Game Translation with a professional Polish Game Localisation Team

Mana Translation is a tight-knit team of professional translators and avid gamers. We are the perfect partner when it comes to localising games – whether it’s a small mobile game or a huge MMORPG.

A team of freelancers localising games into Polish

Why choose Mana Translation? Well, because we offer what you need (and more!). Let us list our benefits for your convenience:

• Solid theoretical background – University degrees in translation 
• Lots of XP – Several years of experience in translation, localisation, copywriting, transcreation, proofreading and QA gained in Poland, Wales and Belgium 
• Up-to-date knowledge – Practical knowledge of games 
• Passion for games – MANA Translation, huh? ;)
• Specific skills – Extensive experience in game localisation, proofreading and QA. We know all about games, we know all about translation and we love delivering texts that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers 
• Tools – we work with the best translation tools, which enable us to work even more efficiently 
• Bonus – we’re a really nice bunch 

What you get is a tight-knit team of professionals and friends who love working together to create the highest-quality texts for games. We are a force on our own but whenever required we blend well with other teams, freelancers or with your team.

How to translate your game

1. Get in touch with us – let’s discuss your project, your vision and expectations. 
2. Send us the texts to be localised – we’ll discuss all the formalities, the rates, the deadlines and the delivery methods. 
3. Optionally – set up communication with other professionals – If you’re working with other Polish language specialists or other language teams we will cooperate with them flawlessly. 
4. Test the Polish version – After receiving the localised content from us test how it works in the game. 
5. Enjoy! 

Basically… it really is as simple as that.

Polish Language Services for Games

We can also help you with:

• Marketing writing 
• Creative writing 
• Creating or translating texts for: 

• Social Media and Online Communities 
• Advertising purposes 
• Promotional purposes – content marketing 

• Website localisation 
• App Store Optimisation – for mobile games 

www.manatranslation.com

Professional game localisation services. English-Polish translation services for marketing purposes.

Helpful tips on promoting your game

The days when developing an amazing game was enough to make it a hit among the gaming community are long gone. Today a well planned marketing strategy is a must, no matter if your product is a small mobile-only game or a huge MMORPG. Mana Translation will help you create perfect marketing texts for all types of media.

As copywriters and translators we work to deliver texts that will help you gain a considerable audience, turn gamers into loyal fans of your game or company and build a strong relationship with the gaming community.

Getting the word about your game out there can be done in a variety of ways.
Let us present you with a few ideas.

Włodi. Flickr.

• Articles – Content Marketing is the way to market your products in 2014. Our copywriting services allow us to write high-quality articles and that’s what content marketing is about. These can be posted on a platform of your choosing, either on your own blog, on a portal or they can serve as a guest post on somebody else's blog. They will attract attention to your game and help your title gain recognition among the gaming fans as well as start building a base for high-quality SEO results. 
• Website content – It is a great idea to build a website or run a blog about your game as it provides a wide range of possibilities to play around with content and see what works best for your game. Articles, short notes – you can count on our copywriting services, if you wish to run a multilanguage site we will provide professional translation into Polish. If you want to offer content other than written, such as memes, infographics or anything else we will translate them too.
• Social Media content – posting on social media platforms is not just about updating your Facebook with “Like if you...” type of posts. What it actually means is taking the utmost care of your business. It allows you to do two things: build a community around your game/company [hint: verrry important] and improve SEO results. How can we help you? Either by creating engaging, high-quality content in English and/or Polish or by translating your English content. Regarding the community, we will ensure your communication with the Polish gamers is flawless. We'll translate fans’ comments as well as your replies.
• PPC Ads – advertising. As you may have guessed „a new game. Buy it now!” just doesn’t cut it. Even when you only have 70 or 90 characters it's enough room to make an impression on someone. We will make sure your English Ad texts are translated into Polish in a way that ensures they are equally ready to sell your game (and the keywords are well researched).
• Printed magazine articles – Magazines are still very popular among the gaming community. Writing an article about you as a developer, your game and what it brings to the world of games is a great way of saying “Hi! I've got a new game, it's awesome and I'd like you to play it”. Except for you’ll sound way cooler than that.
• Outdoor ads – The “old-school” way of marketing still works wonders, after all standing in a traffic jam, looking at a banner with an amazing graphic and a really catchy text will surely make your potential clients dream of getting home already and downloading the demo of this new gem.

