THE CHALLENGES OF IGAMNG LOCALIZATION IN ARGENTINIAN SPANISH

If translating websites, apps and other software for the Spanish-speaking market is a challenging job per se (for example, Spanish tend to be 20% longer than English), then localising translations for an Argentinian audience takes the word “challenge” to a whole new level.

Although respectful, Argentinians are quite informal and have a unique way of addressing their peers called “voseo”, which affects verb conjugation; this colloquial treatment is not used in many other Spanish-speaking countries outside the Río de la Plata area (and possibly some parts of Central America). A perfect example of this is the lack of polite adverbs in commands. The phrase “Please update your profile” may be translated as “Por favor, actualiza tu perfil” or “Favor de actualizar tu perfil” in other Spanish variants. However, for Argentina, “Actualizá el perfil”, in imperative form, is perfectly valid. This distinct feature is something not all linguists are aware of, but it is of the utmost importance when trying to reach the right audience and is especially true in the gaming industry where you want to establish a close connection with the players in order to make them feel comfortable and engaged in the game.

Imagine you are British and you go to the cinema to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster. You will definitely understand the film but you may miss out on a few terms and, most importantly, deep down you will probably feel it was not tailored to you, which in turn will not contribute to a sense of belonging. That is exactly what you want to avoid in the iGaming industry.
Another difference posed by this ever-growing market is the widely accepted use of basic terminology in English (mostly coming from an American influence) where the audience feel at ease with terms such as “Poker” and “Online Casino”. Even when the term “Poker” smoothly translates into “Póquer”, as per the spelling accepted by the Real Academia Española (which sets grammatical standards for the Spanish language), the Argentinian player would consider the latter unnatural. Regarding grammar, Argentinians seldomly use the Spanish equivalent of the present perfect tense, which, on the other hand, is widely used in the rest of Latin America. Hence, the use of this verb tense can render the text as unnatural and awkward.

Some other terms, however, have their corresponding translation and it would be incorrect to leave them in English. For example, the term “Slot machines”—which translates into “Máquinas tragamonedas”—would be confusing for the player if left in English, and even the equivalence in Spanish should be adapted to the Argentinian market as it differs from the term used in other Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain (the term “tragaperras” would be confusing and could even be considered offensive in Argentina). A good slot machine localization team is therefore needed to make sure not only terminology but also the look and feel of the website are appropriate for the audience.

The online gaming industry in Argentina is developing as the use of technology becomes increasingly available to segments of the population that did not use to have access to it. Argentinians are no strangers to card games: the game “truco” is extremely popular, and poker is gaining more players every day thanks to online gaming. Whether playing from a PC at home or a mobile app “on the go”, playing on your own or looking to enjoy the buzz of a community feel, the real challenge for the translation and localization teams is to find the right local linguists with a passion for this exciting industry who will strive not only to find the appropriate word but to create the right environment: after all, what you want is for your players to feel comfortable, safe and more importantly, to feel home. And this is where the specialized and talented team at All-in Global can help.