5-13 April 2014 | LocJAM videogame translation contest
Thread poster: Alain Dellepiane
Alain Dellepiane
Alain Dellepiane  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:44
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
Mar 4, 2014

Hi everyone,

My name is Alain and I am one of the chairs of the Localization Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association (the largest non-profit related to videogame creation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGDA )

We have lauched a translation competion called LocJAM. This is the poster



From Saturday the 5th to Sunday the 13th of april 2014, both professionals and amateur translators will be able to translate a real videogame (about ~1800 words long) and show their talents.

Great! What game is it?

In order to give equal chances to everyone, the title will only be announced the 5th of April. It's not very complicated, but it offers some fascinating localization challenges. On top of translating, candidates will be able to test and revise their work in the game itself.


Who can join?

It doesn't matter if you are still studying, you have little experience or you are a long time professional: everyone can participate and there are no entrance fees.


Will there be prizes?

Of course, your efforts will be rewarded. Three jurors will check the entries for each language and each will pick their favorite Professional and Amateur translations. Prizes include localization and dubbing studio tours and potential collaborations.

Also, 5 valid translations (one per language) will win a yearly license for the Xbench QA tool from Apsic and 2 valid translations (one pro, one amateur) will win a yearly license for the memoQ translation environment by Kilgray.


What languages can participate?

The game will be translated from English into French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.


Workshops

During the event, veteran game localizers will offer free workshops around the world, in order to share their tips and techniques with everyone who wants to discover this job.


Who is organizing this? Is it for profit?

LocJAM is created and managed by LocSIG, the Localization Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) with the help of IGDA Japan, Apsic, Kilgray, team GLOC and 15 game localization agencies.

The event is 100% non-profit. The game is free and open source and all translations will be bound by a Creative Commons non-commercial no derivates license.

Where can I find more details?

Please visit the Locjam.org website and let me know if you have any comments. Competition runs between the 5th and the 13th of April.

[Edited at 2014-03-04 04:29 GMT]


 
Alain Dellepiane
Alain Dellepiane  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:44
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Let's go! Apr 5, 2014

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to say that the contest has begun and the game to be translated is The Republia Times by Lucas Pope (also known as the author of Papers Please).
Let's translate games!


 
Triston Goodwin
Triston Goodwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
:) Apr 5, 2014

I've been really excited about this!

 
Alain Dellepiane
Alain Dellepiane  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:44
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
:) Apr 5, 2014

You're the third person telling me that this morning, and I really couldn't be happier. Have fun

 
Alain Dellepiane
Alain Dellepiane  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:44
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Winners list Jun 9, 2014

Hi alll,

How are you? Just a quick message to share the list of winning entries, in playable form. You can also see them on locjam.org or on our newsletter https://sites.google.com/site/igdalocsig/-2014-06-june
Thank you and enjoy!


French
A
... See more
Hi alll,

How are you? Just a quick message to share the list of winning entries, in playable form. You can also see them on locjam.org or on our newsletter https://sites.google.com/site/igdalocsig/-2014-06-june
Thank you and enjoy!


French
Alexandre Julia (amateur) http://bit.ly/alexandrejulia
"Very few mistakes, your text is consistent and the newspapers articles definitely have that touch of "news" humor. Don't be afraid to show a little bit more creativity, as the secondary features like character names can also convey some kind of humor on their own" - La Marque Rose

Aurelien Vauzelle (amateur) http://bit.ly/aurelienvauzelle
"The translation is consistent, clear and understandable. There are no grammar and spelling mistakes. This translator has done a very good job and has been very creative." - Game Audio Factory

Estelle Lafargue (pro) http://bit.ly/estellelafargue
"There are no grammar and spelling errors. The translation is consistent, clear and perfectly understandable. This translator has done a very good job." - Game Audio Factory

"A very good and rigorous translation, not a single mistake to be found in the target text. You understood the importance of gameplay and provided a linguistic support both clear and pleasant to read.
Regarding the news article, you managed to keep the "journalist touch" which makes the game lively, while pouring a little bit of creativity with funny lines and creative names." - La Marque Rose

Pierre Techoueyres (amateur) http://bit.ly/pierretechoueyres
"A consistent and creative adaptation and a very good understanding of many words/concepts misinterpreted by a number of "amateurs".
Both juries agreed on this translation, congratulations, keep up the good work!" - Exequo

Raphael Rouby (pro) http://bit.ly/raphaelrouby
"A very good adaptation and a creative translation combined with linguistic perfection.
Some of the titles were really funny and probably made the difference with other very good translations (hilarious "Gloire au Grand Travesti" for example).
The colloquial expressions were also very well rendered and the translation was very fluent and totally managed to convey the general spirit of the game and the ironic critic of dictatorial regimes. Congratulations!" - Exequo


