How to find a translator for your indie game

Updated October 24, 2026 · 7 minute read

Valve says over 60% of Steam users use Steam in a language other than English. That's a lot of players who might skip your game just because they can't read it. I'm making my own game too, and this is how I'd find a translator who actually knows games.

1. Pick your languages

You don't need ten languages on day one. Valve's own advice in the Steamworks localization docs is that "you shouldn't feel the need to localize for every language," and that "the less a language looks like English, the higher the expected return." They also suggest looking at your store traffic, sales, community feedback and regional wishlists to make your plan.

The cheapest first step is your store page. Steam lets you translate your store page and your game separately, so you can translate the page into a few languages, then watch where the wishlists come from before you pay to translate the whole game.

The Steam Hardware & Software Survey also shows which languages people use Steam in each month. Simplified Chinese has been near the top lately. In February 2026, GamingOnLinux reported it at 54.6% with English at 22.3%, though the numbers swing a lot from month to month.

2. Get your text ready before you ask for quotes

Most translation headaches start in the code, not with the translator. Before you reach out:

• Put every line in one place. A spreadsheet or string file works. Unity has a Localization package, Godot reads CSV and PO files, and Unreal has a Localization Dashboard.
• Add context. A column for who says the line, where it shows up, and how many characters fit. "Fire" could be a verb, a menu button or an element.
• Don't glue sentences together. "You found " + count + " " + item breaks in languages with different word order and plurals. Use whole sentences with placeholders.
• Leave room. Translated text is often longer than English, so give buttons and dialogue boxes some space.
• Check your fonts. Chinese, Japanese and Korean need fonts that have those characters, and Arabic reads right to left.
• Pull text out of images. Text baked into art or your logo has to be redrawn for every language.

Tip: Count your words before you ask for quotes, since most translators price per word. Add a glossary too: character names, made-up words, and terms that must stay the same everywhere.

3. Look for native speakers who play games

Game translation is its own skill. A great legal or medical translator can still get "aggro," "cooldown" or "roguelike" wrong. Here's what to look for:

• They translate into their native language. That's the standard in the industry, and it's the one rule I wouldn't bend.
• Game samples. Dialogue, UI text, item descriptions or a store page they've done, ideally with the English next to it.
• They play your kind of game. A cozy farming sim and a tactics game use very different words.
• They ask questions. A good translator wants context. One who asks nothing is guessing.
• They know the tools, or are happy to work in your spreadsheet. Crowdin, Lokalise and memoQ are common.

Good places to look are the credits of games you like (localization teams are usually listed), the ProZ.com directory, the IGDA Localization SIG, LinkedIn, and IndieGuild, where translator profiles show their languages and samples with the original text side by side. In Find my match you pick what you need translated and up to two languages, and it shows translators who fit.

Freelancer or agency? One freelancer per language is often cheaper and easier to talk to. An agency costs more but handles many languages at once, plus a second person to review the work. For one to three languages, freelancers are usually plenty.

4. Test with your hardest lines

Pay for a short test of about 200 to 300 words. Don't pick the easy stuff. Send a joke or a pun, a UI string with a tight character limit, and a few lines from your most distinct character. If you know a native speaker who plays games, ask them to read the result. It's the fastest way to see if the translator gets your game's voice.

5. Send a clear brief

Your brief should cover:

• The game, the genre, and a gameplay clip or a build
• Your word count and the file format
• Which languages, and which version (Brazilian or European Portuguese, Latin American or European Spanish)
• Your glossary and a short style note: the tone, and whether characters talk formally or casually
• Screenshots or notes for anything that needs context, plus character limits
• The deadline, how you'll handle updates and patches, and your budget

Tip: Translators usually price per word, and some charge less or nothing for repeated lines. Testing and small updates are often hourly, and many have a minimum fee. My game localization cost guide has real published rates.

6. Check it in the game

A translation can look perfect in a spreadsheet and break in the game: text spilling out of a box, missing characters, or a word that's right on paper but wrong in context. Localization testing (often called LQA) means a native speaker plays the build and flags what's off. Budget a few hours per language, or at least ask your translator to look at screenshots of every screen.

7. Put the deal in writing

Write down the rate and how repeated lines are counted, the deadline, how many rounds of fixes are included, and what updates, patches and DLC will cost later. Add how the translator is credited (in-game credits and your Steam page), who owns the translation, whether they can show it in their portfolio, and an NDA if your game isn't announced yet.

Red flags

• They translate into a language that isn't their native one.
• No game samples, or they can't explain how they'd handle game terms.
• A huge script done overnight for very little. That can be machine translation with no real review.
• Zero questions about context, tone or character limits.

Common mistakes

• Translating at the very end, after the text is hard-coded and the UI has no room.
• Sending a spreadsheet with no context, then getting lines that are correct but wrong for the scene.
• Picking too many languages at once instead of testing a few with your store page.
• Forgetting updates. Every patch adds new lines, and each one needs translating.
• Forgetting fonts until the build shows empty boxes where the letters should be.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find a translator for my indie game?

Check the localization credits of games you like, the ProZ.com directory, the IGDA Localization SIG, LinkedIn, and translator profiles on IndieGuild, which show each translator's languages and samples next to the original text. Find my match on IndieGuild shows translators by what you need translated and your languages.

How much does it cost to translate a game?

Most game translation is priced per word, per language. Allcorrect, a game localization company, publishes rates of about €0.06 to €0.17 per word for translating from English, depending on the language. Multiply your word count by the rate and the number of languages, then add time for testing in the game.

What should I send a translator in my first message?

Your game's name and genre, a gameplay clip, your word count and file format, the languages you need, a glossary and tone note, your deadline and your budget.

Should I use machine translation for my game?

Machine translation can help you understand a review or a message. For the game itself, players notice stiff or wrong lines quickly, so if you use it at all, have a native speaker who plays games review every line.

Is IndieGuild free?

Yes. Making a profile, browsing, matching and messaging are free for game devs, translators, writers, video editors, composers, sound designers, voice actors, artists, VFX artists and programmers. Credit, pay and rights are agreed directly between the people working together.

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