Interview with Speaker Loc Kit 2014

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    Thanks to Mikhail Gorbunov mvgorbunov , Social Quantum, for the interesting answers.

    Tell us about your work. What does it consist of?

    I am responsible for the quality control of the translation of the urban planning simulator Megapolis, I interact with localization and testing service providers. Among the main features of localization of this social game, it is worth noting the continuous process of translating updates and fragmentation of texts given for translation. I plan to talk about this in more detail in my report at the Loc Kit conference, which will be held on April 24.

    Are there any interesting examples, features of localization into separate languages?

    The biggest problem is the translation of the text, which uses variables, parts of phrases and names of objects that do not have well-established analogues in the target language.

    For example, in Asian languages, the word order in a sentence does not coincide with the word order in European languages; therefore, maintaining the formatting of a phrase, if it is divided into several parts, requires the translator to make certain efforts to preserve the meaning of the story.

    If the source text contains only part of a phrase or phrase, then for the best choice of synonyms or construction of this part in the target text, the translator needs to provide not only a screenshot, but also a verbal description of the general context. The same applies to objects with similar names: when it seems that the two names refer to the same building, there is a need to clearly distinguish them.

    A separate problem is the translation of place names, many of which have no analogues in the target languages ​​(especially Asian), so translators become, in a sense, pioneers in the localization of geographical names in their native languages.

    How is the localization process organized? What software do you use?

    Translation is carried out with the help of a localization service provider, with whom the texts translated and given for translation are exchanged daily. I take a direct part in the localization process, performing the functions of an editor of English translation, which serves as the source for other languages, and as a consultant to all translators. MemoQ is used as a CAT-program (Computer-assisted translation, translation memory program) . It provides all the necessary functions - remote project management, TM (Translation memory), glossaries and the ability to comment on both individual words and entire segments.

    How do you feel about the use of crowdsourcing?

    Personally, I am positive. Crowdsourcing allows you to interact more closely with the audience and develop the community. In our case, users are directly involved in improving the quality of localization, reporting bugs to developers and receiving incentive rewards for this. Moreover, translators who are passionate about the game privately report on shortcomings found and offer options for correcting them.

    How do you see the localization process after 5 years?

    5 years is a long time for the IT industry, it is difficult to make any forecasts. I can only voice my personal opinion, based on the experience of the largest experts in this field, who publicly share their thoughts, which were voiced, including at the last Loc Kit conference in 2013. I, like them, expect a significant increase in the volume of processed information and the further development of machine translation systems, which allows the use of machine translation in various fields of activity more widely, however, it seems to me that the role of a living translator will not decrease, but its nature will change. First of all, machine translation will help get rid of routine and will play a big role in standardizing translations of texts of the same type on the same subject, which will be especially useful as part of a single project or compiling documentation for it.

    What are your 3 achievements?

    - That's my cup of tea (I found “mine” in work).

    - Continuous use of several foreign languages ​​at work, experience with different data formats and CAT applications.

    - I learned to interact with teams of localizers, testers and developers, which allowed us to bring the quality of in-line localization of the application to a new level and significantly reduce the number of errors.

    What languages ​​do you work with most often?

    Localization of the "Megapolis" is carried out in 10 languages, English and Russian are used as workers.

    How is your localization quality control process built?

    I am directly involved in the translation process, having established direct contact with the translators of the project. In addition, the localization service provider provides localization testing of the product, and testers also have the ability to communicate directly with developers.

    PSWhen we agreed on the interview, we did not yet know that we would have to reschedule the conference for the fall. All the details will be here .

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