Gaming

What Problems did Gaming Companies Face while Going Global?

Gaming is a universal industry. This is because people can play the game anywhere at any time, no matter if they are traveling or attending some functions. At present, we often find people playing games in public places. People play games to refresh their minds from the tensions of life. But how can they refresh their minds if games are not in their mother tongue? Here comes the importance of Gaming translation services.

The Global Gaming Industry

The global gaming market is flourishing more than more because of the Pandemic situation because people are not allowed to commute and they are stuck at home.  The worth of the gaming industry is $152 billion with a yearly average growth of 10.2%.  The game developers are taking leverage from this situation and they are finding ways to market their games in different target markets. For this, they must go for marketing translation services. In this way, people in foreign markets will be inclined towards their games and download them. 

To make games playable for the global audience goes beyond linguistics. They must consider the regional and cultural intricacies while translating the game. It is called game localization. In other words, it is also called game internalization. Game localization and game internationalization will help you go with the global flow of the gaming industry.

Cultural Intricacies

How is localization different from translation? Localization is a step ahead of translation. It includes the adaption of tone and style according to regional and cultural intricacies. Moreover, it also takes into consideration censorship regulations.  This is an important part of game localization as matters of violence and blood in gaming are different in every culture. Additionally, the storyline of each game is also different. 

These things must have to be considered in the game localization process. For example, if you are a game developer from the Western world and want to target the Chinese market then you must keep the Chinese culture in mind. Therefore, you must hire a professional translation company that can differentiate between Western and Chinese cultures.

The translator who is not aware of China’s history cannot be able to identify why Chinese gamers are quick in fights and shootings. Moreover, why are Chinese avatars more charming than Western graphics? First, you must translate the games in English then start to translate in other languages. Translating and localizing the game for the lucrative Chinese market is a difficult task.

Translators are not Jack of all Trade

The job of the localization project managers in the companies that provide professional translation services is not so simple. They must translate, localize, dub, and subtitle each game before releasing the game in the global market. Don’t ignore cultural intricacies, otherwise, your game will fire back in the global market. The cultural nuance if considered in-game localization will make the gaming experience pleasant and people will feel that the game is specially developed for them. The biggest challenge in-game localization comes when the localization manager is overloaded with work and is unable to provide robust game translation services within a time and budget.

Plan the User Interface of the Game Carefully

The user interface of the game must be considered from the start of the development. Many problems that can be raised are

·         Languages expand and contract in the translation process. For example, the German language takes more space than Chinese. Therefore you must leave ample space for in-game graphics.

·         The texts on Universal Interface can be navigated well with just a click of the tab. Moreover, they must be designed in such a way that they can be accommodated on different screens in multiple languages easily.

·         Some texts are used frequently in each part of the game. Therefore, they should appear in different parts with proper spacing. In this way, it becomes easy for gamers to navigate on the user interface. Moreover, they can play the game in a user-friendly manner.

·         Many game developers and localizers can use abbreviations in UI text so that the English language can be accumulated in the required space. If spacing works in English then it does not mean it will work in other languages.

The complications in the game design demand that your translation team that is providing gaming translation services should have experience in handling games in multilingual languages. Moreover, localization managers that are involved in user interface design should consider the design from the start so that there is no need to make any revisions in the design. If the language fits in the user interface, then other elements of the game must fit too.

Trans creation of the Game

Games contain every element of the story and linguistics like slang, puns, sarcasm, humor, and connotations. You cannot translate them word by word but you can modify them to create an emotional response so that people can immerse in your gamer. It is known as linguistic localization. In the translation industry, it is called transcreation. You cannot do the transcreation of the game through machine translation. Therefore you must seek a professional translation company that can provide you with seamless gaming translation services.

Wrapping Up

To mitigate the problems of game localization, start thinking about the translation and localization of the game from the start. In this way, you don’t have to go for revisions again and again. Don’t forget to hire a professional translation company, it can help you to release the game in multiple languages with full authenticity and accuracy.

Christopher Stern

Christopher Stern is a Washington-based reporter. Chris spent many years covering tech policy as a business reporter for renowned publications. He has extensive experience covering Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commissions. He is a graduate of Middlebury College. Email:[email protected]

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