More than merely translating a game’s textual material is involved in the multi-step process known as game localization. In this article, we’ll concentrate on Localization Quality Assurance (LQA), one of the last stages of localization. It entails a group of native speakers testing the game to see if it’s appropriate for the regional market.
Let’s face it: even if you are an excellent game developer and manage a team of exceptional individuals, likely, your staff doesn’t know all the languages you want to translate your game into.
Because of all the clever puns and original jokes, how can you be sure that your translated game is just as fun as the original and that those players will love it just as much? The localization QA testers and software localization services come into play in this situation.
Continue reading to find out why translation testing might be a game-changer for your title.
1. What is localization testing (LQA)?
The testing stage of the localization process for video games is known as game localization quality assurance. In addition to covering UI/UX assessment, compliance testing, culturalization, internationalization, functional tests, and other topics, it primarily focuses on language testing and translation quality review. Reviewers proficient in video game translation and are often native speakers of the target language play the game to look for grammatical and visual problems. These reviewers must be fluent in the target language and well-versed in the local culture if they can point out syntax and spelling errors and suggest changes or additions to the script’s use of cultural allusions.
2. What are the types of quality control?
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Linguistic QA:
It ensures that the terminology is consistent, that no sentence or word is culturally offensive, and that the text and voice-over appeal to native users. It also provides that the spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all proper and all numerical data, including dates and currencies.
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Visual QA:
It confirms that the user experience and interface issues are fixed and that the incomplete and overlong texts are corrected. It ensures that every string is translated and that the correct fonts are used; it confirms that the game visuals will work on all consoles.
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Functional QA:
It ensures that all links are operational, the keyboard instructions are translated to an international keyboard, the game code is compatible with all localized versions of the game, all audio and graphic bugs are corrected, and the performance is high.
How to rock game localization testing?
Your game’s background, hidden meanings, gags, and tone will be free of awkward translations and mediocre writing when localization is done correctly. If there is a flaw in the procedure, your players will face criticism from those who quickly identify these errors and draw attention to them, making the game less exciting.
So, here are some actions you can take to improve the outcomes of your translation testing for your game:
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Export the entire content
You must import the contents of each code string and write it. The next step is to assemble the material you imported into resource files that translators may use. It would be best if you made sure that the gamers of the translated version of your game felt like their native language was utilized in the game’s development.
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Think about contextualizing elements
To give players the impression that they are playing a local game, you must localize the language and the surrounding factors. For instance, to appeal to French players, you must alter your characters’ appearances, the story’s setting, design elements, colors, etc., and the game’s language.
It would be best if you had the aid of effective game localization services that are well-stocked with knowledgeable localizers and translators in situations like these. These firms provide several native speakers who are familiar with the viewpoints of your gamers. Based on the target audience’s culture, they can assist you in resetting the game’s contextual aspects.
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Create translation-friendly code
Gender translations across languages can occasionally result in entirely incorrect statements. Because gender is not associated with English, this presents a significant issue. The translators struggle even though this makes it simple for game makers to produce phrases randomly.
In terms of localization, this might be a very challenging subject. Understanding and researching the many gender-specific languages is the best approach to this problem. You should also add extra strings to the code so that the translation can easily make modifications as needed.
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Make sure no strings are missing
Even if errors are acceptable, it might be expensive if the resource file lacks a few required strings for translation. Even if it doesn’t happen often, this error can nonetheless occur, making it difficult for translators and engineers to catch. You must ensure that each string is included in your script to create the translation file if you want to prevent this from happening. You can play your game while keeping the translation file open on one side to verify manually as much as feasible. Alternatively, you may play the game after changing the strings to see what needs to be translated.
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Localize the images appropriately
It would be preferable if you concentrated on localizing the aesthetic aspects of the game, such as the colors, images, fonts, and digital artwork, in addition to the verbal localization. For instance, the final product text that appears in different languages depends on the typeface you choose. For some languages, selecting an utterly distinct text style becomes necessary since the text is often shown differently and is difficult for players to comprehend.
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Context is important
It would be beneficial if you kept in mind that humor, idioms, and sarcasm cannot be immediately translated into another language. It would greatly aid the localization process if you could provide the context to the translators.
Conclusion
Game localization testing is an important step that comes after localization. To have a place in the international market, your game needs to be shaped well and designed to fit the culture and lifestyle of your audiences, so testing the game before lunch plays a significant role in fixing and changing any mistake that can ruin the reputation of your game. Game localization services can help on localization and the localization testing furthermore they can help on continuous localization to keep your game updated. As mentioned before, localization testing (LQA) is done on the game’s visual, linguistic, and functional parts. And to boost the localization testing, you have to do all the steps mentioned.
