How to find game translation work
Game translation work comes from a handful of places: IndieGuild, ProZ.com, game localization agencies that keep pools of freelance translators (Keywords Studios, Allcorrect and Alconost all recruit them), indie devs whose Steam pages don't list your language yet, r/gameDevClassifieds, and community translation projects where you can build samples. Agencies bring steadier volume, and indie devs give you a direct line to the people who made the game.
I founded IndieGuild, so keep that in mind when I talk about it. I've tried to be fair to everyone here, because each of these is the right pick for somebody.
- Translate into your native language, and show game samples next to the original text.
- Want steady volume? Apply to the freelancer pools at game localization agencies, and expect a test.
- Want direct clients? Check the languages table on indie Steam pages and pitch where yours is missing.
- Just starting? Build samples with community translation projects and jam games, with the dev's okay.
- Want devs to find you? Put your languages, rates and samples on a free IndieGuild profile.
| Where | Better pick when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| IndieGuild | You want indie devs to find you, with your samples shown next to the original text and your rates up front. | It's new, so there are fewer roles than on the big boards. |
| ProZ.com | You want a translation marketplace with a jobs board and a directory where games can be one of your specialties. | It covers every kind of translation, so game jobs are only part of what's there, and some features are for paying members. |
| Localization agencies | You want steady work with a project manager, a glossary and a review step already set up. | They ask for experience and a test, and you often won't talk to the dev directly. |
| Indie devs' Steam pages | You'd rather work directly with small teams and pitch your language where it's missing. | It's cold outreach, so keep it short and expect some silence. |
| r/gameDevClassifieds | You want a free [FOR HIRE] post where devs can find you, with its own Localization flair. | Devs post translation gigs there less often than art or code gigs. |
| Community translation | You need real game text in your samples and a project to point to. | It's usually unpaid, so stick to games you'd happily do for fun. |
Where game translation work actually comes from
IndieGuild
This one's mine. You make a free profile with your translation samples shown next to the original text, so a dev who can't read your language can still see what you did with lines like theirs. Your rates go up front, and you can add tags like "Rev share OK", "Hobby projects OK" and "Human-made". Devs browse creators by craft and genre on Discover or use Find my match, and when a dev posts a role that fits you, it lands in your inbox. Every role on the Job board shows the pay type up front, and some show a budget in USD. It's free, I don't take a cut, there are no ads, and nobody can pay to be seen first.
Better pick when you want indie devs to come to you. Not the best pick if you want the biggest pool of jobs today, since it's newer than the big sites.
ProZ.com
ProZ.com is a site for professional translators. Clients post jobs on its translation jobs board and ask for quotes, and its directory lets you list your language pairs and specialties, including Gaming/Video-games/E-sports. It also has the Blue Board, a database of outsourcers with feedback from the translators who worked with them, which is worth a look before you take a job from someone you don't know. Some of the site is for paying members, so check what's free before you pay for anything.
Game localization agencies
Localization agencies translate games for studios and publishers, and they keep pools of freelance translators to do it. These three say on their own sites that they recruit:
- Keywords Studios has a standing freelance game translator listing. It asks for native fluency in your target language, at least one year of proven localization experience and translation tool skills, says memoQ knowledge will be "highly considered," and has candidates take a translation test reviewed by its linguists.
- Allcorrect has a page for freelancers looking for translators with game localization experience who know memoQ or are up for learning it.
- Alconost has a page for translators that prefers 2+ years in the localization industry, and offers a free certification that adds people who pass to its candidate pool.
Agencies are a good fit once you have some experience. The test is where you're judged, so treat it like the real job: follow the glossary, keep each character's voice, and flag anything that needs context instead of guessing.
Indie devs' own Steam pages
Here's an approach I like. Steam store pages have a languages table that shows which languages the game supports for the interface, full audio and subtitles. If a game you'd love to work on doesn't list your language, that's an opening.
Valve's Steamworks localization docs say over 60% of Steam users use Steam in a language other than English, and that the store page and the game can be localized separately. They even suggest devs translate their store page into languages they're considering, then watch regional wishlists. That makes the store page a good small first job to pitch: it's short, it helps the dev right away, and it shows them your work.
Store pages often link the dev's website, Discord or socials. Send a short note: who you are, your native language, one sample of game text, and an offer to quote their store page. Don't send a full translation nobody asked for. My guide to pitching a game dev has a first message you can adapt.
r/gameDevClassifieds and r/INAT
r/gameDevClassifieds is for paid game work, and it has a "FOR HIRE - Localization" flair for your own post. Devs post translation gigs there less often than art or code, so think of it as a place to be found: list your language pairs, the kinds of games you play, your rate and a short sample. Translators sometimes offer to help rev share and hobby teams on r/INAT too. Read each sub's rules first, because they remove posts that break them.
