Topic of “Register” in translation

LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE IS A LOT EASIER THAN YOU THINK

Here’s your first Romanian lessons (most likely), if you feel like it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dD5AByqu5s Take it or leave it. Either way, when you accept that Romanian children grow up with this language as their mother tongue, does it really make sense to believe that learning it will be “hard”? And they don’t have the privilege of already having a sound knowledge in another language, which they can employ to discuss what they don’t know / are confused about as they learn Romanian.

A WORD ABOUT THE TOPIC OF “REGISTER” IN TRANSLATION

Three words: register is human.

Take it from a professional translator: when you are asked to translate something – especially if it’s something that other people know they seriously want to be able to confide in and take on good authority – it is usually important to consider how you will convey what you say in a fitting register.

Take a moment to look up “register” in connection with language and communication if you feel the need.

Now, it is true that when I was still a teenager studying foreign languages at school, my teachers had covered the topic of “register” with me a little bit even back then, but I must confess that I only really appreciated it in terms of how formal or informal it was, it seemed. But that was 20-25 years ago. That said, today, one of my genuinely very favourite computer games is Detroit Become Human, which has a very strong story element, in which every so often you have to make choices as to what sort of thing the character you are playing as at the time will say (usually in response to another character’s comment) – most of the time, it will affect the relationship of the character you are currently playing as with other characters (or even public opinion of the character you are currently playing as, depending on the individual circumstance); ultimately, it contributes to shaping the events of the game. It’s not just a question of whether or not you complete certain objectives given to you.

Anyway, this Youtube video was made by someone playing the game at the bit where Markus and co. make it to the top of the tower so that Markus can deliver a speech in which he demands rights for androids from the humans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Del_W3Dps As the title indicates, the video itself does not feature only a single playthrough; in both runs, Markus’ speech may have the same message in essence but the exact wording he uses, and the resulting imparted tone, depend on whether you choose “calm” or “determined”… like I said, exactly which you choose does matter because it will contribute to shaping the situation in the story of the game, in this case, Markus’ relationship with other characters in the game, and (humans’) public opinion of him (and, since the character Markus has been appointed the leader of the androids fighting for android freedom at this point in the game, humans’ public opinion of all androids). For a game which deliberately invites the player to make their own choices with later consequences which will depend on what their choices are, I can honestly say that I have never seen any game cover such a breadth of what it means to be human. This video is just one example of that. You should see how many Youtube videos featuring gameplay in this game there really are, and why it is so widely and eagerly talked about.

But I am supposed to be writing about register in translation here. While the game Detroit Become Human has nothing to do with translation like I do in my role as a professional translator, I bring up that video and the related comments to make mention of the “calm” register and the “determined” register at this point in the game, suggesting comparison of the two, as an example of what register in language is really all about.

As an afterthought, should you ever play Detroit Become Human: as one example, at the scene where Connor meets Hank outside at night at the bridge while Hank is getting drunk, there’s a (possible) bit where, while playing as Connor, after Hank asks you something, you might decide whether to respond “Rational”, “Ironic” or “Cold” (or something else, which is not an adjective). After you have listened to what Hank has just said to you at that point, you might, based on how you have played the game up to that point, knowingly wonder or even consciously guess exactly what Connor would say back to him were you to choose any of those three options, and see how close or far off the mark you are when you do so (whether during that particular playthrough or during a subsequent one). Do you agree that this hints at what I call the topic of “situational awareness”? Either way, the game is full of moments like this.

It is true that there is no mention of any concept of androids or of future society in the title of the game Detroit Become Human. But, like I said, the game covers a massive breadth of what it means to be human – you could say that exactly who the three android characters you play as really “are” (in a given game, that is) depend on what you do in the game while you’re playing as them, if of course androids really do have personalities at all – and I also find that proper translation effort covers what it means to be human much of the time.Topi