Localization Leaders needed...

Discussion in 'Localization Archives' started by FireLotus, Oct 29, 2015.

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  1. FireLotus

    FireLotus Royal Bard & Master Dabbler Dev Emeritus

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    Saluti Avatars!

    We're rapidly gearing up to start localizing Shroud of the Avatar into Deutsche, Français, Español, Italiano, and Português and we are looking for a Community Leaders for each language to step forward and help coordinate our community translators. As described in Update 148 https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?p=54236, translations will be crowd-sourced via a web service called GetLocalization. Over the next few weeks, we would like to find Community Leaders for each language to help organize additional volunteer translators and act as liaisons to myself and the other SotA Devs responsible for implementing localization. Once selected, the leaders will be given access to the GetLocalization project so that they can become familiar with it.

    After we've identified our localization leaders for each language, they will help us identify qualified translators so that we can get them set up to start localizing. Localization leaders should be fluent in their language, able to organize and encourage their team, and be willing to review their teams work while providing valuable feedback to produce the clearest translation possible.

    If you are interested in stepping forward as a localization leader, please contact FireLotus via support@portalarium.com.

    Arrivederci!
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2015
  2. FireLotus

    FireLotus Royal Bard & Master Dabbler Dev Emeritus

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    This question has popped up, and I felt it was a good once to answer in the open forum. :)


    FireLotus, why are you being so vague? Can't you just tell me EXACTLY what you want me to send you?

    Well, one of the qualities common in all effective leaders is being able to organize and motivate both yourself and a team with minimal guidance. If I have to guide you, then in reality, I'm the leader; and that's not the dynamic we're looking for. :cool: We want language leaders who can act independently, organize and implement your ideas while considering what we need, and have the ability to convey all of that to a team. So seeing how YOU decide what is important for us to know about you is a way for us to see if you have the foundation needed to lead an effective team. Yes, there will be more specific requirements, like being fluent in the language you represent, but we can talk logistics once you introduce yourself. :D

    Basically, if I have to tell you what to say (or what I want to hear) after you've read the above post, you may not be a good fit as a language LEADER. And that's ok!!! Because each language is going to need a GROUP of people working together to get all that text ready!

    If you really want ideas, you can always talk to some of the ONBE recipients who lead successful groups and see what kinds of things they are doing. Poet's Circle, Avatars Radio, The Mod Squad, and The New Britannia Theater group all spring to mind, though that list is in no way a conclusive list. :p
     
  3. Sindariya

    Sindariya Avatar

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    I hope you guys do apply or don't you want this game in your language? What are you guys afraid of?
     
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  4. Myrcello

    Myrcello Avatar

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  5. Edward Newgate

    Edward Newgate Avatar

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    Its a big time commitment and besides that, you have to have a certain amount of skills and a base understanding for language in there structure and form.
    You need leader ship experience, you need to be organized and able to work under high pressure and to know how to use authority.

    The translation should be done in high quality and you would need a lot of people who are working in there free time on this.
    The amount of time effort will be huge and i think a lot of people understand that. This is not something you doing for fun some minutes in your free time, this is something that needs a lot of time, afford and hard work in a team that does not know each other jet.

    I also can help with translating in German and i would offer my help, but for a localisation leader i would not have the time and would need way more experience that i have.
     
  6. Katrina Bekers

    Katrina Bekers Localization Team

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    Exactly my same feeling - but with italian.
     
  7. StarLord

    StarLord Avatar

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    Same for me. I would gladly offer my support for some sub tasks and proofreading, however I lack the time (and experience) for leading.
    Also I NEVER play games in German. If a game is not available in English then I do not buy / play it. Same for SotA: I would never play it in German. E.g. one reason is names. Either you translate them - then they differ (very bad for searching). Or you don´t translate - then a German player does not get the meaning...
    But I agree that a lot of players would prefer a translation, so I would like to help
     
  8. Edward Newgate

    Edward Newgate Avatar

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    I will also play the game in English :)
     
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  9. tekkamansoul

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    Is Japanese on the eventual list?
     
  10. 4EverLost

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    They said, yes along with Chinese and such but the 漢字and stuff proved problematic for the first time around.
     
  11. Lars vonDrachental

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    I see it alike…helping to translate would be a possibility but leading a team of translators is something completely different. You need the right skills and know-how to lead a team and honestly just if you have led for a longer period of time a team in a similar range of duty you should be qualified to do so…and to my mind this range of duty does not include e.g. gild leaderships, gamemaster experiences or being a manager of a department in RL as some may think. ;)

    I personally have no problem playing in English but I prefer the German translation. Yes it is sometimes misleading or “unreadable” because of unfitting translations (and yes sometimes I switch to English because of that) but for understanding something it is best to read something in your mother tongue. I would say idioms/well-known sayings are for most people the main problem as a direct translation does not match with the meaning. Another point would be e.g. the difficult to translate old English or in other regions unknown references to e.g. local politicians, regional peculiarities or social circumstances…there are normally needed fitting references of your own region to understand the statement.
    And names...they just have to be translated if the names have a meaning you have to understand else I do not see there a sense in doing so...and if there is no need to translate names it would be good if the NPCs/POIs would be multicultural with names from all over the world and not just English ones. :D
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2015
  12. Stenli

    Stenli Avatar

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    Game developers tell when the game will be available in Russian ?
     
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  13. Blackghost

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    If you help with the localization. do you get paid?
    Because the localization was part of a stretch goal , the 1.6 M.
    So, since we paid for the localization, I think people should get paid, right?
     
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  14. Sindariya

    Sindariya Avatar

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    Your payment is the knowledge that you worked on RPG from Richard Garriott. Nothing more.
     
  15. Blackghost

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    That's not the point...
    This was a stretch goal , the one at 1.6 M. We actually gave money to get this game localizations. Like this was part of their speech to reach the 1.6 stretch goal.
    Sindariya, dont be rude and don't be give me that crap of knowledge and if you don't have the asnwer. Pls move on. Nothing more.

    So my question remains.
    Do we get paid if we help with the localizations.
     
  16. Sindariya

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    It was a friendly way to say no.
     
  17. Earl Atogrim von Draken

    Earl Atogrim von Draken Avatar

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    You could always put it into your CV ^^
     
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  18. Katrina Bekers

    Katrina Bekers Localization Team

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    No.

    The stretch goal paid for the third party code localization framework, its tools and the translation site, and the developer's time to setup the strings to be translated (with the quirks for all the covered languages - like redoing them all with the GENDER tag, or support for gender/number, or composite words, or complex articles, etc.).

    Not for the actual translators.
     
  19. Blackghost

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    Awww, I see. This is indeed much better as answer.
    I don't know where they said that though.
    I was there when they launch their KS, and I don't remember they said something like this.
    But if they did..I undertsand.

    Thank you.
     
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  20. Katrina Bekers

    Katrina Bekers Localization Team

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    You're welcome.

    I don't remember that they announced the specifics of how they were going to honor the localization part, but a tool expressly designed to translate applications and games is a huge help in that regard, rather than reinventing the wheel and spending (in dev time) probably from 2x to 10x.

    Unity3D already supports localization, but the whole string translation ordeal is much, much harder than just serializing the strings and dumping them on german, french, spanish volunteers.

    A lot of actual english strings changed ingame (but general players were not any wiser why) because we translators had huge problems with our own languages. If you're interested, I can give you a trivial example of how we had to tackle some nasty side cases in my language (italian), and forced devs to change the game string structures, in some cases.
     
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