On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, Japanese to English translator/localizer Mel Ok tells about localizing Japanese video games and how he got into the translation/localization industry.
About Mel Ok
Mel Ok is a translator/localizer of Japanese video games and heads the translation/localization company Ace Honyaku.
Topics Discussed
- The Japanese population in Hawaii
- Studying Japanese linguistics
- About doing play testing for video games
- Doing the Japanese QA for Halo 2
- On getting to Japan and trying to get into the JET Program
- On transitioning into the translation & localization industry
- On starting a translation company in Japan
- On how the translation & localization process for video games works
- On dealing with ambiguities in texts
- On dealing with new IP
- On translating The World Is Your Weapon
- On how long it can take to translate a game
- The difficulty of finding good translators
- On translation tests
- Advice for aspiring translators/localizers
- About Tottori
- And much more!
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If you enjoy Japan Station and want to ensure that we’re able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. For a minimum pledge of $1 a month you’ll get early access to all JapanKyo podcasts, bonus content, and more. And for $3 a month, you’ll get access to Japanese Plus Alpha, a podcast produced by me (Tony Vega) that focuses on the Japanese language and all of its fascinating quirks. Also, all pledges get a shout-out on the show and my undying gratitude. Thank you in advance!
You can also do a one time donation via Ko-fi.
Links, Videos, Etc.
To follow Mel Ok on Twitter or visit the ACE Honyaku website, use the links below.
Don’t forget to check out the latest episode of Ichimon Japan.
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Full Show Notes
Get the full version of show notes at https://japankyo.com/category/podcasts/japanstation/
