LocalizeDirect - Game Localization & LQA’s Post

As you plan your game’s localization for foreign markets, you might look at translation agencies’ offers and wonder – do we really need all these steps? Is proofreading absolutely necessary? And what on earth is “cultural consulting”? Well, in our professional opinion, publishing translations without editing or proofreading is for people who like living on the edge. We place it somewhere between wingsuiting and wrestling a dragon while having all the debuffs applied. 🐉 As for other services, if they might be necessary or not – that depends on your project. Let’s take a quick look at some of them and see how they might be useful for you: 🌪️ Editing – thorough revision of the translation in relation to the original text. If you choose this option, you can be doubly sure that the localized version of the game corresponds to the source and doesn’t contain any terminology or linguistic errors. 🌪️ Proofreading – revision of only the translated text. It can be done after editing, or it can directly follow the translation step instead of editing as an economic compromise. 🌪️ LQA/Testing – checking if all the localized texts fit the context in the game and if the layout looks correct. The localizers don’t know the game as well as you do and often aren’t sure where a given string will appear. To avoid any context or layout issues, LQA testing might be extremely useful, especially in complex projects. 🌪️ Cultural and localization consulting – providing localization advice throughout the whole process, starting with the game’s development. The way the game content is prepared can affect the process of localization and the quality of the end product. To avoid any issues in the future and guarantee smooth and fast localization, you can consult localization experts beforehand. It’s always up to you how your game localization process looks like – if you’re not sure what will be best for your game and budget, contact us and let’s chat about it!

🚀 Localization Tips for Game Developers: Best practices for Perfecting Simplified Chinese Translations! 🎮 Looking to Translate Your Game into Simplified Chinese? Great Choice! Simplified Chinese is currently the most popular language on Steam! China's language, culture, and writing system are quite distinct from those in Western countries, which can lead to potential character display issues and translation challenges. To help you navigate these complexities, we’ve put together some essential tips for localizing your game for the Chinese market. Read on to discover what to do—and what to avoid! What Game Developers Need to Know: 🗓️ Plan Ahead: Many games involve localizing large amounts of text. As game content often reaches its final form close to the release date, translators might have limited time, which can affect the quality and the amount of time available for proofreading. To avoid a last-minute crunch, aim to prepare the text as early as possible. 🌍 Understand the Importance of Localization: In China, it's crucial to focus on localization rather than just literal translation. Chinese culture, history, and pop culture differ greatly from Western ones, and the way people express thoughts and emotions also varies. Humor is another area where differences are significant. Translators often need to get creative to effectively convey the intended message. Familiarize yourself with the concept of "transcreation"—it's especially important for the Chinese market. 🗣️ Involve a Native Speaker: Ensure that a native Chinese speaker is part of the process to create natural-sounding dialogues and clear instructions. Games are not the place for grammar mistakes or display errors. Only a native speaker can fully apply their linguistic expertise and cultural sensitivity. 🎮 Prioritize Game Testing: Game testing is essential for accurate translation. Context matters, especially for single words or short commands. Testing helps verify that all Chinese characters display correctly and that the font looks appropriate. At Chinese Localization, we offer translation and game testing services even under tight deadlines. You can trust us with your project to ensure a smooth localization experience! 🌟 Picture: Designed by Freepik, tirachardz #Gameloc #indiegamedev #GamingIndustry #Gamedev #ChineseGamingMarket

Localization can be very difficult - it's not just about translating. It's about making your content resonate with your global audience. Here are a few elements to consider: 1) Use a consistent style guide: A well-defined style guide ensures uniformity in communication and maintains brand identity across languages. 2) Invest in translation memory tools: They help save time and resources while maintaining consistency and accuracy. 3) Work closely with native linguists: They bring cultural nuances to the table, making content more relatable to the target audience. 4) Regularly update your glossaries: Keep them current and share them with your localization team to ensure everyone's on the same page. For more insights, check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eVUtTtyR

