In today’s interconnected world, video publishers and developers are finding it increasingly important to localize their games. The internet and an increase in the gaming population has allowed developers to tap into lucrative foreign markets. But in order to sell games to players who speak different languages and have different cultural backgrounds, developers need the services of video game localization companies to help with gaming translations and game localization. Audio translation services are another key component that video game translation companies provide; no video game translation would be complete without the audio component.
Audio Translation Services And The Game Localization Strategy
Audio translation services are a fundamental part of the video game localization process. There are two main translation services that localization companies provide: text and audio. Text is fairly simple. All text in the game gets translated and then reintegrated into the game. The localization QA team needs to properly test the game to see if the translated text causes any bugs or other technical issues.
What Are Audio Translation Services?
Audio is a different task entirely. First, dialogue and other audio needs to be translated–sometimes dialogue might need to be adapted because literal translations might make sentences awkward and/or unintelligible. Once this process is complete, all the translated dialogue and audio needs to be recorded in a professional studio with qualified voice actors. This process then needs to be repeated for every language desired by the developer. The localization services QA process is vital as well. Once all this is complete, the audio needs to be reintegrated into the game. The final product needs to be tested to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
Why Are Audio Translation Services Important?
The process listed above is not easy and can be expensive, which begs the question, is it even worth the money? For a developer that wants to sell their games throughout the world, the answer is a resounding yes. Players want to enjoy their gaming experience in their own native language; they do not want to struggle with a language they are unfamiliar with. Playing a game with characters that speak the player’s native language is a huge plus, and will push people to buy the game. While audio translation services are not cheap, they will help a game’s marketability and increase sales down the road, paying back the initial cost.