Community translation
Some games open their text to players. Factorio, for example, runs a public Crowdin project that says "Help us translate Factorio and bring it to the world!" Other devs ask for volunteer translators in their Discord or Steam forum. It's usually unpaid, but you get real strings, real context and real character limits, and something you can point to.
Jam games work too. Find a short jam game you liked and ask the dev if you can translate it into your language. It's small, it's finished, and you end up with a playable sample. Just ask first, and never post a translation of someone's game without their okay.
What your samples should show
Devs and agencies want to see that you can handle game text, not just text. I'd show:
- UI strings with a character limit. Buttons, menus and tooltips, with the limit you hit noted next to each one.
- Dialogue with a voice. A few lines from a distinct character, so they can see the personality survive the trip.
- A joke or a pun you adapted. With a short note on what you changed and why. This is where good game translators really stand out.
- Item descriptions or lore. Short, flavorful, and consistent with your glossary.
- Store page copy. A short description, since that's a small first job you can pitch.
Always show the original next to your translation. Say which variant you translate into, like Brazilian or European Portuguese, and name the tools you know. Keywords Studios and Allcorrect both mention memoQ, and community projects like Factorio's run on Crowdin.
Native language only: translate into the language you grew up with, not out of it. Keywords Studios' listing asks for native fluency in the target language, and devs who know localization will ask about it too.
From first credit to steady work
Here's how I'd climb:
- Start with samples you're allowed to show. Community projects and jam games you translated with permission.
- Take small direct jobs. Store pages, short games and patches for indie devs. Every one is a credit and a client who might come back.
- Try testing work. Localization testing (LQA) means playing a translated build and flagging text that overflows, breaks or reads wrong. It teaches you fast what goes wrong in a real game.
- Apply to agency pools once you meet their bar. Keywords Studios asks for at least a year of localization experience, and Alconost prefers two or more.
- Stay in touch. Every update and DLC adds new lines, and a dev would rather send them to the translator who already knows the game.
Rates
I won't make up numbers. Game translation is usually priced per word, per language, counted on the original text, and testing in the build is often priced per hour. My game localization cost guide lists published per-word rates from Allcorrect and Level Up Translation, plus how repeated lines and minimum fees work. When you quote, ask for the word count, how repeated lines are counted, the deadline, and what updates will cost later.
Red flags
- "Just polish this." A whole game run through machine translation, due tomorrow, for very little. Reviewing every line properly is real work, so price it that way or pass.
- A "test" that's a chapter. A short test is normal. A big chunk of the game for free isn't.
- No context at all. No glossary, no screenshots, and no answers when you ask who's speaking. You'll get blamed for lines that were impossible to get right.
- Translating out of your native language. Turn it down, even if the pay is good.
- A client nobody's heard of. Check them on the ProZ.com Blue Board if you can, and get the rate, word count, deadline and payment date in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find game translation work?
Game translators find work on ProZ.com, through game localization agencies that recruit freelancers like Keywords Studios, Allcorrect and Alconost, by pitching indie devs whose Steam pages don't list their language yet, on r/gameDevClassifieds, and through community translation projects. A free IndieGuild profile with your samples next to the original text lets indie devs find you too.
How do I get game translation work with no experience?
Build samples first: translate a short jam game or join a community translation project with the dev's okay, and show UI strings, dialogue and a joke you adapted next to the original. Then pitch small jobs like a Steam store page to indie devs, and apply to agencies once you have some experience.
Do I need to work with a localization agency?
No. Agencies bring steady volume and handle the clients, but they usually ask for experience and a test. Working directly with indie devs means you talk to the people who made the game and can keep them for updates, but you have to find the clients yourself. You can do both.
What should a game translation sample include?
Show the original next to your translation: UI strings with character limits, a few lines of dialogue from a distinct character, a joke or pun you adapted with a short note on why, some item descriptions, and a bit of store page copy. Say which language variant you translate into.
How do game translators charge?
Most game translation is priced per word, per language, counted on the original text, and testing in the build is often priced per hour. Repeated lines are often priced differently, and many translators have a minimum fee. My game localization cost guide lists published rates from localization companies.
Is IndieGuild free for game translators?
Yes. Making a profile is free, and I don't take a cut of your gigs. You and the dev agree on pay and rights directly.
Let devs find you
Make a free translator profile with your samples next to the original text, your languages, your rates and what you're open to (paid, rev share or hobby). When a dev posts a role that fits you, it lands in your inbox. It's free, and I don't take a cut of your gigs.
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