TestronicTestronicTestronicTestronic
  • GAMES
    • FUNCTIONALITY QA
    • LOCALISATION QA
    • TRANSLATION
    • COMPLIANCE
    • COMPATIBILITY
    • PLAYER SUPPORT
    • VR
      • FUNCTIONALITY_VR
      • TESTING ENVIRONMENTS & HARDWARE
      • PERFORMANCE TESTING
      • UX
      • HEALTH & SAFETY
      • CONSULTATIONS
  • ABOUT
    • NEWS
    • MEET THE TEAM
  • CONTACT
  • CAREERS
  • FILM & TV

TESTRONIC TALK: We’ve got how long for LQA?!

    Home Localisation QA TESTRONIC TALK: We’ve got how long for LQA?!
    NextPrevious

    TESTRONIC TALK: We’ve got how long for LQA?!

    By admin | Localisation QA, Testronic News | 0 comment | 16 March, 2017 | 13

    “My FQA testers can finish this game in 18 hours, so three days should be enough for a thorough localisation QA pass, right?” Testronic’s Head of LQA Edd Buffery discusses the challenges facing localisation specialists…

    After working with hundreds of clients over 15 years supplying QA to the games industry, I can’t entirely discount the possibility that the above might, occasionally, bear some vague approximation to the truth…

    Perhaps the game is designed such that a single, critical path playthrough is all that’s needed to trigger every in-game string, and there are no additional modes or optional content. We’d have to test on only one platform and of course that couldn’t be a console, since checking that the localised system messages and terminology required to pass each platform holder’s stringent submission requirements takes several hours on top of everything else. The client will need to supply solutions to any puzzles, and debug options to help get through difficult or repetitive areas.

    We’d have to assume there won’t be a huge number of corrections to be made along the way, whether random linguistic mistakes by the translation team, contextual errors resulting from the translators not understanding where or how strings will be used, or a host of language-specific implementation errors, from unsuitable font choices to badly out of synch cut-scene subtitles that require careful, line by line timing adjustments. The build we test would also have to be free from major functionality errors that cause testers to lose progress or force time-consuming workarounds.

    I remember talking to a client years ago who requested an estimate for a thorough LQA pass on an adventure game that had somewhere in the region of 70,000 to 80,000 words. They were adamant that we should aim to trigger 100 per cent of the strings on-screen, but had based their internal expectations on the fact that one of their testers could reach the end of the game in 10 hours by following a walkthrough – so were hoping that LQA might take just a little longer than that.

    As anyone who likes adventure games knows, the vast majority of text is not seen by making progress, but by trying the ‘wrong’ conversation options, in humorous results when attempting to use inappropriate items on the environment or each other, and in the optional descriptions that appear when examining or interacting with every single red herring. In other words, everything but the steps in the walkthrough.

    Ultimately, the client started to appreciate how hugely they had underestimated the time needed when we pointed out that it would take a professional proof-reader 10 days or more to review that volume of text if they were working purely with the text files and not having to play anything, so how could it take a tester a tenth of the time to review exactly the same text, while also having to find and trigger each string before they check it.

    Here at Testronic, and as for any service provider, there has to be a certain ‘the customer is always right’ aspect to any discussion on how long we think we should test someone’s product for. Forging good partnerships requires us to remain flexible to each project’s unique requirements and a willingness to adjust strategy and find compromises that respect any constraints such as submission deadlines or budget limitations, while setting coverage expectations realistically.

    For the earlier example of the adventure game, the client literally didn’t have the money to pay for what they asked for, so after gently guiding them towards some more realistic ways they could spend their limited budget, we ended up on a compromise whereby we agreed to check only certain strings on-screen (front end, in-game menus and UI, critical path playthrough, and compliance related strings), proof-read other commonly seen strings in the text files afterwards, using our experience thus far to flag consistency problems and shortening strings that we now knew would overrun their text boxes, with brief spot checks only of the rest.

    Working with as many clients as we do, there’s a vast range of experience amongst the contacts that we plan projects with, from QA veterans that come to us with up front schedules, instructions, and realistic coverage expectations, to new indie developers that have no prior experience with localisation whatsoever. Perhaps their first mobile app has had some success in English and now they are looking at localising for additional territories, and are asking us what the difference is between Traditional and Simplified Chinese (Short answer: Simplified is for mainland China). For them we might provide a range of different scenarios representing different combinations of language and coverage expectations, while they try to figure out what their budgets are going to look like and how optimistic they feel.

    For some, LQA is one of the last aspects of a project to think about, and it certainly gets less media coverage than functionality QA (compared to a visually amusing FQA bug, you have to be a bit of a language nerd to appreciate a good text error!). Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating field to be working in, with plenty of its own challenges, and I’m proud to be working with so many great clients at one of the best LQA providers in the industry.

    Localisation QA, Testronic, Testronic Talk

    Related Post

    • TESTRONIC TALK: Gamers hate bad language!

