Deciphering the Journey: Translating Cultural Metaphors in Black Myth: Wukong for Cross-Cultural Communication

Abstract

Black Myth: Wukong (BMW), China's pioneering AAA game targeting global au-diences, faces the significant challenge of translating culturally embedded met-aphors rooted in the classic Journey to the West for English-speaking players. This research analyzes the strategies and effectiveness of BMW's English trans-lations in conveying uniquely Chinese cultural elements, particularly focusing on the concept and nomenclature of yaoguai (妖怪). The study reveals that Game Science effectively employs foreignization by transliterating "yaoguai," preserving its cultural specificity and distinguishing it from inadequate Western equivalents like "monster" or "genie," thereby reconstructing a distinct Chinese cultural discourse. However, the analysis identifies critical shortcomings: a ho-mogenizing tendency to label all adversaries as "Guai" overlooks the nuanced distinction between Guai (怪) and Jing (精), and the translation of culturally specific official titles attached to yaoguai (e.g., "Rat Governor" for Shu Sikong) often fails to accurately reflect their historical context and hierarchical conno-tations within Chinese feudal bureaucracy. While BMW's translation success-fully introduces the unique concept of yaoguai, oversimplification in handling subcategories and historical titles risks diluting cultural depth. This study argues that meticulous attention to these subtle distinctions and contextually accurate adaptation of culturally loaded terms are crucial for Chinese AAA games to fulfill their potential as effective vehicles for global cultural dissemination.