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How to Localize 1000 Word iGaming Content in 40 Minutes
How to Localize 1000 Word iGaming Content
So, you want to know how to localize 1000 word iGaming content. Then you have come to the right place, please read on. In the text boxes, you will see the automatically translated text and if you open the sample text you will find the original text which the Google translated text is based on. You can choose if you want to re-write and edit the Google translated text so that it flows and reads naturally or to manually translate the text from the source language into the target language. To manually translate the text, you simply use the sample text and translate paragraph by paragraph. What you chose is a matter of preference.
Rule 1. Don’t do direct translation, localize
The key in doing perfect translations is to find words and sentences that convey the same message as the source text, but that doesn’t translate the text word-for-word. It is the meaning of the text you are translating. It is, therefore, completely fine to leave certain sentences out or to come up with new sentences that weren’t in the original text. However, the key message and important facts must of course be kept. The text should be as natural as possible and not look translated, which it does if one translates word-for-word.
Google translate simply translates the text, nothing more, which means that it needs to be localized. That involves changing the text to fit the target audience, which in this case is casino players from different countries. If the text is meant for the Swedish market, it will have to read as if a Swedish person has written the text from the very beginning. Some important parts of this are to use the correct sentence structure and to use the correct currency and weight units.
Rule 2. Keep an eye on expressions and idioms
“He’s on a winning streak,” you might say in English, but how does that translate into Swedish or German? Try to find an expression in your target language that conveys the same meaning, or you will end up with a translation that doesn’t make sense or feel natural. The English language has many idioms and sometimes it is impossible to find suitable expressions in the target language. If that’s the case — skip it completely rather than translate word for word. However, idioms can give a text exciting “bells and whistles” so if you can find a suitable replacement, go for it!
Rule 3. Get the melody right
It is common that the automatically translated text doesn’t flow naturally nor does it translate all the words correctly. In various languages, the sentences are structured differently and therefore you might have to re-write the whole sentences rather than just edit the given text. Make sure that the melody is right! The easiest way to do this is to quickly read the paragraph you’ve written out loud. If it sounds off — change the sentence so that it flows more naturally.
Rule 4. Make use of synonyms
Sometimes when you translate, you will end up with words that are correctly translated but that doesn’t fit your text for some reason. Try to make use of synonyms to find more suitable words that sound more natural in your text. Always try to find the most used word rather than an obscure word that might be correct, but perhaps isn’t that common to use.
There are many great resources on the web that you can use to find synonyms.
A good synonym finder for the Swedish language: http://www.synonymer.se
Rule 5. Follow the given keywords
In the app, you are given keywords that might be contradictory with your target language. For example, it might say “casino” when it should be “kasino” to be correct in your language. This is OK and probably there because of SEO. Just stick to the given keywords and it will all be fine.
Rule 6. Translate difficult words
Even if a Google translated text is given, you are probably gonna have to use another translation dictionary for some words. Google translate is great for big blocks of text, but sometimes it lacks when it comes to specific words.
This online dictionary is for 28 languages and very useful: http://en.bab.la/
Rule 7. Keep it country specific
All texts are meant to be used in the country of the intended audience. If you translate from English to another language and the text is, “in our UK casino,” you will obviously have to remove that and either replace it with “our German casino,” or “our Swedish casino,” etc.
1. Make sure that the text is not directly translated. Different languages have different word sequence. Read the text out loud, then you will hear immediately if something is wrong. If something sounds weird, it is probably directly translated. Read the sample to get a feeling for the right tone. Also, read the instructions above each text box to see that the writer did not misunderstand the task.
2. Make sure that spell of English words, such as casino, is consistent and that the writer has not translated the casino into the correct spelling of the mother tongue. Translations like this ones are not good SEO.
3. Different languages have different sentence structures. For example, the Swedish language has shorter sentences than English and German. At the same time, the sentences should not be so short that it feels like going on a bumpy road when reading the text. The text should have a good flow and be easy to read. Again, read the text out loud and you will be able to hear what is wrong.
4. Do not send tasks back for small linguistic errors that are easy to fix. If the text is “perfect” but contains one or two small mistakes, correct them yourself instead of sending back.
5. Give one or two examples of grammatical errors in the text, this increases your credibility as an editor and shows that you know what you are doing. Tell the writer if you only have read a small part of the text or the whole task.
6. The responsibility for the text is yours as an editor. If the task is not well-written, it is your duty to process it with the writer so that the customer approves it.
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