Which one do you prefer? Tell us through the French poll!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5617301247/permalink/10152500916476248/


German
Andreas Lauble (pro) http://bit.ly/AndreasLauble
"It was not easy to pick up a winner from the submitted entries. In order to have a fair selection process we decided for a lotterie out of the top 5.
Beside general localization requirements that focus and judge the linguistic aspect, the publishing market with his demands and constraints gives the final touch to each translation. The output of both processes, translation and publishing makes video games localization, what it is." - GlobaLoc

Daniel Landes (amateur) http://bit.ly/DanielLandes
"We decided to pick this amateur candidate because it was the only contestant to not simply go for a literal translation but a very creative one.
Even though we were able to spot some minor mistakes here and there and a couple of the jokes were slightly over the top, this translation was very amusing and refreshing. Reading this entry made us giggle more than once despite the serious background story of the game.
With a bit of additional polish this candidate could have easily entered the professional leg of this competition." - Anakan

Katharina Reiche & Robin Drefs (pro) http://bit.ly/KReicheRDrefs
"It was very hard for us to pick a winner from the many entries we had to judge. We especially picked this candidate because the articles were witty and well written.
Furthermore, the translator decided to go for a less literal translation of the strings which improved the overall feeling of the game and made for a refreshing translation despite the serious background story of the game.
This entry also stood out because it was one of the (very few) entries that did not contain grammatical mistakes. Even though a couple of the strings could have been improved in another thorough proofreading pass, none of the issues throw the players off or destroy the fun." - Anakan

Kevin Stober (amateur) http://bit.ly/KevinStober
"The translator writes in a good style, finding suitable translations without sticking too close to the original text and is able to dissolve a bit more complicated English phrases into an easily readable translation.
Furthermore, the translator possesses a good knowledge of formal aspects such as grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. The translator also correctly translated some tricky parts which even the professionals sometimes missed.
All in all a good translation that is close to a professional level." T-recs studios

Nicolaas Bongaerts (pro) http://bit.ly/NicolaasBongaerts
"This translation was a fluent read which shows that it is coherent in itself and, equally important, consistent.
The translator found creative solutions for tricky parts and was not afraid to paraphrase instead of sticking too close to the original.
As to be expected by a professional (but unfortunately not always the case) there were no issues with grammar, spelling and punctuation. Overall, when reading this translation you really want to play the game." T-recs studios

Thomas Faust (amateur) http://bit.ly/ThomasFaust
"There were some smaller typos still in. Compared to the other amateur translations this is our favorite." - GlobaLoc

Which one do you prefer? Tell us through the German poll!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5617301247/permalink/10152500926896248/


Italian
Chiara Foppa Pedretti (pro) http://bit.ly/ChiaraFoppaPedretti
"A very good job overall!
Solid grammar and punctuation, attention to consistency and a nice use of codes are the strong points of this translation. Moreover, the style was very pleasant and fluent especially in the newspaper articles. Here, the candidate carefully replicated the journalistic tone of the source text - adding at the same time a personal touch wherever needed.
I'm not sure if the translator already works in the localization field, but I would give it a try if I were in her shoes
Well done!" - Binari Sonori

"Globally, the translation is pleasant to read and smooth, without any particular flaws. The translator used the necessary care to maintain the internal coherence in the whole game, and the style is neat." - Synthesis Global Solutions

Francesco Donatiello (amateur) http://bit.ly/FrancescoDonatiello
"Linguistic prowess, good vocabulary, very good adaptation of the headlines, brilliant and funny style overall. No mistakes. This is a Pro-level localization." - Studio Arkì

Giovanni Cerasani (amateur) http://bit.ly/GiovanniCerasani
"The translation is nicely done, the candidate did a good job here!
A couple of slight errors (regarding both content and style) have been detected, but being this an amateur translation, the result is beyond expectations.
Good grammar and punctuation, codes are ok throughout the text, nice style overall. Some article titles are witty and fun, and the journalistic style was reflected in the translation in most cases.
This translator was a nice surprise, he might have a future in this field!" - Binari Sonori

Luca Poli (amateur) http://bit.ly/LucaPoli
"Outstanding work.
This translation has been particularly appreciated, apart from the general formal correctness and the good quality of the language used, for the feeling of confidence and the freedom of choice adopted throughout it, under two different aspects: - the translation is seldom literal, the solutions are well-thought and often smart - good solutions have also been adopted to get around the constraints of the in-game placeholders, such as adding the suffix -na and -no to the [GOV] variable whenever needed." - Jinglebell Communication

