Before assuring the scope of the literature review, the author conducted a search on CNKI using the keywords "localization" and "translation" within the past ten years, which yielded 496 relevant articles. The obtained data was subsequently analyzed through VOSviewer, a software tool for visualizing bibliometric networks, indicating that although game software falls within the broader category of software, the correlation between game localization and software localization research in China is relatively low, suggesting relative independence in both fields. Given that this st udy focuses on HelloTalk, which aligns more closely with software localization, the literature review will specifically focus on software localization.
Searching and filtering “mobile application localization”, “software localization”, and “software translation” on CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) yields 128 domestic research papers. Although the database contains 595 papers on “software translation”, analysis using the CNKI built-in visualization tool revealed that the majority of the papers are related to "machine translation" and "translation software," with only 15 papers pertaining to localization. After screening, a final result of 128 relevant papers was obtained.
2.2 Software Localization and Translation Abroad
As for the issue of foreign software localization research, there are notable differences in the research results of relevant literature on major academic databases. This study conducts a search using the keywords "software localization and translation" and consolidates data from websites including Web of Science, Semantic Scholar, John Benjamins, and ResearchGate to categorize foreign research into three types: (1) studies on translation cases and strategies, (2) theoretical studies on software localization and translation, and (3) studies on diverse topics related to localization and translation.
In the research on translation cases and strategies, most studies summarize the strategies by analyzing cases and some of them consult with localization teams to make the research more convincing. As for theoretical basis, functionalist translation theory and Skopos theory are the dominant theoretical frameworks and the occurrence of Adaptation Theory is rare. Kara Warburton (2022) employed functionalist translation theory and project-based learning to steer her research, documenting the students' process of localizing the "Safer Illinois" COVID-19 prevention application into Japanese. Similarly, R. K. Munyua and Tom Olali (2019) scrutinized the localization process of Google software products in Swahili-speaking areas, employing a communicative functional approach to translation, studying language, mechanical, cultural, and other translation dimensions aimed at enhancing the communicative functionality of Google software products.
Chapter Three Theoretical Framework ............................. 10
3.1 Overview of Adaptation Theory ............................ 10
3.2 Adaptation Theory Applied in the Software Localization .............................. 11
Chapter Four Studies on the Communicative Contexts in Software Localization ...... 16
4.1 The Adaptation to the Mental World.................... 16
4.1.1 Assumed Mental States of the User and Client......................... 16
4.1.2 Consistency for Smoothness in Using Software: Translating Proper Nouns of Features .................... 17
Chapter Five Conclusion......................... 50
Chapter Four Studies on the Communicative Contexts in Software Localization
4.1 The Adaptation to the Mental World
In
