From Japan to the world: how to translate a game

It is a complex process that has come a long way since the "Wild West" of the 1980s and 90s, one high-profile "localisation" team told AFP. One key example is "how Japanese game developers dress their heroines" as the #MeToo movement changes mindsets, said Franck Genty, senior localisation manager at Japanese game giant Bandai Namco. 'Puck Man'The puzzle of game localisation affected the 1980 arcade sensation "Pac-Man", with the direct translation "Puck Man" deemed too risky because it could be vandalised. Getting it right is important: around 70 percent of revenue from recent titles in the "Yakuza" series is from overseas. The job is as much a cultural challenge as a linguistic one, said Pierre Froget, localisation project manager at Bandai.