Guidelines for community translations (Currently on hiatus)

[PriskaFB]

Translating for Starbase
NOTE: Starbase community translation has been put on hold for the time being as the development is slowing down. Hopefully we'll be able to get back to translating Starbase again as soon as possible!

As Starbase is growing bigger in both content and community, we would like to provide it to more players in their own language. However, since the game is in Early Access, there will still be many changes incoming, creating challenges for using conventional localization methods.

This is why we are turning to you, Starbase Community, and your language skills and vast knowledge of the game, for assistance. Many of you are familiar with how Starbase has evolved through many changes and in sync with our development, meaning that your input is invaluable for translating game contents like this.

Requirements for the community translators:

• Decent knowledge about the Starbase universe and the game itself! There is a lot of game-specific terminology, so familiarity with things like different tools, ship parts and the basic logic of the game is important.
  • It's preferred that you have already played Starbase, as first-hand knowledge will help greatly with not only the translating itself but also reading the strings.
• It's not required to have previous professional translating experience, but good language skills and grasp of grammar are something we hope you have. We recommend you only translate to your native language or a language that you are fully fluent in.
• For translating, you will need a Gmail address or an email address that is connected to a Google account. Unfortunately, other email addresses cannot be accepted.
  • Please note that we will use this email address to contact you, so make sure it's one you check regularly.

How to sign up:

• If you want to sign up to help translate Starbase to your language, fill in the sign-up form here: https://forms.gle/GcvTDVQUQhBubSJ4A
  • You will need a Google account to fill in the form, as it is a requirement for participating. Please also indicate which language you will be translating for.
• Please note that we cannot promise that every sign up will be accepted, but we will do our best to accommodate everyone.
• We are starting the localization process slowly with small steps with a few languages (The first were Russian, French and German, and recently we have added Spanish and Latin American Spanish), but we definitely welcome sign ups for other languages as well! Unfortunately we cannot promise to include all suggestions.
• Community translators will get their names in the credits.

 

[PriskaFB]

Workflow for community translators

After you've signed up and the Google sheet has been shared to you, you can access the document through the link and start translating!

Working with the Google Sheet:

• Each language has its own sheet, which you can find from the bar on the bottom of the window.
  • There are only certain columns and ranges in the document that you will be able to edit. In general, each translator can only modify the sheet of the language they have signed up for, and on that sheet, only the 'Target Language' column. This is to minimize any accidental changes to the original strings as you edit the document. The columns are color coded for easier use.
• You can leave comments and notes in all cells in the document, also those which you are restricted from directly editing. Commenting is a good way to ask questions, offer your thoughts and suggest changes.
• There is also chat support in the Sheet for faster communication while translating.

Main view of the Sheet


Different columns in the Sheet

Updates to the Sheets:

• We will periodically add new original strings to the document and make updates to the existing ones. These new additions will be color coded so that they are easier to spot in the document.
• We don't have a specific repeated schedule for adding new content, but will update the document whenever there have been changes or new additions from our teams. We will inform the community of all the updates through Discord and Starbase Forums

What happens next:

• When a sufficient number of strings has been translated by the community, we'll add them to the game! You can keep translating as usual in the meantime.
• We recommend trying to translate all the strings in a section when possible, as we likely won't be adding incomplete sections very soon. You can use the file paths, the formatting and the colors of the sheet to keep track of which strings belong together.
• Sections that have been translated won't be removed from the document, so you are free to keep tweaking and improving the existing translations, for example based on your discussions with other translators or feedback from the rest of the community. We'll keep track of changes in the Sheet and import everything necessary to the game with each update.