Quo Vadis

Partnertrans co-founder Iris Ludolf has initiated a localisation workshop at the forthcoming “Quo Vadis” German developer’s conference, which takes place in Berlin from 21 – 23 April.

“Localisation is still a somewhat neglected aspect of the game development process”, explains Iris Ludolf. “Our workshop will highlight the expertise and commitment that go into creating a successful localisation. The workshop will outline the issues that developers and localisation teams need to be aware of, and discuss the effect of quality, or the lack thereof, on gaming communities.”

Iris Ludolf will be joined at the workshop by Alexander Kochann from trilobit GmbH, who will explore this topic from a programming perspective. Nadja Bastawi and Thomas Lagemann from Two Pi Team will draw on their extensive experience in community management to explore localisation from a community perspective.

“Localisation isn’t something that begins in the final phase of a project - it is an integral aspect of game development. Poor decision-making in the early stages of development and the failure to consider key characteristics of other languages can have a direct effect on the quality, time frame and, consequently, the cost of localisation”, comments Alexander Kochann.

Thomas Lagemann from Two Pi Team: “We think that it is very important for the gaming industry to recognize the importance of delivering high quality localisations.” “The quality of localisation can have a significant effect on gamers’ purchasing decisions. The role of localisation as an positive economic factor should not be underestimated”, adds Nadja Bastawi from Two Pi Team.

In addition to exploring various aspects of the localisation process, participants at the workshop will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospect of creating an award for excellence in localisation. Iris Ludolf outlines the rationale behind this idea: “Everyone - publishers, developers and gamers – benefits from a high quality localisation and the resulting discussions in the communities and media.”

“Lokalisierung – das Erschließen neuer Welten” (Localisation – Creating Windows to New Worlds) will be held on 22 April from 4:00 pm to 5:45 pm in the “Kepler-Saal”.

On 23 April Two Pi Team will give a lecture on Gaming Communities. The lecture will cover the various types of communities and their specific features, approaches to handling communities, along with marketing and community management.

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About Partnertrans

Partnertrans was founded in 1998 and is now one of the world's leading providers of localisation solutions to the interactive entertainment industry. With offices in Mettmann and Slough, Partnertrans has contributed to the localisation of thousands of projects – including prestigious titles such as Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and Mines of Moria (2006-2008), Tom Clancy's Endwar and Suikoden Tierkreis.

The founders of Partnertrans represent a combined total of more than 30 years’ experience in the localisation industry. Their range of services includes localisation project evaluation, localisation project management, translation from and to all of the world’s major languages, voice production, localisation quality assurance, proof-reading/editing, localisation of graphic art, implementation, layout of print materials, adaptation of marketing materials (including web sites) for target markets, and DVD-related services.

From localisation planning to execution, Partnertrans provides concepts and solutions tailored to meet customer requirements, perfectly co-ordinating every step of the project.

Their client base includes Ubisoft, Koch Media, Ignition Entertainment, Phoenix Games, Capcom, Konami and RealNetworks.

Their mobile entertainment client base includes Gameloft, Namco Mobile, Mr. Goodliving, VividGames and Game Lion.

Partnertrans is a member of the association of German Game Developers (G.A.M.E.) and provides localisation services for all platforms including mobiles and handhelds.

For more information please visit www.partnertrans.com.

About trilobit

trilobit GmbH was founded in 1999 with an initial focus on web design and development. They soon expanded their range of services to include web and databank solution programming and CD-ROM projects. trilobit’s 15-strong team has the know-how to support internet-based collaborative projects.

Since 2003 trilobit GmbH have used their expertise to deliver high-quality localisation services using tailor-made online-translation tools and multi-lingual grammar solutions to manage localisation and translation processes. With a strong focus on MMOGs, trilobit GmbH has localised such prestigious titles as Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Dark Age of Camelot.

For more information please visit www.trilobit.de

About Two Pi Team

Two Pi Team was founded in 2005 and provides a range of game-related services with a focus on MMOGs. Their 28-strong team provides professional forum moderation and supervision, as well as community management, localisation, translation and other game-related services. Two Pi Team’s client base includes Codemasters (Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar), dtp Entertainment AG (Drakensang, Venetica and Divinity2), Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH (Metal Gear Online) and Funcom (Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures).

Two Pi Team creates functioning and strong communities, ensuring their clients enjoy an excellent reputation.

For more information please visit www.two-pi-team.de

Contact:

Partnertrans

Iris Ludolf

+49 (0)2104 172659

iris.ludolf@partnertrans.com

trilobit GmbH

Alexander Kochann

+49 (0)721 9154920

alexander.kochann@trilobit.de

Two Pi Team

Nadja Bastawi, Thomas Lagemann

+49 (0)2103 32276

n.bastawi@two-pi-team.de, t.lagemann@two-pi-team.de