A THOROUGH GUIDE TO VIDEO GAME LOCALIZATION
It takes a village to raise a globalized game! And localization is one of the most important parts of all. Game localization is a complicated process that requires you and your team a certain level of dedication & commitment. In this article, we will discuss how to do it the best possible way with experts of this industry.
What is game localization?
The process of game localization calls for more than translating texts. It requires language-related tasks, definitely, but also includes modifying graphic and iconic representation, doing voice-overs, even actual gameplay.
Censorship is another big part of video game localization. It suggests the act of purposefully adjusting content so that it’s culturally appropriate for the in-market audiences.
Why should you localize your game
By doing game localization the right way, it can open your brand to millions of new players – and their wallets!
Localization is absolutely essential for a game to access users with a different native language. In cases that do not involve a full translation, some form of localization can still be useful to potential customers and attain a larger userbase as well.
5 steps of a game localization process
The plan should cover details of all the resources that you’ll need; which markets you plan to localize the game for; whether text and visual elements outside of the in-game dialogue will need to be modified as well; who will be responsible for the translation work.
It’s time- (and cost-) saving if game localization go hand in hand with the game development. Continuous localization allows faster translation turnaround times and velocity that help you to expand to multiple markets simultaneously.
By professional localization, we mean a company that specializes in localization and not only is an expert in translation but also is capable of localizing. Partnering with professionals has these significant benefits:
- High quality result
- Time saving on project management
- All the specialists you need such as translators, managers, QA are in one place
Bear in mind that the localization and the linguistic expertise are equally important in the process, so never choose a company that only seems to be good in only one of these areas.
Whereas the translation is ongoing, you can move on to non-text-based elements of the game. When it comes to localization, games need much careful attention so that all elements marry up in the final version.
If you handle step 2 with care, you’ll be at ease from now on because they will do all the hard work of translating, localizing, proofreading and quality control. That’s why we said you should partner with translation companies with professionals in localization.
Once you’ve localized your game, its dialogue and visual elements , it’s time to pull it all together. Be ready to mold your code a little bit to knit the original version with the translated copy! Then check, check and check again to guarantee that each function works as well as the original.
The best way to study a game is playing it. It’s a good idea to provide access to your game for the translators to fully appreciate its concept. For video games, the QA process is called linguistic testing. During this, an expert will check the quality of translation, adherence to the culture, and other aspects. Another way is for translators to evaluate the game through the gameplay or screenshots provided.
