This document provides guidance on localizing game trailer videos for foreign audiences. It discusses four options for showing gameplay: localization, dubbing, subtitles, or animated graphics instead of gameplay. Localization involves translating and recording voiceovers while dubbing only requires voiceover recording. The document also covers copyfitting voiceovers, cultural adaptation considerations, and provides an eight-point checklist for localizing video elements like name, text, and store badges. The goal is to make the video understandable and effective for its localized market.

1. Natalia Shuhman, Alconost Inc.
How to Fine-tune a Game Trailer for a Foreign
Audience: Top Secrets and a Developer's Checklist
🎬

2. How to make a video understandable for a foreign audience: 3 options
Localization:
• Translation of voice-over text and captions in the frame
• Voice-over recording in the new language
• Synchronization of video sequence and voice-over
• Replacement of text elements in the video sequence
• Music editing, sound effect synchronization, mixing
Dubbing:
• Translation of voice-over text
• Voice-over recording in the new language
• Imposing voice-over on the existing audio sequence
Subtitles:
• Subtitling in the original language
• Subtitle translation and assembly
If necessary:
• Transcription
• Copyfitting
• Cultural adaptation

3. Localizing existing videos: 3 key questions
1. Do you have the source (project) for the existing video?
↳ This affects the ability to make specific changes, labor intensity, and quality
2. Does the video need to be fine-tuned for a specific language or a specific country?
↳ Some countries have multiple languages, and some languages have different dialects
3. What resources are you prepared to allocate for video adaptation?
↳ Subtitles are cheaper than dubbing, dubbing is cheaper than localization, and localization
may be cheaper than cultural adaptation

4. Option 1: Reshooting gameplay from the desired locale of the game
If the game is localized, but your video does not show it, it
will not be 100% effective. After all, the fact that your game
is localized is an argument in its favor.
Pitfalls:
• Reshooting time expenditures
• Labor costs for editing
• Reshooting and editing for each new language version of the video
How to show gameplay in a localized video

5. How to show gameplay in a localized video
Option 2: Patching in localized text over the original
We take screenshots from the desired locale, then lay them
over the original shots. Sound logical? In theory, sure! In
practice, however, it doesn't always work.
Pitfalls
• Different sizes of original and
localized text boxes
• Text box transparency
• Animated effects in the frame
For scenes like those shown in these screenshots, the
"text patching" option is not suitable
Video

6. Option 3: Gameplay without text
This option is ideal for localization.
If texts or a UI are required, we add them as a
separate layer at the video animation stage.
Advantages:
• You can not only disable the
UI, but also make other
improvements
• Localization into any other
languages is greatly simplified
How to do it :
1. Shots from the engine or a special version of the build
2. Assembly of scenes from the game's source graphics
Scenes like those in the screenshots can be assembled from the game's visual assets
How to show gameplay in a localized video
Video

7. Option 4: Animated graphics instead of gameplay
This is an option if:
•Changes are planned to the
game's UI or key graphics
•Game mechanics and
functionality will be further refined
•You have ready-made art that can
be animated
This option does not show potential users the
environment and functionality they will
constantly be interacting with in the game.
This is more of a teaser than a trailer.
Video
In other words, without any gameplay at all.
How to show gameplay in a localized video

8. Voice-over localization: three golden rules
First
Don't give in to the temptation to forgo voice-over in the localization if
it is present in the original video.
Second
Have your translation and voice-over done only by native speakers of
the target language.
Third
Copyfit the voice-over text prior to recording — that is, edit the phrases so that
they take up approximately the same time in the new language as in the original.

9. How voice-over affects the timing of the video
Original
Language
Translation
Scene 1 5 sec 6 sec
Scene 2 5 sec 8 sec
Scene 3 5 sec 7 sec
Total: 15 sec 21 sec
Voice-over segment duration
Solution 1
Fit the duration of the
animation to that of each
narration segment.
Solution 2
Optimize the translation to
match the timing of the original

10. Copyfitting Secrets
•Show the video in the original language to the the translator, a native speaker of the
target language. Point out the timing of each phrase in the original
•Adjust the amount of text at the translation stage, and let the narrator speak at a
natural pace
•When creating the original video, try to avoid making the voice-over text overly
wordy, and allow for pauses of sufficient length between scenes
Video voice-over in English and Russian
Video
EN
RU

11. Did we localize…?
Name of the game
Calls to action, store
badges
Description of
features in text boxes

12. Cultural adaptation of the video
Where problems can occur
•Local context
•Religious nuances
•Particular perceptions
What to do?
Consult a native focus group
Amend the existing video
Produce a creative from
scratch for the new market
Do nothing

13. Checklist: 8 things to remember when localizing a video
1. Is the name of the game localized?
2. Is the game itself localized?
3. Are texts "embedded" in the game art?
4. Text boxes with slogans?
5. App store badges?
6. Voice-over in the original?
7. Duration limit?
8. Changes to video sequence content?

14. We love making videos for games
and localizing them into any language
Learn more at alconost.com/video
Thank you for watching!