Max : Personal LocJam 2021 Log
This was my first LocJAM. I've been wanting to pursue a full-time career in videogame localization for a while now. I learned that localizing a game involves much more creativity than the inflexible legal and mining translations I had been doing for years, but this only pushed me forward, even more, to keep going. I was sad to discover that there used to be an annual translators' tournament called the LocJAM, but it had been canceled since 2016. However, this year they announced that it would be resumed with new rules. I didn't think about it twice and signed up right away. Andrés, a friend, and mentor told me enthusiastically that, if I participated, he would too, despite his busy schedule. (Thanks, Andrés!). After having a group call with Bárbara and Sebastián, it was finally time to get down to work. We had two days to finish, but my excitement was greater. I stayed up late at night so I could finish both days’ work immediately and see the result. The next day, I was pleased to see the positive feedback about my work, and also I had the opportunity to be a reviewer for the first time in my life. If there is one thing I learned from this experience, it was teamwork. The clash of ideas, the comments in MemoQ, the idea of reaching an agreement on a word and improving both our translation memory and termbase made me reassert that this is the profession I want to follow. After some personal problems (which my colleagues helped me deal with), approaching deadlines, and a lot of effort, the localization was finally finished. From planning the first group call to creating our profile on itch.io (https://the-tetraforce.itch.io/) this has been a truly rewarding experience that allowed me to experience firsthand how a game is translated. I am very grateful to Andrés, Bárbara, and Sebastián for their patience and willingness to share their knowledge with me. I look forward to working with you soon!
I look forward to the future with hopes of continuing to expand my experience in this exciting and wonderful industry.
Happy jamming and see you next year!