The Use of Transliteration in Contemporary Video Game and Its Influence on Consumers: A Case Study of Elden Ring

Abstract

This work concentrated on the quality of video game localization in China, especially the use of transliteration in text translation. Examples of existing Chinese-localized video games are documented and analyzed, and survey-based research is conducted to examine the response of the Chinese player community to the localization quality in a specific, representative case: Elden Ring. The result suggests that the abuse of transliteration has caused ambiguity to a notable extent among Chinese player/consumer communities, misguiding them to interpret the game content in unexpected ways. This work pointed out several flaws in the current video game localization in China. With best hope, the work could serve as a starting point for future studies in the area and provide meaningful improvement suggestions to Chinese translators in their work related to video games.