"Dungeon" Translation
Posted: Wednesday, 9th April 2014, 00:28
I'm working on translating Crawl to Swedish over on Transifex. I'm in a difficult spot on how to translate the word "dungeon". Clearly in Crawl it refers to a huge underground labyrinth which is not the same as the actual English meaning of the word. The closest translation of the English meaning of "dungeon" in Swedish is one that translates to "prison hole". I'm not sure if this should really be used.
Probably the most translated game that uses similar terminology is Dungeons and Dragons. After doing some research, I've found that many translated versions of Dungeons and Dragons either uses the word that most closely translates to the actual meaning of the English word "dungeon" (in this case, the Swedish word meaning "prison hole" should be used still). Another large group of translations just uses the English word "dungeon" even in the translated version. And probably the smallest group uses some more accurate word (translating to labyrinth or underground castle). Are there any recommendations on what to do here?
Similarly, should other names (like Lair, Abyss, or Pandemonium) be translated to a similar word? Or should the word just be kept as is with a description where the player will just learn that area as having that name?
Thanks!
Probably the most translated game that uses similar terminology is Dungeons and Dragons. After doing some research, I've found that many translated versions of Dungeons and Dragons either uses the word that most closely translates to the actual meaning of the English word "dungeon" (in this case, the Swedish word meaning "prison hole" should be used still). Another large group of translations just uses the English word "dungeon" even in the translated version. And probably the smallest group uses some more accurate word (translating to labyrinth or underground castle). Are there any recommendations on what to do here?
Similarly, should other names (like Lair, Abyss, or Pandemonium) be translated to a similar word? Or should the word just be kept as is with a description where the player will just learn that area as having that name?
Thanks!