Game localization
Bring your game to Turkish players as if it were written for them
Türkiye has a lively mobile and PC gaming audience that is highly sensitive to stories that reek of machine translation and jokes that miss their context. Yeni İpekyolu (New Silk Road)’s game translators know the gameplay terminology and worlds of Chinese games; they rewrite story, skill, item and interface text in natural Turkish and support your long-term operation in Türkiye with LQA testing and community copy.
Why Turkish players don’t forgive a game that reeks of machine translation
A machine-translation screenshot burns brand reputation
Türkiye’s gaming audience is predominantly young; mobile and PC games are widespread, communities are active, and word of mouth spreads quickly through reviews and social media. Although many players understand some English, they prefer a native-language interface, especially in story and tutorial sections. Screenshots of obviously machine-translated text can be shared and ridiculed, seriously harming brand image. That is why Turkish localisation is not an optional extra but one of the prerequisites for earning a good local reputation.
Cultural adaptation is equally important. Turkish society is sensitive about religion, history and nationhood; some images, gestures or forms of address considered ordinary in China may provoke a backlash in Türkiye. During translation, we flag these risky points and leave the assessment to your publishing team.
From test account to LQA: how many steps does localisation take?
At the start of the project, translators experience the game with a test account and learn its gameplay, world and character relationships. Next, a glossary unifying the names of characters, skills, attributes and in-game currency is prepared and submitted for your approval. In the translation stage, work is divided by text type: translators strong in literary expression take on the story, while brevity and consistency come first in system text.
After the text is imported into the game, the LQA stage begins; testers check truncation, fonts, context and variable display on the real screen. The bug list is delivered with screenshots, ordered by severity. After launch, version updates and event text continue to be translated on an agreed schedule.
Context-free Excel sheets, hard-coded concatenation and missing fonts
The most common mistake is handing the translator a context-free Excel sheet; on its own, the translator has to guess whether “attack” is a button, an attribute or a skill name. The second is hard-coding string concatenation; Turkish word order and suffixes break. The third is overlooking font support; Turkish letters displaying incorrectly is noticed only after launch.
In addition, for holiday events, local occasions such as Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) and Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) should be considered in terms of event planning and the language used. Using Chinese holiday events as they are is possible, but it is good to add a short explanation so players understand the background.
Before delivery: string IDs, a test build and character limits
Yeni İpekyolu offers game text translation directly from Chinese, cultural adaptation suggestions, LQA testing, store listings and community copy. We can also interpret between your team and Turkish publishing partners, publishers or community managers. Final checks on content suitability and platform policies rest with your legal or publishing team.
Please prepare text export files (preferably with string IDs and notes), a test account or test build, information on the game world and characters, and character limits and font constraints. If you have a set release date and version plan, share it in advance as well.
Studios and operations teams launching games in Türkiye
Chinese mobile game publishers
Suitable for the launch or version updates in Türkiye of RPG, strategy, hyper-casual and card games. These games have large text volumes and frequent updates, so terminology must stay consistent over a long period. We can translate new content continuously in line with your release schedule.
PC and console game studios
Adding Turkish support to games on platforms such as Steam reaches more local players. Many Turkish players ask in reviews whether there is Turkish support; local language support generally makes positive reviews easier to win. We handle in-game text, store pages and achievement descriptions.
Game operations and community teams
Event announcements, patch notes, support replies and social media content require ongoing translation. Operations text is time-sensitive and is often needed the same day, even within a few hours. If the process and term list are set in advance, urgent announcements are high quality too.
From in-game text to store pages and community
In-game text
Interface, skills, items, quests, tutorials and story dialogue are translated. Each text type has a different tone: the interface must be short, the story emotional and skill descriptions precise. We assign the right translator to each text type.
Cultural adaptation
Wordplay, idioms, holiday events and content that might be misunderstood are adapted. Jokes based on Chinese homophones and internet slang are lost on Turkish players when translated literally; local expressions with a similar effect must be found. Events such as the Spring Festival can be kept, but it is good to add a short background explanation.
Character names and voice
Names that Turkish players will easily remember and speaking styles are set for characters, clans and locations. Pinyin names are hard for Turkish players to read and don’t stick; sometimes translating the meaning or renaming is more appropriate. Each character’s voice must also be consistent: the old sage, the villain and the young hero all speak differently.
