Video game translation companies specialize in adapting games for international markets by translating and localizing text, audio, and cultural references. These firms ensure games resonate with players worldwide while maintaining the original intent.
Translation involves converting text from the source language to the target language. Localization goes further, adapting cultural references, humor, and even gameplay elements to suit regional preferences. For example, a company might replace a joke about American football with one about soccer for European audiences.
Many assume translation is just about changing words. However, it involves technical challenges like fitting translated text into limited UI spaces. For example, German translations are often 30% longer than English ones, requiring redesigns., some games use machine translation first, then refine it with human editors for nuance.
When adapting a fighting game for Japan, a company might replace a character's baseball reference with one about sumo wrestling. This ensures the joke lands correctly. I once worked on a project where we had to adjust a game's currency system for different regions, replacing dollars with euros or yen as needed.