Kerbal Space Program, a computer game developed and published by Squad, has received nearly 300 negative reviews on the online gaming platform Steam, due to a gender controversial Chinese translation….of one word.
The Chinese translation, which is found on a space shuttle on the game’s main menu, originally read “不到mun非好汉”. In English, this translates to “One who fails to reach Mun is not a hero,” which was a reference to a famous Chinese saying; “不到长城非好汉,” or “One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero.”
The problem arose when one Steam user suggested the literal translation of “好汉,” “good man,” was sexist. So, the developers changed the translation to “不到mun不罢休,” which means “I will not stop until I reach Mun.”
Since then, there have been hundreds of online users questioning the translation, its gender meaning and the value of traditional translation.
According to the website Welcome to China “One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero” is an old proverb, created to imply that if you hadn’t visited the Great Wall you were not fully committed to China. There was no gender bias intended within this proverb as it would have applied to both men and women at the time.
For some Steam users though, the new translation moves away from the intended meaning of the original version, and has caused it to lose its beauty and significance. Others have suggested that ‘feminazis’ and ‘political correctness’ have gone too far.
The pitfalls associated with translation in our digital age can be huge; choosing the right word, with the right meaning can make or break a business.
Unhappy customers, poor public relations and gender debates have consequences that may reverberate long after the original issue has been raised.
Substandard translation and localisation fails are common within the translation industry and only serve to highlight the need to get it right when it comes to language, culture and business.
Consideration of language, understanding of cultures and usage of a product, marketing campaign or even game graphics, are essential if you wish to avoid an awkward faux-pas or a costly mistake.
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