Nintendo has been a staple of the video game industry for over 30 years. Spanning NES classics like Super Mario Bros. to the latest console offerings such as Breath of the Wild, they always seem to bring something new and exciting to gamers around the world. One question that often comes up, however, is who translates Nintendo games into other languages?
Today we’re going to take a look at some of the people responsible for Nintendo’s localization efforts and see what goes into translating one of their games from Japanese to English (or any other language). So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
The first step in localizing a Nintendo game is to create a script. This is usually done by someone on the development team who is fluent in both Japanese and English (or the target language). The scriptwriter will go through the game and translate all of the dialog, menus, and text. This can be a daunting task, as some games can have hundreds of pages of text. Once the script is finished, it is sent to an editor for review.
After the script has been edited, it is then time to start recording the voice actors. For this, Nintendo will often hire professional voice actors who are native speakers of the target language. The voice actors will read through the script and record their lines in a studio. Once all of the lines have been recorded, they are sent to the sound designers.
The sound designers will then take the recorded lines and add any necessary sound effects. They will also mix and edit the audio to ensure that it sounds good and is properly balanced with the game’s music. Once the audio is finished, it is sent back to the development team for integration into the game.
And that’s pretty much it! That’s all that goes into translating a Nintendo game from Japanese to English (or any other language). Of course, there is always more work that goes on behind the scenes, but this gives you a general idea of the process.
So next time you’re playing one of your favorite Nintendo games, think about all of the people who had to work hard to make it possible for you to enjoy it in your own language. From the scriptwriter to the sound designer, there are many people involved in bringing these games to life. And we think that’s pretty amazing!
