Anyone having a grammar trouble while developing rpg?

[rechronicle]

Hello,
I want to ask about the English grammar, recently I got critiques of my rpg mostly on grammars error inside the game, I really want to know how to overcome this obstacle? (Especially if English is not your native language.)

Any advice or opinion are welcome.
Thank you!

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Besides studying English more, your best option would probably be to hire a native or fluent English speaker to proofread the text in your game. You may find someone willing to do that here in Project Recruitment or Classifieds.

 

[Wavelength]

Hi Gundriveth,

You're asking a really good question. In general, my advice to friends or clients who are not graceful in a language they want to release their game in is to find someone who is graceful in that language and get their help in localizing the game's text. Judging by this post, your command of English is pretty proficient - you can communicate your ideas clearly with other speakers - but it is not graceful yet.

Even occasional errors in grammar or word choice can break a player's immersion in your plot or gameplay, because the player feels like she's reading something that someone else wrote, instead of feeling like she's reading something that's happening in front of her. That's why it's so important to get someone who can speak the language with power and grace.

I've volunteered to handle the English localization for a few good-looking games in the past, so I have a lot of experience in perfecting the English for dialogue and other game info - but it's a time-consuming effort, and these days I'm too busy to do it on a volunteer basis (except for the most spectacular-looking projects), so at this moment I'd only be willing to do it on a paid basis. (However, I did take a look through your portfolio, and I have to say that your paintings and illustrations are beautiful!! Later this year, I would probably be willing to handle your game's localization if you haven't found help by then, in return for creating some art for my game.)

I think that @Ms Littlefish gave you a great suggestion - you might be able to find someone to help you on the Project Recruitment subforum, since this site has a lot of native English speakers. Explain what you need, but also explain why your project is great and why a volunteer would want to join it. Posting in the Classifieds (paid work) subforum will give you an even better chance to find someone that is committed enough to complete the job, but I recommend using this as a last resort, since you might be able to find someone to help you for free if your project looks appealing enough to join.

 

[Kes]

One thing I would add - do not assume that a native English speaker will automatically speak grammatically and, as Wavelength put it, gracefully. If you do decide to recruit someone, check their posts in other threads to see what their use of language is like.

 

[Milennin]

If you don't want to rely on others, you're going to have to learn the language. This doesn't mean you need to study it if you at least know the basics already. Just play lots of games (that feature dialogue), read books or comics, watch TV shows or internet videos, be active in online chatrooms, games or forums. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid to ask questions. That, at least, worked for me.
(Lol, I set English as my first language on here because I'm confident enough in my English skills, but really, it's merely a secondary language for me.)

 

[rechronicle]

Thank you for the advice guys, really appreciate it.
After reading and give it a thought for a while, I think the best for me now is to hire/cooperate with someone who fluent at English language, almost forgot that Project Recruitment does exist, lol.

I have been play and learn how to from many games since the dawn of PSX, it does increase my vocabulary, but still hard to understand in terms of grammar. As the game itself sometime have flaws too. (Not sure which grammar is right, which is wrong anymore)
I will consider learning English in the near future.

@Wavelength Sure do, let's talk about it later on. I will be happy to contribute some arts your game. Glad you like my artworks.

 

[SamJones]

You don't want somebody who has a merely functional fluency in the English language for that, ideally you need someone who loves and enjoy this language as a medium of expression, who can deliver the stylistic flourishes that bring characters and descriptions to life.

I don't know how easy such a person would be to find here but you might have some luck finding someone like that in the Languages department of your local university. Maybe put an ad up on a bulletin board there.

 

[GE_Peter]

Selamat siang,

If you're from Indonesia, your English is already impressively good. However, if you want to publish games in this language, you are correct in assuming you'll need some help. I'd like to tentatively extend the same offer as Wavelength: proofreading for money or art. Please bear in mind that if actual rewriting is required, depending on the size of your game, that could be a lot of work!

Here's one slight edit, just to help you out. o(^^)o


"The story of a man who wants to reveal his past and find the truth.

The world has fallen into nightmare, monsters swarming across human lands.

Only by gathering trusted friends can this man save the Outworld."

 

[HarmonyGames]

Selamat siang!

Bahasa is my first language as well, so I understand your situation.

You should hire a native English speaker to proofread your game, but there's nothing to be ashamed if you keep learning English. If you are a writer, then you should focus on English's grammar first. I think there are books that focus on English grammar.

Keep reading books, or read RPG game scripts, it will help you improving your writing skills.
There are many RPG game scripts for your references.

 

[Frozen_Phoenix]

English is not my native language and I just write the word on google translate if I'm not sure of its meaning or if it is written correctly.

 

[Kes]

@Frozen_Phoenix Sadly google translate will often give you a poor choice - particularly where the correct word can only be determined by context. Be very, very cautious about using it.

 

[Frozen_Phoenix]

@Frozen_Phoenix Sadly google translate will often give you a poor choice - particularly where the correct word can only be determined by context. Be very, very cautious about using it.

Yes, you should put only single words on it so you get all the meanings.

 

[Punamaagi]

I would actually advise using a proper dictionary instead of Google Translate if you want to look up translations for a single word. If you have time and energy, using a bilingual dictionary and then doing a search with the English word seems a good method from my personal experience: it shows you what kind of context the word is used in and can provide you with a definition for that word. This method requires you to have an adequate grasp of English, though.

If you are e.g. unsure whether a certain preposition works with a certain verb, it's a good idea to try searching for the combo (in quotation marks) in Google (or search engine of your choice). If the verb+preposition combo appears in English sources, such as newspapers, it's quite safe to assume that it's grammatically correct.