Ornella Lepre (amateur) http://bit.ly/OrnellaLepre
"The translation is globally pleasant.
The translator put the due care in the task, and the final result is precise, smooth, polished and, when necessary, creative." - Synthesis Global Solutions

V. Paggiarin & G. Talamini (pro) http://bit.ly/VPaggiarinGTalamini
"Despite not being flawless, this translation has been appreciated for the appropriateness of the language used, the translation choices that more often than not are far from literal and the good care that has been devoted to ensuring the respect of the the in-game space limitations, especially in the articles' titles.
The choice of always putting the article before the nations' names has been appreciated as well and is a distinctive trait of this work.
Furthermore, names have been changed with enough originality but without excesses." - Jinglebell Communication

Virginia Petrarca (pro) http://bit.ly/VirginiaPetrarca
"Very good linguistic skills.
Although the informal address is the standard in videogames, in this particular case I liked the choice of the formal address: it adapts very well to the tone of the game.
But the real plus here is the quality of the headlines' localization. They really sound like Italian newspaper headlines." - Studio Arkì

Which one do you prefer? Tell us through the Italian poll!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5617301247/permalink/10152500938241248/


Japanese
Barry (amateur) http://bit.ly/1ntnHMs
"I really like the atmosphere your localization provides. It's not polite and a little strong which matches up well with the game's world.
One thing I didn't quite like is the translation of the country names:
共和国 and 民主主義国.
These words describe types of governments and don't sound right for country names.
One of the difficult localizations in this game is the fixed order used by the message, "You need [LOYALTY] by the end of day [DAY]". I'm impressed with your creativity on how you solved this, and it works very well.
Your work is very close to a professional translation! Great job!" - 3909 Llc

"This translation is beautifully written, very readable, maintains an appropriate style, and exhibits outstanding creativity and consistency. It clearly takes character limits into account for implementation in the game, too.
Moreover, we felt that the concise yet accurate headlines not only fit the game's ambience but also help deepen the player's sense of immersion. This entrant shows scrupulous attention to detail such as placement of variables as well, and strikes us as a truly exceptional translator" - Pole To Win

Go Endo (pro) http://bit.ly/GoEndo
"Your localization is not just a direct translation. You come up with natural words which do not go far from the original meanings.
One thing I noticed is that the "You need [LOYALTY] by the end of day [DAY]." message is constructed by joining strings in a hard-coded order and doesn't use variable replacement. This is a hard one to translate due to the fixed order. Your solution sounds natural in Japanese but leaves the trailing "[DAY]." I'm curious if you could have solved this in a natural-sounding way, but still using the fixed order.
For this game, I believe the news topics are the most difficult to localize. These need to be translated in fewer words and to describe its news well to be clear about the gameplay effect and to get readers' attention. You found very good ways to express this. Some of the translations I like are: 犯罪を監視する宇宙の目 and 数撃ちゃ当たるを体現 Great job!" - 3909 Llc

"Style fits the game's atmosphere very well, newspaper articles are translated like genuine (but of course fictional and entertaining) newspaper articles. Very few translation issues." - Keywords Studios

Hiori Honda (amateur) http://bit.ly/HioriHonda
"Translation is overall easy to read, and accurate.
The articles are well translated and succeeded in creating an atmosphere of "Newspaper". Translation of variables are also well considered." - Zip Global Corporation

Kunroku (amateur) http://bit.ly/Kunroku
"This translator has high Japanese writing skills.
Understands the source text correctly, but shows creativity in his Japanese producing natural and stimulating text. Style was not only interesting but matches very well the game's atmosphere." - Keywords Studios

Mieko Fukushima (pro) http://bit.ly/MiekoFukushima
"This translation was impressively clear and easy to read.
Revising text after it's been implemented in the game is very difficult without the ability to write basic Japanese effectively; so if a translator can produce text of this level from the start, making edits and adjustments during the QA stage is much easier on everyone. The translator also did a great job giving the title screen text a distinctive character in line with the spirit of the game." - Pole To Win

Yujin Tsuruta (pro) http://bit.ly/YujinTsuruta
"Overall very easy to read, good sense and good rhythm of language. Consistency is well balanced, and display area is well considered.
Readablity is also considered as some of the Kanji are followed by Hiragana with parenthesis. This translator seems to be familiar with game translation." -
Zip Global Corporation

Which one do you prefer? Tell us through the Japanese poll!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5617301247/permalink/10152500955816248/

