12. “Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t
believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen.
“When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day.
Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible
things before breakfast.”
13. New Needs
Even Strange needs
Batches
Sprints
Able to
scale up and down
(be big or be small)
“What a curious feeling!”
said Alice. I must be shutting
up like a telescope!”
14. Iterations
Solid Methodology
Proactivity
“I wish they’d get the trial
done.” Alice thought, “ and
hand round the refreshments!”
15. “I’ve something important to say!”
Alice turned and came back again.
“Keep you temper. “ said the
Caterpillar.
16.
17. “Speak English!” said the Eaglet. I don’t know the
meaning of half those long words, and what’s more,
I don’t believe you do either!”
18.
19. “Would you tell me, please which
way I ought to go from here?” “That
depends a good deal on where you
want to get to,” said the Cat. “I
don’t much care where,” she said.“
Then, it doesn’t matter which way
you go.
24. “Oh, please mind what you’re doing”” cried Alice, jumping up
and down in an agony of terror.
25. “Sorry, you’re much too big. Simply impassible,” said the
Doorknob to Alice. “You mean impossible?” “No, impassible.
Nothing’s impossible.”
26. “You ought to have
finished,” […] “When did you
begin?”
27. Localization World Barcelona
14 June 2011
Summary
Game Localization in Wonderland
Game localization? Outsiders see it as an obscure and mysterious process: lack of information, standards,
procedures, planning, quality, references…. Actually the reality is different and the game localization industry is
as mature as standard software localization and this session will prove why. The fact is that game localization
faces the most complex challenge: localizing continuous innovation.
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely. “And go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
Process/Project management in Wonderland: A project is simply a project, right? However, in games, projects
are ALL different. Players want new technology, new ventures, new art, new experiences and want to feel more
intense emotion: each and every time! Is it possible to use a project template for such projects? Can you really
reuse plans, budget, leverage the experience of a former game? “Flexibility” and “adaptation” are the most
important concepts in game localization production.
Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day.
Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Internationalization in Wonderland: Why don’t we all work on perfectly internationalized games? Isn’t it a
matter of applying a checklist to every game? Why don´t we simply standardize the engines, middleware, game
design? Reality is that success in interactive entertainment can’t be programmed. Big budgets do not guarantee
success. A revolutionary product has some problems to fit in a template.
“Would you tell me, please which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,”
said the Cat. “I don’t much care where,” she said.“ Then, it doesn’t matter which way you go.
Perfect tools in Wonderland: Can tools fit perfectly the game localization process? Ideally each professional
would focus on his own field for the perfect output. Content would be organized within simple CMSs and
translation tools would comprehensively provide all necessary information. Still generating the perfect tool is a
real challenge in game localization.
“Sorry, you’re much too big. Simply impassible,” said the Doorknob to Alice. “You mean impossible?” “No,
impassible. Nothing’s impossible.”
Quality in Wonderland: Can translation in games be perfect? Is it possible to trigger the same emotional
reactions in Tokyo, Brasilia, Paris, Berlin or New York? Quality is especially difficult to measure in interactive
entertainment projects.
Is game localization simply a non sense genre? Like Alice, game localization professionals try to find a “stable
process” within an instable ground, a framework which is at all times challenging the status quo and looking for
the next ”revolution”.
Quotes from Alice in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll
Pictures from original version: Sir John Tenniel
