Global Navigation
Navigation
Lineage
We Speak Your Language
Testronic Labs’ Translation and Localisation Manager, Filipe Samora, gives an update on developments in the world of localisation.
Testronic Labs offers a wide variety of games translation and localisation services and we’ve found that even though there is an economic downturn, clients are still outsourcing localisation and localisation QA. Naturally, they are looking for better value for money and more bespoke packages.
The reality is that games are becoming more complex, making quality assurance more challenging but also more essential. Even small games have an audio element, especially those produced by larger publishers, and this creates an additional layer of detail that needs to be verified. What’s more, localisation projects now require a far greater integration of in-game text, website and manuals.
Consistent communication and a coherent style is essential to give your game credibility and maximise impact, so localising across all three platforms can’t be overlooked. Web work in particular is on the increase as the translation of a clients’ online presence is an investment in promotion of the specific game as well as a piece of global brand extension.
We’ve seen a significant increase in the range of languages required – not only translation/ localisation of the traditional EFIGS and Dutch but also Polish, Russian and the Asian, Indian and Latin American languages. Publishers are clearly working to ensure that they maximise sales in all markets - after all, it’s more cost effective than developing new games! With 300+ languages spoken in the city of London, our UK facilities provide the ideal localisation and localisation QA hub.
We’ve also found that a number of Chinese publishers are now looking to localise games into Western languages. This is an interesting trend and thanks to our access to London’s vast repository of linguists, we are ready and waiting to absorb the demand.
Testronic Labs has a diverse role in that we provide both localisation and localisation QA services, the latter essentially meaning the checking of work which has already been localised. Some games come to us brilliantly localised, but on the other hand a surprising 40% of games are not up to standard. We have to assume that this is a result of imprudent cost cutting, but we encourage clients to improve quality by getting the basics right early in the project cycle rather than spending inefficiently closer to release to re-engineer earlier oversights. Here’s a simple but illuminating example: if you are designing space for captions, remember to leave enough space for languages that are longer than English! It’s amazing how something like this can slow down a project and result in costly redevelopment time.
iPhone translation projects are also proving increasingly popular. In development terms, iPhone and indeed PSN games are not vast investments but have the potential to generate great revenues as the install base is high. Consumers also see the benefits of these games which retail at considerably less than a game on one of the major consoles.
Credible games publishers have always taken QA seriously but in the current climate are rightly analysing the supply chain and seeking efficiencies. Testronic Labs’ reputation and service level means that our clients understand that good, early QA is a wise investment. Great QA planning reduces overall costs as it minimises repetitions in the development cycle – simple logic that will help companies with budgetary constraints to make savings and retain customers.
Some of the changes that are taking place in platform distribution are clearly affecting the market: iPhone projects are quicker to test due to their reduced content size and these are proving efficient for publishers who can bring them to market more quickly. We’ve adapted our processes to manage these ‘quick in, quick out’ type of projects and have valuable experience with iPhone games.
The games market should stay strong in spite of the downturn. It has been widely reported that people are staying at home and looking for less expensive forms of entertainment, a trend from which gaming can only benefit.
The trend to publish higher volumes of smaller, games is certain to continue over the next year, with consumers also seeing new versions of classic games as online features expand possibilities.
The rapid pace of change in the localisation sector is set to continue. We will maintain our focus on delivering the best results to clients, regardless of the languages they use or the platforms on which they operate.
Filipe Samora
Translation and Localisation Manager, Testronic Labs