Mana Translation provides services of copywriting, translation, localisation and transcreation. We are avid gamers with a passion for creating marketing texts that work.

www.manatranslation.com

Game localisation. Marketing texts translation and transcreation. Copywriting.

Marketing writing for games 2 – naming

So, let’s continue talking about writing for games. The topic of today is naming. As mentioned in the previous post on this matter, naming is a very important element not only of a game distribution strategy, but also for localisation purposes. 

 

How to name a game – copywriters in action 

 

It is not enough to say that the title of your game is important. It is CRUCIAL. But let’s not get into the “What does not have a name, does not exist” philosophical matters and rather focus on what is worth taking into account while designing a game’s name.

• Topic. Do you want the name to be in any way related to your game content? Or do you prefer to give it a totally abstract name? Or maybe it will tell a short story by itself? 

• References. If you plan to advertise your game with highlighting its genre (hey, we were talking about game genres not that long ago!), you can use the genre category in a game’s title or adjust its form to popular names of similar products. 

• Length. Do you want it roll off the tongue and be easy to remember or maybe you want to use an extra long sentence that will draw attention? 

• SEO. And of course there are SEO purposes. You can put any element in the title that may help to find your game in a search engine. But don’t worry, the name is not everything, there is also a game description that serves SEO purposes nicely along with many other ways to rock the internet.

JD Hancock. Flickr.

How to translate a game’s name?

OK, the name is set. You can actually see how gamers react to your game worldwide… And here lies another opportunity for the promotion of your game – to translate the game title. In many cases it is absolutely fine when you don’t, but there are also cases when localising the name brings you many benefits. It is always up to you to change the game title for various cultural and geographical regions. If you are not sure whether it is worth it to translate when entering the Polish market, contact us, Polish language specialists, and we will give you some advice on localisation. We will also find a Polish name that will get you thousands of new users.

www.ManaTranslation.com

Game localisation. Creative writing.

See also:
Marketing writing for games 1 – introduction

Game design, creative writing and localisation

The infinite creativity of game designers allows us to enjoy immense, fascinating and unique worlds. Creative writers make them alive, and make us love those universes. How do you create an astonishing game experience for foreign players as well?

Game translation, storytelling

There are a lot of game components to be localised. Playing games in our native language makes gameplay even more awesome, especially when you can fully understand all the puns, as they were properly localised to fit your cultural context. So, not to bore you with linguistic fun, there are a few elements that make a translation great, and those components are a part of your game. Of course games differ from one another, there are plenty of genres and types, so for now let’s talk only about the two things that are a crucial for localisation.

Characters – how do users get to know the game characters? Mostly by the way they talk (and behave, but that is up to you and your team), and based on the summary that can be found on the game’s website. Translating information about your main and supporting characters helps gamers sink into the great world of your production.

Dialogues – as written above, it is the talking and communication that tell us about characters. So the importance of dialogues is pretty obvious. Let’s not forget, that in many games dialogues are essential - for the gameplay (“Aaaaah, I didn’t get what to do here, I hate this game”), for fun (“Hahahaha, the funiest joke ever!”), for recognising NPCs’ style (“Let’s talk with this slow and lazy dude”), and for the game’s main idea (“Omg, now everything makes sense!”).

There are more aspects of your game that will be localised when you decide to enter a new market and gather more gamers around your title. There are items’, skills’, weapons’ names and descriptions. There are commands, tutorials, the UI and more. Contact us, tell us about your game, the things you want to accomplish and we will come back to you with a perfect localisation plan for your game.

