Industry Archives - J-En Translations

Green Flags When Picking Localization Company

Without prior localization experience it can be tricky to know who to pick to translate your game. I’ve been a translator for over a decade, and a localization producer and localization director for almost eight years. I’ve worked with a

How to Take Feedback in the Translation Industry

Feedback is incredibly important in the translation industry. It helps people improve their skills and increase the overall quality of their work. Giving feedback should be more common than it currently is but how you receive the feedback is just

How to Give Feedback in the Translation Industry

Feedback is incredibly important in the translation industry. It helps people improve their skills and brings up the overall quality of work. Whether you’re a translator, editor, proofreader, or project manager, if you work in the translation industry you’ll have

Top Tips for Language Students Interested in Translation

If you’re studying a language (whether that’s in school or on your own) you might be thinking about a career in translation. Whatever the language and whatever field you’re interested in, there are a few things you can do to

Gained in Translation

I hate the phrase “lost in translation.” Not only because it’s a terrible, terrible movie, but because it’s a phrase that perpetrates the myth that translation is inherently evil or wrong. When people use the phrase “lost in translation”

Best Practices for Localization Project Managers

A project manager can make or break a project, but a project is more than just the sum of its parts, it’s reliant on everyone working on the project. Great managers make a team (and therefore a project) thrive, while

Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2024

Another year another list of translation competitions for Japanese to English translators! This list comprises of the competitions I could find split into two categories: ones that provide the materials for you to translate, and ones that expect you to

Finding Your Translation Specialization

Often times, when getting into translation, you’re told to “specialize.” But what does that mean? How do you “specialize”? Does that mean you need another degree? How do you develop the skills for a specialization? Will it help you get

Interesting Localization Articles from the Last Year [2024]

I used to do link roundups, where I shared interesting articles I’d come across. These were very infrequent and I eventually dropped them altogether. But that doesn’t mean I stopped reading cool stuff related to the localization industry. I figured

Everything You Need to Know About Mentoring for Translators

There is a distinct lack of education and support for aspiring entertainment translators. Most translation related degrees and university courses cater towards more lucrative fields or offer very generalized courses to appeal to as wide a variety of prospective students

Translation is a Spectrum

Translation is a spectrum. That’s it. That’s the article. Okay, let me explain in more detail why translation is a spectrum, why translators use all parts of the spectrum within a single translation project, and why it’s important. The

There’s No Translator Shortage, Just a Shortage of Decent Companies

RWS, a massive LSP (language service provider) and the company that owns the CAT (computer aided translation) tool Trados, recently released a report stating that the number of experienced translators with 10+ years of experience has dropped by almost 10%

The Hustle and The Guilt

There’s a heavy cloud of guilt that comes with freelancing. An oppressive mist that hovers behind you throughout your day. The cloud doesn’t say anything but you can feel its eyes boring into the back of your skull. You need

Why Machine Translating Japanese Media is a BAD Idea

Machine translation has always been notorious for just being bad. It’s great if you’re playing around or lost in a country and need help, but when applied to professional translations the results are, more often than not, shockingly terrible. When