L'influenza della lingua araba sulla lingua spagnola

Lo spagnolo si differenzia dalle altre lingue romanze per la sua abbondanza di arabismi; anche se la lingua spagnola si è sviluppata sulla base del latino volgare, il suo secondo elemento più caratterizzante è la presenza di un importante corpus lessico di origine araba. Tale è stato il risultato della convivenza di arabi e cristiani (ed ebrei) nella penisola iberica, durata più di ottocento anni. Quando i musulmani sbarcarono in Spagna (anno 711 d.C.) il latino e la sua cultura erano privi di dinamicità e bellezza, mentre la civiltà araba potente era in piena espansione, soprattutto tra i secoli IX e XII. I conquistati non poterono opporsi: l’arabo divenne la lingua del potere e gli abitanti della penisola sotto il dominio musulmano dovettero apprenderla. Ovviamente si conservava l’uso del latino nella scrittura e in ambito famigliare, ma gran parte della popolazione era pronta ad aprirsi alla lingua dei conquistatori, ricca di nuove sonorità, simbolo di esotica bellezza, ma soprattutto , lingua portatrice di conoscenza e sapere. L’arabo divenne quindi lingua veicolare tra le due comunità, sia in ambito politico-amministrativo sia in ambito culturale e scientifico.

Videogame localization. A case study: Final Fantasy XII

Globalization has influenced all economic sectors and the demand for translation services has increased like never before. The videogame industry has become a worldwide phenomenon worth billions. Many people around the globe, male and female, children and adults alike, choose this leisure activity and enjoy it like reading or watching a film. It is a global phenomenon capable of producing as much revenue and anticipation as the film industry. Most games are developed in Japanese or English and the new global market requires this product to be translated into many other languages. The scenario has brought about a new field of specialization in translation studies, commonly known as videogame localization. The emergence of this new field calls not only for a review of translation studies, but also a shift in the role that some translators and translated products are expected to play within a globalized world. The aim of this dissertation is to provide an overview of videogame localization and its challenges under the guidance of a professional translator such as Alexander O. Smith, who agreed to provide counsel through several Skype interviews. This provided a first-hand insight into how translation decisions are carried out by game translators. Alexander O. Smith was a former translator for Square Enix, one of the biggest Japanese videogame developer, publisher and distribution company in the market. He now works as an independent translator and in 2003 he founded the localization agency called Kajiya Productions with his friend and fellow translator Joseph Reeder. Together with Alexander O. Smith, the twelfth installment of the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix has been chosen as a very good example of the issues and challenges brought on by videogame localization. The game which revealed itself to be one of the most fun, challenging and rewarding professional experiences of Alexander O. Smith.