Games Localization Handbook
Book Extract: The Game Localization Handbook: Localization Production Pitfalls by Heather Maxwell Chandler [Business/Marketing, Production]
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January 5, 2005
Production covers a wide range of localization tasks and contains several areas in which things can quickly get out of control. Production pitfalls can be easier to rectify than technical pitfalls, since they do not need to be fixed by adding new game code. Most production pitfalls can be avoided if the localization process has been thought out thoroughly and planned for accordingly.
Poor Planning
Poor planning is the number-one cause of difficulties during localizations. As discussed throughout this book, a number of items must be planned for and considered when developing localized versions. For example, localization-friendly code is not something that happens late in the project, it must be planned for in advance.
Moreover, if the assets translation is not planned in advance, the developer cannot expect to have the assets translated, integrated, and tested a week before the localized versions are scheduled to release.
People often make the mistake of putting localizations on the back burner instead of working on them throughout the production process. Localizations should be an integral part of the production planning because there are many external and internal resources to coordinate. Items such as translations, foreign voice recordings, and linguistic testing all need to be planned ahead of time. These things can't be planned until the developer knows the scope of the localization, which includes what the code can handle, how the assets are organized, and how many assets there are to localize.
A good practice is to complete the asset overview sheet in Figure 1 as early in the project as possible. This sheet is discussed in detailed in Chapter 3. Even if the information included in this sheet is unknown or not final, the developer can start
Post A Comment
January 5, 2005
Production covers a wide range of localization tasks and contains several areas in which things can quickly get out of control. Production pitfalls can be easier to rectify than technical pitfalls, since they do not need to be fixed by adding new game code. Most production pitfalls can be avoided if the localization process has been thought out thoroughly and planned for accordingly.
Poor Planning
Poor planning is the number-one cause of difficulties during localizations. As discussed throughout this book, a number of items must be planned for and considered when developing localized versions. For example, localization-friendly code is not something that happens late in the project, it must be planned for in advance.
Moreover, if the assets translation is not planned in advance, the developer cannot expect to have the assets translated, integrated, and tested a week before the localized versions are scheduled to release.
People often make the mistake of putting localizations on the back burner instead of working on them throughout the production process. Localizations should be an integral part of the production planning because there are many external and internal resources to coordinate. Items such as translations, foreign voice recordings, and linguistic testing all need to be planned ahead of time. These things can't be planned until the developer knows the scope of the localization, which includes what the code can handle, how the assets are organized, and how many assets there are to localize.
A good practice is to complete the asset overview sheet in Figure 1 as early in the project as possible. This sheet is discussed in detailed in Chapter 3. Even if the information included in this sheet is unknown or not final, the developer can start