I attend a small coffee group of local translators and this month’s topic of conversation was “your five do’s and don’ts of localization.” Of course I had too many, so I decided to focus on specifically game translation.

Do…

Read, Read, and Re-read

You obviously read the source text while translating, but make sure you re-read the source during your first edit pass, and then re-read your translation before you submit.

Re-reading the source and comparing it to the translation can help you pick up on any potential mistranslations. While re-reading the translation before you submit can help you pick out any spelling, grammar, or other word-level mistakes.

Typically, the start of a translation is the worst as you determine the style that best fits the material. When you give it a re-read after finishing your first draft, you’ll probably find a lot you want to fix.

It’s best to do these re-reads after you’ve stepped away from the translation for a little bit. Let the work sit and your mind reset so that you approach it from a fresh perspective. This prevents your brain from unconsciously smoothing over potential rough patches.

 

Double Check Everything

One of the biggest traps that can easily lead to a mistranslation is misassumptions. Even experienced translators can mis-read a source word or mis-understand the situation due to lack of context.

Double check word meanings in mono-lingual dictionaries and image searches; double check your translation choices using mono-lingual dictionaries; double check the overall context, what characters are saying to each other, and what the system text is trying to tell the player; double check your glossary and style guide for consistency, etc.

Don’t just assume you know everything. A healthy dose of paranoia is essential.

 

Check Word and Line Limits

Often your translation will be longer than the source, making you feel you need to trim the fat to the bare basics.

Instead of trying to squeeze the translation down, or just leaving it as is, check your word and line limits!

More often than not there’s room for your translation, or it’s going over the limits and needs a little trim.

 

Ask Questions/Leave Comments

Game translation is almost always a team effort. Whether you’re in direct communication with your editors or PMs or not, always ask questions if you’re unsure about the context, and leave comments to help others understand your translation choices or edits.

This is even more important when you’re translating into a pivot language (often English). A pivot language is an initial translation that will serve as a common source for many other translations. E.g. Japanese ➞ English, then English ➞ French, Italian, German, etc.

Comments providing additional context are essential when it comes to pivot languages. They assist downflow translators in making the right choice in their own translations to better match the intent of the original language.

 

Keep Reading, Keep Playing, Keep Learning

If there’s anything that will absolutely help with your overall translation it’s reading books, playing games, and generally learning about writing.

You don’t have to take a course in creative writing, or read a mountain of books on writing (although I have some recommendations). But make sure to engage with the media you enjoy and be open to learning from it. Whether that’s in a novel or video game.

Don’t…

Submit Your First Draft

This is related to “read, read, and re-read” above, but never-ever, ever, submit your first draft.

I made this mistake when I first started translating, assuming that once the translation was done, I was done as well. (This was a bad habit I’d formed writing essays as a student.)

There will be spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and misunderstandings/mistranslations. Re-reading and going over your translation at least once is imperative when it comes to submitting usable work.

 

Skip The Style Guide/References

The number of times it’s clear a translator hasn’t read or referenced the style guide or reference materials is too darn high.

First thing you should do on a project is request a style guide and any reference materials. And then! Read them!

Don’t fall into the trap of jumping right into the translation. Yes, reading style guides takes time, but it will always help you in the long run.

 

Translate Line by Line

The hallmark of inexperienced game translators is translating line by line. Just one after the other, exactly what the source says, without considering the lines around it. Ignoring the flow of the dialogue or the greater context of system or item text.

Translating line by line leads to clunky direct translations which come off at best wooden and at worst wrong.

 

Use Gen AI for Translation or Research

Generative AI is a glorified chatbot. It’s a random word generator built on the theft of other people’s hard work. It’s more concerned with sounding correct than being correct, meaning everything it spits out has a chance of being inaccurate.

Using it for translation and research is only going to open you up to a pile of headaches. You either give yourself more work verifying the information, or you blindly trust it and leave your work open to being littered with errors. Neither of which is appealing.

 

Be an Asshole

The world is big but the industry is small and people who are rude or aggressive towards other linguists risk future prospects. Don’t let a poor reputation precede you.

These are my five do’s and don’ts for game translation.

There were some great other do’s and don’ts discussed like, “do make time for yourself and get outside” and “do ask for extensions before it’s too late.” As well as, “don’t sacrifice your morals/standards for a client.”

Freelance translation is often done by yourself, but it doesn’t mean you’re alone. There are lots of other freelancers out there who can support you and communities of translators that exchange advice.

Hopefully this short article is helpful too.

 

Whether you’re an aspiring, new, or experience translator, you might find some of these articles useful too:

How to Give Feedback in the Translation Industry

How to Take Feedback in the Translation Industry

Balancing Japanese-English Translation

How to Establish Work Life Balance as a Freelance Translator

FAQ for Aspiring Japanese to English Media Translators

 

Edited by Wesley O’Donnell