Open World: Your Game Localization Podcast

Ever thought about how you’d go about making virtual reality accessible? Where would you put the subtitles? What about audiovisual components? Belén Agulló García, this week’s guest, shares her experience working on the Immersive Accessibility Project (ImAc) in Europe as part of her PhD, aimed at bringing accessibility to virtual environments and multimedia. As VP of the new eLearning platform launched by Nimdzi Insights, she also gives us an inside look at this new avenue for localization and translation industry knowledge and information. Belén Agulló García is the VP of eLearning at Nimdzi Insights. As a compulsive lifelong learner, she combined her years in the localization industry with her true calling: training others. She holds a BA in Translation and Interpreting Studies, an MA in Audiovisual Translation, and a PhD in Translation and Intercultural Studies. She has several years experience in various positions within the game localization industry, and has also been teaching game localization and subtitling technologies in several MA programs and workshops in Spain, UK, and France for over 5 years.

Miguel Sepulveda, Global Localization Manager at King Entertainment and author of yolocalizo.com, dives into the pivotal role of localization in gaming development. He emphasizes that localization shouldn't be an afterthought, sharing insights on the necessity of early integration. The conversation touches on the evolution of automation testing in gaming, illustrating how AI complements human roles. Miguel passionately advocates for equal treatment of non-English players and discusses the importance of engaging diverse audiences, especially teenagers, in gaming.

As a project manager, it’s essential to have an understanding of different cultures and languages in order to effectively manage your team and resources. Guest Francesca Sorrentino shares her wisdom and experience in video game localization with us in this episode. How has the localization industry evolved in the eyes of Sorrentino? What are her tried and true CAT tools? Which side is more fun to work in: client or LSP? Francesca Sorrentino has been involved in the video game localization industry since 2010 with various roles ranging from marketing, translating to senior localization specialization in several different countries. She is now based in Barcelona, Spain working as a freelance translator, project manager and localization consultant. Additionally, she is teaching a game localization master class with the Localization Institute, and serves as Conference Manager at the Game Global Summit.

Get a first-hand perspective of localizing games in the Japanese market from Yuhei Nasu, guest on this episode of Open World. With over 12 years of experience in the localization industry in Japan, Nasu shares details on what brought him to the industry, a day in the life of a localization producer, the challenges of English dialects and the strict video game rating system in Japan. Yuhei Nasu is the CEO and localization producer at Bonus Stage Loc. He is a veteran of the video game localization industry with over 12 years experience. Born in Japan and raised in England, Germany and the US, he is now based in Japan working in localization. In addition to localization, he enjoys gaming, music and skateboarding in his free time.

Maintaining a bird’s eye view of the localization industry is critical in being a strong translator and understanding the full localization process and global strategy of your company. Guest Marina Ilari gives her advice on being new to video game localization, with tips for joining professional associations and continuing your specialization in Episode 2 of Open World. Our hosts also share a ‘LocFact’ on the 2020 game, ‘Genshin Impact’ and memes about building PCs and what it’s like being a gamer during the pandemic. Guest: Marina Ilari is an ATA certified English to Spanish translator with over 15 years of experience. She has worked as a translator, editor and QA specialist for companies around the world with a focus on creative translations and video game localization. She is currently the CEO of Terra Translations and hosts the podcast ‘En pantuflas’.

There is an inherent privilege that comes with being a native English speaker, and it’s clear that there is a need for greater inclusivity in the gaming industry. In Episode 1 of Open World on MultiLingual TV, hosts Florencia Fole, Loretta Mulberry and Alexis Biro open with a ‘LocFact’ about transcreation, and how this comes into play with the humorous content in ‘The Curse of Monkey Island’. For the interview portion of this episode, they welcome guest Rami Ismail, an independent indie game developer. To close out the episode, the Open World team shares some gamer memes with Rami. Guest: Rami Ismail is a Dutch/Egyptian Games Industry Ambassador. He is an independent games developer with over 20 titles, across PC console, web and mobile platforms. He also has extensive experience in consulting and insights, and is the creator of the freeware and ubiquitous presskit() program. If you want a grim panoramic view of 2020 visit: https://is2020over.com/ Hosts: Florencia Fole is a Business Development Director at Terra Localizations, and also an Ambassador for Women in Games WIGJ. She is based in Buenos Aires. Lucio Nicolas Alcaide is a Project Manager at Terra Localizations and also does video game freelance localization. He is based in Argentina. Loretta Mulberry is a Project Manager at Terra Localizations based in the United States. She is passionate about translation and interpreting. Alexis Andres Biro is Marketing Manager at Terra Localizations and also works in Public Relations at Astral Clocktower Studios. He is based in Buenos Aires.