Publications
Publication details [#37128]
Lejosne-Le Calvez, Maïlys. 2021. Bien traduire les jeux de société: l'art délicat de jongler entre traduction technique et littéraire [Translating board games well. The delicate art of juggling technical and literary translation]. In Bouillery, Carine, Marie-Céline Georg, Isabelle Meurville and Raphaël Rouby, eds. Des jeux et des mots [Games and words]. Special issue of Traduire 244: 65–72.
Publication type
Article in Special issue
Publication language
French
Abstract
Translation of board games is a growing niche market. This is a specialized translation that requires a good knowledge of the game world and its codes, but also a great rigor of execution. In fact, so-called “modern” board games have become enriched and widely diversified. More than 1,000 games are released each year in France, the largest European market ahead of Germany and the United Kingdom. The board game represented a turnover of 328 million euros in 2019 and sales of over 19 million boxes. Research also indicates an upward trend for 2020 due to containment. This paper concludes that board game translation requires mastering not only technical translation, but also literary translation, not to mention the layout. However, to properly translate the game rules, it is also necessary to understand it and grasp its mechanics, which implies that the translator needs to play it herself and to be confronted with the multiplicity of existing games on the market.
Source : Based on Summarized and translated from the original article by Irmak Ugur