(Un)Supervised Translation: How Fans Fill in the Gaps in Visual Novel Localization
Proposal Type
Individual Talk
Location
Hypertexts & Fictions
Start Date
July 2026
End Date
July 2026
Abstract
A translator must consider multiple cultural contexts when translating a work of electronic literature; no longer concerned only with the text, they might need to examine images, platform, interactivity, and the code itself. As identified by Przbyszewska, translating works of e-lit can require attention to the code and platform of a work, with the extent dictated by “the interaction inherent in the semantics of the text” (28). Meanwhile, Marecki and Montfort differentiate e-lit translation from its traditional literary counterpart because the translator is no longer “invisible” where e-lit is involved (90). This presentation extends this discussion of e-lit translation to the visual novel by exploring some of the challenges of translating texts when that translation is unsupported and “unsupervised” by the original authors and designers.
As a genre, visual novels developed alongside the tradition of linked hypertext fiction, though at times visual novels may lean too far into the realm of “games” to be classified under the umbrella of e-lit. However, as part of our analysis we argue that many visual novels have a place in e-lit and contend that the considerations required for translating e-lit also extend to visual novels. Translations and localizations of visual novels are often conducted by fans of games and series, making these translators inherently “visible.” We focus on a case study of the Ace Attorney series, which has been a site of contention for Latin American fans seeking—and then creating—translations.
(Un)Supervised Translation: How Fans Fill in the Gaps in Visual Novel Localization
Hypertexts & Fictions
A translator must consider multiple cultural contexts when translating a work of electronic literature; no longer concerned only with the text, they might need to examine images, platform, interactivity, and the code itself. As identified by Przbyszewska, translating works of e-lit can require attention to the code and platform of a work, with the extent dictated by “the interaction inherent in the semantics of the text” (28). Meanwhile, Marecki and Montfort differentiate e-lit translation from its traditional literary counterpart because the translator is no longer “invisible” where e-lit is involved (90). This presentation extends this discussion of e-lit translation to the visual novel by exploring some of the challenges of translating texts when that translation is unsupported and “unsupervised” by the original authors and designers.
As a genre, visual novels developed alongside the tradition of linked hypertext fiction, though at times visual novels may lean too far into the realm of “games” to be classified under the umbrella of e-lit. However, as part of our analysis we argue that many visual novels have a place in e-lit and contend that the considerations required for translating e-lit also extend to visual novels. Translations and localizations of visual novels are often conducted by fans of games and series, making these translators inherently “visible.” We focus on a case study of the Ace Attorney series, which has been a site of contention for Latin American fans seeking—and then creating—translations.
Bio
Sara Raffel is an assistant professor in the English department at the University of Central Florida, where her research focuses on narrative an interactivity in technical communication.
Mónica G. González Burgos is a Ph.D. student in the Texts and Technology program at the University of Central Florida, where her research focuses on translation and localization of visual novels.