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Localization Considerations for Interactive Fiction

Craft guidance for writing IF that can be translated and culturally adapted—text design, cultural assumptions, and localization-friendly practices.

Why Localization Matters

Reaching Global Audiences

  • English represents ~25% of internet users
  • Growing IF markets worldwide
  • Translation opens significant audiences
  • Cultural adaptation beyond word-for-word

Planning for Localization

Early Planning Benefits:

  • Cheaper than retrofitting
  • Better quality translations
  • Fewer structural changes needed
  • Smoother localization process

Costs of Ignoring:

  • Text embedded in code
  • Hardcoded assumptions
  • Untranslatable constructs
  • Cultural issues in content

Text Design for Translation

String Externalization

Principle: All player-facing text should be separate from code.

Good:

dialogue.meeting_stranger = "Hello, I don't believe we've met."

Bad:

print("Hello, I don't believe we've met.")

Avoiding Concatenation

The Problem:

Different languages have different word orders. Concatenated strings break.

Bad:

"You have " + count + " apples."

In German: "Sie haben 5 Äpfel." (works) In Polish: "Masz 5 jabłek." (word order differs)

Good:

"You have {count} apples."
// Translators can reorder: "{count} jabłek masz."

Placeholder Guidelines

  • Use named placeholders, not positional
  • Allow translators to reorder
  • Document what each placeholder contains
  • Provide context for all strings

Text Expansion

Translations often expand or contract text:

Language Expansion vs English
German +30%
French +15-20%
Spanish +20-25%
Japanese -10-50%
Chinese -30-50%

Implications:

  • UI must accommodate longer text
  • Buttons need flexible sizing
  • Text areas should scroll or wrap
  • Test with expanded text

Pluralization

The Problem:

Languages have different plural rules.

English: 1 apple, 2 apples (singular, plural) Polish: 1 jabłko, 2 jabłka, 5 jabłek (singular, few, many) Arabic: Six forms for different quantities

Solution:

Use pluralization systems that handle language-specific rules:

{count, plural,
  one {# apple}
  other {# apples}
}

Gender Agreement

Many languages have grammatical gender affecting multiple words:

English: "The player chose the sword." Spanish: "El jugador eligió la espada." (masculine player) "La jugadora eligió la espada." (feminine player)

Solutions:

  • Allow gender selection where appropriate
  • Use gender-neutral constructions when possible
  • Provide variants for gendered languages
  • Document which strings need gender variants

Cultural Considerations

Assumptions to Question

Date and Time:

  • MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY vs YYYY-MM-DD
  • 12-hour vs 24-hour clock
  • Week starting day (Sunday vs Monday)

Numbers:

  • Decimal separators (. vs ,)
  • Thousands separators
  • Number formats

Currency:

  • Symbol placement
  • Decimal conventions
  • Currency-appropriate amounts

Measurements:

  • Metric vs imperial
  • Temperature scales
  • Distance units

Cultural References

What Translates Poorly:

  • Idioms ("raining cats and dogs")
  • Sports metaphors
  • Pop culture references
  • Political references
  • Holidays and celebrations
  • Food and customs

Solutions:

  • Use universal concepts where possible
  • Provide translator notes for references
  • Allow localized equivalents
  • Consider cultural adaptation, not just translation

Names and Terms

Character Names:

  • Pronounceable across languages?
  • Offensive meanings in other languages?
  • Consider localized name variants

Fictional Terms:

  • Can they be translated or should they remain?
  • Are they pronounceable?
  • Do they carry unintended meanings?

