Translations & Dragons

Abstract

The goal of the present thesis is to delineate the most desirable strategy or strategies for translating the distinctive tone of the instructive text that is The Player’s Handbook, which is used as a rulebook in Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy tabletop role playing game. The aim is to create a working translation of The Player’s Handbook which can be used by interested parties who are somewhat familiar with the source material. First, the nature of the text is determined and analysed, after which various complications and challenges that are specific to the text are discussed. Based on these findings, a suitable translation strategy or strategies will be chosen and applied to the translation. The conclusion of this thesis states that, in order to produce such a working translation of The Player’s Handbook, a combination of several strategies will need to be applied.