Video game localization
In-game text, dialogue, subtitles and voiceover localized by native-speaking gamers — so the joke lands, the lore holds, and the rating board approves.
Players can tell when a game was translated
A localized game either feels native or it feels cheap — and players are vocal about which. Game text is dialogue, lore, UI, item names and humor, all interlocked. A translator who does not play games renders “cast” as broadcasting instead of spellcasting, breaks a running joke across 40 hours of dialogue, and truncates a menu string that overflows its box on console.
Link Translation has localized games since 2005, across genres from RPG and strategy to sports and educational titles, on PC, console and mobile.
What game studios localize with us
- In-game text — dialogue, UI, item and ability names, tutorials
- Voiceover — script adaptation, casting and recording in 30 languages
- Subtitles timed and cut to fit any screen
- Manuals, packaging and box text
- Store pages, websites and marketing materials
- Graphics, symbols and on-screen text
Localization is also culturalization
Words are the easy part. Games also carry symbols, gestures, blood, religious references and historical imagery that different markets regulate or reject. German rating rules have historically forced deep adaptations — famously stripping gore and prohibited symbols from major releases. Getting this wrong is not a review problem; it can mean a recall.
Our specialists adapt content — not just text but graphics, sounds and references — so the game is culturally appropriate for each target market and survives the local rating process.
Why machine translation fails in games
Game strings arrive as spreadsheet fragments with no context: an engine cannot know whether “Tank” is a vehicle, a role or a verb, whether the speaker is male or female, or that this line pays off a joke from three chapters ago. It also cannot hold a fictional universe consistent — invented place names, faction names and item names drift with every batch. Players catalog these mistakes on forums within hours of launch.
Human localization holds the line with a game bible and a locked term base: every linguist uses the same names, tone and lore decisions across text, audio and marketing.
How we work with studios
Native-language linguists who actually play games translate your content, working from context notes, builds or gameplay footage where available. An independent second linguist reviews every file. Translation memory absorbs the churn of sim-ship development, so late string changes are quoted on the delta. Fixed quote within 24 hours, rush arrangements available for release dates.
Services that fit this industry
Studios typically combine software localization for the game itself, transcription for audio workflows, and translation review for community-sensitive markets.
Frequently asked questions
What does game localization include beyond translation?
Culturalization: adapting names, jokes, references, symbols and even art direction so the game feels native rather than translated — and clears regional rating boards. Germany, for example, has historically required significant content adaptation for violence and prohibited symbols.
What levels of localization do you offer?
Three, matched to your budget: box-and-docs only, partial localization (game text translated, voiceover left in the original), and full localization including voiceover, graphics and manuals. We help you pick per market — full localization pays off in some regions and not others.
Can you work sim-ship, before the game is final?
Yes. Simultaneous shipment means translating while the game is still changing, which is where most localization errors come from. We manage it with locked terminology, context queries to your team, and translation memory that absorbs late string changes.
Do you handle voiceover and subtitling?
Yes — script adaptation, voice talent, recording direction and subtitles timed to the screen, in 30 languages including English. Text, audio and on-screen graphics are localized as one package so they never contradict each other.