1. LocJAM 3 – Kyoto Workshop Learning Game Localization Through the LocJAM by Anthony Teixeira and Ryosuke Nagao Special thanks to Richard Mark Honeywood for the original presentationoriginal presentation

2. Hosts Anthony Teixeira Freelance Translator – IGDA Localization SIG Co-chair Japanese/English > French Past Works: Pokkén Tournament, Project CARS Ryosuke Nagao English <> Japanese Game Translator Past works: Stick It To The Man!, Clash of Clans

3. Welcome to the LocJAM A free, online game localization contest, open to Professional and Amateur translators. No registration required. Group work allowed. The jurors are reputable agencies Why participate? - Prizes (studio tour/diploma), your name on the website - Experience (something you can learn from and talk to potential employers about) - A chance to learn by comparing your translation with those of others - Just for fun to see what goes into translation - Networking: A great chance to meet fellow translators

4. Two Games To Choose From From English: This year’s game, The Hotel of Madness, a board game From Japanese: A winning Japanese version of Grandpa, a narrative game, originally shared in English for the LocJAM2

5. Do a word count before any translation project “The Hotel of Madness” = Approx. 3,600 words “Grandpa” = Approx. 5,000 characters Know your speed. e.g. assume: J→E 4,000 characters per 8 hour day per translator E→J 2,000 words per 8 hour day per translator You will also need time for testing the implementation Planning Ahead

6. Stages of Localizing a Game 1. FAMILIARIZATION & PREP WORK 2. GLOSSARY & STYLE GUIDE CREATION 3. TRANSLATION 4. EDITING 5. INTEGRATION 6. QA & BUG FIXING 7. SUBMISSION + POSTMORTEM

7. 1) FAMILIARIZATION & PREP WORK Download the localization package from E to J: bit.ly/LocJAM3ENbit.ly/LocJAM3EN J to E: bit.ly/LocJAM2JPbit.ly/LocJAM2JP Read through the files Understand how the game works overall Take notes

8. TIME TO BRAINSTORM! What is the game’s text telling us...? Instructions for a board game: clarity and consistency are vital Horror story atmosphere. Strongly inspired by The Shining Don’t miss the humorous parts Example : “The game is played in turns (as opposed to being played in prison, or in a tuxedo)”

9. 2) GLOSSARY & STYLE GUIDE CREATION Glossary You can use term extraction tools to help you here. A quick search on Google for “free term extractors” should return good results. Examples: http://fivefilters.org/term-extraction/ (Web)http://fivefilters.org/term-extraction/ Okapi Rainbow (Desktop) Style guide List anything you find relevant: general tone, language register, sentence structures, etc.

10. Example: Terms Extracted From The Hotel Of Madness

11. 3) TRANSLATION Avoid literal translations, keep players in mind Make instructions as clear as possible, yet enjoyable. Remember: there’s no computer to guide players. Maps and counters need to be easy to read Save backups regularly Try to integrate your text occasionally Follow the Best Practices document from the IGDA LocSIG http://bit.ly/gamebestpracticesJP and http://bit.ly/gamebestpractices http://bit.ly/gamebestpracticesJP http://bit.ly/gamebestpractices

12. Not just translation, but true localization Don’t forget about fonts, spacing, etc. Some images need to be localized Adapt the layout if it helps with clarity Try to use local expressions/references for jokes/puns “We appreciated how the translator added extra line breaks, which made the text easier to read and gave a Japanese text adventure like feel to the game. It is important to pay attention to how the translated text will look in the actual product.”

13. English Japanese

14. 4) EDITING Pay special attention to consistency for glossary terms Copy & paste the text into Word or similar software and have it highlight potential spelling and grammar mistakes Try to proofread your own text at least once on paper Might have another native speaker, who is a good writer, look over your text? When you get feedback, you make the call, as the translator you "own" the text

15. 5) INTEGRATION Print the game instructions, maps and counters, check the layout and clarity of the text

16. 6) QA Play through the game with your translation in it Look for integration issues (overflows, missing text, etc.) and check how your translation works in context Is the text easy to read? Are the fonts of the right size? If possible, have some of your friends play it too to give you feedback and find things you may have missed Try everything you can think of to spot issues Always recheck everything that has been changed again in game = "Regression"

17. 7) SUBMISSION AND POST-MORTEM Upload your file on the locjam.org website before March 27 th, 2016 at midnight (Greenwich Mean Time) Look back at the whole experience, see what went well and what you could do better next time

18. By the way... How do I win the LocJAM? Translation quality is subjective by nature, and jurors have their own personal preferences. Do what YOU feel is best Read the instructions. Carefully Do proofread and spellcheck your text Don’t just translate, localize Focus on parts that leave room for creativity In general, try to make your translation stand out Follow the discussions on Facebook for tips

19. Question Time Anthony Teixeira contact@at-it-translator.com contact@at-it-translator.com Presentation available on bit.ly/LocJAM3Kyotobit.ly/LocJAM3Kyoto E to J package: bit.ly/LocJAM3ENbit.ly/LocJAM3EN J to E package: bit.ly/LocJAM2JPbit.ly/LocJAM2JP IGDA Localization SIG on Facebook