1 – FINISH DEVELOPING YOUR GAME FIRST

Board game development and localization should never go hand in hand.

Starting to translate when you’re still undecided about the rules means you’ll likely have to re-translate several parts of your rulebook down the line.

What’s more, this can be a real nightmare in terms of project management, especially if you’re localizing into several languages at once.

Additional costs can accumulate quickly if you go in without a clear battle plan.

2 – EDIT BEFORE YOU TRANSLATE

While translators can help you identify holes in your rules during the translation process, rulebook editing is not necessarily their area of expertise.

The more languages you are localizing into, the harder it becomes to keep those languages consistent if your game is not properly edited before translation.

That’s where a rulebook editor comes in.

They can take care of inconsistencies in terms of spelling, grammar and rulebook structure, or even add an index or a glossary.

Once your rulebook has been properly edited, the translators will have an easier job and fewer questions.

3 – PREPARE A GLOSSARY UPFRONT

Having a terminology list (also known as a glossary) ready before the translation process starts is a major advantage.

It will help the translators to identify and familiarize themselves with key terminology right off the bat.

It also makes it easier for them to change their terminology choices in the target text while the translation process is ongoing.

The best format for a glossary is a spreadsheet with a separate column for each language.

4 – RULEBOOK IN EDITABLE FORMAT

Chronologically, this might be rule #4, but it’s by far the most important tip we can give you.

The master text for your rulebook should be stored in an editable format, like Google Docs. The amount of time you can save this way is absolutely huge!

If you only have PDF files or InDesign files to work with, translation tables will have to be created manually by a project manager before your game can be localized.

Depending on the size of your game, this could take up to a week and weigh very heavily on your budget!

5 – USE A CAT TOOL

Regardless of who you choose to work with, it’s important that you ask your translators to use a CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tool.

These are different from automated machine translation tools like Google Translate or ChatGPT. The translation process is still manual, but CAT tools create memory files of your translations and glossaries.

These files can easily be imported and leveraged again if you decide to release a second edition or expansions for your game down the road.

CAT tools are a massive help in keeping your rulebooks consistent, no matter how long ago you ordered your initial translation.