Video Game Title Translation Functional Translation Theory Perspective

The video game plays an important role in inter-cultural communication studies. However, few have ventured the field of E-C translation of video game titles. Within the frame of Skopostheorie, this paper focuses on the three translation strategies brought up by the functions and features of video game titles. When preserving the structure and meaning of the original title is possible, literal translation should be used. However, the fact that some translators ignore the context of the title causes rigid translation. Transliteration is recommended when the title is the name of a person or place because the meaning of the title is hard to be preserved by the other two strategies. Since there are cultural differences between China and western world, when literal translation and transliteration cannot present the meaning of the title, free translation should be used. Translators should bear the content and game play of the game in mind in order to free themselves from the formal equivalence for a properly translated title. Free translation does not mean translators can do the translation as whatever they want in the name of Skopos, they should avoid arbitrary translation. The aim of this paper is to help people to understand more about the E-C translation of video game title as well as the practical translation strategies and Sino-western inter-cultural communication.