LOCALIZATION 353
over the process and has to rely on the vendor to complete the work on time and
error free. Cost is also another issue to consider—costs can quickly add up for trans-
lators, linguistic testers, and project managers. These costs can quickly escalate if
the localization vendor encounters any problems when using the localization kit.
21.8 TESTING
This is time-consuming because both functionality and linguistic testing have
to be done for each language version. Additionally, all the versions need to be
tested for compatibility between languages when playing multiplayer games.
Time can be saved in the testing schedule if there are enough people to do con-
current linguistic and functionality testing.
Functionality Testing
Functionality testing checks for any bugs that were created by the localized as-
sets which usually require a code change to fix. Ideally, if doing a straight asset
swap, there should not be any functionality bugs introduced. However, if special
characters and increased text length were not planned for, code changes might
be needed to accommodate the localized assets.
Functionality testing can be handled by the same QA team that tested the
primary version of the game—they are most familiar with how to test the game
functionality. While they may not speak the languages they are checking, they
can still check for text overruns, incorrect language assets, and other functional-
ity bugs. These bugs can be logged into the central bug-tracking database. Add
a field to note which language is being tested so the database can be sorted by
language if necessary. Functionality bugs found in the localized versions will be
fixed by the team; it’s possible that these bugs are also present in the primary
version of the game as well.
Linguistic Testing
Linguistic testing checks all the language assets in the game to make sure text is
not overlapping, truncated, misspelled, or grammatically incorrect. It also checks
that all the localized VO files play correctly. Linguistic testing should be done by
native speakers, as they are best equipped to find errors in translation and con-
text. There are several localization vendors that offer linguistic testing services.
In some cases, particularly for more complex localizations, the linguistic tes-
ters can be on-site with the development team. This speeds up the linguistic
testing and bug-fixing process immensely since the linguistic testers can provide
corrected translations right away. Advance planning needs to be done if linguistic
testers will be traveling and working onsite with the development team. If this is
not well-organized, the most cannot be made of the testers’ time.
354 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
Linguistic testers will need to familiarize themselves with the game before
they begin testing. The game’s functionality test plan can also help them become
familiar with the game and all its features.
They will need a localization test plan to show them where to check all the
translations. One way to do this is to have them check the text in the game
against the text translation spreadsheet they already completed. Figure 21.4 is
an example where more information has been added to the translation sheet to
aid the testers in checking the game.
Determine in advance how linguistic bugs will be reported. If the developer
does not require the bugs to be written in a specific format, the linguistic testers
may not provide enough information about the bug and how to fix it. This is es-
pecially true when fixes are being made by people who don’t speak the language.
Figure 21.5 is a sample bug report template for linguistic bugs. It includes infor-
mation on where to find the bug, a description of the bug (usually an incorrect
translation), and the solution for the bug (usually what the correct translation is).
O
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C
D
FIGURE 21.4 Sample localization test plan.
Location ENGLISH FRENCH NOTES
AI(M01) A police officer is down! Mission Failed.
Un officier de police a été abattu. Echec
de la mission.
Failure condition that
appears as pop-up
message in game
M01 1. Disarm the security system 1. Désactivez le système de sécurité
appears in loading
screen, set up
screen, and in-game
start menu
Install
Would you like a shortcut placed on the
desktop that can be used to launch the
game?
Souhaitez-vous créer un raccourci pour
pouvoir lancer le jeu à partir du bureau
?
Appears during
installation
Uninstall
Do you wish to clean up the entire game
folder? This will delete the folder the
game was installed to and everything in it.
Souhaitez-vous effacer complètement le
dossier du jeu ? Cela détruira
l'ensemble du dossier dans lequel le jeu
a été installé et les éléments qu'il
contenait.
Appears during
installation
Equip
The primary weapon assigned is the M4,
with a 9 mm pistol as a secondary.
Flashbangs are provided to suppress
enemies, and a heartbeat sensor should
help in locating them.
Les armes assignées sont le M4,
comme arme principale, et le pistolet
9mm, comme arme secondaire. Les
grenades aveuglantes sont fournies
pour éliminer les ennemis. Le détecteur
cardiaque devrait vous aider à les
localiser.
