Translating a marketing slogan is completely different from adapting a fantasy character’s line of dialogue. Each type of content demands a different kind of creativity.
From subtitles to mobile apps, from in-game scripts to global marketing campaigns, she has done it all. We asked her which type of content stretches the limits of language the most, which projects have been the most fun to work on, and how she feels about the growing role of AI and machine translation tools in the industry.
Q&A with Lisa d’Alfonso
I am originally from France, and English, Spanish and French were my favorite subjects back in my school days. (I even corrected grammatical mistakes on posters when I visited my secondary school, that’s how much of language nerd I already was). First, I studied to become a speech therapist, which demanded a strong command of French subtleties and nuances. It turned out to be too scientific for my language-oriented mind, so I enrolled into a double translation/international relations bachelor, followed by a master’s degree.
I became a translator and localization specialist in 2018. I started my journey in creative fields such as marketing and subtitling, before stepping up my game with adaptation for dubbing or voiceover, literature… and video games, obviously. I put my foot into the videogame industry by performing Linguistic Quality Assurance, and despite being a casual player, this allowed me to get more familiar with the experience as a whole and get to localize my first titles.
2- You work across different areas of the localization industry such as game localization, subtitling, mobile apps and marketing. Which one do you feel really tests the limits of language?
Mobile apps, most definitely! There are plenty of ways to tackle constraints in all the areas we mentioned. However, mobile apps are the boss level of limited space and familiar user experience. Sometimes, you will find concise solutions. Other times, you will need to work hand in hand with the developer to see if you can tweak the interface a little or resize a CTA (Call-to-Action) box. But ideally, you will think outside the box and find a way to work around the problem. Visiting regularly different kinds of apps can be a great source of inspiration!
3- Which content type gives you the most space to be creative while working? For example, is it games, marketing texts, or subtitles?
This question is difficult, because I found my most creative solutions in such different projects, whether it be subtitling, game localization, or even adaptation for voiceover. Marketing texts probably offer the most leeway: games have length constraints, subtitling also includes duration, shot changes and segmentation rules, dubbing can’t work without lip synchronization… One may think that being free from limitations allows you to be more creative, but there is also something about challenging restrictions that forces you to go the extra mile and be ingenious. There is nothing more gratifying than finding the right term or phrase when you have such little time, such little space, or so many rules to obey.
4- What has been your most enjoyable project so far? We’d be curious to hear about any challenges you faced during that project and how you managed them?
Really loved working on Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, which was one of my first big projects. This MMORPG contains a lot of text and a wide variety of characters, which could have been problematic with a team of translators. To tackle style and harmonization difficulties, my colleagues and I decided to create a Bible specifying every single address between all characters. We also created a Skype channel to improve our communication. After brainstorming, we also logged in the character-specific expressions we agreed on and regularly used them along the text to maintain consistency. It was really fun to make up expressions that both reflected the personalities and the French culture!
5. What are your thoughts on the growing use of AI and machine translation in the localization industry? Do you think these technologies are breathing new life into the industry or slowly killing it?
First, it essential to distinguish AI from Generative AI. The former can be a powerful tool when applied in the right fields, whereas the latter is a environmental and ethical disaster which is both flawed and misused. AI itself is not harming the industry. It is great to see new technologies emerge and make a difference in our lives (as long as they truly help and do not replace our thinking process or critical judgment, though). For example, the use of AI for medical diagnosis and areas where human failure can have serious consequences is a phenomenal achievement.
However, what is killing our industry is the greed of the humans trying to sell (Gen)AI as a solution to everything, including creative processes. While automation can be great for management or repetitive tasks, we need to leave creativity to humans. A machine can improve, make less mistakes, but it will never come up with memorable translations and give the fantastic results and success everyone is expecting. It is time to give less credit to these gurus and realize that they are slowly killing a craft, and their own business in the process! If game localizers cannot live from their skills anymore, they will leave sooner or later and there won’t be good translators left to edit their mediocre machine translations.
In this blog post, Lisa d’Alfonso gave us more than just industry insights. She reminded us of the passion that lies at the heart of localization.
Every project opens a door to a different culture and language. Through her perspective, we saw that this work is never just about words. It is about building real connections.
Even in an age where technology moves faster than ever, localization finds its real value through the human touch. Thanks to the professionals working behind the scenes, content is not just translated. It is brought to life in a whole new way.
See you in the next blog!