Game Localization · English Language Pairs
English to Romanian Game Localization
Native Romanian translators. Cultural accuracy. LocQA included. Get a free quote →
Romanian localization has one consistent technical problem: the comma-below characters ș (s-comma-below, U+015F) and ț (t-comma-below, U+0163). These characters are frequently confused with the visually similar cedilla characters ş (s-cedilla, U+015F) and ţ (t-cedilla, U+0163). While both sets look nearly identical in print, they are technically distinct Unicode characters — the comma-below variants are the correct modern Romanian standard, while the cedilla variants are a legacy encoding artifact from DOS-era Romanian fonts. Romanian text produced with incorrect cedilla characters is technically wrong; Romanian players recognize the difference. SandVox produces Romanian translations using correct comma-below characters (ș, ț), with font verification to confirm your game font covers both Latin Extended-A and the relevant Latin Extended-B range. English to Romanian text expansion is typically 15–25%.
Text Expansion & Technical Considerations
Romanian is spoken by approximately 22 million people in Romania and 3 million in Moldova, plus diaspora communities across Western Europe (particularly Italy and Spain). Romania is a growing gaming market — Steam users have been increasing, and Romanian is included in some Eastern European language packs. It is not a mandatory console certification language but is commercially relevant for CEE market coverage.
Cultural & Technical Considerations for Romanian Localization
- Romanian uses comma-below characters (ș, ț) as the correct standard — NOT cedilla characters (ş, ţ). This is the single most common technical error in Romanian localization. Fonts must be verified to include U+015F (ș) and U+0163 (ț).
- Romanian is a Romance language (Latin-derived) with significant Slavic, Turkish, and Greek loanwords. Technical terms and game genre vocabulary follow Italian/French/Spanish patterns — ‘inventory’ is ‘inventar’, ‘quest’ is ‘misiune’ or ‘căutare’.
- Romanian has two grammatical genders (masculine and feminine) plus a ‘neuter’ that behaves masculine in singular and feminine in plural. Noun articles are suffixed rather than preceding the noun (‘the sword’ → ‘sabia’, not ‘la sabie’). This affects items, abilities, and character references.
- Number formatting: 1.000,50 (period thousands separator, comma decimal — same as other CEE markets). Date: DD.MM.YYYY. Currency: Romanian Leu (RON, lei), Moldova uses Moldovan Leu (MDL).
- Romanian players predominantly use en-US or en-GB game interfaces when no Romanian option exists — they are comfortable with English but prefer Romanian for narrative-heavy content (RPGs, visual novels, story games) where comprehension depth matters.
What We Localize for Romanian Markets
- Translation
- In-Engine LocQA
- Character Verification (ș/ț vs ş/ţ)
- Font Coverage Testing
SandVox Romanian translation uses native Romanian translators and verifies correct comma-below characters (ș, ț). LocQA confirms font coverage for Latin Extended-A and Latin Extended-B ranges required for Romanian.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ș/ţ vs ş/ţ issue in Romanian?
Romanian has two sets of visually similar characters: the correct comma-below variants (ș U+015F, ț U+0163) and the legacy cedilla variants (ş U+015E, ţ U+0162). They look nearly identical on screen but are different Unicode characters. Modern Romanian standard requires comma-below. Many fonts include only the cedilla variants from Latin Extended-A. Your font must include U+015F and U+0163 specifically. We verify this as part of LocQA — running the Romanian build and confirming correct glyphs render.
How does Romanian text expansion compare to other European languages?
Romanian expands English source by approximately 15–25% on average — less than German or Hungarian but more than Italian or Spanish. Romanian tends to use longer words for abstract concepts (words borrowed from French often carry more syllables than their English counterparts). Dialog boxes and button labels should be LocQA’d for overflow in Romanian specifically.
Should I localize for Romanian AND Moldovan separately?
For practical game localization, Romanian and Moldovan Romanian are mutually intelligible — a single Romanian localization covers both markets. Moldovan uses the same Latin-script Romanian language (Moldova abandoned Cyrillic script for Romanian in 1989). Regional vocabulary differences exist at the margins but do not affect game text comprehension. A single Romanian translation is the correct approach for both markets.
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Frequently Asked Questions
English to Romanian game localization is typically priced at $0.10–$0.18 per word, depending on content complexity, domain expertise required, and turnaround timeline. A small indie game with 20,000 words costs approximately $2,000–$4,600; a mid-size title with 100,000 words ranges from $10,000–$18,000. Voice-over, QA, and any certification support (such as PEGI (Europe)) are additional line items. Contact SandVox for a tailored quote.
Romanian has s-comma and t-comma characters (ș, ț) that are frequently confused with s-cedilla and t-cedilla — using the wrong Unicode codepoints is a common error. Romanian requires fonts with correct s-comma (ș) and t-comma (ț) characters; older fonts may only include the visually similar but incorrect cedilla variants. SandVox handles the full English to Romanian technical pipeline, including script rendering validation, UI layout testing, and functional QA on all target platforms.
Text-only English to Romanian localization for a small game (20,000–50,000 words) typically takes 3–6 weeks including translation, review, and QA. Mid-size titles (50,000–150,000 words) require 6–12 weeks. Adding Romanian voice-over extends the timeline by 2–4 weeks for casting, recording, and integration. If PEGI (Europe) certification is required for Romanian-market distribution, allow an additional 4–8 weeks for the rating process, which should begin in parallel with localization where possible. SandVox can accelerate timelines for urgent releases with parallel translation teams.
Yes. Beyond linguistic translation, English to Romanian localization often requires cultural adaptation of references, humor, idioms, and context-specific content that does not translate directly. Romanian has s-comma and t-comma characters (ș, ț) that are frequently confused with s-cedilla and t-cedilla — using the wrong Unicode codepoints is a common error. SandVox’s Romanian localization teams include cultural consultants who review game content for localization quality — not just grammatical accuracy.