Game Localization · Glossary
Translation Vendor — How to Evaluate and Choose One for Game Localization
A translation vendor is a company or individual hired to provide translation or localization services as an external supplier. In game localization, choosing the right translation vendor determines translation quality, timeline reliability, technical depth of LocQA, and long-term cost-efficiency through Translation Memory reuse across patches and DLC.
What a Translation Vendor Actually Delivers
At minimum, a translation vendor delivers translated files — source strings in, translated strings out. Beyond the baseline, quality vendors deliver: Translation Memory (TM) — a database of all source-target segment pairs translated on your project, reused on future work to reduce cost and ensure consistency. Terminology glossary — a per-project list of approved translations for character names, item names, ability names, and technical terms, enforced across all translators. Quality assurance — file-level checks for terminology, formatting, and accuracy, plus in-engine LocQA for rendering and layout verification in a working build. Project management — a single point of contact who owns timeline, escalation, and delivery. The gap between a basic translation vendor and a full-service game localization provider is the difference between receiving translated files and receiving a releasable localized game.
How to Evaluate a Game Localization Vendor
Evaluate translation vendors on five dimensions: Translation quality — request a sample translation of 200–300 words of your actual game content in your target language; evaluate with a native-speaking reviewer who is a gamer. TM ownership — confirm in writing that TM built on your content is delivered to you and is yours to use with any future vendor. LocQA capability — a vendor who only tests on exported files cannot catch rendering and layout failures that only appear in-engine; confirm whether LocQA is performed in a working build. Game-specific experience — ask which titles they have localized, which engines they work with, and whether their translators are gamers. Pricing model — fixed per-word pricing with a clear scope is predictable; time-and-materials or ‘contact us for pricing’ without a per-word rate indicates potential scope expansion.
Vendor Lock-In Risks
Some translation vendors structure their service to create dependency. Common lock-in mechanisms: retaining your Translation Memory as proprietary vendor data (forcing you to pay for your own TM if you switch vendors, or repeat translation you have already paid for); proprietary file formats that require vendor tooling to process; CAT tool subscriptions billed through the vendor rather than directly. To avoid lock-in: always contractually specify TM ownership and delivery; request standard open file formats (.po, .xliff, .csv) rather than vendor-proprietary formats; use a vendor who operates with standard industry CAT tools (memoQ, Trados) rather than black-box platforms.
SandVox and Translation Vendor
SandVox operates as a game-specialist translation vendor with no lock-in. Translation Memory is delivered with every project — yours to keep and use with any future vendor. We use memoQ (industry standard) and return files in your engine’s native format. Fixed per-word pricing, project TM and glossary included, in-engine LocQA in your build — no hidden scope expansion.
Related terms: Language Service Provider · Translation Memory · Lqa Testing · Localization Kit · Cat Tool
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a translation vendor quote include?
A complete game localization quote should include: source word count (confirmed, not estimated), per-word rate by language pair, total translation cost, whether TM leverage is applied (and the TM discount rate), LocQA cost (in-engine testing, not just file-level checks), file handling / format processing, project management, and delivery timeline. A quote that lists only a total price without a per-word breakdown is not a professional game localization quote.
How many translation vendors should I get quotes from?
Two to three is the standard practice for a project of meaningful scope. More than three creates diminishing returns — the additional comparison time often exceeds the cost difference. More important than vendor count is the quality of evaluation criteria: per-word rate, TM terms, LocQA scope, and a sample translation reviewed by a native gamer are more predictive of project quality than selecting the lowest quote from five vendors.
Can I split a project between multiple vendors?
By language pair, yes — and this is common practice. Different vendors often have deeper expertise in specific language families (European vs. CJK vs. Semitic languages). Splitting within a language pair (two translators on French, for example) introduces consistency risks and requires careful TM and glossary management. If you do split by language pair across vendors, each vendor should receive the same terminology glossary to prevent inconsistencies in shared term translations.
Need Expert Game Localization?
SandVox provides end-to-end game localization including translation vendor — for narrative games, mobile titles, webtoons, and interactive fiction.