LQA language testing
Truncation, misalignment, context and font display are checked on the test server or build. Some game fonts don’t support Turkish letters such as ğ, ş and İ, which appear as boxes or question marks. LQA catches these problems before launch.
Store pages and promotional material
App Store, Google Play and Steam page copy and trailer subtitles are prepared. The store page directly affects downloads and should be written with genre names and highlight features Turkish players know. Trailer subtitles must match the rhythm of the footage.
Community and support copy
Discord announcements, FAQs, support templates and player event rules are translated. Event rules and reward descriptions must be clear; otherwise player complaints increase. The tone of support templates should be polite and natural, suited to Turkish communication habits.
Service summary and requirements
| Turnaround | Depends on text volume and release schedule |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Per word · LQA hourly |
| Language direction | Chinese / English → Turkish |
| Service languages | Chinese · Turkish · English |
| Cities served | Mainly Istanbul; also Ankara, Izmir and other cities |
The final price and timeline depend on your documents and scope; we send a clear quote within 2 hours.
What you need to provide
- Text export files (Excel, JSON, CSV, etc.), preferably with string IDs and notes
- Test account or test build
- Game world and character information
- Character limits and font constraints
Start by playing, finish with LQA, keep going with updates
- 1
Getting to know the game
Share a test account or game overview; translators first get to know the gameplay and world. It is hard to understand skill effects and story background just by looking at a spreadsheet. Translation done after experiencing the game fits it much better.
- 2
Glossary
Character, skill and system terms are compiled and, after your approval, used identically everywhere. The glossary is the foundation of long-term operation; later versions and community content build on it. You can suggest changes at any time.
- 3
Translation and editing
Text is translated by type, after which a native Turkish editor unifies the style. When several translators are involved, the editor smooths out stylistic differences. Unclear points are gathered in a query list and raised with you.
- 4
LQA testing
Text is reviewed in the game, and a bug list with screenshots is delivered. Bugs are classified by severity so the development team can plan fixes. Another round of checks can be carried out after the fixes.
- 5
Ongoing operations
Version updates and event text are translated quickly as needed. We keep the translation memory and process only new content. An expedited process can be set up for urgent announcements.
Frequently asked questions
Do you translate directly from Chinese?
Yes. Translating directly from Chinese preserves the original’s tone and humour and reduces the losses that occur via English. If you have an English version, we also use it as a reference so terminology aligns with the international version.
Could some content in the game be a problem in Türkiye?
If during translation we see content that might offend local players, such as sensitive references to religion, history or nationhood, we flag it and make suggestions. The final assessment of compliance with local legislation and platform policies belongs to your publishing or legal team.
Can I have only LQA testing done?
Yes. If your Turkish version is ready, we can carry out language testing only and deliver the bug list. This suits projects translated by another team that you want rechecked before launch.
Should character names stay in pinyin or be rendered in Turkish?
There is no single right answer. Main characters and culturally distinctive names are often kept in pinyin or a simplified spelling, while skill, item and location names are better suited to meaning-based translation. We offer several options and explain how Turkish players are likely to receive them; the decision is yours.
What happens if the game font doesn’t support Turkish letters?
In that case the development team needs to change or extend the font; it can’t be solved through translation. In LQA, we list all characters that display incorrectly and where they occur. We recommend checking whether the font supports ç, ğ, ı, İ, ö, ş and ü before translation begins.
What kind of language style do Turkish players like?
In general, Turkish players like natural expressions close to everyday speech; the informal sen form is often used in interfaces and tutorials. Overly formal or literally translated sentences feel artificial. That said, style varies with the game’s genre and target age group.
Can event announcements be translated the same day?
For short announcements and patch notes, usually yes, provided the process and contact person are set in advance. If there are new terms, it helps to send the information ahead of time. On long-term projects, a fixed response time can be agreed.
Do you also do voice-over?
Recording production itself is outside our scope; the studio you choose handles it. We can translate the voice-over script and adapt it to lip movements and timing. One of our translators can also be present during recording for language checks and interpreting.
Tell us what you need in Türkiye
Our Chinese-speaking consultant reviews it for free and gives you a clear price and timeline.