Daniel Ferenčak. Flickr.

Creative writing for games

Creative writing is not only a thing that will make gamers want to play your game even more. Creative writing is also a powerful tool in sales. Your game content, dialogues, characteristics are one side of the copywriting activity. On the other side are your game descriptions, press releases, the content of your website, messages about your game, the basics for your game’s wikia… Sometimes fantastically written promo materials posted in the right places can sell your game better than a colourful button.

If you are interested in translation services that will get your Polish gamers even more into your game, contact us, the Mana Translation team. We will provide you not only with professional localisation of your game (with QA processes included) but also with marketing materials that will raise your game to the top among popular games of this kind.

www.ManaTranslation.com
English-Polish Game Localisation.

CAT Tools in Polish Video Game Localisation

The localisation process requires brilliant tactics, carefully prepared plans and… a secret weapon. Do you want to gain some information on translators’ secret service and find out how our work can enrich your game? Mana Translation’s troop will reveal the mysteries of CAT tools.

CAT tools in gaming

Localising a game is fascinating and CATs are a powerful tool on translation’s battlefield – they make the process easier and faster. Some translators can’t imagine their work without access to this sort of aid, while others prefer a more classical approach towards translation. Everyone has their own tactics.

One thing is for sure – computer-assisted translation tools can can be very helpful when translating content of your game.

Translators using such software provide you with:

• Error free translation – thanks to advanced options of grammar and spelling check.
  
  
• Consistent terminology – invaluable when it comes to bigger gaming projects that require great attention to details.
  
  
• Advanced databases created for the needs of the project – you can be sure that no word is going to be skipped in translation.
  
  
• Properly inserted tags and command lines – no more incorrect tags, no more tiny mistakes in the code that result in huge trouble.

 

CAT tools in gaming



Translation in the gaming industry

Every game is different and requires specific tactics. CAT tools won’t do the translation job by themselves – they are a means of achieving success in hands of skilful meadowlarks, translators. A game translation completed with the help of this software will enable you to win the battle of gaining the attention of new audiences. It’s worth to invest in experienced translators using advanced translation tools – they will take care of your idea and offer high quality localised content to ensure your game becomes a truly amazing experience that gains an army of loyal fans.

Mana Translation offers the highest quality of translated texts and perfectly localised content of your game. We use CAT tools on a daily basis and guarantee the best quality of translated texts. Contact us today and let us provide you with the offer that will enchant your players.

 

www.manatranslation.com

Marketing writing for games 1 – introduction

How to make your game succeed on foreign markets? Localisation is the answer. What more can you (and we) do? Well, translating game content is a great base but it is definitely not enough. Next to strings, there are also many other important elements to go along with your game, like the website, game descriptions, press releases, promotional articles and so on. And what is always important, marketing materials need a totally different approach than standard translation or localisation.

Ryan Quick. Flickr.

Copywriting and games

You’ve developed a great game and you want to introduce it to the Polish market with a bang? Transcreating or writing marketing content is a part of the game localisation process. Let’s take a glimpse at some elements that are crucial for promotional purposes and that will guarantee the effect you expect

• Naming – this is an important part of localisation strategy. In many cases it is desired to unify the name within all language versions, though sometimes it is important to localise the game's name as well as the rest of the content.

• Game description – the way your game is described is the way gamers will perceive it. It is important to use style that will not only make them want to play your game immediately, but also that will allow it to be easily found in a search engine.

• Press release – a short or longer, if you wish, article about your game promotes your product within the gamers community, and is an absolutely fantastic thing when a journalist asks you for a game summary.

• Website – there are many purposes that your website may serve: a proof of your professional approach, a promotional page inspiring gamers to play your game, a place for your active users who become a community focused on your game…

• Stories – this is usually a part of the website strategy – extended plot stories, timeline of your characters’ life, background of the events from your game, more detailed weapon and skill descriptions and more.

