Game Localization

Bring your game to global audiences with a full-service localization pipeline that preserves story, tone, and playability — not just words. This document describes our end-to-end approach, deliverables, quality controls, and optional services so you can confidently plan a global release.

Overview

We help studios and publishers of all sizes expand into international markets by delivering culturally accurate, technically robust localization. Our goal is to make players feel like the game was created in their language — preserving emotion, immersion, and meaning across dialogue, UI, audio, marketing assets, and live operations.

Services Offered

• Narrative & Dialogue Localization
  • Translation and adaptation of in-game dialogue, branching conversations, quest text, and cinematics.
  • Tone and character-preservation (humor, idioms, personality traits).
  • Context-aware localization for branching narratives and player choices.

• UI / UX & Menus
  • Localization of HUD, menus, tooltips, control prompts, error messages, and onboarding/tutorial text.
  • String-length and layout consultation to prevent truncation and UI breakage.

• In-Game Text, Items & Systems
  • Localization for item descriptions, skill trees, achievement text, crafting systems, and in-game help.
  • Consistent terminology across items, stats, and systems via glossary and TM (translation memory).

• Subtitles & On-screen Text
  • Subtitle translation and timing for cinematics and in-game dialogs.
  • Closed captions, accessibility metadata (speaker labels, SFX descriptions), and multi-lingual subtitle export (SRT, ASS, VTT, etc.).

• Voice-over & Audio Localization
  • Script adaptation for recording sessions.
  • Casting, direction, ADR/lip-sync work, recording coordination, and delivery of edited WAV/FLAC/MP3 files.

• Marketing & Store Assets
  • Localization for store listings (App Store / Google Play / Steam), trailers, press kits, social copy, and in-market ad creatives.
  • ASO (App Store Optimization) keywords and localized metadata (optional add-on).

• Live Ops, Community & Support Localization
  • Localization for live events, seasonal content, event announcements, and community channels (Discord, social media).
  • Customer-support message templates and knowledge-base localization.

• Internationalization (i18n) & Engineering Support
  • String extraction, pseudolocalization, context tagging, and assistance to make your code and assets translation-friendly.
  • Integration support for Unity, Unreal, custom engines, and localization pipelines (XLIFF/JSON/CSV/POT workflows).

• Culturalization & Legal Review
  • Cultural checks (sensitive content, iconography, color symbolism) and age-rating guidance by region.
  • Legal localization: terms & conditions, EULAs, and region-specific compliance notes.

Our Process (End‑to‑End)

1. Discovery & Scoping — Receive assets, platform list, target languages, and budget/timeline constraints. Recommend a localization scope (full game, UI-only, marketing, etc.).

2. Preparation & Extraction — Extract strings, create glossaries, prepare TMs, and pseudo-localize to test for UI issues.

3. Glossary & Style Guide — Build a project glossary, terminology list, and style notes for each language, aligned with your creative vision.

4. Translation & Adaptation — Native-speaking translators (with gaming expertise) perform translations in CAT tools with context and implementation notes.

5. Linguistic QA (LQA) — In-context review by a second linguist; spot fixes, consistency checks, tone review.

6. Functional & Cosmetic QA — Engineers and QA testers check build integration, handle truncation, encoding, string IDs, and platform-specific issues.

7. In-Context Playtesting — Playthroughs to verify context, pacing, and immersion; testers check for mistranslations and gameplay-breaking language bugs.

8. Delivery & Integration — Deliver localized assets in requested formats (XLIFF/JSON/etc.), update TMs, and provide build-instructions and integration support.

9. Post-Launch Support — Hotfix localization, DLC/patch localization, and ongoing TM updates as live content rolls out.

Quality Assurance & Testing

• Linguistic QA (LQA): Two-pass review (translator + reviewer) with error categorization (major/minor/typo) and LQA scoring.

• Functional QA: In-build checks for truncation, encoding errors, input fields, control mappings, and platform-specific certification issues.

