Board games are timeless. They are great for any age and are affordable. An excellent investment for companies operating in the game’s entertainment business. The enormous behind-the-scenes effort made by authors and graphic artists to develop the concept and create the game is easy to grasp, but only a selected number of people comprehend the difficult operations required to translate board games so they can be launched abroad. Do you need to translate your game but don’t know where to start? Read on because you’ve come to the right place.
Many businesses work very hard to develop and launch a game, only to rely on an almost literal translation of the content, done by people who do not have the necessary skills. Investing in a game that has not been localised correctly may be a waste of resources and cause sales to flop.
Translating a board game effectively is not a mission impossible task but simply a meticulous process that requires in-depth research, market knowledge and tons of creativity. Rare skills that LingoSpell can offer via our project coordinators and translators expert in games board translation.
A practical example may be found in the cultural reference in the games which are not just transferred to the target language but rather adapted to the country of use, to avoid content being perceived as boring, irrelevant or even offensive for the cultural target user.
In addition, each type of game has different features requiring a specific approach. Games like Trivial Pursuit, which are based on numerous questions that need to be answered, often require an adaptation process and even the replacement of questions. What’s the reason? It’s because in some languages the question could reveal the answer. For example, in English, nouns have no gender (male, female, neutral) while in other languages, such as Italian they do, so using the original term in the question could suggest the right answer to the players, thereby cancelling the sense of the game.
In the translation of board games inspired by TV series, videogames and comics, it’s essential to consider the fans that make up the target group and who are most likely to buy the game, as well as the fact that they know the content inside out. Expectations run very high: it’s taken for granted that the localised version will faithfully mirror the terminology and style with which fans are familiar. These are all reasons why it is essential to dedicate a sufficient amount of time to finding the right translator for a certain game, who knows the game topic in question, is able to consult official sites, blogs and groups for conducting a meticulous background search.
Finally, there is a last aspect that should not be overlooked: checking of copy incorporated into the final graphics. Board games are printed on paper, cardboard and other materials which makes it impossible to correct any errors once the print run has gone to press, as can be done by simply updating the software in the case of virtual games. For this reason, at LingoSpell we offer clients final proof checking before going to press, to spot any errors and that all copy is readable and visible, in that the translation may require greater or less space compared to the space allocation made available in the game graphics.
To sum up, we can say that before the launch in a foreign market, you’ll need a state-of-the-art translation of the game board. Play your cards right and make sure you translate and localise your game using only the best, specialist service offered by LingoSpell: contact us for a free quote.
Translating a board game effectively is not a mission impossible task but simply a meticulous process that requires in-depth research, market knowledge and tons of creativity.
Rare skills that LingoSpell can offer via our project coordinators and translators experts in board games translation.