We all like playing video games to some degree. From games commonly known as “casual” games, such as Angry Birds or Candy Crush, to the latest video console games such as Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, video games have an audience; in fact, over 50% of Brits play video games.
As with other forms of entertainment, such as the cinema or series, the language barrier can at times be an issue. Although many gamers prefer the original version, many others are more comfortable gaming in their mother tongue. That’s why we’re going to look at five reasons why you should turn to professional translators to translate your video game.
1. Time is precious
Translation always requires a certain amount of time, and in video game translation, for example, the time needed may increase. There’s no shortage of video games with long text strings and extensive dialogue. As well as being translated, they also need to undergo video game subtitling or dubbing.
Therefore, everything has to be planned in detail so that translating a game doesn’t become never ending. Our translation agency in Seville, Spain, has the best professionals who adapt the video game translations into any language, working to deadlines that suit you. We always adapt to your workflow, both in terms of simultaneous launches and updates and events (also known as Live Ops).
2. Free things cost you money in the long run
Volunteer translation is quite popular, and it’s thanks to this work that some video games that have never had an official translation have been translated. Steam, for example, is a well-known translation community. Volunteer translators from across the world form part of this community. But is it the best way to translate a video game?
Translating a game for free may seem appealing, but leaving it to professional translators is an even better idea. A professional translator will be able to adapt a video game and solve both the linguistic and technical problems that a volunteer translator may encounter. We also offer a lot of added value. Thanks to our internationalization and localization processes, our language and cultural consulting service enables you to save right from the moment you start developing your video game, optimising the language content.
3. French, English, German, Spanish: more opportunities
It’s always a good idea to translate video games into the most widely spoken languages: French, English, German and Spanish.
Video game translation is also known as video game localization, from the word “locale”, meaning region or market (American English is not the same as British or Irish English, for example). Knowing how to adapt to the market is also important.
Here at Tatutrad, we translate video games into Spanish and many other languages, including French, English and German. Do you want to translate your video game? No problem! Between our team and our extensive database of freelance translators, we can help you with professional translations.
4. Dubbing isn’t just for series
Video game localization, as we’ve already mentioned, goes beyond translation. Some video games today are pretty much films in which you control the main character. Therefore, the dialogues must also be adapted to the target market.
What’s the best way to get an adapted video game that attracts gamers? By having a team of professional translators who can guide you throughout the translation of your video game and adapt it to the target culture.
Depending on the type of video game, just like with films and series, subtitles may also be a good option (but not always). If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our translation company.
5. New multi-platform experience
Today’s video games aren’t just translated for a single format. Nowadays, games have to be translated for Android, for Steam… the list goes on. Video game localization is a rather broad universe that only a professional translator with specific knowledge can control.
At Tatutrad, we have the best translation professionals in Seville who are able to localize video games, regardless of the category: we have extensive experience in RPG, social and strategy games, among others, and we’ve translated games for various platforms, including PlayStation 4, Windows, Android and Mac.
Extra life: so that you don’t fall in the same trap!
We’ve already touched on the need to turn to professional translators when translating a video game, but perhaps it’s now time to abandon the theory and look at a practical example.
Take a look at the following images. Does this game inspire confidence?
As well as the various errors in the Spanish translation, both in terms of punctuation (CORRE! (Run!) is missing the opening exclamation mark (¡) used in Spanish) and grammar (JUMP! in English has been translated as an infinitive as opposed to the imperative), there’s something odd…
What happens when video game translation is left to amateurs? Well, there may be serious translation errors like above, where the verb “slide” in English has been translated into Spanish as the noun “presentation slide”.
Let’s look at another more serious example:
The word “chest” can either refer to the body part or a box/trunk. No doubt you’ll agree that the Spanish translation “Toque en el pecho que le gustaría abrir” (touch the chest you’d like to open) isn’t exactly the best translation for a game meant for players of all ages.
Do you want your game to be perfectly translated, free from errors like these? Get in touch! Our translation company will provide everything to give you the best video game localization that will take online video game shops across the world by storm.