Appears on the help
screen for equipment
selection
IFF(M03) a Guard un garde
Appears when you
place reticle over a
character
LOCALIZATION 355
21.9 CONSOLE SUBMISSION
When working on console titles, the localized versions of a game must be submit-
ted to Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo for approval. All of these publishers have
European and Asian offices that must approve the game before it is released in
their respective countries. In most cases the developer will submit versions to the
European, Asian, and U.S. offices of these publishers at the same time, in antici-
pation of a worldwide release of the game. However, this does not guarantee that
the submission approvals will occur at the same time; a game could be approved
for release in Europe, before it is approved for release in the United States.
In order for the submission process to go smoothly for localized versions,
keep the following in mind:
Technical requirements: Be sure to fulfill any localization specific techni-
cal requirements.
Terminology: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have console specific ter-
minology that must be standard in all games. For example, Microsoft re-
quires the use of the term “thumbstick.” This terminology list is checked
during the final approval, and if the correct terms are not used in the game,
the game will fail submission. The terminology list also includes approved
translations for all these terms as well.
Error messages: Third-party publishers will also verify all the error mes-
sages in the game to ensure that they are compliant with the required word-
ing. Error messages can be difficult for linguistic testers to check, since they
will not see most of them or know what steps are needed to get a specific error
message. Print out the localized error messages and send them to the linguis-
tic testers before they start testing the game. They can verify the content of
the message and ensure that they are compliant and linguistically correct.
21.10 LOCALIZATION CHECKLIST
Figure 21.6 is a localization checklist that lists major tasks to address during the
pre-production, production, and wrap-up phases of localizations. This checklist
FIGURE 21.5 Linguistic bug report template.
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Bug # Language Game Location Bug Description Incorrect Text Correct Text Bug Status
2 German UI - Options Menu
Please use lower case
letter.
Schritt
N
ach
R
echts
Schritt
n
ach
r
echts
CLOSED
4 German UI - Options Menu Text not translated. Use Item
Gegenstand
benutzen
FIXED
356 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
O
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PRE-PRODUCTION Y / N NOTES
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Does game support unicode?
Are all language assets in an easily accessible directory in the game?
Will subtitling functionality be needed?
Are localized keyboards supported for player input?
Will several languages ship on a single CD-ROM?
Will localized versions be multiplayer compatible?
Do boxes in UI scale accommodate different size text strings?
Is any additional software needed to aid in localization?
Are international currency and date/time formats supported?
Has a version control system been decided on for the localizations?
Has the localization pipeline been decided on?
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Will the localized versions ship simultaneously with the English version?
Has the asset overview form been filled in and sent to the translator?
Have the languages been determined?
Will external vendors be producing the localizations?
If so, are the bid packages prepared?
Has the budget been completed and approved?
Has the level of localization been determined for each language?
Has the overall schedule been completed and finalized?
Are there development resources available for the localizations?
Has a method for integrating text assets been determined?
Has a method for integrating VO assets been determined?
Has a pipeline been determined for fixing bugs?
Have the appropriate measures been taken to comply with all of the
international ratings boards?
Have the third party publishers been contacted about the localized versions?
Will PAL support be necessary for console versions?
Is there enough hardware for functionality and linguistic testing?
(Continued on next page)
LOCALIZATION 357
Have the text and voiceover files been integrated?
Have the cinematics been localized?
Have the localized versions been sent to the appropriate ratings board for
approval?
Does the master contain demos from other games that were requested by
marketing?
Is functionality testing completed?
Are all functionality bugs fixed and has the game been code released?
Is linguistic completed?
Are all linguistic bugs fixed and has final linguistic approval been given?
Have the localized versions been sent to the replicator (PC) or submitted to
the third party publisher (Consoles and cell phones?)
WRAP-UP
Have the manual and box text been sent for translations?
Does a localized demo need to be produced?
Have localized screenshots been taken for the manual and box?
Has a closing kit been created for all the localized versions?
If necessary, have all patches been localized and made available?
PRODUCTION
Has a detailed schedule been completed and communicated to the team?
Has the localization overview document been sent to the localization
coordinator or translators?
Has all the pre-production game documentations been sent to the
localization coordinator or translators?
Has the latest English build of the game been sent to the translators?
Have the text assets been organized for translation and sent to the
localization coordinator?
Have the voiceover script and character casting notes been sent to the
localization coordinator?
Have the final English voiceover files been sent to the localization
coordinator?
Have all the art assets to be localized been sent to the localization
coordinator?
Have all the cinematic assets and time codes been organized and sent to the
translator?
Are the translations for the text assets completed?
Have the localized voiceover files been recorded and processed?
FIGURE 21.6 Sample localization checklist.
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