European Spanish
Ana Domínguez Rodríguez (pro) http://bit.ly/AnaDomínguezRodríguez
"This localization transmits the essence of the original text through a fresh and bold interpretation, with an emphasis on the humorous side of the game and recurring to inventiveness above all, which in the end renders the game enjoyable the way the creator wanted it to be. Although it has some minor layout and consistency issues that could have been solved with a thorough check of the localized version of the game, we could not help but to crown this entry as the winner. Congratulations!" - Pink Noise

Ana Pérez Manglano (pro) http://bit.ly/AnaPérezManglano
"Dear participant, Your translation gained our interest from the very first paragraph. We enjoyed a lot with the reading and later, when we run your texts online, we faced that you have done a great job. A translation is not just a matter of link words, a good translation -like yours- is provide to the text heart, feelings and illusion. You did an excellent job in all what we have mentioned above. ¡Congratulations!" - Betafix Services

Barbara Deluchi Dagna (amateur) http://bit.ly/BarbaraDeluchiDagna
"The correctness of this translation, which apparently has no issues (style, layout or orthographical), can be credited as the best amateur approach to what we believe a good localization has to be. Style is good and matches the one found in the original text. We see there is a big effort behind this translation in terms of polishing and we appreciate that because it really stands out. Congratulations!" - Pink Noise

Irene Igualada Baeza (pro) http://bit.ly/IreneIgualadaBaeza
"Thank you for the hard work! I like the attention to detail in this piece of work. All news end with a full stop, no exclamation marks in the headlines, and creativity and transcreation everywhere. Very correct grammar and punctuation, even the thousand separator and ordinal numbers are taken care of. Not always the case. A truly well-rounded translation. Congratulations!" - Wordlab

Irene Oliver Morey (amateur) http://bit.ly/IreneOliverMorey
"Dear participant, Congratulations! We really enjoyed with your translation. You perfectly managed the grammar and with your style on the overall of the texts, the reading of your texts was very interesting and pleasing. We also faced that your work was great while we run your texts on the game. We're sure that you'll find a place in these magic worlds, translations and video games." - Betafix Services

Rocío Rincón Fernández (amateur) http://bit.ly/RocíoRincónFernández
"Many thanks for your hard efforts! Good translation overall. I like the attention to detail (full stop at the end of the news, thousand separator correct). Though there are a few issues here and there (too many exclamation marks, capitalization after ":") and some news could have been more creative, further adapted (names of celebs, shows, etc). I like the tone and style, it reads easily and fluent. This is a promising candidate. Thank you!" - Wordlab

Which one do you prefer? Tell us through the European Spanish poll!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5617301247/permalink/10152500975241248/

Latin American Spanish
Javier Fernández (pro) http://bit.ly/JavierFernández
"This translation stands out because it reads fluently. The tone and style is good, there is attention to detail overall. The translator added a full stop after the long version of the news, which is great, and didn't follow EN punctuation, which abuses of exclamation marks. And converted to lowercase everything applicable. I liked that too!
I also enjoyed the adapted news, with new invented names for TV shows or celebrities. That takes an extra effort and helps getting immersed in the game.
Thank you for the hard work!" - Wordlab

Mariana Ruiz Lino (amateur) http://bit.ly/MarianaRuizLino
"Considering this is an amateur entry, we have to say we are really surprised with the quality that, apart from small issues, really stands out from the rest and makes clear that not just a professional translator is able to provide what the final user deserves.
We want to stress that the style is quite appropriate, and we believe this is by far the best amateur Latin American Spanish entry. Congratulations!" - Pink Noise

Natalia Gaspari (pro) http://bit.ly/NataliaGaspari
"We see there is a special effort put behind this translation to make it suitable for all Latin American countries, and that is a strong point we always like to stress. Apart from some small issues, the translation style and accurateness is quite considerable and can be considered the best of all Latin American Spanish localization entries of the contest. Congratulations!" - Pink Noise

Walter Wekkesser (amateur) http://bit.ly/WalterWekkesser
"There is potential, though still a good way to go! All English headlines end with an exclamation mark, there is no need to replicate this in the translation, in fact, it's a bit too much. I liked the fact that the "full articles" end with a period, that's nice!
The overall style is good, but I missed a bit more of creativity. I think this translation could be much better with some extra experience. Just dare to do it!
Thank you for taking part in the contest and keep on improving!" - Wordlab

Which one do you prefer? Tell us through the Latin American Spanish poll!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5617301247/permalink/10152500986871248/
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Anthony Teixeira
Anthony Teixeira
Japan
Local time: 20:44
Member (2011)
English to French
+ ...
The LocJAM3 is now live! Mar 13, 2016

The third edition of the contest is now live with a board game - a first in the history of the LocJAM.

Come and join the fun now! http://www.locjam.org/


 


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5-13 April 2014 | LocJAM videogame translation contest







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