Bridging linguistic and cultural gaps in games: translation methods by Windah Basudara

The study is aimed at investigating the translation method and also the ideology of translation in Windah Basudara’s live-stream video “SEHARUSNYA MEREKA TIDAK BERKEMAH DISINI.... Road of Fear” which shows the informal context occurring in translation studies, which often occurs in a formal context. There are two problems to be solved in this study, namely: (1) what translation methods are employed by Windah Basudara when interpreting English-language game narratives into Indonesian during his live-stream, and (2) What translation ideology is reflected in Windah Basudara’s game translations. This study uses a qualitative approach in relation to the use of clear and systematic descriptions of the translation method being studied. A descriptive study in textual analysis was applied in this study to analyze the narrative and conversational storyline inside the game “Road of Fear” that Windah translated. The data were collected by first watching the live-stream video on Windah Basudara's YouTube channel, then identifying the narrative and conversational data. The transcription was then analyzed by identifying the types of translation methods and orientation by using a table to classify each method. Finally, drawing conclusions from each of the data sets. This study reveals that Windah employs seven different methods (literal translation, faithful translation, semantic translation, free translation, idiomatic translation, communicative translation, and adaptation) in his real-time translation. Windah's ideology tends to lean towards domestication. It appears because he is also a live-streamer who needs to keep his viewers entertained while making quick adjustments in his translation. Therefore, domestication is the most suitable ideology in his live broadcast translation because it uses familiar words that are commonly heard in everyday conversation in Indonesia. He uses the best and simplest words so that the audience can easily understand the storyline of the game. Moreover, Windah’s live translation serves as a unique example of real-time translation practice that blends spontaneous performative translation, the casual/informal vocabularies, and also entertainment value.