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Slots translation

 

Handle with Care translations
Slots translation is kind of tricky to handle. In fact, if we could put up a sign saying ‘handle with care’ next to only one of the game types we translate, you would most definitely find the sign next to a slot machine. One factor is the complex terminology, but the biggest challenge is how to apply this terminology when translating slot game software, marketing material, and game info into other languages.

 

Why? Because many of the terms used in slots simply do not have equivalent good translations in most languages. So what do we do? Sometimes we get creative. Other times we keep key terms in English. However, when slot terms are not translated but kept in English, this creates grammatical and syntactic challenges for the gaming translators.

Anglicism in slots translation

Anglicism is a term used to describe the linguistic phenomenon when English syntax, grammar, or meaning is transposed in another language. This phenomenon has grown hand-in-hand with globalization, technology, and the opening of new and multiple markets. Today, we live in the aftermath of the Internet revolution and it’s pretty clear that the English language dominates worldwide, as no other language has ever done.

 

The slot machine was invented by a San Francisco mechanic and developed in English-speaking parts of the world. Most slot machines that are designed today, online as well as “bricks & mortar”, still have their original software and game description in English. However, research shows that players are more likely to play slot machines with real money when the slot machine is translated into their native language.

 

Why? Well, first of all, this is a must if the person playing does not speak English (or Chinese for that matter, if the original slot machine software is built-in Chinese), so that they understand the gameplay and what buttons to push. Secondly, a slot machine which “speaks” your language is obviously much more friendly and attractive.

 

All-in Global works mainly with texts that are intended for an online audience, Anglicism being, therefore, something we take very seriously. When used with care, Anglicism can be an elegant elaboration to a translated text. Otherwise, it will make you sound like you have been watching too much MTV. This is why we have included a section about Anglicism in the questionnaire that we ask all our clients to fill in.

 

The aim of this questionnaire is to establish the client’s preferences so that we can tailor our slot translations accordingly. This questionnaire is especially relevant for slot machine translation because there are numerous alternatives at hand and common sense is not always sufficient to succeed.

 

Our aim is for questions like these to enable us to provide a job well done:

 

  • Are there certain terms you would like to be translated in a particular way?
  • How creatively can we translate your texts?
  • Are we allowed to change FULLY CAPITALIZED WORDS OR SENTENCES?
  • Are we allowed to change Partially Capitalized Words In The Middle Of A Sentence?
  • Are we allowed to correct misuse of punctuation?
  • When foreign words need to be kept in the translation, should we highlight them, and how?
  • And last but not least: Many clients have different preferences when it comes to translating terms that are widely known in English but do necessarily have a commonly known translation in all languages. For these terms, to what degree should our translators try to use equivalent terms in respective languages or stick with the known English translation of the term?

The bottom line is that you should let All-in Global take care of your slot machine translations. Not only will it relieve you from the linguistic challenges that you are bound to encounter; it will, more importantly, ensure that your slot machine translations are carefully balanced on the thin line between entertaining and professional.

 

Some of the biggest names in the industry hired us for giving their slot games a multilingual flavour. For the giant Playtech, we translated popular games such as The Love Boat, Cowboys and Aliens, Vikingmania, Fortune Hill, Thor, or Life of Brian. For AshGames, we translated Tinderbox, Ice Cave, Wild Gambler, Cashblox, Arctic Adventure, Juicy Booty, and many others. Genesis Gaming have trusted us with the translation of games such as Hansel and Gretel, The Great Cashby, Mirror Magic, Temple of Luxor, The Great Escape Artist, or Deep Sea Diver. For NextGen Gaming, we did a great job on games like Starmania, Giant Gems, BlackJackPro, Roulette Master, Red Baron, Big Ben.

 

PS: You probably know this already, but it’s always worth repeating: by increasing the number of languages available, you also increase the potential amount of players.

 

Contact us at salesteam@all-in.global to request a free quote or talk to us about slot machine translation.



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