Picks, icks and squicks - what to do?

In the original version of Script Change, there are three peculiar words used by the author in the Getting Started section of the game, the picks, icks and squicks: 

[...] Content players want to avoid should be represented by squicks (gross things that make you feel like you’re stepping on a cockroach or make you mildly uncomfortable) and icks (which are triggering, traumatizing, scary or distressing).

3. Take time to note content people do want to see in game—things that are fun, exciting, or just interesting. These are the picks of the game, and what you feel really enthusiastic about. [...]

Are you surprised that the author found a way to choose three English words that conveyed what he wanted so precisely, while rhyming? Well, we aren't, as this is one of the usual hardships we face when we translate English content.

Here, we will focus on the translation of "squicks" and "icks" as the word "picks" was translated as punti forti (strong points) to better explain its meaning. We didn't find a way to make three words carrying such different concepts rhyme while staying true to their meaning, so we decided to focus on "icks" and "squicks", as they were more similar in meaning and would go together in the sheet at the end of the game.

At first, we decided to translate the words "squicks" and "icks" as onomatopoeias with bleah and ahia. This is the most "direct" translation and something that many people would do while writing the first draft. Or if they deem that the onomatopoeic nature of "squicks" and "icks" is the most important nuance of meaning that should be conveyed into Italian.

Still, we weren't satisfied with this translation because it didn't feel right while reading the text. Our ruolacomando shows a neutral style and adding onomatopoeias wouldn't be a good fit for this kind of manual. In addition, we know that English native speakers are more "used" to onomatopoeias as these words are often actual verbs, and quite common ones too (sigh, knock, clap, etc.). So, the effect an "icks" has on the ears of an English gamer is quite different from the effect a bleah has on the ones of an Italian gamer.

In the end, we decided to go with orrori [horrors] for "squicks" and terrori [terrors] for "icks". On one side, orrori and terrori are words that fit the style of our roulacomando and properly convey the meaning of the original words. On the other side, they simply rhyme (yay!). This way, we managed to keep a bit of the phonetic creativity shown in the original text.

As for the translations we chose for our fantacomando, we'll soon publish a devlog on its page!