How to Translate a Video Game: Students Prepare for LocJAM Translation Contest

Students from the Translation and Localization Management program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies spent a gorgeous Monterey Sunday in the Digital Learning Commons at a workshop organized by Professor Max Troyer. The workshop was specially arranged to help students prepare for the second annual LocJAM video game translation contest, organized by the International Game Developers Association or IGDA. Kate Edwards, co-founder of IGDA, was in town last weekend and joined the class.

The contest takes place from Sunday, February 22nd to Sunday March 1st, and involves the translation of a video game from English to one of eight languages: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, European Spanish, or Latin American Spanish. The students participating in the contest have to translate about 3,000 words during the time allotted, and in the workshop they discussed what makes game translation different from other types of translation projects. They also explored different ways to approach game translation and how to prepare text for translation using a special tool. As professor Troyer remarks, “game translation is an exciting field that represents a real growth opportunity for our students.” As the LocJAM website succinctly puts it, “Wanted: Video game translators.”