Nowadays, it is common to see people playing games in public places. People play video games to refresh their minds from the tensions of life. But how can you refresh your mind if the game is not in your native language? Video Game Translation Services Come in.
Global gaming industry
According to a study, the gaming industry could be worth $242.39 billion this year. This represents a huge opportunity for game developers who want to enter overseas markets. Making your game playable for users around the world requires more than linguistics. Regional and cultural complexities must be taken into account when translating a game. This is called video game localization services.. Another name for this service is game internalization. Game localization and game internationalization help you keep up with the global trends in the gaming industry.
Cultural Complexity
How is localization different from translation? Localization goes one step further than translation. It adjusts the tone and style to suit the complexities of the region and culture. Moreover, it also takes censorship regulations into account. This is an important part of game localization because violence and gore in games vary from culture to culture. Moreover, the story of each game is also different. These things need to be taken into account in the game localization process. For example, if a Western game developer wants to target the Chinese market, they need to keep Chinese culture in mind. Hence, they need to hire localization experts. Professional Translation Agency Something that can distinguish Western culture from Chinese culture.
A translator who doesn't know Chinese history won't understand why Chinese gamers are faster at fighting and shooting. And why Chinese avatars are more appealing than Western graphics. First, the game needs to be translated into English, and then into other languages. Translating and localizing a game for the lucrative Chinese market is a difficult task.
Challenges faced by localization managers
The job of a localization project manager in a professional translation services company is not so simple. Each game needs to be translated, localized, dubbed and subtitled before it can be released in the global market. Don't ignore cultural complexities or your game will fight back in the global market. Taking cultural nuances into account in in-game localization will make the gaming experience more pleasant and people will feel that the game was developed specifically for them. The biggest challenge in in-game localization is when localization managers are overwhelmed with content and design work. In such a situation, they are unable to deliver robust game translation services on time and within budget.
Plan your game's user interface carefully
The user interface of a game needs to be considered from the very beginning of game development. Many problems that may arise include:
- Languages expand and contract in the translation process – German takes up more space than Chinese, for example – so you need to leave enough room for your in-game graphics.
- Universal interface text should be easy to navigate by clicking tabs and designed to easily scale across different screens in multiple languages.
- Some texts are used frequently in different parts of the game, hence it should be displayed in different parts at appropriate intervals, this helps the gamer to easily navigate the user interface and furthermore allows them to play the game in a user-friendly manner.
- Many game developers and localizers find the use of abbreviations in UI text to be an accurate way to understand English.
- Adjust with the spacing you need, just because a space works in English doesn't mean it will work in other languages.
Given the complexity of game design, the translation team offering game translation services should have experience working with multilingual games. Moreover, the localization manager in charge of user interface design should take it into account from the very beginning so that the design does not need to be revised. If the language fits the user interface, then other elements of the game should fit too.
Games Transcreation
Games contain all sorts of story and language elements, including slang, puns, sarcasm, humour, and connotations. They can't be translated word for word, but they can be modified to create an emotional response and help people immerse themselves in the game. This is where transcreation services come in. Machine translation can't do game transcreation; hence, you need to look for a professional translation company that can provide seamless game translation services.
summary
To mitigate the problems of localizing your game, you should start thinking about translating and localizing your game from the very beginning. This way, you will avoid having to make multiple revisions. Don’t forget to hire a professional translation company, which will help you release your game in multiple languages with full authenticity and accuracy.
