Before I worked in game localization, I did not realize how many strings had to be pulled to make a video game happen before I could finally enjoy it on my couch. And even now I don't really know.
I have always been interested in getting to know some of the many other areas that are vital to make a successful game, such as development (obviously), audio production, or marketing. I may not be able to get profound knowledge of all those fields, but those who don't ask remain dumb.
And so I decided to ask a lot of questions to those who know.
I am starting the People in Games interview series so everyone who is interested in learning more about the industry can get a little insight into the working field of video games. I will interview veterans (and maybe some noobs, too) from the video game industry and ask them about their field.
The first interview will be published coming Sunday, so come back soon :-)
Whether you are a translator or a translation client with frequent translation needs, you have probably been acquainted with the term “minimum rate” or its slightly more negative equivalent “minimum fee”. And as a translation buyer, you might have asked yourself—and your translator—why you should pay a fixed price of 15, 20, or even 50 bucks for as little as 56 words you conveniently sent your translator or project manager directly in the email.
It is a question that constantly weighs on the game translator's shoulders: To localize, to translate, or to leave as is?
Finding the right person you can trust with localizing your game into a language you don't understand can be like jumping off a cliff—you just won't know if you'll break your neck or have the time of your life.
You are about to develop your game. Your family is prepared to see little to nothing of you for a long time. Nights will be long while your budget is not. But when you finally finish your game, you'll want to take over the world, with localization. Here are some tips from a game translator's point of view.
There is no question that translating games is fun and being a game translator is about the coolest job one could have. But is it good for you? Here are 7 reasons why I think that translating games can be an unhealthy career choice.
![[VIDEO] Adventures in Game Localization](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/547215f7e4b0fbcd35a00b21/1510414634486-TOIPWJS363SIZ6GMO1AD/Concentration-Color-Cube-Play-Puzzle-Magic-Cube-378543.jpg)
In April 2016 I was invited to give a talk at the Berlin Game Scene Talk & Play event. Spontaneously titled "Adventures in Game Localization", I talked about a few of the challenges we game translators face when localizing a game for our respective markets.
The use of Italian accents and/or dialects in games is quite tricky, if you ask me, as the association with certain stereotypes is almost inevitable. In general, southern Italy is portrayed as a poorer and more ignorant part of the country (not to mention the mafia situation), whereas northern Italy is generally considered richer, and therefore posh and educated.
In video games, we get to meet characters who are larger than life, caricatures of real people. They dress in a very specific way, have their own strong personality and are sometimes further differentiated by having a nationality, an ethnicity, real or not, which can be associated with a corresponding accent.
There is no set order of steps in a game translation project, but this is how my game translation projects go these days.