In my posts about marketing writing for games I will get back to those topics and write more about the specifics and benefits of those elements.

Wen Zeng. Flickr.

Marketing translation for gaming industry

A lot depends on the type of the game. Not every thing mentioned above is suitable for your game. If you are not sure which parts of your game marketing content are to be localised, consult us and together we will choose the best strategy to conquer the Polish market with your game.

Why invest in professional localisation services? Marketing writing, whether it is transcreation or creative writing, is not the same as translation. Texts need to be prepared perfectly to fulfil the mission they are created for. It requires professional copywriters and advanced writing skills – and Mana Translation is a perfect fit for the job. We localise games, prepare marketing materials, we craft catchy slogans and names that will stand out from the crowd. Check out our website and contact us to get an individual offer for a Polish localisation.

www.ManaTranslation.com

Polish Video Game Industry and Localisation

Polish video game market is huge and keeps expanding steadily. Polish gamers are hungry for new exciting games – give them what they need with professional Polish translation and localisation services.

Polish game market statistics

Anomaly? Dead Island? Sniper: Ghost Warrior? All these titles and many more were created by Polish developers. We, Poles, are a creative bunch and our programming skills have been appreciated all over the world for many years now.

But what about our gamers? Polish soil is great for developing games but is it a good market if you want to sell your game? The answer is yes, or rather… hell yeah!

12 million out of the entire population of 38 million Polish people are gamers.

What do we like to play:

Browser games – over 80% of all Polish gamers play browser games.

Mobile games – close to 70% of gamers choose mobile devices to get their game on.

Console games – almost half of all Polish players choose to press PLAY on their consoles.

Half of the Polish gamers are willing to spend money on their games or additional content. Well then, what are you waiting for? Get your game localised into Polish and gain thousands of happy Polish gamers!

(Figures taken from the wonderful report at the Polskasvac.org website.)

Localisation for the Polish gamers (by Polish gamers)

12 million people is one hell of a market to look into. Professional localisation of the game itself, marketing materials and social media content is a sure way to get Poles to love your game.

We’re gamers, we’re translators and we’re Polish. How convenient, right? We know the market because we are the market.

All of us are gamers, we have been for two decades now (does that make us look old?). As our professional careers we have chosen to enter the never-ending quest for language correctness. The wonderful combination of our love for games and passion for Polish and English allows us to offer exciting, high-quality, flexible translation and localisation services.

We can foresee the difficulties and prevent them due to our experience. We can and we will get really creative when needed because we love the feeling. But most importantly, we aim to translate the game for the gamers.

At Mana Translation we offer localisation of the entire game content as well as all the accompanying materials, such as your website, social media content, videos, printed promotional materials and all the other great stuff you’ve come up with!

Get in touch with us to discuss your game project and its needs.

www.manatranslation.com

Post by Mana Translation.

Polish video game localisation — browser games

Browser games are hugely popular in Poland. Offering high-quality localisation in your game is the key to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. Players are more likely to subscribe or pay for premium features in games with localised content.

Benefits of high-quality video game localisation

• Customer satisfaction and loyalty – obviously. People playing your game are more likely to continue playing if the game is error-free and offers entertaining, engaging content. It is surely going to be appreciated, whether it’s a dress-up game for 7 year olds that has clear instructions and contains humour that is suitable for this age group, or a strategy game with descriptions that flow like a good novel. 
• Higher sales for premium features – high-quality Polish texts in the user interface as well as in the game ensure playability, hence players are more likely to subscribe or buy additional content. 
• Consistency within all updates – our team will ensure the style, terms and the specific atmosphere of your game will shine through every little (or big) update. 