• Cosmetic QA: Fonts, line wrapping, kerning, punctuation, and right-to-left (RTL) layout checks when applicable.

• Pseudo-localization: Detect UI constraints and hard-coded strings early.

• Playtesting & Focus Groups: Optional user testing with native players to validate humor, idioms, and cultural resonance.

Team & Expertise

• Localization Project Managers — single point of contact, milestone tracking, and reporting.

• Native Translators & Adapters — gamers and genre specialists (RPG, FPS, strategy, mobile, MMO) who adapt voice and tone.

• Localization Engineers — handle extraction, in-engine integration, tooling, and build automation.

• QA Testers & Playtesters — platform-certified testers who run in-context checks across device types.

Tools & Technology

We work with industry-standard and custom tools depending on project needs, including:

• CAT/TMS systems, translation memories (TM), terminology databases, and style-guide platforms.

• Formats: XLIFF, JSON, XML, CSV, .po/.pot, YAML, RESX, Google Sheets, and proprietary asset bundles.

• Automation: build hooks, CI/CD-friendly export/import, and API integrations for continuous localization.

• QA tooling for string checks, placeholders, tags, and automated QA reports.

File Formats & Deliverables

Common deliverables we provide:

• Localized string files in XLIFF/JSON/XML/CSV/PO/RESX/YAML

• Subtitles (SRT, ASS, VTT) and caption files

• Audio masters (WAV/FLAC) and delivered stems

• Bilingual/monolingual spreadsheets for review

• Glossary, style guide, and final Translation Memory (TM) export

• LQA reports and bug lists (with screenshots/repro steps)

Pricing & Turnaround (How scope affects cost)

Pricing depends on:

• Word count / string volume

• Complexity of text (branching dialogue, technical systems)

• Number of target languages and language pairs (some pairs are more costly)

• Need for voice-over, casting, and recording studio time

• Engineering effort for extraction / integration and QA depth

Typical factors that affect timeline: asset readiness, build cadence, and QA cycles. During scoping we provide an itemized quote and recommended timeline based on your specific assets and release plan.

Security & Confidentiality

• We operate under strict confidentiality: NDA available on request.

• Secure asset transfer and temporary access to files and builds; role-based access and MFA for all contributors.

• Document retention policies (we can align with your requirements — by default assets are archived for a defined period and can be purged on request).

Integration & Development Workflow

• Pre-commit Hooks & Pseudo-localization: catch i18n issues early in the development cycle.

• Branch-friendly localization: support for feature branches, per-build localization, and hotfix workflows.

• API & Git Integrations: automated string syncs and CI/CD pipelines to reduce manual steps.

Post-Launch & Live Support

• Rapid localization for hotfixes, patches, and seasonal events.

• Ongoing TM maintenance to reduce future costs and accelerate delivery.

• Community localization support for user-generated content and moderation templates.

Optional Add-Ons

• Voice casting, direction, and full audio production.

• Lip‑sync, ADR, and performance direction for cinematic quality.

• Accessibility localization (descriptive captions, audio descriptions).

• Localized marketing campaigns, influencer outreach, and ASO.

• Legal & compliance localization (privacy policy updates, consumer law notes).

Metrics & Reporting

We provide measurable outputs so you can track ROI and quality:

• LQA pass rates and error density per language.

• TM leverage and cost-savings over time.

• Post-launch player feedback summaries and bug counts linked to localization.

Getting Started — Onboarding Checklist

To kick off a localization project, please provide:

• Source language files / export of strings or repository access

• Target language list (prioritize where needed)

• Gameplay context or reference builds (video walkthroughs are excellent)

• Existing glossaries, TMs, style guides, and brand voice notes (if any)

• Preferred deliverable formats and platform list (PC, mobile, consoles)

• NDA request if required

Once we have these, we will deliver a scoped proposal with milestones, sample translations, and a recommended QA plan.