It's been getting increasingly harder to check off my annual CPD hours in a meaningful way. I usually take one large course on translation, localization or management per year to refresh my skills and keep up to date with the evolving market demands. This year, though, I found myself in a situation where most supplementary educational programmes for translators are of no use to me anymore, and this is especially true for the ones aimed at those translating into Russian. "Basic Marketing Translation Course" does not sound very enciting to me with my 8 years of experience in this field. I've lost count of how many Steam pages for games of all sizes and popularity I translated, and these give a lot more insight into the process of creating an appealing message than any training examples taken from some luxury brand press release from 2013. "Localization: A Comprehensive Course" is actually an extensive collection of very shallow insights into the very basic things any decent translator usually learns the hard way after receiving their first negative feedback from a diligent enough reviewer. I am aware that {0} usually substitutes for a number and any measurement units that follow have to be abbreviated to avoid declension inconsistencies, thank you very much. Each and every person reading this post now owes me €690 for this unique piece of valuable knowledge, by the way. "The Intricacies Of Oil & Gas Translation" sounds promising, but in reality it is more of an on-site interpreting training, which is obviously not something I am looking for with my very narrow localization specialization. I'm not even going to delve (haha) into the depths of "ChatGPT in Translation for Dummies" and the like: I am yet to see an MT engine or LLM produce a translation which does not require extensive editing for every single sentence in Russian. It seems like the only way to actually learn something new and potentially useful for a middle to senior level localization specialist is enrolling at an actual university degree with the goal of eventually switching to a career in localization engineering, management or perhaps UX writing/design. The actual process of converting words originally written in one language into words that sound like they were originally written in a different one is pretty straightforward; you either are good at it or you are not, and there is not much you can do to improve your personal translation capabilities beyond a certain point determined by your own talent rather than the amount of other people's knowledge you stuff your brain with. Or is it? I'll appreciate your thoughts and recommendations on advanced training for translators and localization specialists greatly.

Professional Translation & Localization: Key to Expanding Your Brand Globally Expanding into new markets? Our translation and localization services offer the precision and cultural awareness needed to reach and engage global audiences effectively. Here’s how: Streamlined Translation Process We manage every aspect from document receipt to team assembly, quality checks, and final delivery with clear, organized workflows. Client-approved project plans ensure transparency in timelines and cost. Native-Speaking, Expert Translators Our translator selection prioritizes native speakers with industry expertise, essential for fields like medical translation and IT translations. We incorporate subject matter experts into projects where specialized knowledge is crucial. Robust Quality Control Two levels of quality checks, editing, and proofreading ensure high standards are consistently met. Version control keeps translations accurate and client-aligned. Cultural Adaptation Through Localization Beyond language, localization tailors dates, symbols, and currencies to the local context, ensuring cultural relevance. This approach builds trust and demonstrates respect for local audiences. Client Collaboration and Feedback We actively involve clients in the process to align with their brand vision. Get More Information about Quality Assurance

Here it is! My massive side translation project! A (Unofficial) Comprehensive Localization of the first case of Phoenix Wright: The First Turnabout! This was made for new translators (and even old ones) that want to know what's the whole process of making a video game localization. As someone with over 10 years of experience, this project demonstrates how an experienced translator approaches a game without relying on AI/MT translation or translating word-for-word. Instead, it involves researching English and Japanese names and carefully considering how the Brazilian audience will experience the game. This post includes: ☑ Characters' transcreations ☑ Glossary ☑ Style Guide ☑ Complete translation of "The First Turnabout" Please support by reacting to this post and following me on my blog on Wordpress. (This game does not have an official translation, and all rights belong to Capcom. This is only a fan translation by a senior translator).

In my previous post, I covered translation and localization. Now, it’s time to say a few words about 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧—a process that, as you might guess, requires a touch of creativity. I found a definition of this term in The Economist that captures it well: “... 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛”, 𝑖𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟—𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔—𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠, 𝑗𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙. 𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 “𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟” 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠.” So, there you have it: the original text can be completely reworked to better resonate with the target audience. And sometimes, things can go wrong in the most hilarious ways. Check out the carousel for more details!😏

Expanding your elearning strategy globally? 🌐 Overcome language barriers with effective #TranslationAndLocalization. Translation ensures linguistic accuracy, while localization adapts content to cultural nuances, fostering authentic connections with diverse audiences. https://bit.ly/49lErkY #GlobalBusiness #LanguageMatters

🎮 Localization as Creative Writing: When Curiosity Killed the Cat... 🐱 Game localization is so much more than just translation—it often involves a good deal of creative writing. In one of my projects, I came across the phrase like "curiosity will be your downfall." While I can’t share the exact source sentence due to the NDA, it essentially conveyed this meaning. Instead of simply translating it word for word, I chose to bring in a well-known proverb in Turkish: "fazla merak kediyi öldürür." In English: "curiosity killed the cat." Drawing on this, I created a localized version: "merak, seni de kedi gibi öldürecek." In English: “curiosity will kill you like the cat.” This wasn't just about making the phrase culturally engaging, but about adding a layer of creativity that makes the localized version more impactful for the player. -------------------------- 👋 Hi, I’m Emirhan. I specialize in providing effective game, software, IT and marketing localization from English into Turkish. 💌 Interested in a potential collaboration? Feel free to reach out to me here on LinkedIn or via email at emirhankarahasann@gmail.com #localization #gamelocalization #culturaladaptation #turkishlocalization #creativewriting #transcreation #gamingindustry

Expanding your elearning strategy globally? 🌐 Overcome language barriers with effective #TranslationAndLocalization. Translation ensures linguistic accuracy, while localization adapts content to cultural nuances, fostering authentic connections with diverse audiences. https://bit.ly/3OL7WVf #GlobalBusiness #LanguageMatters