Localization Studio for Baldur’s Gate III Issues Apology for Excluding Contractors from Credits
The studio responsible for translating Baldur’s Gate III has expressed regret for not including the names of their outsourced workers in the game’s credits. Altagram Group’s founder and CEO, Marie Amigues, took full responsibility for the oversight and offered an apology for any negative impact it may have caused. Amigues also expressed gratitude to Larian for promptly addressing the issue and allowing them to rectify it by including the names of the Brazilian Portuguese translators in a forthcoming game patch.
While the credits did not list the translators Altagram worked with, they included the names of company executives and department heads. Contractors who translated Baldur’s Gate III into languages other than Brazilian Portuguese were credited, although these localizations were handled by different companies.
A Statement from Altagram Group (1/2) pic.twitter.com/jeUYb9bSlc
— Altagram (@Altagram_Group) August 10, 2023
Baldur’s Gate III developer and publisher Larian Studios said Altagram was guilty of negligence. It asked the company to fix the situation, and it seems Altagram has been quick to oblige.
Unfortunately, outsourced workers who participate in games are not always fully compensated for their work. This can affect their future prospects as it makes it a bit harder for potential employers to prove that they worked on a particular game.
However, employee compensation may not be a concern for some localization studios in the coming years. We will definitely see certain developers try to use artificial intelligence to translate games into different languages in the hope of reducing costs. However, localization is a skilled job that requires people who can not only mechanically translate a text from one language to another, but who can take into account factors such as idiomatic quirks and cultural references that may not make sense to a certain audience.
