Good localization: mission impossible
Good afternoon, reader! We are the company All Correct Localization , we have been engaged in software localization since 2006, and games since 2008, and during this time we managed to get into the top twenty of the largest translation companies in Eastern Europe. On our blog pages we will share our experience with you. We think it will be useful to many ambitious software and game developers.
Want to know the recipe for disgusting localization? To directly in any gate? Without the slightest hope of success? Then listen!
Once a test task from a customer came to our company. It was necessary to translate chatbot questions from English to Russian, and most importantly - to come up with answers to them! Of course, the answers had to be intriguing, witty, but not offensive, in general, such that the user had a desire to continue the conversation with the electronic interlocutor.
')
Naturally, the entire editorial team was delighted! Really creative tasks come across to us infrequently. The translator did her best. She remembered everything: Bulgakov's “I sit, repair the primus”, and “Fresh breath facilitates understanding,” and even the Higgs boson.
When we received a positive review, growing into an order, our happiness was limitless. The project had all the chances to take its honorable place in the company's business cases, but ...
But this day has come. We were sent texts to work. Doubts crept in already at the stage of reading the multi-page style guide sent by the customer. According to him there was practically nothing. It was necessary to communicate with the user extremely correctly, a step to the left or to the right from instructions of the customer was punished by execution. The wings of our muse thoroughly cut.
But when we opened the texts themselves, we realized that they were still flowers! And now, attention, the promised recipe disgusting localization.
Do you think the question is translated incorrectly? Get in shape!
Do you think that the proposed answer does not match the question? Get in shape!
The question is, but there is no answer to it? Or is there an answer, but what is unclear? Well, in general, you already understood ...
Considering that Koreans worked on both English and Russian issues, the first two cases met literally once. As a result, the team spent twice as much time filling out the form than on the translation itself. At the same time, we were not the only ones working on the project, and, apparently, not all the other participants reacted to this procedure with due attention. Or, perhaps, they got fragments of better quality, I don’t know ... As a result, the customer sincerely wondered why everyone had already handed over the work, and we still fill out the forms.
Here are some examples of Korean creativity:
It is noteworthy that the answer to the last question was assumed: I'm not a mythical creature (I am not a mythical creature). Know homosexuality is a myth!
The remaining illustrations of fairies and homo ... gay people were ruthlessly rejected by the censors
Since the English answers were given to us, all that was required was to translate them! About any creative in fact the speech and did not go. On the contrary, if you suddenly want to offer your answer, and not translate the existing one, you have to justify in the comments, why did you think this is so decided!
Only sometimes it was possible to joke more or less successfully within the framework of the proposed answer.
Special attention deserves the very selection of questions. For some reason, a rather large part of it is occupied by the themes of sexual orientation and sex in general. Moreover, sex with the very uh-uh ... device, i.e. chat bot.
Are you a traditional sexual orientation? How do you have sex? Do you do cybersex? Do you want to have sex with me? Do you like to caress yourself? Well and further in the same vein.
I now do not know who will ask all this from his own phone, and even more so to offer! But I would provide for such cases automatic call "03".
But with Kutrappali, everything was clean and innocent with Siri ...
A number of questions were also devoted to such acute topics as relations between nations. For example, in the original, i.e. in the Korean version of the chatbot, it was about relations between Korea and Japan. For those who do not know: the echoes of Japanese colonization are still pain in the soul of many Koreans. Accordingly, in the Russian version, the Koreans decided to replace South Korea in their issues with Russia, and Japan with Germany. The result was the following:
I think that the Japanese government should formally apologize to comfort women.
Germany should apologize to Russian women.
I think that there needs to be a formal apology from Japan to Korea.
The Germans have not yet redeemed their guilt before the Russians.
and etc.
I don’t presume to say how relevant this topic is in this key at the moment in Russia, but the Russians certainly have quite a few equally provocative and delicate topics related to the national issue. Relations with the Chechen Republic, the problem of guest workers and so on. If we really want to make a list of such questions, it should be much wider and more diverse.
Remarkably, some questions about culture remained non-localized, i.e. the Japanese still figure in them:
(excellent translation of the last sentence, isn't it?)
If the Russian user may well have his own opinion about Japanese games (quite appropriate for the translation proposed by the Koreans), then we are very poorly acquainted with Japanese politicians in our country. And not very much they are interested in the average Russian.
So what do I want to say with all this? Here's what:
If you are going to enter the foreign market with your product, which, moreover, has a high degree of creativity and requires localization, taking into account national and cultural characteristics, have courage, tear your favorite child off the heart and give it into the hands of professionals. To professionals in the country of localization! Sometimes the desire to control everything and take over can do a disservice.
All this can be very briefly illustrated with the following comic:
Posted by Epoha3004
Want to know the recipe for disgusting localization? To directly in any gate? Without the slightest hope of success? Then listen!
Once a test task from a customer came to our company. It was necessary to translate chatbot questions from English to Russian, and most importantly - to come up with answers to them! Of course, the answers had to be intriguing, witty, but not offensive, in general, such that the user had a desire to continue the conversation with the electronic interlocutor.
