Question 1

Are you all native translators?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We are all native speakers and translate only into our respective native tongue.

Question 2

Do you use AI/machine translation?

Accepted Answer

Gosh, no! Everyone working as a translator for Level Up Translation has signed a contract prohibiting the use ofAI for translation purposes. We do use CAT tools such as MemoQ or SmartCAT to help us keep things tidy and consistent, but all our translations are and will always be 100% human.

Question 3

How much experience do you have?

Accepted Answer

A lot! We have been helping games go global since 2011 and have localized more than 500 games since.

On average, our team members have 14 years of experience in the games industry working as game translators, but also as localization QA testers, team leaders, or even indie devs.

More information about our team's experience is available in the Guild section.

Question 4

Where are the game translators from?

Accepted Answer

Our team is made up of freelance game translators working remotely from all over the world and various time zones. Our headquarters and project manager are located in green, grassy Normandy, France (CET).

Question 5

How big is your team?

Accepted Answer

This big: 1 project manager, 1 graphic designer, a regular pool of 20–25 translators for the 13 most common languages (French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean).

All languages included, our team comprises about 80 members.

Question 6

Do you pay your translators well?

Accepted Answer

Level Up Translation was created by a former game translator to deliver high-quality, context-proof and experience-rich translations that meet our industry’s standards as well as gamers’ expectations.

This can only be achieved by working with highly experienced people, which obviously comes at a cost.

Consequently, fair rates and ideal working conditions lie at the core of our philosophy. No peanuts for our translators!

Question 7

Do you credit translators?

Accepted Answer

We take pride in our work, and we believe the people who help bring your game to new players deserve to be credited. We’ll provide you with the full list of translators who worked on your project. Thanks for including them in your credits!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

TEAM & PHILOSOPHY

Are you all native translators?

Do you use AI/machine translation?

How much experience do you have?

Where are the game translators from?

How big is your team?

Do you pay your translators well?

Do you credit translators?

PLANNING YOUR LOCALIZATION

Do you have any tips to help me prepare my game for localization?

Can you provide a template of a game localization spreadsheet?

When should I start planning localization for my game?

How much time does it take to localize a video game/board game?

What languages should I localize my game into?

What file formats do you accept?

What information do you need to prepare a localization quote?

What is the difference between game translation and game localization?

SERVICES

What languages do you support?

Do you localize Steam pages, trailers and marketing assets?

Do you translate board game rulebooks, cards and tabletop games?

Can you handle updates, DLC, patches and live-game content?

Can you localize games with mature, NSFW, sensitive or culturally specific content?

Can you preserve humor, lore and character voice?

My game was localized by fans and/or a different localization company, but the translations need editing. Can you do that?

How do you ensure consistency across a whole game?

Do you sign NDAs?

PRICING & PAYMENT

How much does it cost to localize a video game/board game?

Do you offer discounts for repetitions?

Do you charge a minimum fee?

What currencies and payment methods do you accept?

Services

Level Up Translation