A netnographic study of translanguaging in multilingual game localisation

Game localisation has emerged as a distinct academic field, driven by the global expansion of the gaming industry. It shares common features with audiovisual translation, including intralinguistic, interlinguistic, and intersemiotic dimensions (Wang, Wang, and Lin. 2024. “‘There are no restrictions on me’: a netnographic approach to amateur subtitling from the perspective of translanguaging’. International Journal of Multilingualism, 1–19), while also playing a critical role in conveying specific cultural meanings. However, the multilingual and multimodal aspects of game localisation have often been overlooked. This study focuses on the localisation of Genshin Impact, an open-world game, from Chinese to English and Japanese, through the lens of translanguaging theory. Using a netnographic approach, this research constructs Chinese, English, and Japanese corpora from game-centered online communities to analyse how translanguaging techniques aid localisation and influence the internationalisation of Chinese cultural elements in the original game text. The findings indicate that translanguaging not only facilitates information transfer through its hypertextual and transmodal characteristics but also enriches cultural representation, performing both indicative and complementary functions. Furthermore, the study highlights challenges related to the transformation of cultural contexts in domestic game localisation. As an intersection of applied linguistics, translation studies, and contemporary issues, this study provides empirical evidence for the global dissemination of Chinese culture and offers a novel perspective for its international promotion.