Matrix Needs A Few Good Translators

[David Heath]

Hello Everyone

Matrix Games is looking for a few gamers and can translate our game manuals and possible other parts of our games into other languages. On the top of our to do list are German, French, Spanish, and Japanese. We are very interested in other languages so please do contact us if you are interested. You must be familiar with Strategy Wargamer terms and able to use MS Word (Office Version preferred). We will need this done in the shortest amount of time as possible and we are more then willing to try to work around your schedule. This will be a paid project but will be limited on how much we can pay.

If you are interested please email davidh@matrixgames.com. Once again thank you in advance for your help.

David

[David Heath]

Come on guys we need a few more takers.....

David

[CCB]

I know Klingon. But my Andorian isn't quite up to par.

uh, isn't there a VERY PROMINENT German on your staff already?

[Hexed Gamer]

David, have you posted this request over on a few other forums out there that support the game?

Off hand this merits a Wargamer posting as well as at Warfare HQ that I know of at the moment.

[von Murrin]

Or perhaps expound on the desired level of proficiency? I know Spanish and French, but both are so rusty you'd get tetanus if scratched.[;)]

Often people need the requirements quantified, as foreign or inter-language skills are commonly seen as too unpolished for translation tasks.

[Doggie]

I got the manual for Uncommon Valor. Somebody needs to work on translating that to plain English before we can move on to translating stuff into other languages.

[ravinhood]

LOL DOGGIE good one!

[freeboy]

lol doggie...
too often manuals are discarded and companies then sell player guides... Matrix actualy attempts to put out manuals to these games.. but my most recent MAtrix game, Witp, had 230 pages that could easily have been 550... but at least they aren't saying... buy the gold version..
right what was the ?, right I speak a little English.. DH.. I will offer to edit manuals for your company, not write them, for free.
My french is terrible, I cannot spell, and I know little German... My Australlian and English English .. well I know not to ask for a napkin in Dublin, oh wait thats Irish English...

[Doggie]

The UV manual could have been pared down to 25 pages or less, and still gave you all the information you need to play the game. After all, that's what the manual is for; to teach you how to play the game. If you want to learn about the actual war in the South Pacific, that would have been a subject for another manual.

It's obvious the UV manual was written by a computer geek and not a writer. The only information required to play the game is an explanation of how to achieve X by clicking Y. All the historical background and the anecdotes about the South Pacific were superflourous and only made looking through the instructions more of a chore.

For example, to use the P-39/P-400 units most effectively in the game, it is only neccessary to tell the reader this particular aircraft was best suited to low altitude operations, and was not an effective interceptor. The explanations of why this is so should have been left to a seperate historical overview section.

The explanations of processes the player has no control over was also a waste of space. Several pages on damage and fire control when there is absolutely nothing the player can do about it but accept the results made for more pages to flip through while you're trying to figure out just exactly how a unit traces a line of supply from the beach to it's march objective.

In short, the manual gives you plenty of information you don't need, and not enough on how to master the game mechanics.

[Bodhi]

Doggie,

The WitP manual is similar. It's too quick to get into detailed formulae before it's even explained the basic way to play the game. Everyone seems to think that simply because the WitP manual is over 200 pages long it's great; they seem to forget the numerous typos, errors and omissions. Personally I think both the UV and WitP manuals needed a lot more work on them before release. With Matrix manuals now being PDF files, not printed, it shouldn't be too difficult to make a corrected version and make it available for registered users.

[Doggie]

Yeah, there is such a thing as too much information. I only have UV, and it's a great game, but the game interface is actually pretty simple once you get used to it. Certainly doesn't take 80 pages to explain.

Most people who purchase this type of game will allready have at least some familiarity with Naval tactical warfare. The instruction manual needs to come in two parts-a small section which teaches you how to give orders and perform the neccessary tasks, and another historical overview section which can be read at your leisure to explain why the units perform and react as they do.

One of the things it took me a while to figure out was how to send a ship back to Pearl Harbor for refit and repairs. You can't access the "return to PH" tab unless you bring up the ship from the "view ships in harbor" screen from Nomea. Clicking on the ship without going through this screen doesn't allow you that option. I saw nothing in the manual that tells you this.

The game interface instuction sheet should list every possible action the player might want to take in terms of "to do X, click Y." As there aren't all that many actions the player can initiate, this could easily be condensed into less than 20 pages.

As for the formulae used to determine hit percentages and such, that belongs in an appendix by itself, just for the geeks that are into researching things they have no control over. While the chances of a torpedo dropped from x aircraft hitting y target in z weather conditions my be of academic interest, it doesn't influence how the player choses to utilize his assets in the game.

[Jane Doe]

So David are you still looking for more translators?

[*Lava*]

Hi!

You all actually read the manuals?

[;)]

Ray (alias Lava)

[Hexed Gamer]

While it might not be a problem for on cd .pdf manuals, I have to add to the comments regarding what to actually put into the manuals.

I think the manual for HTTR and EYSA might have enjoyed larger type font if the decision to use barely discernable B&W images that are all but indistinct had been left out.

If a manual is going to include images of screens etc, either make them in colour and large enough a magnifying glass is not required, or dispense with using them at all.

I have quite excellent vision capacity, and it is yet still strained in getting any use out of the images used in those two examples.

[FreshQu33blets]

I'm a professional technical translator--I work translating truck driver's, maintenance and service manuals for Freightliner LLC, English to Spanish. I would probably need to get up to speed on arcane military terminology, huh? How "grognardy" are the games that Matrix publishes? Starshatter's demo didn't seem all that bad, but I didn't really get a good look at the manual for it yet-- would it be representative?

On the one hand this could be pretty cool as a way for me to "break into the industry" and write about something other than FREAKIN' TRUCKS, but of course it would depend on how fast Matrix needed the work done and how much they're willing to pay-- I already work full time, after all... what kind of volume are we talking about (no. of words-- how fast)?

[macgregor]

Here's where I come in. I can speak military and spanish. Though I admit what you might want is someone with experience in a spanish-speaking military. In any event, I'm willing to help.

[Joel]

Matrix, any news about the selection process and/or timeline ? Just trying to figure out if David didn't get my mail or if I'm not selected ! [&o]

I have already done professional translation jobs: game manual and in-game texts for the French versions of Panzer General 3, Panzer General 3 Scorched Earth, Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord, CMBB and CMAK, as well as several TV historical documentaries.
I have also played and recorded French voices for CMBO and CMAK, and been part of several beta testing teams (CM series and SPWAW v1.0).
And of course French is my native language ! [:D]


Cheers,
Joël

[a19999577]

I'd sign up for Spanish. I am fully bilingual English-Spanish, am a historian with a special interest in military matters, have played wargames since I was 12 and am currently translating a doctoral thesis.

Drop me a line at a19999577@pucp.edu.pe if it seems things could work out.

Cheers

[Erik Rutins]

Hi,

When we get back from WBC next week, we should have a chance to go through all applications and respond. Thanks to those who have contacted us, please be patient.

Regards,

- Erik

[David Heath]

Hi Guys

No one been selected... if you did email I did add you to the list and it will be starting by the mid month. We are all away at WBC Gaming Convention.

David