Professional English-Polish game localisation and browser games

Trust us with your project and watch the magic happen. As women who have spent years battling enemies on various platforms and struggling with accepting some terrible language mistakes, we are armoured and always ready to fight. We have been for many years now. Our passion, knowledge and efforts have resulted in games that included:

• Clear commands – no more “Wait, what am I supposed to do?” 
• Vivid descriptions – no more “Blah, blah, let’s just skip this part and never play it again.” 
• Consistent vocabulary – beyond using a CAT tool’s TM – no more “Hey, wasn’t she a Water Elf last week?” 

If you’d like to learn more about our approach to game localisation feel free to browse our website or talk to us.

Drop us a message and we’ll contact you to suggest the best solution for you and your game.

www.manatranslation.com

Blend it, mix it, bake it, taste it – a pinch of translation and copywriting in the gaming industry

Why is copywriting important when it comes to a localisation process? Is it worth to hire a translator and a copywriter? Mana Translation enters the heart of darkness of the gaming business and takes the risk to answer these questions.

Take care of your project by hiring pros

Answer True or False and move on, for gamer's sake!

1) Translators and copywriters hate each other and are unable to cooperate

2) But it is better to have least one of them working on the project

If you've agreed with at least one of these statements, then you're on a right track to go out of your mind while creating your project. That's when a professional team of translators and copywriters might be helpful and save your dreams.

Aim at success with strong copywriting and localisation

Ad rem 1) Well, sometimes you might have such a feeling and if you do, this is the first sign to hire professionals who have completed a bunch of projects together. When creating content and localising into other languages a new team of translator wannabes might not be the most brilliant idea in the contemporary world. An innovative, yet tested recipe is the key to success – don't be scared to blend ingredients but remember about the classics. Trust professionals.

Make sure your client won't get sick

Ad rem 2) Sure, it's better to have a 2 in 1 instant mix of translation and copywriting but first of all, it's not always tasty and secondly – it may cause a feeling of nausea if the ingredients aren't fresh. A perfect recipe for a successful localisation of a gaming project is a mix of a confident translation, strong copywriting skills and a solid proofreading. It is worth to hire professionals who know how to heat up a localisation dish without burning the pot.

ManaTranslation offers you a crème de la crème of localisation, translation and copywriting services. Feel free to set up a project with us and taste a perfection!

www.manatranslation.com

The most popular game genres in Poland

Poland is 24th in the world when it comes to revenues from game sales, so let’s take a look at the most popular game genres based on the analyses provided by Newzoo (January 2014), ESA (April 2014), and Polish Gamers Research for Digital Dragons Conference (May 2014).

The top game genres in Poland

The top of the game genre in Poland rank is occupied by puzzle games, which take the lead with over 50% of respondents playing this kind of casual games. The leader is followed by arcade & action games (chosen by 43% respondents), with strategy and card games (36% answerers) just behind. Then there are shooting, adventure, RPG and race/simulation games with 31-33% in the ‘what do you play’ answers and between 15-25% answered they fancy sport, MMO and farm simulator games; casino games are enjoyed by 8%.

If we take into account that the number of gamers in Poland is being estimated at over 13.4 million, we are confident that your game has a great chance to succeed within any of those genres, especially if you follow one simple rule.

Game genre matters in localisation

Each genre has its own specific that requires a different approach from your language vendor. As we are gamers as well, we can assure you that whether yours is – a casual game with just a few words in it, or a massive strategy game with specific language to be used – we will localise it appropriately, following one simple rule – genre matters in localisation.

Mana Translation provides a fully professional English to Polish localisation, with all genre indications included. No more inappropriate vocabulary or inadequate manuals. Trust us with your game and we will give you the highest quality translation.

Visit Mana Translation website to find out more about our localisation services.

Sources:

http://www.newzoo.com/infographics/infographic-polish-games-market/

http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/esa_ef_2014.pdf

http://gry.onet.pl/wiadomosci/kim-sa-gracze-w-polsce-wyniki-badan-rynku-polish-gamers-research-2014/vp095 (Polish) 

www.ManaTranslation.com