study used a qualitative approach to analyze translation transformations in the Russian and English versions of the program. The material for analysis and translation was taken from an online source about the game itself. The research found that the most effective and common method of translation is modulation. Based on the results of the analysis of the replicas of the characters from the online game Dota 2, we can say that the main task of providing an amateur translation version has been carried out and completed.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Dota 2 — это стратегическая игра с широким выбором персонажей, каждый из которых уникален по-своему, со своим характером и историей, а также с разнообразными фразами, которые они произносят в ходе игры. В исследовании использовался качественный подход для анализа трансформаций перевода в русской и английской версиях программы. Материал для анализа и перевода был взят из онлайн-источника о самой игре. Исследование показало, что наиболее эффективным и распространённым методом перевода является модуляция. На основе результатов анализа реплик персонажей из онлайн-игры Dota 2 можно сказать, что основная задача предоставления любительской версии перевода выполнена и завершена.

Keywords: lexico-semantic transformations, response, analyse, humor, characters.

Ключевые слова: лексико-семантические преобразования, ответ, анализировать, юмор, персонажи.

This research paper examines the features of translating phrases of characters from an online game based on their origin and temperament. The theoretical section covers translation techniques, the definition of localization, and strategies for tailoring the text to the target language's culture. The replicas provided the presence of humor, haunting, and serious reasoning. The main purpose of this research is to provide an adapted translation version for the culture of the target language in response to where we saw shortcomings and additional variants of translation. The source language is English, and the target language is Russian. From this it turns out that this article also describes the features of translation, which include translation transformations (lexical and lexico-grammatical).

The sample methodology was used by A. Harahap and S. Lubis in 2021 [1]. The method of qualitative research was used in this research because, in the study, information is provided in the form of phrases. We also used content analysis to interpret and explain the translation. The data was found on the website https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Dota_2_Wiki.

In this study, we have identified the peculiarities of phrase translation and provided our own version of the translation, where we felt that the official translation did not fully convey the meaning for the target audience. To conduct an analysis, we identified Komissarov's translation transformations [2].

In this course, 25 replicas from the game were analyzed and 18 of them were translated. Let's look at three typical examples of translation transformations in Dota 2, focusing on the sort of transformation and how well it works.

Example 1 : Slark—"Here, fishy-fishy"

Eng. ST: Here, fishy-fishy

Rus. TT: Ловись рыбка большая и маленькая

Rus. TT: (by the author): Вот она рыба моей мечты

In this scenario, the first phrase is a funny way to talk to a fish that uses English onomatopoeia. "Ловись рыбка большая и малeнькая," is an example of integral transformation and adaptation to the cultural code of the target audience. Another variation, "Вот она рыба моей мечты," keeps the picture but loses the fun tone. In our opinion, the official translation seems to be the best because it stays true to the funny tone of the original and is the closest to how Russian speakers really talk.

Example 2: Rubik—"My thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched"

Eng. ST: My thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched

Rus. TT: Мою жажду знаний невозможно утолить

Rus. TT: (by the author): Мою одержимость знаний не отнять никому

The first phrase has the metaphor "жажда знаний." The official translation uses the metaphor exactly as it is, which is in line with the idea of equivalent, while the other version uses modulation, which means that changing "жаждa" to "одержимость" makes the passage more emotive and expressive. Both variations are fine, however the second one shows the character's individuality more clearly, which may be better for showing who they are.

Example 3: Queen of Pain—"The forecast calls for pain like rain, and it's monsoon season."

Eng. ST: The forecast calls for pain like rain, and it's monsoon season

Rus. TT: Я предсказываю острую боль, с возможными осложнениями

Rus. TT: (by the author): Ожидается сезон боли и страданий, с возможными осложнениями

The first part of the term is based on a pun and the idea of "дождя боли" during the monsoon season, which sounds more neutral in the official translation that eliminates some of its metaphorical aspect. It seems that the other version is more like the original because it keeps the picture of "сезона боли," which makes the translation more expressive and in keeping with the character's style.

After analyzing the translation transformations, we identified two main lexical transformations: modulation (a lexical transformation that is used as a plot development) and holistic transformation, which can be confirmed by other researchers, Lysokyt and Kovaleva, in 2024, who emphasized the necessity of taking into account "not only the lexical and grammatical features of languages, but also cultural, historical, and social contexts that can affect the understanding of the text" [3, p. 310].

Based on the results of the analysis of the replicas of the characters from the online game DOTA 2, we can say that using translation transformations like modulation and integral transformation makes it possible to not only get the words right, but also to get the style, culture, and emotional tone of the original character dialogues across. A side-by-side look at several translation possibilities demonstrates that sticking too closely to the source language often makes the translation less expressive. On the other hand, using transformations makes the translation vibrant and true to life for the Russian-speaking player.

References:

1. Harahap A. I., Lubis S. The translation of slang words in to all the boys I’ve loved before movie //ELP (Journal of English Language Pedagogy). – 2021. – Т. 6. – №. 2. – С. 10-19. https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v6i2.409
2. Jovliyevna Q. V. Stylistic problem of translation // Innovation in the Modern Education System. – 2024. – Vol. 5. – No. 45. – P. 212-217.
3. Лыскойть А. В., Ковалёва Л. Е. Модуляция и целостное преобразование как основные приемы достижения переводческой эквивалентности при передаче содержания текста Эдит Евы Эгер «Выбор» с английского на белорусский // ББК 81.2 Н90. – 2024. – С. 309.