Or: how to critically appraise any kind of creative endeavor without acting like a fool or an asshole This is an old post that’s been sitting for a while in my drafts, and I ruminate about what to write in it for some time after reading the article below. There’s actually nothing I could add that this article already doesn’t …
Tag: translation
How long does it take to translate a video game?
Some people think translation can be done fast because “the text is already written”, but we must remember that localization is a creative endeavor, so it takes a lot of time and energy to make something worthwhile Usually, in Brazilian Portuguese, we consider that one translator takes closer to 8 hours to translate 3,000 words. Obviously, this isn’t a set limit, …
On inventing historical accent/slang
When you have to come up with an accent that doesn’t actually exist in your language, things can get hard and a bit weird When I was just a few years in the field, I had the chance to work on a AAA in which the story revolved around piracy, assassination, and the Caribbean. It’s always fun to work with …
Translating a game while keeping the dubbing in mind
Or, to be more specific, “translating a game while keeping the mouth movement of the original voice acting in mind” Unsurprisingly, this is a topic that’s not very well-known. Bear in mind that TV shows and movies also do something similar, but since I’ve never worked in these industries, I’ll keep the focus on video games. So, here’s the thing: …
Gendered languages and translation
One of the things I sometimes see being ignored in video game translation is the existence of gendered languages. This matters a lot because, depending on the language, it can make or break what would’ve been an easy job. These issues are now less common than they were a few years ago, but they still happen from time to time, …
Setting up a game for localization
Non-technical stuff to be aware of Note: this was originally published in 2019 on Medium. It has been now reviewed and updated to be posted here. I’ve been working as a translator from English to Brazilian Portuguese for the video game industry for 12 years now, and I had to deal with a lot of non-technical problems that could’ve been …