Most of the time when I tell people that I localize games, I get one of the following responses:
“So you get to play games all day?”
“Are there that many words to translate that there’s a full-time position for it?”
“I didn’t know that was a thing!”
<insert picard_facepalm.jpg>
Based on my previous job, here is a list of things that I do on a regular basis…
- Translate updates to an existing game: new patches, new events, emergency notices, etc. Most of these are done on the same day as the assignment.
- Translate a new game: usually ongoing, doesn’t start until the confirming the final deadline with project manager.
- Tests: sometimes publishers/developers want to see the translation quality before they place orders, and I was the gatekeeper.
- Proofreading/Editing: the only time when E-C comes in. I am not that fast when it comes to localizing in E-C, but I am fast at spotting translation errors.
- Drafting translation tests: our C-E test had strings in different categories (UI/System, Abilities, Dialog, Story, etc) and each category had maybe 5-10 different strings. My job was to randomly pick strings from each to create tests, and occasionally adding new strings to the categories.
- Glossary/Style Guide: for large projects that require collaboration between in-house (me and another guy) and freelancers, I was in charge of creating/maintaining a glossary and writing a simple style guide on how to proceed.
A typical week means that I will spend ~85% of my time on 1-3, 10% on 4 and the rest on 5/6. But at my new job, that ratio is sure to change and I will write about it after working there for a period of time.