Thor, Tesla & The Translation and Localization Industry

The terms localization and translation are thrown around quite a lot within their industry, both individual and together; sometimes they’re used as a joint phrase, other times people may foolishly use them interchangeably. That opening sentence may seem simple enough, but even there we pose ourselves with a legitimate question of: what industry? Is it the localization industry, the translation industry, or the localization and translation industry? Well, it can all be very convoluted, but this article is here to clear up the fuss and blow away some of the smoke regarding both localization and translation, their meanings, their industries, and everything in between. A great place to start, in fact, would be with the two words themselves, what exactly do they mean, and where do we split the hairs of their seemingly interchangeable nature? In addition to this, what does Thor, Tesla & the translation and localization industry have in common? Please do read on, for some refreshing enlightenment.

To translate, to localize

There is no need to complicate matters, so we’ll start with the simplicities of the two words. Firstly, “to translate”, everyone knows what translate means, to transfer, change or move one language into another. This could be a sentence spoken out loud, a document such as a medical letter, or perhaps even a film. But wait, aren’t there multiple ways of translating a film, through dubbing (also referred to as voice-over) or even subtitles? How do we know which one is strictly translation, and how do we go about converting the parts of the film that might get lost in translation, or culture? Here, we’ve found our first, perfect example of differentiating the simple act of translation, with the ever-complex idea of localization. Let’s break down the issue question by question: firstly, there are multiple forms of translation, in every medium, art form or industry, the fact that the film is either dubbed or subtitled is simply a matter of preference. Though, we can move even further on from this point in the sense that said preference is often related to culture; some, such as America or England may be more likely to want to view a film that has been voiced-over, therefore making the viewing experience more relaxing, and less strenuous by not having to read for over an hour. Other cultures may prefer to read for their translation as it helps keep authenticity, and accuracy of the film’s original form. Either method is translation, plain and simple, but the preference shown to either one has a direct correlation to culture, and will therefore become a matter of localization, be that in the film’s production or distribution. Our second question looks at information that could become “lost in translation” be that directly through the voice-over, or perhaps a frame of reference that one culture might not understand as well as another. To explain this analogy of reference we can look at the 2017 Marvel Studios film, Thor Ragnarok, which uses a heavily cultural based reference as the payoff for one of the film’s plot points. In the film, Thor is attempting to access a computer via a password system that uses voice-recognition. The creator of the computer system gave all members of the team their own unique password that only he and the person would know. Thor goes through numerous phrases relating to himself and the creator that could unlock the computer, and finally concludes that “Point Break” is the correct password, due to a sly joke made by the creator alluding to him looking like a character from the 1991 film, Point Break. Now, the localization that works itself directly through this plot point is in the way the password was changed dependent on the region the film was released in. The producers didn’t feel that everyone across the globe would understand the reference for the English release that refers to characters in Point Break and in that, changed the password’s naming convention based on country – In Germany, the password is “Conan”, in Czech it’s “Goldilocks” and in the Hungarian version it’s “Tarzan”. Ultimately, the joke about Thor’s appearance remains intact, and the plot point holds up, but the reference and personality are based around specific parts of the world. A simple, very minor detail of such a large film in an even larger universe, but the small impact such a change makes based on country, and therefore localization, can really make a difference in regard to the viewer’s frames of reference. In conclusion, we as the general public can understand the simplicity behind the concept of translation, which then becomes far more complex against the juxtaposition of the expansive, cultural implications that localization has. This alone is a great example of why localization is so difficult to explain, or adapt to a specific context.

The Words Themselves

When getting into the seemingly complicated definition and understanding of localization, sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the is and the isn’t, so it’s important to ground the term, and make it less confusing. A very easy way to do this is to simply break the word down, local, is the operative word, and from there we can pretty much figure out the rest. It is the process of making things, be it a production, a document, or a business model local. Though it should be noted that for someone to make something local, it must first be obscure and different, of course meaning that it would come from another region, and perhaps not be a perfect fit. A great example of this is different types of anime, during post-production these are subbed and dubbed (adding subtitles and voiceovers) in preparation for a western, English speaking audience. The localization process has taken the product, be it a film or anime, and allowed consumers from a different region understand it better. Though it’s important to remember that simply translating the work is not always enough, words will be lost in translation, and that’s one exact line we can draw where the process must shift from translation to localization. The creators must do more than translate, they must localize in an effort of making sure references and sayings are understood past the transition of language.

Further on the subject of these two words, it’s also important to acknowledge a simple concept often thrown around: that all translation is localization, but not all localization is specifically translation. One instance could be the examples used in Thor Ragnarok, changing such simple references isn’t really translation, as an English reader yourself, you can understand the differences and similarities between the varying film references and the characters’ physical natures. From this example alone, we can see that localization is not always related directly to translation itself, but when we flip this equation, we find that translation, more often than not, fits directly into localization – this is because of the cold hard fact that the words have to be changed for a region of another language to understand them. Ultimately, we find that not all cultural appropriation necessarily has to do with a change of language, instead it can relate to different frames of reference, understanding, appreciation and respects shown by said region.

The importance of translation and localization

When looking into the similarities and differences between the words, localization and translation, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in definition, semantics even, and perhaps in that we lose sight of why we’d need to know the meanings in the first place. Both translation and localization are important, you will usually see them used together as – although not interchangeable – they complement one another extremely well in industries and businesses that are constantly looking to expand into other regions of the world that aren’t their native ones. Another question then grows, why would so many industries and businesses be looking at other regions? Growth, is a key factor, allowing your business to flourish on native soil is a great first phase, but once you’ve conquered that territory, there is another challenge found in distributing your product or service to other regions of the world; from there, your company will grow further and bigger. Tesla, the electric car manufacturer is a great example of growth, and the following two points. Creator, Elon Musk, announced that both Gigafactories, located in the west and east coasts of the USA (Nevada and New York) would only be the start for his company. He confirmed that Tesla would grow towards Europe, and rumours have circulated that Asia will also receive a Gigafactory, allowing for an efficient production of battery packs and cars on a global scale. Second, we have diversity, a factor that once again relates back to growth, but more so in the sense of stability, and a well-rounded perspective of your product. If you don’t allow your company to branch out, and reach different audiences, your product will inevitably become stale, boring and unchanged due to a lack of need to expand or diversify. The final factor wraps the first two up perfectly which is the challenge, as before you can grow or diversify, you are faced with the challenge of successfully marketing and distributing in those new regions. These three factors are healthy, and natural for any company in any industry or age, the same can be said for the concept of localization within many industries, it’s just often less spoken about due to its behind the scenes presence.

Localization is in everything, from translation, to colour scheme or symbolism, formatting the date of a document differently to bearing in mind the history of one region compared to another. With these specific, yet vital details at the forefront of your product’s translation, you will often find success in paying attention to the smallest of details that vary from country to country. There are many companies that can offer localization services in numerous industries and sectors, making your job as a creator far easier, so you’re not having to worry about the tiny details, and can instead focus on the bigger picture.