

The list of Japanese video games that have never seen English translations is long. Each of those games has or had their own audience biting at the bit to play the game, but to no avail beyond settling for the chance Japanese-only import. Now, imagine that’s your game with an undiscovered foreign audience. As an indie game developer you are looking for as large an audience as you can get. So, why have you stapled your project to the domestic market?
Because localization is a hassle?
Maybe it is, just remember: there is more than one way to skin a cat. For example, ackuna.com provides developers with free, accurate translation through a crowd-sourced platform. Crowd-sourcing translation is the same technique that Facebook used to localize their service to other regions. Ackuna makes it possible for indie game developers to do the same for their games.
Google has just launched an app localization service. There you can have your Android app translated for about US $100. That’s Android though, what about other platforms? Well, translation services are aplenty, and each offers a different take on the process. However, most are expensive premium services that hide your project from you for a few days, and then hand it back to you to reformat in the localized language.
Translation is an art, not a science, and each individual translator has their own idiolect. This can have bad consequences for a game that’s meant to appeal to a vast audience. Likewise, another benefit of crowd-sourced translation is the feedback you receive from the translation community. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of people will see the text of your project before its translation is finished, and each can make small adjustments that normalize the language used. In this way you also get exposure.
Localization is a process of exploration. You are exploring the profitability of releasing in foreign markets. So, do your research, try to keep it cheap, and make sure you can do it accurately. You’ll see some challenges along the way (such as formatting, determining which markets are cost-effective, and maybe post-release customer service) but when only 27% of internet users speak English, (according to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm) it’s worth looking into as who knows, your jet powered zombie elf game could be a massive hit in eastern Europe.
Related articles
Translation service Ackuna can help developers take their apps global
More Android apps in more languages as Google opens App Translation Service to all developers
Undead Castle Dev Journal – Indie Game Developers
Nintendo platforms sizzle with upcoming indie games
Google HelpOuts with CrowdSourcing
Lost Gems
-
5 Great Udemy Courses For New Game Developers
-
13 Indie Games at EGX to get Excited About
-
Hearthstone Alternatives For Lovers of Card Games
-
My Top 10 Star Wars Games of All Time
-
5 of the Most Interesting Mobile Games at EGX Rezzed
-
11 Wicked Witches in Video Games | Halloween Special
-
Beginners Guide to Pokemon Go
-
Advanced 2D and 3D Game Development Software
-
My Top 5 Boxing Games
-
Parents Guide to Minecraft
-
10 Great Kids Games From 2016 on Xbox One
-
Rise of the Machines: 8 Radical Robots from the World of Gaming
-
Weird Ball Games You Can Play on Xbox One
-
Game Design Software that can Help Beginners Create their Own Games
-
90’s Games You Can Play On Your Xbox One Now
-
The 10 Best Books Based on Video Games
-
The End is Nigh: 9 Post-Apocalypse Games You Might Enjoy
-
20 Game Characters with Awesome Facial Hair | Movember Special
-
Halloween Special: Zombies! Up Close and Personal
-
Gaming with Choices: The Games with the Tough Decisions
-
10 Best Video Game Landscapes; Setting the Scene
-
5 Sci-Fi Books That Would Make Awesome Video Games
-
Valentines Special: 17 Video Game BROmances
-
Shop keepers in Video Games
-
30 Games Where You Play The Bad Guy
You must be logged in to post a comment Login