At present, we often find people playing games in public places. People play video games to refresh their minds from the tensions of life. But how can they refresh their minds if games are not in their mother tongue? Here is where video game translation services come in.
The Global Gaming Industry
According to the research, the worth of the gaming industry can reach USD 242.39 billion this year. This gives a great opportunity to game developers who want to tap into foreign markets. To make games playable for the global audience goes beyond linguistics. They must consider the regional and cultural intricacies while translating the game. It is called video game localization services. The other name of this service is game internalization. Game localization and game internationalization will help you go with the global flow of the gaming industry.
Cultural Intricacies
How is localization different from translation? Localization is a step ahead of translation. It includes the adaption of tone and style according to regional and cultural intricacies. Moreover, it also takes into consideration censorship regulations. This is an important part of game localization as matters of violence and blood in gaming are different in every culture. Additionally, the storyline of each game is also different. These things must be taken into consideration in the game localization process. For example, if you are a game developer from the Western world and want to target the Chinese market then you must keep the Chinese culture in mind. Therefore, you must hire a professional translation agency that can differentiate between Western and Chinese cultures.
The translator who is not aware of China’s history cannot be able to identify why Chinese gamers are quick in fights and shootings. Moreover, why are Chinese avatars more charming than Western graphics? First, you must translate the games into English then start to translate into other languages. Translating and localizing the game for the lucrative Chinese market is a difficult task.
The challenge faced by Localization Manager
The job of the localization project managers in the companies that provide professional translation services is not so simple. They must translate, localize, dub, and subtitle each game before releasing the game in the global market. Don’t ignore cultural intricacies, otherwise, your game will fire back in the global market. The cultural nuance if considered in-game localization will make the gaming experience pleasant and people will feel that the game is specially developed for them. The biggest challenge in-game localization comes when the localization manager has a lot of work regarding content and design. In such a situation, he is unable to provide robust game translation services within a time and budget.
Plan the User Interface of the Game Carefully
The user interface of the game must be taken into consideration from the start of the game development. Many problems that can be raised are
- Languages expand and contract in the translation process. For example, the German language takes up more space than Chinese. Therefore you must leave ample space for in-game graphics.
- ·The texts on Universal Interface can be navigated well with just a click of the tab. Moreover, they must be designed in such a way that they can be accommodated on different screens in multiple languages easily.
- Some texts are used frequently in each part of the game. Therefore, they should appear in different parts with proper spacing. In this way, it becomes easy for gamers to navigate the user interface. Moreover, they can play the game in a user-friendly manner.
- Many game developers and localizers can use abbreviations in UI text so that the English language can be accu
- mulated in the required space. If spacing works in English then it does not mean it will work in other languages.
The complications in the game design demand that your translation team that is providing gaming translation services should have experience in handling games in multilingual languages. Moreover, localization managers who are responsible for user interface design should consider the design from the start so that there is no need to make any revisions in the design. If the language fits in the user interface, then other elements of the game must fit too.
Transcreation of the Game
Games contain every element of the story and linguistics like slang, puns, sarcasm, humor, and connotations. You cannot translate them word by word but you can modify them to create an emotional response so that people can immerse in your gamer. Here is where transcreation services come in. You cannot do the transcreation of the game through machine translation. Therefore you must seek a professional translation company that can provide you with seamless gaming translation services.
Wrapping Up
To mitigate the problems of game localization, start thinking about the translation and localization of the game from the start. In this way, you don’t have to go for revisions again and again. Don’t forget to hire a professional translation company, it can help you to release the game in multiple languages with full authenticity and accuracy.