      By Kevin Slagle | 4 comments

      Testronic’s Manuel Verdinelli discusses the problems face with translations in games and how it can effect LQA after. When it comes to localising a video game successfully, there are clear benefits obtained by bringing theRead more

    • Testronic Appoints Gaëlle Caballero as New Head of Localisation QA

      By Kevin Slagle | 0 comment

      Gaëlle Caballero has been appointed as Testronic’s new Head of Localisation QA. Caballero joined Testronic in 2012 and has since expanded her remit and responsibilities at the company, her most recent role being Localisation QARead more

    • Testronic Talk: How we can all help the Women in Games initiative

      By Kevin Slagle | 0 comment

      Head of games business development Ann Hurley discusses why Testronic is proud to be a Women in Games Ambassador – but says more needs to be done across the board to encourage women in toRead more

    • Testronic Talk: The New Revolution In QA

      By Kevin Slagle | 0 comment

      The changing face of games creation has called for a new type of approach to QA services. Erik Hittenhausen, QA Director for Games, explains how Testronic’s role has evolved. Over the last decade, the gamesRead more

    • Testronic Talk: Pre-production: Helping Developers get what they need, not just what they want!

      By Kevin Slagle | 0 comment

      How does Testronic ensure that developer and publisher requirements are understood and addressed during on-boarding? How do you, as a developer or publisher, proceed with confidence if you don’t have a QA expert on staff?Read more

    • TESTRONIC TALK:Why VR experience testing is crucial for non-games content too

      By Kevin Slagle | 13 comments

      Testronic’s head of Pre-Production, Julian Mower, talks about the need to properly test VR, even if it isn’t gaming. Games publishers and developers are perfectly positioned to help various other non-games businesses with their firstRead more

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    NextPrevious

    Contact Button

    Contact Us

    FOLLOW US

    ARCHIVES

    • February 2021
    • November 2020
    • August 2020
    • June 2020
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • July 2019
    • April 2019
    • February 2019
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • March 2018
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017

    LATEST NEWS

    • Testronic Appoints Stephen Watford as COO
    • Testronic Wins Best QA & Localisation Provider at 2020 TIGA Awards
    • Testronic Wins 2020 Develop:Star Award for Best QA & Localisation Provider
    • Testronic Acquires Whyttest, Grows Games QA Capacity
    • Testronic and Witbe Partner on Platform QA Automation

    CATEGORIES

    • Acquisition
    • AR
    • Automation
    • Award
    • Certification
    • Customer Support Service
    • Diversity
    • FQA
    • FTV
    • Functionality QA
    • Games
    • Information Security
    • Localisation QA
    • Localization
    • LQA
    • New HIres
    • OTT
    • Partners
    • Platform Services
    • Platform Testing Services
    • Pre- production
    • QA
    • QC
    • Staff Development
    • Testronic News
    • Translation
    • Uncategorised
    • Uncategorized
    • VR

    OUR VISION

    Perfecting the World's Entertainment Together

    OUR MISSION

    We will deliver uncompromising quality through efficient tailored services, in close collaboration with our clients.
    In doing this, we are driven by integrity and innovation inspiring our people to learn and grow.

    LATEST NEWS

    • Testronic Appoints Stephen Watford as COO

      Testronic, a leader in quality assurance (QA), localisation services, and compliance for

      18 February, 2021
    • Testronic Wins Best QA & Localisation Provider at 2020 TIGA Awards

      It’s such an honour to even be nominated for an industry award,

      27 November, 2020
    • Testronic Wins 2020 Develop:Star Award for Best QA & Localisation Provider

      Without a doubt, it’s been a challenging year for everyone, due to

      5 November, 2020

    OUR LOCATIONS

    BURBANK
    250 East Olive, Suite 300, Burbank, CA 91502
    Tel: +1 (818) 845 3223, Fax: +1 (818) 845 3236

    CROYDON
    Suffolk House, Suites 1-3, 2nd Floor,
    George Street, Croydon, CR0 1PE
    Tel: +44 (0) 2070 421 700

    WARSAW
    ul. Poleczki 21A, 02-822 Warsaw
    Tel: +48 22 711 4005

    NEW ORLEANS
    Chevron Place, 935 Gravier St, #1300
    New Orleans, LA 70112
    Tel: +1 (504) 370 2824 (ext 5903)

    Cookie settings - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy. Copyright © 2018 Testronic Laboratories. All rights reserved.
    • GAMES
      • FUNCTIONALITY QA
      • LOCALISATION QA
      • TRANSLATION
      • COMPLIANCE
      • COMPATIBILITY
      • PLAYER SUPPORT
      • VR
        • FUNCTIONALITY_VR
        • TESTING ENVIRONMENTS & HARDWARE
        • PERFORMANCE TESTING
        • UX
        • HEALTH & SAFETY
        • CONSULTATIONS
    • ABOUT
      • NEWS
      • MEET THE TEAM
    • CONTACT
    • CAREERS
    • FILM & TV
    Testronic