12 ideas on how to improve game localization
We do not get tired of repeating that localization is a great way to enter new markets and increase the audience of your game. Although it happens that this is just a way to spend a lot of time / money and get a translation, over which native speakers will chuckle politely.
In this post, we outlined a few ideas on how to streamline the process of localizing games in the best possible way. And they also wrote what can be saved on, and on what is not worth it.
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It is better to use the material in English as the source - most translators will be able to work with it. If the source material is written in another language, it makes sense to first translate it into English, and only then - into other target languages. At the same time, there is a risk to introduce misunderstandings in the process, therefore it is ideal from the very beginning to attract a good English-language screenwriter.
So, you have a script in English that will be the source material for all translations. It is imperative that he pass a thorough preliminary proofreading . At the same time, you need to check both spelling with grammar, and uniformity of terminology, and possible cases of ambiguous reading, and jokes / idioms that are not translated literally into other languages.
It is extremely important to follow the uniformity of terminology in the dialogues, screen text and instructions. This helps the glossary . It provides text coherence, facilitates translation and helps to avoid any misunderstandings.
It can be difficult to translate language-specific semantic constructions: puns, idioms, jokes, quotes from songs. For example: “a guy gave a girl a romantic dinner on the hood of a car: with oil and candles” . Or dialogue type:
- What did they not share with him?
- Do not divide by zero!
When translating from Russian, the translator will have to sweat over the translation of the names of characters like “Petrovich” or “Vasily Ivanovich” and all the folk jokes associated with them.
Another difficulty of translation is realities that are not found in other languages. For example, there are no registry offices in the US - how do you order this word to be translated for Americans?
It is better to have less of such moments in the text.
Notify translators of the restrictions on the number of characters in specific strings, if any. When translating, the text often swells or shrinks - simply because in some languages ​​you need more words to say the same thing. Consider also the limitations on the duration of replicas in dialogs.
In some languages, the difference between formal and informal addressing or the tone of a conversation can be huge. The desired style of the text in the target language is not always obvious from the source material, so let the translators or the agency know which style is preferred.
If the English text uses the pronoun “you” (“you / you”), it is not always clear who exactly is it about: the player, the character of the game, or a group of people / characters? This point may be significant for the translation, so make sure that you specify exactly what is meant in each case.
Ideally, the translator has the opportunity to play the translated game himself. A professional game translator needs to dive into the game world, read the background, study the plot, characters, location. We in Alconost have translators-gamers for game projects. I remember we hired to translate poker platforms for avid poker players ...
It is very important for the translator to understand the context of the translated strings. If there is no game or even its demo version, follow the lines with maximum information (in a separate column), provide maximum images, screenshots and descriptions of objects and characters.
The human factor has not been canceled: any specialist can make a mistake or a typo that he will not notice. Therefore, an editor is needed for each of the translation directions. Together with the translator, he will compose an effective tandem that will resolve most of the controversial nuances that inevitably arise during translation.
Being engaged in localization, the translator maintains a database of repetitive segments - the so-called translation memory. If you always use the same wording, there are repeated segments - it means that you need to translate them only once, which allows you to save. Let's say we have in Alconost for the translation of identical segments of the text provides a discount of 70%. Why not all 100%? Because the translator still needs to check the context of the repeated word or phrase.
Review your source material to find places where this approach might work. However, do not forget that different wording may be preferable for the voice acting, so that the listener does not get tired.
Another obvious way to reduce localization costs is to reduce the amount of your source material. Try to make shorter the explanations, descriptions and dialogues - say everything you need to convey, but with the help of fewer words. However, do not get carried away with the abbreviation if the texts are recited by the actors, otherwise the dialogues may become unnatural and lifeless.
If the source material is constantly updated until it is translated (which is not recommended, but in some cases is unavoidable), accumulate and send the text for translation in large batches.
And how to reduce the cost of voice recording, you will learn from this article about the localization of audio .
We will be happy to answer your questions in the comments!
about the author
Alconost is engaged in the localization of applications, games and websites in 60 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.
We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.
Read more: https://alconost.com
In this post, we outlined a few ideas on how to streamline the process of localizing games in the best possible way. And they also wrote what can be saved on, and on what is not worth it.
