Please tell a few words about yourself. What is your experience with localization workshops?

I have always been fascinated by language so I fell under the spell of reading and writing very early on: novels, comics, poetry, magazines, epics, grammar, stage plays, rhetorics… Learning foreign languages and moving into audiovisual translation seemed like the natural progression: two or more languages plus the code of the visual and the nuances of meaning conveyed by the performance of actors… well, that was a great communication challenge I couldn’t miss. Game localisation adds story-building interactivity to the mix and the urgency of working one step behind the dev team which means that localisation enriches game design and gets happy players regardless of the language they are playing in. That’s the puzzle we are still trying to get right for the industry.

I started thinking about video game localisation when researching for my first book back in 2001, but I only had my gamer experience and there was nothing published on it, so I decided that I would learn and write about it myself. I am very lucky now because I have worked in the industry and have met many excellent, passionate and generous professionals in game localisation, and conference organisers, so I do my best to pass on this knowledge and passion through all kinds of events workshops: I go to schools to promote the study of foreign languages and use game localisation as a possible career path, (surprisingly, children see localisation as logical and necessary); I participate in academic events highlighting the challenges to translation theory that the interactivity in game localisation poses; I explore industry processes in professional events in the search for better standards. I try to benefit all these groups with the relevant information from the other collectives.

I think it helps me paint a truer landscape of the complexities of video game localisation and its relevance to industry, academia and players.

In your experience, which are the most common “rookie” mistakes when organizing a workshop? How can they be avoided?

I would say there are two main ones: thinking that attendees share your perspective, and not having a backup. It is essential to accept that our perspective is only one of many, and that we have to learn all the others in order to reach attendees and allow good communication and learning to take place. Lack of experience and arrogance may lead us to believe that what we present and propose is very relevant, interesting and most useful, but when challenged by an unimpressed audience we go blank, scramble for ideas and get defensive.

This has happened to me both with children and professionals, and it can be very embarrassing and demoralising: “Are all my interesting facts, cool illustrations, and fun activities absolute rubbish?”. The answer is not necessarily, but information and activities need to be presented with the appropriate narrative for each audience. It is a good way of learning to think on your feet. It may seem obvious but we all get absorbed in our material and forget about our public due to nerves so, to avoid this, I try to get a sense of the audience when agreeing to the workshop, and then interact with each of the attendees in the introduction in order to reorganise my thoughts and steer the workshop for the benefit of those in front of me.

For example, a couple of years ago, I had a set of four exercises and I had to give the solutions and reorient one exercise based on what the majority of attendees actually knew, and discard another one because it required internet access and it wasn’t available.

On the other hand, which is the most tricky aspect of a workshop?

I think that, more than finding something to teach and practice, it is choosing the topic, the approach and the words that are going to be of most benefit for that particular audience. We are all very emotional, even when we are in a professional environment, and our response to learning (and teaching) is highly influenced by what we feel about the whole situation and the people involved in it with us. We want to be involved but not put on the spot, we want to have a chance to say our opinion but not to be force to give it. The leader of the workshop is responsible for creating this atmosphere. Without a positive and constructive dialogue a workshop may turn into a bad experience for everybody, the opposite of what it intends.

A few years ago, I had to lead several sessions on game localisation when I still knew very little. Unfortunately, none of the actual experts wanted to lead them or even talk so I bit the bullet and did it, but I was panicking for many weeks. To add to this nerve-wracking challenge, I had to discard my idea of using a “chamber of game loc horrors” to illustrate the relevant issues, because I didn’t want to offend any of the professionals and companies present, so I had to come up with another option, one that would be as powerful but that would not antagonise with attendees. In the end, I mocked up a video game based on an old idea of mine, and created a believable set of images that passed as screen captures; my old photo editing skills were very useful here. I briefly explained the premise and the reasons, and things went swimmingly because no one felt picked on. It was then, to my surprise, that they themselves mentioned their own localisation horrors, which helped spread the feeling of camaraderie among all present. Interaction was healthy, serious issues were raised and debated… I finally slept well that night.

We need to want to learn in order to allow learning to happen. Feeling bored, threaten, clumsy or ignored makes us clam up and miss the opportunity, and it doesn’t matter how clever or experience we are. The leader of a workshop has to first create the right atmosphere, and then deliver the training at the pace and with flexibility that attendees require.

What would you suggest to a localizer interested in running a workshop, but uncertain about where to find a space and audience for it?

Game localisation is relatively new so there are still many events to win over. There are multiple ways of approaching any given issue or profession so, for me, the most important decisions are what does really move me about the topic, what do I want to communicate and to whom. Once this is clear, I begin crafting the workshop (with content, structure, aesthetics, humour, videos, surprises, gadgets, practice, etc.) and looking for conferences, associations, collectives, etc. that may be interested in this topic or issue. It is essential to learn as much as possible about the events themselves so that we know how to present the workshop in a way that they are going to find relevant to their main areas of concern. Politeness, generosity and perseverance will often yield results. If we are able to foreground the relevance and timeliness of our idea, organisers will more often than not welcome the proposal. Submission protocols can be time-consuming and annoying, but it is just a way of administering proposals, so don’t be disheartened. Deadlines have to be observed, of course, but if you are sure about your idea, it is always worth to make contact, early or late, because you never know if they are in need of more or better ideas. Put another way, there is nothing to lose.

Game localisation is still greatly misunderstood and, because of this, often badly planned for. In my opinion, all game events should have at least one workshop about game localisation: for programmers, for marketeers, for writers, for audio engineers, for designers, for product managers, because this is about helping create a product that can be equally enjoyed everywhere it is sold with the certainty that linguistic and geocultural concerns have been taken care of properly. I am sure that all professionals involved in game localisation can contribute with presentations and workshops in the events they go to, so I encourage all of them to get involved and to help us raise standards in game localisation. It is an excellent way of meeting like-minded, the motivated professionals that will make the change happen.

Thank you very much for this opportunity and your time.

A big thank you to Miguel for the interview!

Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino got his PhD in video game localisation at Imperial College London. He works as a lecturer in Game and Media Localisation for the University of Roehampton, London. Miguel chairs the IGDA Localization SIG and helps in the organisation and hosting of the GDC Localization Summit, and the LW Game Localization Roundtable.

For more details on Miguel’s publications and activities, please visit www.roehampton.ac.uk/staff/Miguel-Angel-Bernal-Merino