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  "path": "/some-things-to-consider-when-looking-for-video-game-translators/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-19T08:29:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://whateverthewindbrings.com",
  "tags": [
    "bullshit reasoning"
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  "textContent": "I wrote some posts about video game localization, but never talked about how to find localizers themselves. The industry is actually under a thick layer of NDAs that almost everyone is afraid to break by accident, so information just doesn't go around that easily. Considering that localization is also a part of video game development1, this might be surprising, but most of the field is outsourced. Since the devs and publishers are usually running around with their hands already full, it's understandable them not wanting to learn and manage a whole new thing.\n\nAnyway, let me get to the point before I start a tangent: here are some things to consider when looking for video game translators.\n\n# Translators are freelancers\n\nUnless you're working directly with translators, the translation will be handled by an agency or an LSP (a \"Language Service Provider\"). These companies usually have only a small number of employees, most of them being project managers managing multiple projects at the same time. 90% of translators2 are freelancers working for multiple companies at the same time. This happens because video game scheduling can be chaotic, so while Project W's translation got delayed for a third time and Project Y's volume of work has been inconsistent for the last couple of months, translators need to earn some money somehow.\n\nSo, if you're working with one of the large companies, with corpo-like structure, tell them to always keep the same translators on the project, otherwise they might rotate people around, just using whoever is available, which can lead to a lower-quality translation even if the translators themselves are the cream of the crop.\n\nSmaller companies, tho, usually have a fixed set of freelancers already and know to keep them on the same project as much as possible. Still, it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out.\n\n# How to find translators\n\nI'll make this one quick: ask around for recommendations from people you trust, either for companies they liked or for people they think did a good job on their own projects. If this is a new thing in your professional circle, look around for companies focused on video game localization. Most of the time, they'll have a portfolio on their website and will handle the localization project management for you. Check which companies and which translators worked on games similar to yours and shoot for them, as there is a higher probability they will be used to that genre.\n\n_Never_ trust anyone blindly, take some time to make some background checks. Even if you don't understand the language, try looking around for reviews mentioning the quality of the work — sometimes people talk about it on the Steam reviews, for example. Whenever I'm contacting devs and publishers offering my services, I mention my \"most notable\" works, but I fully expect them to at least check my name on MobyGames and see what else I've worked on. There's a caveat to this, tho, which I'll talk about later.\n\n# Beware of deals too good to be true\n\nYour game has 1 million words and a company is offering a discount due to the large volume of work? Run. Another company is offering a discount if you hire them to work on multiple languages at the same time? Run.\n\nMost of the time, any discount will undercut the rates being paid to translators while the company keeps the same overhead. Translators are the weakest link in the chain — especially being freelancers working for foreign companies — and rarely set their own rates — unless being directly hired by the dev or the publisher. So, being paid less means they'll have to accept a larger volume of work for the same deadlines, meaning they'll have less time to work on each line, which can affect quality in a negative way.\n\nYou don't have to pay the script's weight in gold to have a good translation, but remember that discounts only work for bulk orders and industrial manufacturing, not creative works or bespoke content3. If something sounds too good to be true, do a bit of research about the company on Google and LinkedIn4.\n\nAlso, let's be honest: unless the game is some sort of text adventure, localization will probably be the cheapest part of production with the highest return on investment if you hit the right markets. Depending on the size of the script, a full year of _one_ programmer's salary in North America can pay for the localization of a few languages.\n\n# Avoid fuzzy rates if you can\n\n\"Fuzzies\" are what we call repeating lines in a text. The translation software saves them in the Translation Memory and, if that line shows up again, it pulls the previous translation or tries to jigsaw parts of it in a line that seems close enough, so the translator only has to change a few words around instead of writing it all from scratch. Most of the time, companies don't pay the full rate for these lines.\n\nDon't do this.\n\nVideo game translation is highly contextual, meaning that even if the same line is repeated exactly the same in multiple dialogues, for example, it doesn't mean it will always be translated the same way, and I have the perfect example right here.\n\nYou see the \"100%\"? That's saying these are all 100% fuzzies, meaning that, most of the time, they are worth between 10% to 0% of a full rate5 because they are \"perfect repetitions\". But, as the screenshot shows, this case has _at least_ 7 possible translations, depending on the context, because yeah, while \"Yeah.\" is a good generic response in English, in Portuguese it doesn't work that great if there's any expectation of having a high-quality translation.\n\n_And_ , if fuzzies are being paid at a reduced rate, the translator has no reason to spend as much time checking it as they do translating a new line from scratch, otherwise they will be losing money. Instead, it's probable they will just glance at the line and, if it's kinda ok, just confirm it and move on instead of adapting to better fit the context. I mean translators _will_ try to do their best at each line, but if a deadline is too short and there are too many fuzzies, it wouldn't be a surprise if issues start popping up.\n\n# Trust the translators and credit them\n\nTranslators are professionals. Just like every other job, the quality of the work varies, as well as the experience of working with them. Don't be like Toby Fox and his bullshit reasoning for not translating into languages he doesn't speak or understand. Vet the translators (or the company they are working under) and trust they will do their best to match the game's original vision — that's what they are being paid for.\n\nAlso, please make sure to credit them. Some LSPs like to hide their translators in a dark cave and never let them see the light. _Demand_ a list of names of _everyone_ who ever touched even a single word of the game. Remember when I said there's a caveat to checking names on MobyGames? That's because, in my case, all the games there are roughly only 10% of what I've worked on in 14 years translating video games. The other 90%? Uncredited work, even if I was one of the title's main translators. You have no idea how many award-winning games I worked on over the years and can't talk about due to NDAs. Keep in mind that I'm one of the lucky ones, as I still have a somewhat impressive portfolio to show. Many people I know have less than 10 credited games, which makes it harder for them to prove their experience and look for better working conditions.\n\nSo, please credit the translators.\n\n# Avoid \"AI\" and MTPE\n\n\"AI\" stands for Artificial Intelligence — the LLM kind — and MTPE means \"Machine Translation Post-Edition\".\n\nAvoid companies using these like the plague. Trust me, if the result ends up being any good, it's because a starving translator worked overnight to fix everything that was wrong while being paid next to nothing for it, while executives say the technology sped up the process and was a success.\n\nDon't trust these people.\n\n* * *\n\n  1. At least if the dev wants to have multiple languages on release. After all, localization _does_ affect development in more ways than one. I hope this is not a hot take, because apparently there are people who don't see localization as part of production.↩\n\n  2. This is a made-up number, but I'd bet the real percentage would be higher.↩\n\n  3. And video game translation is, I'd say, a creative work made up from bespoke content.↩\n\n  4. Yeah, I know, I don't like it there either, but if a company is being scummy, there might be some people calling it out there.↩\n\n  5. Depends on the company, as each has different partial rates for different fuzzy ranges.↩\n\n\n",
  "title": "Some things to consider when looking for video game translators",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-19T14:34:19.301Z"
}