Using visual novels to train students in translation and localization: A case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/1992-6464-2025-216-75-86Keywords:
translation, videogame localization, visual novel, translator training, student project, Twine platformAbstract
Introduction. This paper covers an experimental project where visual novels were used in localization practice with Bachelor’s and Master’s students specializing in Translation Studies and Digital Linguistics.
Materials and Methods. Aiming to introduce the reader to the problem, the paper opens with examining the genre specifics of visual novels as interactive stories through a review of contemporary research by Russian and foreign authors. We comment on the extent to which visual novels are covered in academic literature and emphasize their didactic potential, which at the moment has not been sufficiently explored, especially in the field of translator education. Following this review, the paper applies observation and experimentation methods to provide a step-by-step description of the student project, where the participants used the Twine platform to design visual novels, based on either their own creative ideas or existing literary plots, and then worked in the Phrase project environment to translate the visual novels written by their classmates and saved in the HTML format. We present the advantages of Twine as a free, intuitive tool for creating game narratives, and analyze the stylistic features of excerpts from student visual novels and their translations.
Results. Our experience with the project reaffirms that the creation of interactive texts and their subsequent translation into the native and/or foreign language, which needs both to adequately preserve the pragmatic impact and retain the elements of the source code, contributes to the development of the students’ writing proficiency and translation skills. In addition to familiarizing themselves with all-new platforms, they employ a wide range of expressive writing tools (such as similes or syntactic inversion), practice paraphrase while adapting famous literary works into a visual novel format, and attempt to find appropriate solutions when localizing their classmates’ creations. As closing remarks, we cite positive feedback on the assignment received from students during the final free-form survey. Their responses reflect their high degree of motivation and interest. Conclusions. Further integration of creative projects centered on localizing visual novels into the study process will assist students in embracing a comprehensive approach to game localization.
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