The gaming industry is a huge market now. There are thousands of games available in the market about every possible niche and subject. Gaming translation hence has become a necessity to expand and reach global audiences. A good game translation service is what acts as a bridge to ensure that players can immerse themselves fully in narratives, cultures, and nuances that play a big role in creating a virtual world. The game should be able to engage the player making him enjoy the game as if no other world exists for him.
Translating a game is a process that involves many factors. It demands language proficiency, technical expertise, a problem-solving attitude, and a lot more. It is not like the translation of simple text from one language to another. You have to be a gamer with relevant insight. So that you can look deeper into the problems and integrate the text strategically which can help the translated content in the long run along with better localization. Therefore, the team of translators should possess certain features to excel in gaming translation.
Here are the important traits and spotting these while looking for the translation team for gaming content can help to get the best results.
Fluency in language pair
Fluency in the source and target language is the prerequisite for accurate game translation. One needs proficiency to navigate through the translation challenges. Basic fluency might not work and there could be technical and industry-specialized jargon that translators have to deal with. This can further demand excellent comprehension skills and writing skills to ace through the translation professionally.
Understanding gaming terminology
Gaming technology is tough and complex. The translators need to be well aware of the gaming language and jargon to deal with the text in the most appropriate manner. The prior familiarity with the game-specific terminology across all genres has to be there. This further includes the understanding of the terms relevant to the mechanics, items, and the character abilities. A proper understanding of the UI elements is also important to provide the user with a good gaming experience.
Cultural knowledge
Cultural aspects need to be taken care of for adapting the game to a new target region. An understanding of the cultural context is significant for the translators to interpret the cultural references in the best possible way. This may include an adaptation of the humor, references, and character names. All this content needs to have a better resonation with the target audience to avoid cultural violations. This is an important factor and missing out on the cultural integration can make the whole process a mess.
Attention to detail
The development of the games involves meticulous details and hence attention to detail is a must. The translators need to pay attention to catch inconsistencies, typing errors, and mistakes as these flaws can make the content of the gaming software look bad. It is important to ensure that the game’s interface and narrative flow are immersive and good enough to catch the attention of the viewers. Collaborating with a good software translation agency can be a great choice in this regard to avoid translation complications.
Technical understanding
Technical understanding and capabilities are also imperative to deal with the complex and technical content used in the games. Though you don’t have to be a programmer, a basic understanding of the games and how they function might work. Moreover, understanding the limitations of the game engines can also be beneficial in this regard. The translators can also consider the constraints of the UI elements and character limits accordingly. This way the translation of the text can be done effectively.
Creativity and adaptability
Creativity is crucial for gaming translation. And not everyone can get the concept and function of a game. Moreover, translators who start doing literal translation cannot excel in gaming translation. So make sure that you hire a professional game translation service that has a competitive and creative team of skilled translators. The translator should be adaptable, creative and able to capture the essence of the source content for better presentation. This also includes rephrasing and rewriting for the target language and relevant cultural context.
Problem-solving skills
Game translation can involve certain complex parts. Some limitations and constraints come with the text due to limited space and a compact interface. The translator should be a problem-solver and look out for solutions for such content. Encountering the character counts, cultural nuances, and technical restrictions add complex layers to the process. Hence, an individual with strong problem-solving skills can help find creative solutions which further helps in maintaining the accuracy and a natural flow in the given text.
Conclusion
Game translation demands a team that is capable enough to deal with the content and its challenges. Translators who are selected to translate the games and software should be creative souls who possess certain attributes such as attention to detail, technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and adaptability.
