Viena Wroblewska (Owner of APlus Translations) shares her top tips to find a local translation company. She explains how good translations can help you reach more people.
Long weekends are something I don’t like, even though you may find it strange. Three-day weekends are not my favorite because I get fewer or no emails from people around the globe with whom we work. It is thrilling to work with more than 100 linguists, and several clients representing every corner of the globe. This makes me feel connected.
So when it comes language localization, my knowledge is extensive. My company APlus Translations celebrated its 20th year anniversary. Because I started my company the year after my son was born, I’ll always remember how old it is. My baby is also my company.
In my twenties, I was a translator and polyglot. My language proficiency grew to five after I learned three languages in addition to my native Polish and the English from Canada.
My passion for languages and other cultures has been a constant throughout my entire life. So, when I turned 27, APlus Translations was founded. It felt like a natural progression. It’s been an amazing ride. Together with my team of project managers, we have witnessed companies go from concept to sales figures in the gazillions.
As they conquered new markets, we have been there to support sports betting and poker companies. We have enjoyed watching them achieve success and, evidently, we are proud to be there with them.
This article does not only focus on my company.
In any case, I’d be happy to offer some guidance and share my knowledge with you. Perhaps you are already working with a localization company and would like to learn more about what happens behind-the scenes. Perhaps you have never been able to understand why the product has such a high price. You might also be confused about Translation Memories and Machine Translation. Let me give you a tour and explain some things about localization, which is an advanced cousin to language translation.
You must first consider localization an integral part of your development.
Localization often seems like an afterthought. You need to make sure that your program is able to handle the peculiarities of other languages. English is, to my knowledge, quite straightforward in terms of its grammatical structure. This isn’t true for many other languages, some of which are European. So, do your due diligence. Start coding from the beginning. This will save you time and help to reduce the amount of work required.
Consider cost when choosing a partner for localization. But please don’t choose the cheapest vehicle!
You can trust me. This business has been my life for more than 20 years. What does the lowest end of the language services spectrum look like? Good translators are the ones you want to translate your content. They know their terminology well and can craft your message in their own language. I have seen them work hard enough to expect a fair price.
Let me tell you, if a localization agency comes to you with a rate significantly lower than others, I guarantee, you are getting a mix of Machine Translation/Substandard translator + proof-reader. You can have no proof-reader. Period. This is the only way to do it. It is what I am familiar with.
Machine Translation is something you should use caution with at times. At other times, it’s best to avoid.
Machine Translation technology is useful sometimes, that’s what I am referring to. It is fine for some content types, but not for in-game text. Engaging is key when crafting a game text. Crafting, not writing, can be very engaging. Players should choose your platform, and continue to use your platform. This is what you want for your English-speaking audience. It should also be the case for non-Anglophone audiences. Static results are achieved by automated, or machine translation. They are not engaging and entertaining. Hire a company that employs human translators. This will cost more, but it is worth the investment.
Don’t rush!
Sometimes you get into trouble or need to work last minute. That’s fine. However, you should give your localization partner the time they need to ensure that your content passes a quality control process. Quality takes time. Talk to your localization provider about how long they will need to complete their job.
My experience is that every piece of content at APlus gets reviewed by three eyes. The translator must first spend time translating the text. The translator then has to review the translation with a proofreader. This may involve some back-and-forth between them. After the translator and proof-reader have reached an agreement on the “final” translation, they are then reviewed by our dedicated project manager. All these people may be located in different time zones, so the entire process can take longer.
Here’s a quick example to show you how much time it takes for a translation. Some slogans were written years ago when I worked as a translator. Our client was looking to rebrand and required us to translate some memorable phrases. It was approximately 4 slogans I had to translate and took me more than half a day. This may seem extreme but it is very common. If your provider asks for a minimal fee to translate creative text it is an excellent sign. This is a sign that they really want to complete a good job.
One word may not mean the exact same thing in different languages. Language localizers must create. To render the meaning natively in the language they’re presented with, localizers must take an extra step from what is written. This is not an easy task. It takes patience.
For the long-term, stick to the same localization partner.
If your past experience with a provider is not filled with errors and problems, let them fix any minor issues and stay with the same provider. There are several good reasons to do this.
The provider keeps a list of translations that were done by you. This is called a Translation Memory, or TM. You will get more value and consistency if you work with them. Unless you have signed away those rights, a Translation Memory is considered client’s intellectual property. This means that you have the option to move to another localization provider, and ask them to give you the TM in each of the languages you purchased. The process should go smoothly. One hopes the new provider will work with the TM. This is what I hope makes sense.
Second, you will get consistency from linguists if you plan to remain with the provider. An agency might use the same translator to translate your content multiple times, which can be a positive thing. This uniformity in style and voice is important.
Let me sign off by stating again: Quality is the most important thing in localization. Your image is everything. A good translation will translate to more players. It’s worth the investment.
You can reach me at a href=”https://sbcamericas.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f7819e929996b796879b828483859699849a” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>span class=”__cf_email__” data-cfemail=”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 You can reach me at (email protected).
APlus Translations is located in Vancouver, Canada. However, we also have offices in Europe, Peru, and Europe. Over 40 languages are available for translation and we have been working in the igaming industry for more than 13 years. This industry requires us to excel in game text, marketing and regulatory documentation.
