Thread: Where can i find translators for the video game?

Hello. Here is my short story: i created a role-playing game that i want to release in steam, but i can't do this without english translation of the game (it will simply not pass the greenlight). I would hire a translator, but my month income is 40$ so i can't pay for the job, and my game are free to play, so i will not have any profits from it to pay for the translation. Only thing i can offer is place in titles, and ofc translator would be able to use game in the portfolio.

So i need to find someone who agrees on pretty hard task, knows russian (no need for perfect knowledge, dictionaries can help) and also are a native english speaker because i need literary translation.

But i have no idea where can i search for this person. I am not really familiar with english segment of the internet, and managed to google only few forums like this one. Also i asked on reddit and even found one man who agreed to help me, but he did not write anything for a long time already, so i quessing he changed his mind or something important happend in his life. So, if you are not the one who can help me with the translation, can you recommend me any websites where i can look for help? Maybe even any video game translators communities? I am desperate because i don't know where to go.

This task is very important for me because this game - is everything that i have in my life. I don't have any other interests, and i spent last 5 years on creating this game. Writing stories to the games - is my dream since childhood, but since nobody in my country needs a writer i decided to do what i can myself (and with help of an artist, who made all the graphics for the game any many more), and now the game is ready, but i cannot share it with the world because of languege barrier. I really want to do at least something in this life that will make me feel good, and (i hope) make happy those who will enjoy the game, but to do that i need to translate it somehow.

p.s. Even if i can't pay with money, i still can give a few good game accounts that can worth a lot as a reward. And also i have antuque sewing machine that was made in ussr, i wanted to sell it on ebay but i cannot because in my country i can't use paypal, so it can be a reward too, im sure it worth something.

Judging from what you wrote there. I think your English is good enough. So you can just personally translate your game to English. Then, you just find a willing native English speaker to check on the text and correct what needs to be corrected. I think your chances to get the result you want will significantly go up if you go about that this way.

Originally Posted by iCake

Judging from what you wrote there. I think your English is good enough. So you can just personally translate your game to English. Then, you just find a willing native English speaker to check on the text and correct what needs to be corrected. I think your chances to get the result you want will significantly go up if you go about that this way.

I would like to, but apart from not knowing grammar i do not know about 50% of the english words (discovering new ones every day), especially those that are used in books. And i don't know where and why are used part of the words i already know.

My game is adventure and role-playing game, text is one of most important parts there. And i know only most common, simple words. If i will try to translate game myself, i will just pick the wrong words because i do not know right ones, and the text will lose all it's charm, become too much common and boring. And there is no way someone can fix this after - because they can correct my grammar, yes, but how they will know that i did entierly wrong translation and i should have picked totaly different words here and there?

It's like you will ask a peasant who barely knows how to write to translate Shakespeare. I am totaly not fitting for this task... I need someone who can at least read books in english, because that person will sure know more ways of english speaking then i do.

I think you're trying to sell yourself short here. Yes, you don't know a lot of English words, but this can be easily rectified with a dictionary, just make sure you double check found English words in a mono-lingual English dictionary. As long as you do that, you're going to be fine. Might take a lot of time though, but what else can you do? Finding someone who is a native English speaker, knows Russian at a good enough level and willing to do all the work for a pad on the back. Well, let's just say it's a long shot.

There is lots of free games, and also books getting fan translation in every year. There is a chance that i will find on of those people (or groups) who are making that translations, they will play my game, and if they like it they may decide to help me with translation. I just need to know where can i find those people to at least try to ask them for help.