')
1. Find a good English-speaking screenwriter.
It is better to use the material in English as the source - most translators will be able to work with it. If the source material is written in another language, it makes sense to first translate it into English, and only then - into other target languages. At the same time, there is a risk to introduce misunderstandings in the process, therefore it is ideal from the very beginning to attract a good English-language screenwriter.
2. Subtract the script before sending to transfer
So, you have a script in English that will be the source material for all translations. It is imperative that he pass a thorough preliminary proofreading . At the same time, you need to check both spelling with grammar, and uniformity of terminology, and possible cases of ambiguous reading, and jokes / idioms that are not translated literally into other languages.
3. Observe the uniformity of the names of characters, names of places, objects, interface elements
It is extremely important to follow the uniformity of terminology in the dialogues, screen text and instructions. This helps the glossary . It provides text coherence, facilitates translation and helps to avoid any misunderstandings.
4. It is difficult to translate concepts that exist only in a specific language.
It can be difficult to translate language-specific semantic constructions: puns, idioms, jokes, quotes from songs. For example: “a guy gave a girl a romantic dinner on the hood of a car: with oil and candles” . Or dialogue type:
- What did they not share with him?
- Do not divide by zero!
When translating from Russian, the translator will have to sweat over the translation of the names of characters like “Petrovich” or “Vasily Ivanovich” and all the folk jokes associated with them.
Another difficulty of translation is realities that are not found in other languages. For example, there are no registry offices in the US - how do you order this word to be translated for Americans?
It is better to have less of such moments in the text.
5. Check the length of the lines.
Notify translators of the restrictions on the number of characters in specific strings, if any. When translating, the text often swells or shrinks - simply because in some languages ​​you need more words to say the same thing. Consider also the limitations on the duration of replicas in dialogs.
6. Formal or informal style?
In some languages, the difference between formal and informal addressing or the tone of a conversation can be huge. The desired style of the text in the target language is not always obvious from the source material, so let the translators or the agency know which style is preferred.
7. Who are you?
If the English text uses the pronoun “you” (“you / you”), it is not always clear who exactly is it about: the player, the character of the game, or a group of people / characters? This point may be significant for the translation, so make sure that you specify exactly what is meant in each case.
8. Let translators play
Ideally, the translator has the opportunity to play the translated game himself. A professional game translator needs to dive into the game world, read the background, study the plot, characters, location. We in Alconost have translators-gamers for game projects. I remember we hired to translate poker platforms for avid poker players ...
It is very important for the translator to understand the context of the translated strings. If there is no game or even its demo version, follow the lines with maximum information (in a separate column), provide maximum images, screenshots and descriptions of objects and characters.
9. One head is good, but two is better.
The human factor has not been canceled: any specialist can make a mistake or a typo that he will not notice. Therefore, an editor is needed for each of the translation directions. Together with the translator, he will compose an effective tandem that will resolve most of the controversial nuances that inevitably arise during translation.
Reducing localization costs
10. Use repeating terms and phrases.
Being engaged in localization, the translator maintains a database of repetitive segments - the so-called translation memory. If you always use the same wording, there are repeated segments - it means that you need to translate them only once, which allows you to save. Let's say we have in Alconost for the translation of identical segments of the text provides a discount of 70%. Why not all 100%? Because the translator still needs to check the context of the repeated word or phrase.
Review your source material to find places where this approach might work. However, do not forget that different wording may be preferable for the voice acting, so that the listener does not get tired.
11. Brevity - the sister of saving
Another obvious way to reduce localization costs is to reduce the amount of your source material. Try to make shorter the explanations, descriptions and dialogues - say everything you need to convey, but with the help of fewer words. However, do not get carried away with the abbreviation if the texts are recited by the actors, otherwise the dialogues may become unnatural and lifeless.
12. Implement changes in large packages.
If the source material is constantly updated until it is translated (which is not recommended, but in some cases is unavoidable), accumulate and send the text for translation in large batches.
And how to reduce the cost of voice recording, you will learn from this article about the localization of audio .
We will be happy to answer your questions in the comments!
about the author
Alconost is engaged in the localization of applications, games and websites in 60 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.
We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.
Read more: https://alconost.com
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/301270/
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