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Translation Spaces: Online-First Articles

The cultural localization of video games in Iran

ORCID logo | Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
| Allameh Tabataba’i University of Tehran
Localization is the process through which products are tailored to the socio-cultural values of the recipient locale. This study seeks to shed light on the practice of video games cultural localization in Iran by focusing on two of the most prominent software localization and publication companies in Iran, namely Parnian and Gerdoo. Furthermore, identifying the types of content considered inappropriate by the Iranian game localization supervisory bodies constitutes another aim of the present study. To this end, six officially localized video games are compared and contrasted with their original English counterparts. As for the results, the modifications were observed at both diegetic and non-diegetic levels. Modifications revolved around the following themes: religious issues, socio-cultural issues, and socio-political references linked to Iran’s legal and religious frameworks. Regarding the strategies, the localized video games were modified by removing the cut scenes, applying graphical changes, and editing out the original soundtrack.
Keywords: audiovisual translation, censorship, culturalization, localization, video games
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Review of the related literature
    • 2.1Game localization put into perspective
    • 2.2Culturalization
    • 2.3Video games market in Iran
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Religious issues
      • 4.1.1Dress codes
      • 4.1.2References to alcohol
    • 4.2Socio-cultural issues
    • 4.3Socio-political references
    • 4.4Methods of modifications
      • 4.4.1Removing cut scenes
      • 4.4.2Applying graphical changes
      • 4.4.3Silencing the soundtrack
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
  • Gameography
Published online: 9 January 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.23011.zor
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