')
Naturally, the entire editorial team was delighted! Really creative tasks come across to us infrequently. The translator did her best. She remembered everything: Bulgakov's “I sit, repair the primus”, and “Fresh breath facilitates understanding,” and even the Higgs boson.
When we received a positive review, growing into an order, our happiness was limitless. The project had all the chances to take its honorable place in the company's business cases, but ...
But this day has come. We were sent texts to work. Doubts crept in already at the stage of reading the multi-page style guide sent by the customer. According to him there was practically nothing. It was necessary to communicate with the user extremely correctly, a step to the left or to the right from instructions of the customer was punished by execution. The wings of our muse thoroughly cut.
But when we opened the texts themselves, we realized that they were still flowers! And now, attention, the promised recipe disgusting localization.
- Let the Koreans write a list of possible questions to the chat bot.
- Have the Koreans translate it to English.
- To the same Koreans (!!!), order to translate it into Russian.
- And finally, instruct them to come up with answers in English, corresponding, in their opinion, to the current realities of Russia.
- Send all this porridge from English and Russian to Russian along with the form in which they must write down every sneeze and coordinate with the customer. Of course, you need to bring everything in English.
Do you think the question is translated incorrectly? Get in shape!
Do you think that the proposed answer does not match the question? Get in shape!
The question is, but there is no answer to it? Or is there an answer, but what is unclear? Well, in general, you already understood ...
Considering that Koreans worked on both English and Russian issues, the first two cases met literally once. As a result, the team spent twice as much time filling out the form than on the translation itself. At the same time, we were not the only ones working on the project, and, apparently, not all the other participants reacted to this procedure with due attention. Or, perhaps, they got fragments of better quality, I don’t know ... As a result, the customer sincerely wondered why everyone had already handed over the work, and we still fill out the forms.
Here are some examples of Korean creativity:
| Original | "Translation " |
| You're still here, right? | Will you go? |
| How about if we fuck? | Kidding me? |
| I beg your forgiveness. | What |
| I understand, don't worry about it. | Easy, Masha, I'm Dubrovsky! |
| Areyouafairy? | Do you treat homosexuals? |
It is noteworthy that the answer to the last question was assumed: I'm not a mythical creature (I am not a mythical creature). Know homosexuality is a myth!
The remaining illustrations of fairies and homo ... gay people were ruthlessly rejected by the censors
Since the English answers were given to us, all that was required was to translate them! About any creative in fact the speech and did not go. On the contrary, if you suddenly want to offer your answer, and not translate the existing one, you have to justify in the comments, why did you think this is so decided!
Only sometimes it was possible to joke more or less successfully within the framework of the proposed answer.
| XXX is an efficient email system. | XXX is an effective mail system. | I've heard it really delivers. | They say she really delivers. |
Special attention deserves the very selection of questions. For some reason, a rather large part of it is occupied by the themes of sexual orientation and sex in general. Moreover, sex with the very uh-uh ... device, i.e. chat bot.
Are you a traditional sexual orientation? How do you have sex? Do you do cybersex? Do you want to have sex with me? Do you like to caress yourself? Well and further in the same vein.
I now do not know who will ask all this from his own phone, and even more so to offer! But I would provide for such cases automatic call "03".
But with Kutrappali, everything was clean and innocent with Siri ...
A number of questions were also devoted to such acute topics as relations between nations. For example, in the original, i.e. in the Korean version of the chatbot, it was about relations between Korea and Japan. For those who do not know: the echoes of Japanese colonization are still pain in the soul of many Koreans. Accordingly, in the Russian version, the Koreans decided to replace South Korea in their issues with Russia, and Japan with Germany. The result was the following:
I think that the Japanese government should formally apologize to comfort women.
Germany should apologize to Russian women.
I think that there needs to be a formal apology from Japan to Korea.
The Germans have not yet redeemed their guilt before the Russians.
and etc.
I don’t presume to say how relevant this topic is in this key at the moment in Russia, but the Russians certainly have quite a few equally provocative and delicate topics related to the national issue. Relations with the Chechen Republic, the problem of guest workers and so on. If we really want to make a list of such questions, it should be much wider and more diverse.
Remarkably, some questions about culture remained non-localized, i.e. the Japanese still figure in them:
| I'm not sure about Japanese politicians. | The politicians of Japan are some freaks. |
| I prefer not to play Japanese games. | Japanese games are shit. |
(excellent translation of the last sentence, isn't it?)
If the Russian user may well have his own opinion about Japanese games (quite appropriate for the translation proposed by the Koreans), then we are very poorly acquainted with Japanese politicians in our country. And not very much they are interested in the average Russian.
So what do I want to say with all this? Here's what:
If you are going to enter the foreign market with your product, which, moreover, has a high degree of creativity and requires localization, taking into account national and cultural characteristics, have courage, tear your favorite child off the heart and give it into the hands of professionals. To professionals in the country of localization! Sometimes the desire to control everything and take over can do a disservice.
All this can be very briefly illustrated with the following comic:
Posted by Epoha3004
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/190324/
All Articles