Game Localization Link Roundup – February 2016

A little later than usual, here is our monthly link roundup! It is now integrated to the IGDA LocSIG newsletter, so feel free to register if you want to receive it directly in your mailbox.

This month once again saw a healthy amount of game localization articles shared over the Internet. Developers, localization teams, gamers and the press are fighting for your attention. These are there stories.

Culex is quite different in Japanese Super Mario RPG – A quick comparison of Japanese and US versions of Super Mario RPG. If you like such articles, you will find Clyde Mandelin’s website to be a gem!

On FFXIV’s localization – Very insightful post on the official forum of Square Enix

Importing/Exporting .xliff Translation Files – This one is aimed at iOS game developers. Xcode now offers a very easy-to-use import/export function for .xliff files. Spread the word, these are much easier to handle than the usual Localizable.strings files!

LocJAM: your foot in the door with game localisation – A great introduction to the LocJAM. Just in case: Yes, it is free. Yes, you can do it from home. Yes, you can participate even if you don’t attend a workshop.

All Games Should Be Localised Like Ni no Kuni – Ni no Kuni received a lot of praise for the quality of its localization. This article reminds us why.

A Chat w/ ATLUS Staff: Remembering Odin Sphere
Or when a localization team looks back at their work, sharing a funny anecdote on the way.

How a whole language of the Steam Translation Server was shut down – Controversy surrounding community translation. Food for thought, regardless of your position on the issue.

Tools and techniques of game localisation – The LocJAM 3 started on March 14th. Improve your understanding of the contest by watching videos from the previous edition’s workshops. This one from Prof. Dr. Uta Seewald-Heeg offers a good introduction to game localization.

How Monster Hunter finally found success in the United States – Among other things, this article gives us an insight into Monster Hunter’s localization, and how it implied more than mere translation.

The difficulties in creating a script using a language which hasn’t been spoken since the Stone Age – A fascinating article on what was definitely not a conventional translation project.

Game localization best practices – Localization best practices with a related infographic

Preparing games for languages that use noun gender – A quick discussion about this recurring issue

Why some games don’t use automatic line-breaks – Another dev-side discussion

This concludes our monthly link roundup. As you might have noticed, the above posts are written in different variants of English, and we share them as they are. Yes, it is very disturbing if you are a translator or, even worse, a reviewer. Hopefully you will forgive us for these unavoidable inconsistencies! With the LocJAM ongoing, you can expect a wealth of interesting articles for next month’s edition.