Visual and Symbolic

Consider:

  • Color symbolism varies by culture
  • Gestures mean different things
  • Religious symbols sensitive
  • Direction (left-to-right vs right-to-left)

Writing for Translation

Clear, Simple Prose

Helps Translation:

  • Direct sentence structure
  • Common vocabulary
  • Explicit subjects (not just pronouns)
  • Consistent terminology

Hinders Translation:

  • Complex nested clauses
  • Ambiguous pronouns
  • Idiomatic expressions
  • Wordplay and puns

Terminology Consistency

Use the same term for the same concept throughout:

Bad:

  • "sword" in chapter 1
  • "blade" in chapter 3
  • "steel" in chapter 5
  • (All referring to same object)

Good:

  • "sword" consistently
  • Or establish pattern: "sword" in narration, "blade" in character's voice

Avoiding Untranslatables

Wordplay:

If meaning depends on word sounds or spellings, it may not translate.

Option A: Accept loss in translation Option B: Provide translator note with intended effect Option C: Allow localized equivalent jokes

Cultural Specifics:

References meaningful only to source culture may need adaptation or explanation.

Context for Translators

Provide:

  • Speaker information
  • Scene context
  • Emotional tone
  • Where text appears (UI, dialogue, narration)
  • Related strings that should match

Technical Considerations

Text Direction

Left-to-Right (LTR): English, Spanish, French, German, etc. Right-to-Left (RTL): Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Urdu

Requirements for RTL:

  • UI must mirror
  • Text alignment reverses
  • Punctuation positioning
  • Mixed LTR/RTL content handling

Character Sets

Support:

  • Unicode (UTF-8) throughout
  • Extended Latin (accents, diacritics)
  • Non-Latin scripts (Cyrillic, Arabic, Asian)
  • Special characters and symbols

Testing:

  • Test with actual translated text
  • Check character rendering
  • Verify font support
  • Test text input

Font Considerations

Requirements:

  • Font must support target languages
  • Character coverage varies by font
  • Some languages need specific fonts
  • Size may need adjustment by language

Localization-Friendly IF Structures

Choice Text

Consider:

  • Choices must make sense in translation
  • Context preserved across languages
  • Pronoun references clear
  • Cultural appropriateness

Variable Text

Challenge:

Dynamic text insertion complicates translation.

Example:

"You picked up the {item}."

In gendered languages, article and verb may need to agree with item gender.

Solutions:

  • Provide gender metadata for items
  • Use flexible translation systems
  • Allow multiple item description patterns
  • Simplify where possible

Branching and State

Document for Translators:

  • What state affects which text
  • How choices change dialogue
  • Which variations exist
  • Conditions for seeing text

Localization Process

Preparation

  1. Externalize all strings
  2. Document context
  3. Create translation memory terms
  4. Establish style guide
  5. Choose localization management tool

Translation

  1. Professional translators (not just bilingual speakers)
  2. IF/game localization experience preferred
  3. Provide context and reference materials
  4. Allow questions and clarification
  5. Review and QA process

Integration

  1. Import translated strings
  2. Test all languages
  3. Check text fit and display
  4. Verify consistency
  5. User testing with native speakers

Maintenance

  1. Track string changes
  2. Update translations for changes
  3. Maintain translation memory
  4. Document decisions

Common Mistakes

Hardcoded Text

Text embedded in code rather than externalized.

Fix: All player-facing text in resource files.

Concatenation

Building sentences from fragments.

Fix: Complete sentences with placeholders.

Assuming English Rules

Plural, gender, word order assumptions.

Fix: Use localization-aware systems.

No Context

Translators working blind.

Fix: Provide context for every string.

Machine Translation Only

Google Translate as final product.

Fix: Professional translation with proper review.

Ignoring Cultural Issues

Direct translation without cultural consideration.

Fix: Cultural adaptation alongside translation.

No Budget/Time for Localization

Treating localization as free afterthought.

Fix: Budget time and money from project start.

Quick Reference

Area Key Practice
Text Externalize, no concatenation, named placeholders
Expansion Design for 30% longer text
Plurals Language-specific plural rules
Gender Support grammatical gender where needed
Culture Question assumptions, provide context
References Document or avoid culture-specific content
Technical Unicode, RTL support, font coverage
Process Professional translators, review, testing
Maintenance Track changes, update translations

See Also