The video game industry is a global powerhouse but with international reach comes the challenge of effective localisation.
From narrative-heavy AAA titles to mobile games with serious spatial constraints for text content, the industry depends on linguists and game translation agencies who ‘get it’.
In this short post, ICS-translate’s Luca Tinnirello takes us through some of the key aspects of game localisation:
What is your background in the video game sector?
I am, first and foremost, a gamer, and as a native speaker of a language that isn’t English, I’ve enjoyed localised games since the day I started using a console - it was a Game Boy, by the way.
Besides that, I’ve also worked as a game translator for some independent game studios, an experience that has allowed me to peek behind the scenes of game localisation. And I fell in love with it.
Finally, working at ICS-translate has given me the opportunity to be involved in even more game localisation projects, and I’ve really enjoyed that.
How does game translation differ from, for example, website translation? What special skills and knowledge are required?
Interestingly enough, video game translation isn’t that different from website translation.
You’ll find that in both types of text user experience is one of the elements translators have to keep in mind. Just like websites, games come with an element of user interface - although on a smaller scale - and readability of this interface is not to be underestimated.
Certainly, video games come with a huge narrative element which poses big challenges to translators and brings this genre closer to literature translation than anything else.
Let’s take things like new creatures, races or equipment we find in many video games: all of these elements will likely have made-up names that need to be translated into the target language while still taking into account cultural nuances and different sensibilities.
A good example of this comes from Ace Attorney's localisation, where one of the characters is known for having difficulties reading complex characters and gets 華麗 (“karei” – gorgeous, magnificent) and 引導 (“indou” – last rites, funeral) mixed up with カレー (“karee” – curry) and インド (“indo” – India). This was rendered in English with the same character mixing up “gravely” and “(to) roast”, with “gravy” and “(meat) roast.”
What exactly needs to be localised when translating a game?
That will depend a lot on the type of game being translated. Mobile games, puzzle games or other genres that aren’t based on a rich narrative will do just fine with minimal localisation, covering elements such as menus, user interface and other functional elements.
More complex games, like strategy games, FPS or football simulation games will have a richer narrative element, which will require the use of partial localisation strategy.
This involves translation of things like menus and user interface, but also subtitles, in-game narrative elements (e.g. scrolls, messages, books) and other supporting materials like complex tutorials and info databases.
And finally, role playing games (RPGs) would definitely be the best candidates for a full localisation strategy which doesn’t only include translation of all the elements above, but also of all the voice acting in the game, as well as culturalisation and transcreation of foreign content and cultural references where needed.
The choice of the most fitting strategy is not only influenced by the genre, but also by market factors like English proficiency of the target audience and their expectations in terms of how much content should be localised.
How do you select the right translators for game projects? What skills and experience are you looking for?
First off, I’d expect a video game translator to have a good deal of creativity; so, having worked on creative projects of different types would be a plus in the selection process.
Another type of experience that might come in handy is subtitling, not just because many video games will have subtitles, but also because working with this text type means you often have to rework your translation to make it fit within the tight constraints of on-screen text, and working with limited space for your translations is definitely a characteristic of video game translation.
Finally, a video game translator shouldn’t lack passion for video games and experience as a gamer – understanding context is key so having an affinity for what makes a good player experience.
How important is it to be knowledgeable about games? Is this secondary to other types of experience?
Short answer: No. In fact, I’d say it's the single most important type of experience you need to be a capable video game translator. Being knowledgeable about games doesn’t necessarily mean that you should have played all the major games out there, but that you should be familiar with the mechanics of major video game genres.
You might have not played one of the Final Fantasy or Dark Souls games and still have enough experience to be a very good RPG translator.
To put it another way, if I was working on a video game translation project and was to choose between a translator who has only ever played the occasional mobile game and one who’s also a gamer, I wouldn’t think twice about choosing the latter for my project.
How important is localisation to game immersion? How can correct localisation support the narratives created by game developers and maximise player experience?
Localisation is definitely one of the most important elements for game immersion. In this regard I’m not necessarily speaking of full localisation in the player’s language. Let’s take the example of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.
The game is set in 9th century Baghdad, and players can enjoy a full immersion in the story by playing the game with the Arabic voice over. Of course, this immersion aspect is only possible with voice over and for games that are set in real-world locations.
In any case though, good localisation is fundamental because it allows for a seamless narrative and experience and doesn’t force players to get out of their gaming headspace to try and make sense of badly translated menus, subtitles and whatnot.
What game would you most like to have been involved in translating and why?
I’ll be honest, any great game I play makes me want to be a part of the team that has had the chance to bring its localisation to life, so the list could go on for quite a while.
If I had to pick one, I’d say Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It just ticks all the boxes of an ideal game for me: an open world RPG set in a historically accurate 15th century Central Europe. What’s not to love about that?
Do you feel some genres have better translation and localisation than others?
There are plenty of examples out there of games with bad localisation and translation in one or more languages, and although things have improved with time - the line from Zero Wing “All your base are belong to us” has become the stuff of legend - some big titles have recently stumbled with localisation and translation. The Japanese localisation of Skyrim is quite bad, I hear.
Having said that, modern RPGs games have some of the best localisation out there. Assassin’s Creed Mirage developers were praised for the care they put into the Arabic localisation.
On the other hand, it’s easier to find some of the worst localised games on mobile app stores. It’s easy to find untranslated lines or sentences that don’t make much sense in mobile games.
Considering that these games usually stay on the market for a limited amount of time, it doesn’t surprise me that developers don’t care much about the quality of localisation.
If you were at an indie studio with limited budgets, what steps would you take to make sure you were picking the right translation partner?
I’d want to be absolutely sure that I’m getting the best possible service for my budget.
First thing I’d want to ascertain is that my partners know what they’re doing. Do they know video games? Do they like video games?
A second element I’d need to be sure of is what systems they have in place for Quality Assurance and how we can integrate our workflow with theirs.
The many examples of bad localisation out there show that errors do get through the cracks, so I’d want to know what systems they have in place to avoid that.
Are there any areas where major studios could improve their localisation results?
Large studios have made huge progress in terms of quality of translation and localisation, and nowadays it’s rare to see really bad translations in any truly global games.
However, there are certainly areas where they can make improvements.
One of these is a more responsible use of machine translation, which shouldn't replace the creativity and expertise of experienced translators.
Another is accountability towards their linguists, which means giving credit to their skills and expertise whenever possible, recognising their efforts and contribution to the success of a video game.
