If you want to market your game globally, you have more to consider than translation. You have to ensure that your interface, story, gameplay, in-game text, and game mechanics remain constant. This means you have to consider the following questions:
- Will the content fit on the screen?
- After it is translated, how will the navigation be impacted?
- Are their idioms, slang, and other sayings that may not make sense in other cultures?
- Is there anything in the content that could be culturally insensitive?
- Are there characters or references that may not have the same meaning?
You can certainly hire a localization professional, but there are tools to help you DIY your localization solution. Here are five of them.
Do I Need Tools if I’m Outsourcing Localization
You may choose to use a freelancer or translation provider to do your game localization for you. If so, use The TranslationReport to identify top localization providers. However, even if you do so, it is helpful to understand some of the tools involved in localizing game content. Hopefully, the list below even gives you some insights into what has to be considered during this process.
Bad Word Filter API
While there’s certainly an audience in many places for games that are rated Teen or MA. There are other places where strong language simply won’t fly. Fortunately, the Bad Word Filter API from Rapid API will help you find, censor, delete or replace bad words in the text strings found in your game.
ChatMapper
Many game developers use a conversational format at the beginning of gameplay. This is when the player often sets up their character, learns about important points in the game, and selects other optional details. ChatMapper helps developers test these conversations, and ensure they unfold as intended. This tool can also help with dialogue that is used in other areas of the game. This works for both on-screen text and audio clips.
Memsource
Memsource offers gaming developers continuous localization. This means that any time a bit of content within a game is updated, MemSource is triggered. However, that localization function works only on the impacted section, rather than the entire piece. Currently, the tool works with more than 500 languages. It also has a built-in rest API, as well as API connectors that interface with most standard developer sandboxes.
Smartcat
This is a tiered solution that allows game development companies to choose the level of involvement they want in the localization process. SmartCat users can take an almost entirely hands-off approach by allowing Smartcat to handle localization tasks and vendor management. At the other end of the spectrum, they can also use an API and other tools as well as access a collaborative CAT editor.
I2 Localization
Mobile game developers, as well as independent software houses, often use the Unity engine. It is a great option for gaming companies who wish to create games for both platforms. The tool itself is a great resource that makes the development process easier. However, it does not help with localization. However, there is an add-on called I2 Localization that adds localization capabilities to a tool that is already robust. While it is not free, it is quite affordable. It also interfaces with Google Translator and Google Sheets to help localize text strings. The tool will even translate text and chat messages on the fly.
Final Thoughts: Remember Other Game Related Content
As you work on translating and localizing your game, remember to take all of your related content into consideration. Have you created a website for your game? What about social media pages? Properly translated and localized content can increase traffic, boost engagement, and get a wider range of people interested in your offering.
Author Bio: Merissa Moore is a talented writer and blogger. She works on a wide range of content but enjoys education and technology-related assignments in particular. Her work can be seen in a variety of places. When she has time to relax, she advocates for animals, spends time with her family, and enjoys going to the beach.
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